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| Poogan's Porch |
This restaurant is located at
72 Queen Street in Charleston, South Carolina. This establishment is known for
its delicious southern cuisine and two ghosts.
Poogan’s Porch is named after
a friendly little neighborhood stray dog that often landed on the home’s porch
looking for food. Bobbie Ball, who bought the charming home to turn it into a
restaurant, fell in love with Poogan and adopted him.
When her restaurant opened in
1976 Poogan was there to greet the first customers. He past away in 1979 and is
buried in the front yard. His picture is displayed in the restaurant, and a
statue of him sits next to his grave.
Customers often stop at his
final resting place to pay their respects.
A wishful legend about his
ghost states that diners and employees looking out one front window see him. He
sits on the front porch in his favorite spot, waiting patiently for attention or
some food.
The other ghost at
Poogan’s Porch is more than a legend and appears often.
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| Elizabeth and Zoe |
The charming Victorian house where
this restaurant is located was built in the late 1800s. At the turn of the
century, two sisters moved in. Zoe and Elizabeth St. Amand were spinsters who
stayed to themselves, preferring each other’s company.
Zoe was a schoolteacher who
looked the part. She wore long black Puritan-style dresses, and round, wide-brimmed glasses.
When Elizabeth passed away, it
devastated Zoe. She became even more reclusive, and her mental state
deteriorated. Neighbors became concerned when they heard her calling her sister’s
name constantly.
They finally took her to St.
Francis Hospital where she remained until her death in 1954. But it appears her
ghost returned to her home on Queen Street.
There are numerous accounts
of people who have encountered her spirit, including employees and the owner.
A male chef opening the
restaurant placed his coffee cup on the stairs as he went to open the back door
for food deliveries. When he returned, his cup was gone.
He made himself another cup
and returned to find his original cup on the stair where he left it, but now it
had a faint line of lipstick on its brim.
Zoe is often seen late at
night, or late in the evening when there are not many customers left in the old
home.
A cleaner vacuuming a rug
around midnight got the overwhelming feeling she was being watched. She glanced
into a mirror and saw the face of an elderly woman wearing black looking at
her—this image faded away and then returned to just fade away again.
A pastry chef while in the
restaurant alone around midnight was working in the kitchen while playing her
music. Suddenly, she heard footsteps running up the stairs.
She investigated, but no one
was there. She went back to her work and started to sing along with a favorite
song. At one point, another voice joined her.
She looked around, expecting
to see a fellow worker, but she was alone. Again she investigated, but no one was
in the house with her, and the alarm was set.
The owner of the restaurant, Bobbie Ball, was closing the restaurant one evening—as she went to set the alarm,
she heard bulky wooden stools being flipped over, and several doors slam open. She
was alone in the building when this happened.
Customers have also
encountered Zoe’s ghost.
Often when Zoe’s ghost is
seen the witnesses at first do not realize she is a ghost.
Several female patrons have
encountered an odd elderly lady in the restroom. They did not realize until they
saw a picture of Zoe that hangs on one wall in the restaurant, that they had
seen a ghost.
One female customer struck up
a conversation with Zoe, when it dawned on her she was speaking to a ghost she
ran screaming from the restaurant.
Guests who have stayed at the
Mills House Hotel across the street from Pagan’s Porch have also reported seeing
Zoe’s ghost.
As they looked out their
windows at the night skyline of Charleston, they spotted an elderly lady dressed
in black waving at them from a second-floor window in the restaurant.
Two of these guests, knowing
the restaurant was closed, became concerned that the woman they spotted was
locked in. They both called the police. When the officers arrived, they found
the restaurant locked, alarmed, and no one inside.
