Charleston South Carolina
Meeting Street Inn
Two spirits of the founding family are not always wanting to share.
DESCRIPTION
The Meeting Street Inn is a three story, hardwood floored, 56 room bed and breakfast inn, located in an 1870 renovated building. This building was built in the traditional Charleston single house style, which is “distinguished by it’s single room width with the house set at right angles to the street.”
The guest rooms are described as romantic and charming, being filled with “southern decor” and furnished with early period antiques, such as having canopy rice beds, oriental rugs. In the old section of the inn, the rooms have 12 foot ceilings and “huge beautiful windows.”
Some of the rooms have porches or balconies. Each room at The Meeting Street Inn opens onto the sunny piazza overlooking the lush courtyard, which is a lovely place to relax. The inn’s garden is beautiful, with climbing floral vines and a fountain.
HISTORY
Because this real estate is right in the center of town, the buildings built here were for public or commercial use. In 1837, the Charleston Theatre opened, which took up the space of 4 normal lots. Unfortunately, Charleston Theatre burned to the ground in 1861. As the land was valuable, the owner divided the land parcel where the theatre stood and divided it into 4 lots, and sold 2 lots to recent German immigrant, Adolph Tiefenthal, who had come to America just the year before. Adolph had to not only wait until after the Civil War was over, but he had to save the money needed before he could hire D.A.J. Sullivan in 1874 to build for him a three-storied brick building, complete with running water!
A saloon, restaurant and a wholesale dealership in German beer and Rhine wines were the commercial businesses housed on the first floor, from which Adolph made his living to support his family; his wife and three daughters, who lived above the businesses on the second and third floors. Unfortunately, Adolph only lived 4 more years and died in 1878. His wife married again and she became the saloon keeper. In 1886, they leased the retail space on the first floor to the Atlantic Brewing and Ice Company.
Around the turn-of-the-century, a George Hormickel took over the lease and opened the very upscale Salvory Club and Restaurant, which catered to the well-to do in Charleston Society. To accommodate the hoop skirted women, George installed the extra large doors on the side entrance to the lobby.
In 1903, Adolph’s descendants sold the property to William J. O’Hagan who ran a fashionable boutique, “Genuine Antique” for 38 years. From 1942 until 1980, a variety of commercial enterprises which offered products from Auto Parts to bicycle rentals made this building their place of business. By 1980, this building was in need of TLC, so it was “renovated, enlarged, and transformed” into a new popular commercial enterprise, The Meeting Street Inn, which offered charming guest accommodations located on all three floors.
Unfortunately the parent company which owned The Meeting Street Inn hit an iceberg and failed financially. Though the inn continued to operate anyway, the very old building was starting to need more work done. The topper was Hurricane Hugo which damaged the building in 1989, resulting in the building being in a state of needing major repair. The Meeting Street Inn became a real fixer upper opportunity!
Thankfully, an accomplished Innkeeper, Frances F. (Franki) Limehouse, who loves to fix up old homes/buildings and make them viable once more, bought The Meeting Street Inn, did the extensive renovations and restoration needed for The Meeting Street Inn to open up for business once more!
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS
The original owner of this structure and his family lived in the rooms currently found in the back of this Meeting Street Inn, in its older section. Rooms 303 and 107 seem to belong to entities who more or less share their rooms with the living.
MANIFESTATIONS
Room 303; It’s Mine Sometimes!
Is home to a Large entity of someone who has claimed a room as its own (probably a male, but could be a very large woman).
In room 303, the entity who resides here has on occasion wanted the room to itself and has locked the door from the inside, and could push as hard as a 250 lb living person.
When the door was opened by use of the master key, a tremendous force kept the door to the room shut.
When the living ran to break the door in, it flew open with no resistance. No one alive was found in the room after a careful inspection!
Room 107; Willing to Share
A female entity likes room 107, and lets the guests who stay here know of her presence in small and big ways.
Though, she is courteous and willing to share her space.
One startled couple who were sitting in bed reported that a female entity appeared at the foot of their bed.
From the waist up she looked like a normal living person, but from the waist down it was see through to a point but faded to nothing where her knees and feet should be.
She simply floated to the door, opened it and left the room, as to let the couple have the room for the night.
STILL HAUNTED?
Yes indeed! Two entities from the original Tiefenthal family are believed to be still in residence, as the rooms they haunt were used as the original family living space. Perhaps the male entity could be Adolf Tiefenthal, who after all the work he did to get his dream building built, he died only after 4 years in business, way before he was probably ready to do so. The female entity could be any of the Tiefenthal women.
LOCATION
31 Legare Street
Charleston, SC 29401
The Meeting Street Inn can be found on Meeting Street which runs right through the historic downtown area of Charleston, between cross streets Market and Cumberland.
The inn’s prime location gives you the chance to park your car in the lot across the street for a fee and never have to drive again for the length of your stay. From The Meeting Street Inn’s location, one can walk to any place of interest and shop ’til you drop in the downtown stores. This location also gives you the chance to park your car in the lot across the street for a fee and never have to drive again for the length of your stay.
SOURCES INCLUDE
- meetingstreetinn.com
- Haunted Inns of the Southeast
By Sheila Turnage
John F Blair, Publisher, 2001
Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr
