Porch weather

Old Charleston Jail, Magazine St., Charleston, SC   

Warm and muggy. It's porch weather. 

Is it still called a piazza in Charleston if it is on the back of the old jail? 

The roof even looks like an old witch's hat, doesn't it? 

Boo!

No Dogs Allowed

Old Charleston Jail, Magazine St., Charleston, S.C.

No dogs allowed but perhaps their puppy crimes weren't severe enough to warrant being locked up in the old Charleston Jail on Magazine St. It is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in town but at least we won't have to listen for haunted howling.

The old jail, beside being the location of spooky tours, is the home of the College of the Building Arts.

ACBA Graduation - now go back to jail

American College of the Building Arts, Charleston, S.C.

Charleston has been swarming with graduates this weekend and my friend Becca asked me if I'd like to take the graduation photos for the American College of the Building Arts. This is a slightly different group to say the least. There were only to be five graduates - and I was to meet them at the jail where they hold their classes.

The American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) is dedicated to educating the next generation of building artisans and to preserving the building arts in a manner never before seen in America. Under the direction of our experienced faculty, students have the opportunity to receive a quality liberal arts education while they learn the skills needed to excel in their chosen field. This combination of education, training, and access to highly experienced faculty is available nowhere else in the United States. Courses include: Architectural Stone, Carpentry, Forged Architectural Ironwork, Plaster Working, Preservation Masonry and Timber Framing.

The students processed with their faculty from the old Charleston jail to Washington Park for the graduation ceremony and then - yes, back to jail for their lunch reception! Congratulations graduates!

More photos in this album.

Come on in and slam the door shut.....

Old Charleston Jail, Magazine St., Charleston, S.C.

Let's continue our Halloween week features with another peak at the old Charleston jail. The jail is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in town and regularly featured on ghost walks. Boo! I would imagine it would be a pretty spooky place at night. Bulldog tours web site says:

This is quite possibly the scariest place you will ever go. The experience is NOT recommended for small children or men that cry easily.**

Gotta love it!

Meanwhile, today the jail houses the American College of Building Arts and they are throwing their annual Red Party tomorrow night and my friend Becca who actually works in the jail, asked me to invite YOU.

The American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) invites all who are brave enough to serve time at the most haunted building in Charleston, South Carolina. Mystery, intrigue and pure enchanting delight will meet a red theme at the Old City Jail on Thursday, October 28, 2010 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The historic building that houses the college will be transformed into a rich red decadence that only ACBA can produce. Come dressed in... red and mask your face.

The Red Party is the kind of party that people are dying to get in! But the main purpose is to raise awareness for our mission, and emphasize the need for educated artisans in America. All proceeds from the event will help support the education of ACBA’s students.

The event will host a silent auction including incredible luxury trips, fine art, exciting adventures and items crafted by the students of ACBA! DJ Arthur Brouthers will have the crowd dancing to beats while guests enjoy an open bar and a delicious repast sponsored and prepared by Good Food Catering.

Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the door. To purchase tickets please call 843-577-5245 or visit our website at www.buildingartscollege.us.

Old Charleston Jail

Old Charleston Jail, Magazine St., Charleston, S.C.

After a brunch at the Queen St. Grocery on Sunday morning, my friend Becca offered to walk us through her new office - in the old Charleston Jail. Oh yes, yes, yes. I've taken pictures over the wall but was itching to get inside to explore.

The American College of Building Arts is currently using the jail for their offices and studios but other than being structurally stabilized it remains very much as it was left.

The Old Jail housed a great variety of inmates. John and Lavinia Fisher, and other members of their gang, convicted of robbery and murder in the Charleston Neck region were imprisoned here in 1819 to 1820. Some of the last 19th-century high-sea pirates were jailed here in 1822 while they awaited hanging. The jail was active after the discovery of Denmark Vesey's planned slave revolt. In addition to several hundreds of free blacks and slaves jailed for their involvement, four white men convicted of supporting the 1822 plot were imprisoned here. Vesey spent his last days in the tower before being hanged. Increased restrictions were placed on slaves and free blacks in Charleston as a result of the Vesey plot, and law required that all black seaman be kept here while they were in port. During the Civil War, Confederate and Federal prisoners of war were incarcerated here.

Naturally there is a popular ghost tour. The Bulldog Tour site claims, "This is quite possibly the scariest place you will ever go. The experience is NOT recommended for small children or men that cry easily."

Sing along now....

Down in Charleston Jail
(Sergeant Johnson)

When I enlisted in the army,
Then I thought 't was grand,
Marching through the streets of Boston
Behind a regimental band.
When at Wagner I was captured,
Then my courage failed;
Now I'm dirty, hungry, naked,
Here in Charleston jail.

cho: Weeping, sad and lonely,
Oh, how bad I feel!
Down in Charleston, South Carolina,
Praying for a good square meal.

Rip off. I don't see any ghosts in my pictures.