The Outstanding Old City Jail

Welcome back bloggers!

Today's blog post will be about the Old City Jail that can be found in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

The Old City Jail

Upon arrival, the Old City Jail already has some spooky vibes. This structure was built in 1802 and closed in 1939, giving it plenty of years to collect scary stories.

Beyond the stories that go along with this haunting building, there are also many facts that equally as interesting. For example, you can see in the picture that the jail has a fourth floor. However, the fourth floor no longer exists because the earthquake of 1886 ruined it.

One of my favorite stories that I heard was about Lavinia Fisher. Lavinia Fisher was a woman that worked with her husband to murder innocent people until they were caught. While in jail, her husband was able to escape but he couldn't bare to be apart from his wife so he waited to be caught and sent back to be reunited with her. Lavinia Fisher was sentenced to death by hanging and right before she was hanged, she said "If any of you have a message for the devil, hand it to me for I will be dining with him tonight". In my opinion, that is probably one of the most memorable last words that someone could say.

Cages that prisoners were held in

Elonzo Small's wheelchair

Another interesting story is about Elonzo Small. He was the youngest person to be incarcerated at the age of 10. Elonza was wrongfully convicted of murder. His did not last very long in the jail and left behind a wheel chair that is there to this day. There is a legend that the ghost of Elonza Small still haunts the Old City Jail.

All of the inmates were sentenced an average of 40 lashes from a whip unless they were on death row. There are many markings on the wall that are thought to be the prisoners keeping count of how many more lashes they had to endure.

While we continue our tour, our tour guide mentioned that the jail would bury people in the yard right outside. He then continued to say that "the jail is one giant tombstone". This quote was a creative and interesting way of viewing the Old City Jail.

I had also noticed that a small structure outside resembled a witches hat, continuing the overall haunting and spooky feeling that the jail gives off naturally.

Witches hat structure

Matthew Sully Reeves

Hey Bloggers!

When looking for an Old Charlestonian to further research, I wanted someone with both a grave that I enjoyed and a story that I found interesting. Matthew Reeves fit that description with a beautiful and well preserved obelisk.

Matthew Reeves was born December 15th, 1814 in Charleston, South Carolina and died August 10th, 1862 in Charleston, making him a true Charlestonian.

Reeve's Grave

This grave can be found in the Cathedral Church of Saint Luke and Saint Paul located on Coming St. in Charleston, South Carolina. We visited this church earlier this semester and I found this graveyard to be very interesting. A majority of the graves are historic, meaning they are older than 75 years old.

Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul

Matthew Reeves was well known throughout the entire state of South Carolina because he was well versed in the musical world. He entertained people with his talent during church as the organist at St. Michaels. Although he was born in Charleston, it is thought that he was musically trained in Europe. I find this to be very interesting because Europe was and continues to be known for the musical prodigies it produces. It isn't known where exactly he studied music within Europe but being able to go at all can lead one to believe that Reeve's came from a wealthy family. It is said that Reeves was a genuine and nice person, making friends wherever life took him.

His death was sudden and heartbreaking to the those he left behind. It is thought that his death was a stroke and before he passed away, he was actually playing the organ for his church earlier that day. He died at the age of 47 which may seem young in today's age but during the 1800's, the average life expectancy was in the 40's.

I found Matthew Reeves to be interesting because of the hints towards wealth that his history gives. One can assume but it will never be known for sure and the mystery is what makes it the most intriguing.

The Magnificent Magnolia Cemetery!

Hello bloggers!

This blog post will contain information on possibly the most amazing cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina.

This cemetery is called Magnolia Cemetery and contains graves that date all the way back to the 1700s. Along with the history that it captures, there is also plenty of beauty to be found within.

A Peony Flower found in Magnolia Cemetery

Before I had even seen a grave, I was distracted by the many beautiful plants that are grown within this cemetery. I find this to be very admirable because the dead are about to rest in peace and beauty.

As my class continued to travel around, I was amazed by the amount of effort that is put into keeping this cemetery looking "to die for". There is endless amounts of angel oak trees to keep the cemetery looking green and fresh while also providing nice shade over the graves.

There is also a small bridge that can be walked along to pass over the pond. Even those who do not have a loved one to visit in this cemetery will enjoy being there just because of how beautiful it is.

Along with enjoying the beauty, some may enjoy the history that can be found within this vast cemetery.

Rosalie Raymond's Grave

For example, the grave of Rosalie Raymond White. Rosalie was an infant that passed away and the grave is her face on a baby carriage. I personally was drawn to this grave because not only is it a piece of history, but it is also fascinating that they took the time to have Rosalie's face made into stone for her grave.

The Magnolia Cemetery has many graves beyond Rosalie's that are a piece of history. My eye was caught when I saw some very historical looking graves. These graves are so old that the writing that was once on them, has now degraded away. Despite not being able to read who they are for or when they were made, I was still very interested in them.

I enjoy that graves can be around for centuries and still continue to be something that can be admired. Old graves have a nostalgic feeling to me despite the fact that I was not born in the century that they were made.

Family Grave Site

This group of old graves were fenced in so it can be assumed that it is a family lot. Behind the two graves in the front, smaller ones can be found. I am making the connection that those are the children of the whomever is buried in the front.

This was common in the past because medicine was not as advanced. Cemeteries such as Magnolia hold many family lots because one sickness could be fatal to all. It is unfortunate but also a very helpful way of recognizing when certain diseases struck disaster throughout history.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Magnolia Cemetery and I would recommend it as a place to see when in Charleston because it is not only beautiful, but also full of knowledge.