‘Haunted’ jail tours set to continue after construction

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Palmetto Life) - After a two-year hiatus for renovations, nightly tours will resume at the historic Old City Jail this month.

The tours will once again be hosted by Bulldog Tours, who has been exclusively running tours through the jail since 2004.

Bulldog Tours owner John Laverne said he is looking forward to how guests will react to updates to the building and the tours themselves.

The building now has heating and cooling systems as well as updated restrooms. The tour itself features new visual depictions of various forms of punishment used in the jail, the prison yard and the jailer’s quarters.

The Old City Jail has long been touted as Charleston’s most haunted building and has been featured on shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural.

The jail was originally constructed in 1802 and operated until 1939.

The facility housed infamous criminals, pirates, prisoners of the Civil War and even the first female serial killer, Lavinia Fisher, who they say haunts the halls of the jail to this day.

Those who take the tour can anticipate 45 minutes of chilling tales telling of the gruesome and horrific conditions that those incarcerated endured, walking in small groups through the first floor of the jail to visit the cells and halls that were once occupied by Charleston’s earliest inmates.

The tours will be starting back up on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at 21 Magazine St. Advanced registration and purchase of tickets are required, which can be done on the Bulldog Tours website. Tickets start at $37 for ages 12 and up. The tour is not recommended for children younger than 12. The tour is not wheelchair accessible.

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