Poogan’s Porch – Haunted Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina

Poogan’s Porch stands as one of Charleston’s most beloved dining establishments. The restaurant also claims fame as one of the city’s most actively haunted locations.

Housed in a charming Victorian-era home built in 1888, this Queen Street eatery serves Southern comfort food. Ghostly residents reportedly share the space with modern-day diners enjoying their meals.

The building’s history stretches back over a century to Charleston’s golden age. Multiple spirits are said to roam the dining rooms and upstairs private spaces.

Visitors come as much for the paranormal encounters as the acclaimed cuisine. The restaurant embraces its haunted reputation rather than shying away from it.

Staff members and guests regularly report unexplained phenomena throughout the building. Cold spots, moving objects, and ghostly apparitions occur with surprising frequency here.

Historical Background

The Victorian house at 72 Queen Street was constructed in 1888. The residence served as a private home for prominent Charleston families for decades.

Zoe St. Amand occupied the house during the early 1900s as a schoolteacher. She lived a quiet life in the elegant home until her death.

The property changed hands multiple times throughout the twentieth century. Various families made the house their home before it was converted to commercial use.

Poogan’s Porch restaurant opened its doors in 1976 after extensive renovations. The new owners transformed the aging residence into a charming dining establishment.

The restaurant’s namesake was actually a neighborhood dog named Poogan. This scruffy Irish Setter mix belonged to an elderly woman who lived nearby.

When Poogan’s owner passed away, the loyal dog refused to leave the area. He took up residence on the front porch of the newly opened restaurant.

Staff members fed and cared for Poogan until his death in 1979. The beloved canine became the restaurant’s unofficial mascot and inspiration for its unique name.

Poogan was buried in the garden behind the restaurant with full honors. His memory lives on through the restaurant’s brand and allegedly his spirit too.

Paranormal Activity Summary

Guests and staff report seeing a woman in black Victorian-era clothing. She appears most frequently in the upstairs dining rooms during evening service hours.

Unexplained cold spots manifest suddenly throughout the restaurant without any logical source. These temperature drops can be felt even during Charleston’s sweltering summer months.

Chairs and tables move on their own when staff arrive to open. Workers have discovered dining room furniture completely rearranged overnight despite locked doors.

Disembodied footsteps echo through empty hallways and stairwells. The sounds of someone walking upstairs are heard when no one is there.

Objects disappear and reappear in different locations without explanation. Salt shakers, utensils, and decorative items vanish only to show up days later.

Visitors report feeling unseen hands touching their shoulders or backs. These gentle touches occur most often in the upstairs private dining areas.

Electronic equipment malfunctions regularly throughout the building. Cameras, phones, and restaurant equipment experience unexplained technical difficulties.

The scent of perfume wafts through rooms without any identifiable source. This floral fragrance is particularly strong in the second-floor dining spaces.

Ghost Stories & Reports

Zoe St. Amand is believed to be the primary spirit haunting Poogan’s Porch. The former schoolteacher lived in the house during the early twentieth century.

Zoe appears as a woman dressed in black Victorian mourning attire. Her apparition has been witnessed by dozens of guests and staff members over the years.

According to reports, Zoe died in the house after a prolonged illness. She apparently loved her home so deeply that she never truly left it.

Witnesses describe seeing Zoe standing near windows on the second floor. She gazes out onto Queen Street as if waiting for someone to arrive.

One famous incident involved a tourist who photographed an empty chair. When the film was developed, a woman in Victorian dress appeared seated there.

Staff members report that Zoe seems particularly protective of the building. She apparently disapproves when changes are made to the restaurant’s décor or layout.

During one renovation project, workers experienced repeated accidents and equipment failures. The problems ceased only after management apologized aloud to Zoe.

Another spirit connected to the location is Poogan himself. The restaurant’s namesake dog reportedly still roams the property in spectral form.

Guests have reported seeing a scruffy dog wandering through the dining rooms. The animal appears solid and real before vanishing into thin air.

Staff members claim to hear phantom barking coming from the front porch. The sounds occur most frequently during early morning hours before opening.

Some visitors report feeling a dog brush against their legs under tables. When they look down to pet the animal, nothing is there.

Kitchen staff have witnessed pots and pans being knocked over by unseen forces. Some workers believe Poogan’s spirit still begs for food in the kitchen.

A less frequently seen apparition is that of an unidentified man. This male spirit appears in the downstairs dining room wearing period clothing from the 1800s.

The male ghost is described as tall with a beard and formal attire. His identity remains unknown despite extensive research into the property’s history.

This mysterious figure stands silently observing diners before fading from view. Witnesses report feeling watched even after the apparition disappears.

Most Haunted Spot

The second-floor dining rooms experience the most concentrated paranormal activity. Zoe St. Amand’s spirit manifests most frequently in these upstairs spaces.

The west-facing window area seems to be Zoe’s favorite location. She appears there looking out onto Queen Street multiple times per month.

Private dining parties held upstairs report the highest number of unexplained occurrences. Cold spots, moving objects, and apparitions all happen more frequently there.

The staircase connecting the first and second floors is another supernatural hotspot. Phantom footsteps are heard ascending and descending these stairs constantly.

Staff members refuse to go upstairs alone after closing time. The overwhelming sense of being watched makes solitary trips extremely uncomfortable.

Can You Visit?

Poogan’s Porch operates as a fully functioning restaurant open to the public. No special permission or advanced booking is required to visit this haunted location.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner seven days per week. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially for weekend dinner service and upstairs seating.

There is no entry fee beyond the cost of your meal. Menu prices are moderate and reflect typical Charleston fine dining establishments.

Guided paranormal tours are not offered by the restaurant itself. However, numerous Charleston ghost tour companies include Poogan’s Porch in their walking routes.

Photography is allowed and even encouraged by the restaurant staff. Management welcomes guests attempting to capture evidence of paranormal activity.

Lunch service runs from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM daily. Dinner service begins at 5:00 PM and continues until 9:30 PM on weekdays.

Weekend dinner hours extend until 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday brunch is served from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM.

Best Time to Visit

Evening dinner service produces the most frequent paranormal encounters. The hours between 7:00 PM and closing see the highest activity levels.

Requesting a table in the upstairs dining rooms increases encounter probability. These second-floor spaces are where Zoe appears most consistently.

October through December witnesses increased supernatural activity throughout the restaurant. The cooler months seem to energize the spirits residing here.

Weekday evenings when the restaurant is less crowded allow for better observation. The quieter atmosphere makes it easier to notice subtle paranormal phenomena.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

A server named Elizabeth worked at Poogan’s Porch for six years. She reported seeing Zoe’s full apparition at least a dozen times during her employment.

Elizabeth described one incident where place settings were rearranged while she retrieved menus. She had carefully set a table only to return and find everything moved.

Another staff member named Marcus reported hearing his name called repeatedly. The voice came from empty rooms and sounded like an elderly woman.

Marcus also experienced doors opening and closing on their own. He witnessed the upstairs bathroom door slam shut despite no wind or air movement.

A tourist from Ohio submitted a photograph to the restaurant in 2015. The image clearly showed a translucent woman standing beside their dinner table.

The photograph was taken with a digital camera and showed no signs of manipulation. The woman in the image matched historical descriptions of Zoe St. Amand.

A wedding rehearsal dinner held upstairs in 2018 was interrupted by unexplained phenomena. Multiple guests witnessed wine glasses sliding across the table untouched.

The bride reported feeling someone adjust her hair during the dinner. When she turned around, no one was standing behind her chair.

Chef Thomas worked in the kitchen from 2010 to 2019. He regularly experienced pots falling from hooks when the kitchen was empty.

Thomas also reported seeing a shadowy dog-shaped figure in his peripheral vision. The shape would disappear when he turned to look directly at it.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

The restaurant has been featured on several paranormal investigation television programs. Ghost hunters have documented significant electromagnetic field fluctuations throughout the building.

Electronic Voice Phenomenon recordings captured during investigations produced interesting results. Several recordings contain voices saying “my house” and “leave” in feminine tones.

Thermal imaging cameras recorded unexplained cold spots moving through rooms. These temperature anomalies traveled in patterns suggesting intelligent movement rather than drafts.

Paranormal research teams have recorded shadow figures on infrared cameras. These dark shapes move through walls and appear to observe the living occupants.

One investigation team brought in a psychic medium in 2017. The medium immediately identified the presence of a woman named Zoe without prior knowledge.

The psychic described Zoe as protective but sometimes frustrated with changes to her home. She communicates through moving objects and creating cold spots to get attention.

Local Legends & Myths

Charleston locals tell stories about Zoe searching for her lost love. According to legend, she waits by the window watching for a man who never returned.

Some versions of the tale claim Zoe’s fiancé died during the Civil War. Others suggest he simply abandoned her for another woman in a different city.

Another popular legend involves Poogan’s continued loyalty to his deceased owner. The story claims the dog’s spirit guards the restaurant waiting for her return.

Some believe Poogan’s ghost only appears to people who genuinely love animals. Skeptics who mock the haunting supposedly never witness the spectral canine.

Local ghost tour guides share stories of a curse on anyone who disrespects Zoe. Supposedly, people who mock her spirit experience bad luck for weeks afterward.

While these curse stories lack verification, several tour guides swear they’re true. They cite examples of tourists who fell or injured themselves after taunting the ghost.

Cursed or Haunted Objects

A particular chair in the upstairs dining room is considered especially haunted. Guests seated in this chair report overwhelming feelings of sadness and unease.

The chair allegedly belonged to Zoe St. Amand during her lifetime. Restaurant management refuses to remove it despite its unsettling effect on visitors.

Photographs taken of this specific chair often show mysterious orbs or light anomalies. Some images reveal what appears to be a translucent woman seated there.

An antique mirror hanging in the upstairs hallway also carries supernatural associations. Guests report seeing faces other than their own reflected in the glass.

These phantom reflections appear briefly before vanishing without explanation. The faces are described as period-appropriate and dressed in Victorian-era clothing.

Staff members avoid looking directly into the mirror when passing it alone. Several workers have requested the mirror be removed or covered permanently.