If you’re ever in beautiful and historic Charleston, South Carolina, be sure to head to 48 Elizabeth St. There you’ll find one of the oldest mansions in the state, the Aiken-Rhett House. Now operating as a museum, the house’s history dates back to the early 19th century, when it was first built in 1817. John Robinson was the house’s first occupant. Robinson, a local merchant and importer/exporter of goods, had the mansion built for himself. However, difficult times befall him. In 1825 he was forced to sell the house when he lost five merchant ships at once while they were at sea. In 1827, William Aiken Sr. would purchase the house to be a rental property. When Aiken died prematurely soon after in a carriage accident, his wife and son, William Aiken Jr., divided his estate. In 1833, William Jr. and his wife, Harriet Lowndes, moved into the mansion. An accomplished and wealthy businessman, Aiken would later become Governor of South Carolina in 1844 and then, in 1851, appointed to the House of Representatives. He and Harriet did many renovations to the house, including bringing back exquisite hand-carved furniture and fine crystal from one of their many trips to Europe. Soon the house became one of the most beautiful and elegant mansions in Charleston. They lived in the house for some 59 years until Harriet Aiken’s death in 1892.
The house then came into the possession of Aiken’s daughter, Henrietta, and her husband, Major AB Rhett. There, the couple would raise four daughters and a son. After Henrietta’s death, the house was divided between all of Rhett’s children and his heirs. Two of Rhett’s sons, I’On Rhett and Andrew Burnett Rhett Jr. would go on to live in the house. In 1949, I’On Rhett would buy the house from the rest of the Rhett brothers and continue to live there with his wife, Frances Hinson Dill. Frances would later donate the house to the Charleston Museum in 1975. It would remain in her hands until 1995, when the Charleston Historical Foundation purchased the property. It has been a museum for tourists ever since.
Although there were no horrific events or murders on the property (that anyone knows of), the Aiken-Rhett house has been said to be haunted. The house had many slaves over the years, and there were probably many deaths among them, naturally and perhaps otherwise. Whatever the reason, some people who have been to the house have claimed to have seen ghostly apparitions, inside and outside the mansion, and heard strange sounds like footsteps and banging. Regardless, ghost or not, the Aiken-Rhett house is a must-see.
