Poogan's Porch
When you’re in Charleston, you may have a hard time deciding on a particular place to eat. There are lots and lots of restaurants in Charleston with all sorts of delectable and mouth-watering selections. There’s one tasty treat tucked away at 72 Queen Street that gives guests a little something extra. The house that is now Poogan’s Porch was built in 1888. It’s charming, with an inviting front porch, delicious food, and impeccable service. It gets its name from “Poogan,” a scruffy neighborhood mutt who began parking himself on the porch when Bobbie Ball bought the house and turned it into the restaurant that stands there today. He was a friendly little dog, so Ball adopted him. When Poogan’s Porch restaurant opened, Poogan acted as host, but the building’s history goes back much further. Around 1900, Zoe St. Amand and her sister, Elizabeth, lived in the house. Zoe, a school teacher, looked every bit the spinster. She often wore long, black Puritan-style dresses and round, wire-rimmed glasses. The sisters seemed to prefer the company of each other, and kept mostly to themselves. Zoe St. Amand, in black, with her sister, Elizabeth. (SCIWAY, 2012). When Elizabeth died in 1945, Zoe became incredibly lonely. She was depressed, and her mental state may have deteriorated—she was reportedly often seen calling out her sister’s name. Finally, neighbors took her to St. Francis Hospital to live out the remainder of her days. Today, Zoe’s body rests in St. Lawrence Cemetery, at 60 Huguenin Avenue, just north of downtown. Where her spirit is, however, seems to be debatable. There have been numerous sightings of Zoe St. Amand at Poogan’s Porch. Restaurant employees have certainly seen her, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see a diner or two run from the building looking like they’ve just seen a, well, ghost. Interestingly, many people who have seen Zoe have reported that they had no idea shewas a ghost. She’ll walk in to the ladies’ restroom, and other the women won’t realize that she’s not simply an elderly customer until they see her in an old photograph on the wall. Guests of the Mills House Hotel across the street have seen Zoe waving at them from the restaurant’s second floor windows. They’ve even called the police to investigate, believing an elderly woman was trapped in the restaurant. Want to check out a video of some restaurant employees talking about their experiences? I’ve been told that the best time to get a glimpse of Zoe is late at night, when the restaurant is nearly empty. If you’re going, give Poogan’s a call to make reservations and if you’d like to try to stay at the Mills House, ask about a room on the Queen Street side. Just don’t forget to pay your respects to Poogan.