John Rutledge House Inn

116 Broad Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29401

STAY

Somebody is haunting this place. They just don’t know who it is.

Built in 1763 for John Rutledge, a successful Charleston lawyer, the home was originally built as a two-story structure. By 1853, the home was owned by Thomas M. Gadsden who renovated the home and added the third floor. The house became an inn in 1989.

The inn was named for Rutledge, though, as he was the first owner of the home and a rather prominent citizen of Charleston. During the American Revolution, Rutledge acted as governor of South Carolina and remained a prominent politician throughout his life. He was a signer of the United States Constitution and even helped draft sections of it from a room on the second floor of the house.

The home boasts another claim to fame, too, as the location of the invention of she-crab soup. Sometime during the 1920s, there was a party at the home attended by President William Howard Taft, and the soup is thought to have been invented for the occasion.

As a member of both Select Registry and Historic Hotels of America, you can expect excellence at John Rutledge House Inn. Amenities and service are a bit above what one might expect elsewhere, so you will be in for a treat when you stay at the inn.

The property consists of the main house and two carriage houses with a total of nineteen rooms and suites. Several rooms include Italian marble fireplaces, twelve-foot ceilings, period antiques, and many original details.

The inn is haunted by a little girl, but no one seems to know who she was. There is one story told that claims she was the twelve-year-old daughter of Rutledge who died in a house fire. This story is most likely false. Rutledge did have three daughters, but none died at age twelve or in a house fire, as far as can be determined. So, who is the little girl? It’s a mystery.

Visit the inn’s website to make reservations.