If you are ever in beautiful and historic Charleston, SC, be sure to head to 48 Elizabeth St. There you will find one of the oldest mansions in the state, the Aiken-Rhett house. Now serving 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 first occupant of the house. A local merchant and importer / exporter of goods, Robinson had the mansion built for himself. However, difficult times happened to him. In 1825 he was forced to sell the house when he lost five merchant ships at a time while they were at sea. In 1827, William Aiken Sr. would purchase the house, to be a rental property. When Aiken died prematurely shortly after due to a carriage accident, his wife and son, William Aiken Jr., divided their estate. In 1833, William Jr. and his wife, Harriet Lowndes, moved into the mansion. A wealthy and accomplished businessman, Aiken would later become Governor of South Carolina in 1844, and then, in 1851, he would be appointed to the House of Representatives. He and Harriet did many renovations to the house, even bringing in exquisite hand-carved furniture and fine glass 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 about 59 years until Harriet Aiken’s death in 1892.
The house was then taken over by Aiken’s daughter, Henrietta, and her husband, the elder AB Rhett. There, the couple would raise four daughters and one son. After Henrietta’s death, the house was divided between all of Rhett’s children and their heirs. Two of Rhett’s sons, I’On Rhett and Andrew Burnett Rhett Jr., would continue to live in the house. In 1949, I’On Rhett would buy the house from the rest of the Rhett brothers and remain living there with his wife, Frances Hinson Dill. Later, Frances would 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 dire events or murders on the property (that no one knows about), there has been talk of Aiken-Rhett’s house being haunted. The house had many slaves over the years, and there were probably many deaths among them, naturally and perhaps in another way. Whatever the reason, some people who have been in the house claim to have seen ghostly apparitions, inside and outside the mansion, and have heard strange sounds like footsteps and bangs. Anyway, ghost or not, the Aiken-Rhett house is a must see.
