Joseph Johnson House - The Castle

Beaufort, SC · Historical Buildings

The Castle is the 1850 Italian Renaissance home of Dr. Joseph Johnson, and it is rumored to be haunted. Its legend centers around the ghost of a dwarf named Gauche, who was a jester brought to the area by the French explorer Jean Ribaut in 1562. Gauche's apparition has been seen by folks as far back as Dr. Johnson himself, both inside and outside of the home. Dr. Johnson's daughter Lily played tea party with the ghost many times as a child, and visitors to The Castle have seen him while on tours. The ghost has been known to tap out messages in 16th-century French, move furniture, open and close doors and leave his red handprints on windows. When he's around, some say, you can hear the ringing of the bells on his costume. In one coded conversation, Gauche revealed that his spirit remains in the castle because it reminds him of his former home in England.

Geographic Information

Address
411 Craven St
Beaufort, SC 29902
Get Directions »
GPS
32.43302, -80.667777
County
Beaufort County County, South Carolina
Nearest Towns

Quick Answers

Is Joseph Johnson House - The Castle really haunted?
Visitors rate Joseph Johnson House - The Castle at 73.3 out of 100 on our EHP (Estimated Haunted Probability) scale. So far 1 person has shared firsthand experiences from this location in the comments.
Where is Joseph Johnson House - The Castle located?
The address is 411 Craven St, Beaufort, SC 29902. GPS coordinates: 32.43302, -80.667777.
What kind of haunted place is Joseph Johnson House - The Castle?
Joseph Johnson House - The Castle is listed under Historical Buildings in our South Carolina section.
What is the nearest town to Joseph Johnson House - The Castle?
Beaufort, SC is the closest town, about 0.2 miles away, with Burton (3.3 mi.) and Port Royal (4.0 mi.) also nearby.

Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other regulations.

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Comments (1)

  • Rebecca laudermilk |

    I don't know about this place but I have a good friend that lives in a house in Rincon on weisenbaker street well they have always heard strange stuff upstairs and one time two different people heard a mans voice telling them something and no one but them two were there it made them cry and hug they were so scared I've seen a hat fall two nights in a row the same hat fall the second night there's no way it should have been able to fall one person that lives there has always said stuff about unexplained stuff happening everyone brushed it off like he was crazy but I'm starting to think someone is haunting the upstairs of this house in Rincon but the weird thing is my friends dad built the house no one has died there so how is that explainable

Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the truest sense, ghost stories. Haunted Places makes no claims that any of these stories are factually accurate or scientifically provable.