A HISTORY OF
THE CARRIAGE HOUSE
Charleston, South Carolina
Built along Charleston’s historic Battery in 1843, the estate at 20 South Battery has witnessed nearly two centuries of change—from its antebellum beginnings and Civil War survival to Reconstruction, preservation, and generations of life within its walls.
THE DEED OF 1843
The 1843 deed marks the transfer of the southern portion of the Grimball property to Samuel Norman Stevens, establishing the parcel that would become 20 South Battery.
With the property now under separate ownership, the site entered a new chapter—one that would shape the residence, grounds, and identity of the estate for generations to come
CHAPTER I
BEFORE THE
GHOST STORIES
Long before the stories attached themselves to the Carriage House, this ground belonged to another Charleston home—and another family.
THE GRIMBALL PROPERTY
Before 20 South Battery existed as a separate estate, the land formed part of a larger waterfront property associated with John Grimball and Eliza Berkley Grimball. Their residence stood next door at what is now 22 South Battery, overlooking Charleston’s prominent harbor landscape.
1843 — THE ESTATE BEGINS
In 1843, Eliza Grimball sold the open southern portion of the property to Samuel Norman Stevens, a prosperous Charleston factor and shipping merchant. Stevens established a three-story residence with a T-shaped plan and piazzas facing South Battery—the beginning of the estate now known as 20 South Battery.
1843 — THE HOUSE TAKES FORM
Following his acquisition of the property in 1843, Samuel Norman Stevens established the residence that would become 20 South Battery. The three-story house was designed with a T-shaped plan and piazzas oriented toward South Battery, placing the home within Charleston’s prominent waterfront landscape.
What began here was more than a new residence. The house, its grounds, and the generations who would inhabit them became part of a much longer story—one that would continue to evolve through war, reconstruction, preservation, and changing ownership.
Chapter II
WAR AT THE BATTERY
1861–1865
CHARLESTON AT WAR
By the spring of 1861, Charleston had become the center of a national crisis.
Across the harbor from the Battery, Fort Sumter stood at the entrance to a city preparing for war. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort. For thirty-four hours, artillery echoed across Charleston Harbor. The Civil War had begun.
For those living along the Battery, the conflict was not something unfolding somewhere beyond the city. It was visible from their windows.
From the waterfront, residents could see the harbor defenses, military vessels, and the distant outline of Fort Sumter. Soldiers moved through Charleston. Fortifications appeared along the coast. The rhythms of everyday life increasingly gave way to military necessity.
As the war continued, Charleston became one of the Confederacy’s most important ports—and one of the Union’s most persistent targets.
