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Inside the oldest and most expensive mansion in Charleston, which is selling for $16 million, is said to be haunted, and was once owned by Abraham Lincoln's granddaughter
Inside the oldest and most expensive mansion in Charleston, which is selling for $16 million, is said to be haunted, and was once owned by Abraham Lincoln's granddaughter
Katie CanalesOct 16, 2018, 03:22 IST
Courtesy of Handsome Properties; Wikimedia Commons; Business Insider
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The Sword Gate House is the most expensive and oldest mansion in Charleston, South Carolina, with a whopping $16 million price tag.
It's 200 years old and has nine bedrooms, lavish antique furnishings, and 12 fireplaces.
It also boasts priceless historical value -the home was designed in the Federal Period, was the private residence of the granddaughter of President Abraham Lincoln at one point, and locals say it's inhabited by a friendly ghost.
But it's spent nine stale years on and off the market with multiple price drops.
In the South Carolina city of Charleston sits a beautiful, 17,000-square-foot mansion immersed in history, luxury, and exquisite design - and no one seems to want to buy it.
The 200-year-old home, known as The Sword Gate House, was listed in 2009 and since then has seen multiple price drops from its original $23 million price tag; its current asking price is $16 million.
Check out the charming Southern estate and why it has struggled on the market.
But restoring the home meant a higher price tag, and when the home landed on the market in 2009, its asking price of $23 million was the highest Charleston had ever seen.
In a city where the median real estate value is $312,000, the home was asking nearly 74 times that. What's more, the country as a whole was recovering from the 2008 recession.
Another bedroom is decorated in shades of red and pink with an elegant canopy ...
... and the master suite sports a beige interior.
The master bathroom has a pristine freestanding tub, which was added during the home's restoration.
The home was taken off the market in November of 2011 and re-listed with the same price that December, during a time when Charleston's real estate market was in a slump.
Another bathroom has a clawfoot tub as well as wallpaper along its walls and ceiling.
Though not every bathroom holds a unique, vintage tub — this one is more standard.
Upstairs is another bedroom in the attic.
Dainty naval scenes are printed in white and blue.
Perhaps the most modern space is the kitchen.
A curved counter sits feet from the island.
And a modern-day oven is installed for use ...
... but a touch of the Old World can still be spotted with the wood oven stove.
The home saw even more price drops since 2011, as well as another de-listing and re-listing back onto the market. But Charleston's job and real estate markets are bustling now.
Reports say that the strict principal, entrusted by wealthy locals to keep a keen eye on their young daughters, was humiliated when one of her students escaped the school grounds and eloped with a man that the girl's father deemed unworthy.
Legend has it she never got over the embarrassment, even in the afterlife, and now walks the halls of the Sword Gate House to ensure that nothing escapes her again.
There aren't, however, any known accounts of violent paranormal attacks or incidents in the home.
Though according to a Realtor.com report, that may not matter — 42% of homebuyers said they would not consider a home if it were haunted, no matter what.
But buyers can't be too picky in Charleston right now. There's actually a shortage of luxury homes for Charleston's wealthy prospective homeowners. Homes are selling within 30-day windows.
