CHARLESTON, SC (WCBD) — Have you ever wondered where a restaurant gets its name? You may not be surprised to learn that, much like the Holy City, many of Charleston’s popular eateries are rooted in history. Poogan’s Porch is one of them.

This restaurant wasn’t named after a historic event or even after a person. It was named after a 4 legged friend who always seemed to be around.

“It’s good to have a good story,” says executive chef Daniel Doyle, “people want to come check it out. People want to come see it.”

Doyle says the story behind the name goes back over 40 years, but the building itself dates back to 1888.

“It was a single family home. For many many generations people lived here. I think 3 or 4 families lived here.”

All of that would change less than 100 years later. The area on Queen street was quickly becoming commercialized. The family decided to move away. In 1977 a group of restaurants tours bought it and decided to transform the space, but not everyone got the message.

The family dog decided to stay behind.

“They would feed him scraps so the dog would kind of hang out and come around,” says Doyle. “they were trying to think of a name, the dog’s name was Poogan, so they decided to call it Poogan’s Porch because the dog was always on the porch.”

Poogan only lived 9 years, but patrons often claim to encounter the pup’s ghost from time to time.

“A lot of people feel like the dog brushes against them when they’re outside or they can hear him barking or things like that.”

Whether the stories are true, Doyle says Poogan is still part of the restaurant culture and he hopes the pooch would be proud.