Down an eerie old road outside of Lockhart sits one of the earliest settlements of South Carolina. Pinckneyville is the real ghost town of this state that will stop your heart and raise the hair on your arms.
The Pinckney District was created in 1791 and comprised Union, Spartanburg, York, and Chester Counties. Three commissioners appointed by the Legislature selected a place in Union County for the new courthouse town. Pinckneyville is one of the earliest settlements in the South Carolina backcountry. It reflects the spread of justice throughout the state in the early years and the beginnings of representative government beyond the border of Charleston. The town had four streets named after Charleston Streets and was considered the life of the party on court days, with dancing in the streets.
Although the town never flourished as its planners had dreamed, it does reflect a significant era of South Carolina history. The National Register property comprises 1.75 acres of the original Pinckneyville site, featuring the ruins of a brick jail and one other brick building, commonly referred to as the old store.
An old grave sits near an old tree in what would have been the center of town. Many believe the burial spot is the home to an Irishman, murdered by a neighbor over a disagreement. His ghost still haunts the area, along with other lifelong residents. The final verdict trapped many souls in a moment in time along the banks of the Pacolet River. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
If you plan to visit, you must get permission. The site is now on private property.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
