Chester is a small town in Chester County, with a population of roughly 5,000, located near Rock Hill. It is home to many haunted hotspots, like the old jail. Several rumors exist about the ghostly activity in homes that occupy York Street. The spirit of an African American cook is said to haunt one house, and another is reported to have ghosts that play cards in the attic. But, if you happen to be around this area during Halloween, I know author Tally Johnson hosts a night of ghost tours, and York Street is the place to cash in on some candy.
Another nearby location that is said to have several Spirits that walk among the living is the entire city block where the Chester Little Theatre, formerly the Powell Theater on Wylie Street, is situated. Again, Tally has covered this site in the past, but it also appears in Cheralyn Lambeth’s Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas, published in 2009, on page 126.
In Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry, Johnson writes about the paranormal activity in the old theatre and the Chester ARP Church on this block. He even mentions another spot around the corner with a ghost upstairs.
Both books point to Dan Bell, who worked at the old Chester Telephone Company, as possibly being one of the spirits that haunt the area, as he died in 1932 after taking or preparing for a bath in the basement of the building that once served as the telephone office. Bell struck a match that caused the boiler to explode, saving three women operators who were upstairs working at the time. He later succumbed to his injuries two days later.
The site is also said to have been the location of the old gallows, but other places around the city were also reported to have been the site of the gallows, such as Henry Woods Drive.
And, a woman was allegedly murdered here in the alleyway in either the 1970s or 1980s.
But, with so many haunted locations in such a short distance from each other on a city block, something occurred here, and the ones that know aren’t talking.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image: John G. Clark Jr.
Sources: Johnson, Tally. Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry. Lambeth, Cheralyn. Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas.
