The Pickens County Museum of Art & History, on the corner of Johnson Street and Highway 178, used to be the Pickens County Jail, which opened in 1903 and closed in 1975, housing the last lynching victim in South Carolina history, Willie Earle.
In 1947, Earle was accused of assaulting a white cab driver. A mob of cab drivers snatched Earle from the jail. Now, some visitors have reported hearing someone whispering words of innocence. Others believe that some family members of the Sheriff and his family who lived at the jail when it opened are still there. People riding by have reported seeing a woman looking from the window. The Sheriff’s wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law died in this building from Typhoid fever.
Some employees have heard sounds when no visitors are present and have experienced running sounds, the faint smell of perfume, and being touched.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
