Salem Black River Church and the graveyard associated with it in Mayesville near Sumter, built just 15 years before the start of the Civil War in 1846, are alleged to be home to several specters and are considered by many sources to be one of the most haunted places in South Carolina because of their dark past.
One of the apparitions that is said to call the premises home is the ghost of a Southern Belle dressed in a dress from the days of the mid-1800s. Others have reported a little boy between the ages of 6 and 8 near the front gate of the graveyard sobbing.
It is also said to be haunted by a priest and his family, who succumbed to a plague that killed the entire family but him. He reportedly became angry with God, even going as far as committing satanic mischief.
People have reported experiencing cold spots in the cemetery, draining battery power on electronic devices, seeing orbs, lights flickering, and the apparition of a shadowy figure of a man, believed to be the former priest.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
