The Upstate of South Carolina is home to some of the most terrifying places in the United States. Tales range from a witch laughing in the moonlight to a hostile, ghostly lady in white who haunts students with the sound of organ music, and from patients from an old TB hospital that still roam the grounds. The bright lights may lure you to South Carolina, but what occurs in the darkness may capture your soul for eternity. Here are 5 of the most terrifying places in the Upstate that will leave you paralyzed in fear with chills down your spine.
1) Hell’s Gate in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Oakwood Cemetery (better known as Hells Gate) is Spartanburg’s oldest graveyard and the most haunted in the State. The cemetery is beautifully maintained as you walk through it, but the secret to the nickname lies hidden behind the tree line. Individuals who were prisoners, wards of the State, poor, or had no family were commonly laid to rest in Potter’s fields. This old cemetery was the Potter’s field for the area more than a hundred years ago. People have reported experiencing apparitions, glowing orbs, screams, dancing lights, and temperature fluctuations.
2) Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Converse is home to several paranormal hotspots around campus. The most notable of these ghostly tales occurs at Wilson Hall on the 3rd floor. Kyle Keasler from Paranormal South Carolina details the night he met Hazel B. Abbott. Keasler asked permission to stay on campus for three nights in 2009 while he was in town taking certification classes. Keasler arrived on campus late at night and checked in with security before being escorted to Wilson Hall. He found his way through the darkness to his room on the 3rd floor and lay down to call it a night. He was awakened roughly 15 minutes later by the sound of organ music playing. The music eventually ceased, and after 30 minutes, he heard the loudest bang that left his bed shaking. Keasler decided to make a beeline for the door. The following day, he stopped into admissions to get his money back. The staff didn’t look shocked by what Keasler had told them. They obliged and handed him his money. The staff informed him that the only organ in that building had moved ten years prior.
3) Old Greenville Tuberculosis Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. Between 1930 and the early 1950s, the Greenville County Tuberculosis Hospital treated hundreds of patients suffering from tuberculosis. Several patients succumbed to the deadly disease while housed at the hospital, but the exact number who met their untimely demise is unknown. A fire ravaged the old building in 2002, and today the site serves as Herdklotz Park. Before the building burned, people exploring the building claimed to hear screams, orbs, footsteps pounding down the empty halls, voices saying, “HELP ME!” or “GET OUT!”, and sobs. Some have reported that even rainwater turns red, while houses near the old hospital have encountered shadows inside. The newer park may remind residents of better times, but the patients are still actively keeping watch from nearby.
4) CryBaby Bridge in Anderson, South Carolina. Many “crybaby” bridges exist across the United States, but one of the most haunted sits on High Shoals Road in Anderson. According to Greenville360, Years ago, truss bridges were more economical to build. The triangle structures were able to hold more weight. The original bridge was constructed sometime between 1915 and 1930 in Virginia. During construction, a worker fell to his death. The tragedy took place thirteen days after the birth of his daughter, Maya. Legend says that at sunset, passersby could hear a man screaming, “Maya!” Another legend states that a distraught local farm girl who gave birth to her first baby in 1954 drove to the bridge and tossed herself over the side. Locals have reported seeing a young girl hanging over the side at night, telling her baby not to cry. People who visited the old bridge have found handprints on their car windows as they drive away in the dead of night. The old bridge is now off-limits to visitors, but you can still get a glimpse inside from your vehicle as you drive by.
5) Ghost Island (Better known as Cemetery Island) in Townville, South Carolina. The island is all that remains (above water) of the Harrisonburg Plantation. The plantation was the home of Revolutionary War soldier John Harris Jr, who lived there for over 40 years. Harris and his wife were buried in a beautiful cemetery on the highest ground of their plantation. The area was flooded in the 1960s to make way for Lake Hartwell, but their graves, along with 57 more, are still on the small island above the water line. Many say that the hilltop cemetery is the site of paranormal activity. The island reportedly lives up to its name with occasional ghost sightings by campers. There is also a legend that the area was home to Serril Broin. Broin was the granddaughter of a woman accused of being a witch and killed during the Salem Witch Trials. Broin allegedly haunts the island to this day, with reports of hearing crazy laughter in the distance to greet those bold enough to visit.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr
Image: John G. Clark Jr
