The Greek Revival market and town hall were built in 1842 after a fire destroyed many frame buildings on Front Street in Georgetown, South Carolina. An open-air market occupied the first floor, and the town hall occupied the second floor. The clock tower and belfry were added in 1845. On February 24, 1865, the town…
Two Hydrogen Bombs Fall on North Carolina in 1961
Just three days after President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in January 1961, bright orange flames lit the horizon of North Carolina in the town of Faro in Wayne County. With the rising tension and fear of a Cold War, a B-52 Stratofortress took to the skies on a long, extended patrol. Sometime around the 12-hour…
The Most Prominent and Wealthiest Black Plantation Owner in the State
Sumter County, South Carolina, is rich in history, haunts, and folklore. From the haunted Church of the Holy Cross, containing not one but two popular ghost stories, to the historic Ellison Plantation, the entire county should have a permanent historical marker stamped on every street corner. One community, Stateburg, is home to William Ellison Jr.,…
How Did Fair Play, South Carolina, Get Its Name
Have you ever wondered how some of South Carolina’s cities and towns gained their names? This was one of my favorite things to write, and I have covered many of them. If you have ever traveled down I-85 towards the Georgia and South Carolina state lines, there is an excellent chance that you have seen…
Emma’s Light Still Burns in This Georgia Cemetery at Night
Many years ago, a young girl, Emma, was often told ghostly stories by her nurse. Sometimes, the stories were real, and other times, not. Feeding her four-year-old mind ghostly tales made Emma afraid of the dark. One day, the family replaced the nurse with another, but her fear remained until Emma’s father instructed the new…
The Haunted Bethesda Cemetery & Church
This haunted church and cemetery in eastern Tennessee is thought to have it all…well, at least in the paranormal circle of the world. Bethesda Cemetery and Church in Morristown are tied to several ghostly legends. Several Confederate specters have been reported both inside and outside the church. The spirits that are said to haunt the…
The Ghostly Steel Bridge of Elizabethton, Tennessee
A steel bridge that once crossed Siam Valley into the Stoney Creek Community was where young lovers would meet. The bridge has since been torn down, but that doesn’t erase history or even a ghostly tale. The Watauga River Bridge was once known as the “Steel Bridge.” During the 1930s, Tom Jackson and Wanda Smithson,…
The Ghostly Man of Netherland Inn Road
On November 19, 1923, Albert “Hugh” Hamblen learned that his son was involved in a tragic car accident in Kingsport, Tennessee. The elder Hamblen rushed to his side after hearing the news. Two of the boys were pronounced dead at the scene, but Hamblen’s son survived the ordeal. The following day, Hugh learned that the…
The 1886 Charleston Earthquake
On August 31, 1886, the most damaging earthquake in the Southeastern United States and one of the most significant historic shocks recorded in Eastern North America struck Charleston, South Carolina, at 9:51 P.M. local time. Many buildings in the old city were destroyed or damaged. The earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 7.0-7.3, had…
The Devastating 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane
Some believe the devastating Sea Islands Hurricane, which struck near Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston on August 27, 1893, to be one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in the history of South Carolina, even surpassing the 1886 Charleston earthquake, Hurricanes Hugo and Helene, and the 1924 Horrell Hill Tornado. And, we can never forget the…