The Belton Standpipe, historically known as the Belton Waterworks Tower, is a 155-foot-tall concrete water tower located near downtown Belton, South Carolina. Construction began in 1908 and was completed in 1909. It is the tallest of three standpipe water towers in South Carolina. The tower was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on…
The Lockhart Canal
Lockhart, South Carolina, is full of history. Not only was Pinckneyville located nearby on the Broad River, which many considered the “Charleston” of the upcountry during the late 1700s and early 1800s, but Lockhart is home to a famous waterway. The Lockhart Canal, designed by Robert Mills, was completed in 1823. It was part of…
The Good Dentist Snaps
If walls could talk, many could write a novel, especially the walls inside older buildings around the state. Spartanburg, South Carolina, is no stranger to haunted history, with a dark past marked by unthinkable atrocities. At The Lantern, we have highlighted many of these paranormal hotspots and the city’s history in the past. One story…
SC Man Built A UFO Welcome Center In His Backyard To Welcome Aliens
You may be thinking, don’t things like this only happen in Florida? No, South Carolina comes in second in the United States for the strangest or most uncommon things. Welcome to Bowman, South Carolina, where Jody Pendarvis decided to construct his very own UFO Welcome Center in his backyard. His reasoning? Aliens need a place…
The I-85 Median Cemetery in Cherokee County
Here is something else you may not be aware of. There is a graveyard between the northbound and southbound lanes near exits 95 and 96 in Cherokee County on Interstate 85. Nicknamed the I-85 Median Cemetery, the Lipscomb-Sarratt Cemetery dates to 1799. According to a goupstate article dated April 29, 2001, “The graves are about…
The Poor Houses in South Carolina
In the 19th and 20th centuries, some counties in South Carolina established poor houses as places where paupers were sent to live. Often, they were elderly or disabled people in the community who had nowhere else to turn. Usually, a Poor House was accompanied by a Poor House Farm, where the able-bodied worked until they…
The South Carolina Tornado from HELL
A tornado that stays on the ground for 135 miles sounds like something from a horror movie or the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz. But that nightmare became a reality on April 30, 1924. The Horrell Hill Tornado is considered one of the worst disasters and the longest in the state’s history. The disastrous…
Historic 2015 South Carolina Flood
This historic storm had a significant impact on the lower part of the state, including Columbia. The major flood event consisted of a four- to five-day stretch of on-and-off heavy rainfall in early October 2015. It started with an early-season cold front, which stalled off the coast after pushing through the southeast. While Hurricane Joaquin…
2024 Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the contiguous United States since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The storm caused at least 248 deaths, with 175 of those deaths directly related to this massive storm, whether by wind, flood, or other immediate impacts, and racked up almost $80 billion in damages. Helene has officially…
Was Magic Harbor in Myrtle Beach Cursed
Many may remember this amusement park, located just south of Myrtle Beach, with its signature lighthouse out front that welcomed beachgoers. But, deep inside this fun park lurked something more sinister during its years of operation. Today, people share fond memories of this place as a source of nostalgia, but was this park doomed from…