It has been 16 years since Patrick Tracy Burris went on a crime spree in Gaffney, South Carolina. For more than a week in the summer of 2009, serial killer Patrick Tracy Burris terrorized Cherokee County. His crime spree took many back to the late 1960s, when the Gaffney Strangler wreaked havoc on the same…
Is Chester County sitting on the Lost Confederate Gold from the Civil War
In April 1865, the Civil War came to a close for most Americans. The war and its various aspects continue to capture the interest and imagination of many Americans who are fascinated by the battles, leaders, and strategies displayed during that conflict. Mysteries endure, too, including the ultimate disposition of the Confederate Treasury. One of…
The Story of Snap! Crackle! and Pop! Rock Hill, SC
In 1928, Kellogg’s released Rice Krispies on store shelves in America. It was an instant hit with consumers. In 1932, the words Snap! Crackle! Pop! first appeared on a box of the popular cereal. However, it wasn’t until 1933 that the brand introduced its iconic characters, which would forever transform the breakfast game. Artist Vernon…
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…
Todd Kolhepp and the 2003 Superbike Murders
On November 6, 2003, the unthinkable occurred in Chesnee, South Carolina, when four people were killed at Superbike Motorsports. The case remained as cold as ice for 13 years, until a local serial killer confessed to the horrific slayings. The killings provoked much fear, not only in Spartanburg County, but also in neighboring counties in…
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 Haunted Old Charleston Jail
The Old City Jail at 21 Magazine Street may be the most haunted place in Charleston, but just about every spot in the Holy City is plagued with specters who continue to keep watch. From 1802 until 1939, the old jail housed pirates, Civil War prisoners, thieves, and even the most infamous, like Lavinia Fisher,…
Beautiful Lake Jocassee and the Ghost Town beneath it
Revered for its emerald waters and abundant recreational opportunities, South Carolina’s Lake Jocassee was rich in history before the dam was built in 1973. Before the lake was created, the area was called Jocassee Valley. Cherokee legend states, “The first part of the name ‘Jocassee Gorges’ comes from tragic, star-crossed lovers. Jocassee was a beautiful…
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…