You may have heard: South Carolina is overrun with ghosts and goblins – especially with Halloween approaching. Any other time of year and it’s just the ghosts we have to worry about. And there are some fairly preposterous ghost stories that have been passed down through generations in the Palmetto State. Perhaps some of them are based on actual events – who knows? Here are a few that are so very bizarre we think they MUST be true:
- The hit-and-run cuddler at the Battery Carriage House Inn in Charleston.
Yelp/Minta P Female patrons of this haunted abode in Charleston have reported a ghostly man who hops into bed with them for a little cuddling. If the woman raises any sort of objection (who wouldn’t??) he quietly gets up and leaves by walking through the wall.
- Ankle grabbers at Graniteville Cemetery in Graniteville.
Flickr/Jo Naylor Local lore has it that this huge graveyard has several unmarked graves. If you happen to walk on one of them the spirit of the person buried below will grab your ankles.
- The disappearing hitchhiker on the Congaree River Bridge in Columbia.
Flickr/Scott Oves Legend has it that a young girl repeatedly hitches a ride from unsuspecting travelers on this Columbia area bridge. But she disappears into thin air before the driver reaches her destination. Perhaps she’s stuck in a loop?
- The ghost of Friday the 13th at Fort Mill High School.
Flickr/PatCaswell1984 A somewhat anonymous posting on the Internet claims this school was unknowingly built upon an unmarked grave. What’s more, on Friday the 13th the ghost from said grave appears at midnight and pulls stuff out of the lockers. Since this Friday is the 13th, we’ll expect this to be confirmed or debunked in the comments below very soon after!
- The driverless car on the bridge in Gaffney.
Flickr/Randy von Liski The T-Bridge in Gaffney has been known to sport some pretty unusual apparitions. One of them is a car with no driver that appears only if you run all the way across the bridge without stopping. (Don’t try this unless there is a pedestrian lane, of course.)
- Offering Old Man Joe a light is all it takes to call up this apparition… well, almost all it takes.
Flickr/Aaron Escobar The story is that Old Man Joe was an avid smoker and while driving down a road near Hartsville he dropped his lighter. When he reached below his feet fumbling for the lost item he ran off the road, into a creek and died. Today, they say, if you want to see the old man here’s all you have to do: head to the site of the accident, stop the car, put the keys on the hood or dash and then light a lighter three times in a row before saying, “Old Man Joe I got a light for you.” He’ll appear running through the water toward the light.
- Ghosts in the trees alongside a main road near Laurens.
Flickr/a_Valentine Photography On this lonely road near Laurens, a couple died on their wedding night. Locals who know the location of this spot on Rock Creek Road claim if you turn your car off and walk around it three times then it won’t start again. What’s more, there will be a ghostly figure that appears in the trees next to the road.
- Horses on the roof of this historic home in the Upstate.
Wikipedia/JBarta Construction began on historic Foster’s Tavern in Spartanburg in 1801. Now it’s a private residence. The old building has quite a long list of haunts, including ghost horses clacking on the roof!
- A magical warning that spares your home from an impending hurricane.
Flickr/Jody Frost The ghost of the Gray Man walks the beach on Pawleys Island when there’s an impending hurricane. If you see him then your house will be spared from the storm’s destruction.
- The ghost of a heartbroken young girl who appears when you do this ritual by her marker.
TripAdvisor/csecrist95 Alice Flagg died at a young age soon after her brother forbid her to marry a man who was beneath her stature. On her death bed her brother removed the engagement ring she wore and tossed it into the marsh. If you visit Alice’s grave, walk around it clockwise three times and place a round object (representing her lost ring) on her marker, then it’s said her apparition will appear.
- Cars that won’t start after their owners visit this historic bridge.
TripAdvisor/NaCl1 Poinsett Bridge is an extraordinary part of South Carolina’s transportation history. It’s the oldest remaining stone bridge in the state. But if you visit you may not want to turn off your car before you leave it in the parking lot. Many visitors report their cars simply won’t turn over after walking through this historic site. Could it be the ghosts that haunt the area? Probably!
- A murdered soldier returns to haunt the area where he was killed.
findagrave.com/Jason Cockfield During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Kolb was a Patriot who was forced to surrended to a band of Tory raiders outside his home. He surrendered and then legend has it, they shot him - likely in front of his family - just before they burned the house down. Visitors to his tomb near Society Hill say they’ve heard him walking around and rustling trees in the nearby brush.
- The ghost light that will chase you down if you run.
Flickr/Georgi Marinov There’s a strange occurrence that happens in Summerville involving an apparition called the Summerville Light. Those who’ve seen it say it appears at midnight on a lonely road that’s now reportedly blocked by the city to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Those who’ve seen the Summerville Light report that if you see it and you get scared and run - it will follow you!
There you have it: 13 bizarre hauntings that are so weird they MUST be real. Do you know of more hauntings to add to this list? Our comments section is always open.
Yelp/Minta P
Female patrons of this haunted abode in Charleston have reported a ghostly man who hops into bed with them for a little cuddling. If the woman raises any sort of objection (who wouldn’t??) he quietly gets up and leaves by walking through the wall.
Flickr/Jo Naylor
Local lore has it that this huge graveyard has several unmarked graves. If you happen to walk on one of them the spirit of the person buried below will grab your ankles.
Flickr/Scott Oves
Legend has it that a young girl repeatedly hitches a ride from unsuspecting travelers on this Columbia area bridge. But she disappears into thin air before the driver reaches her destination. Perhaps she’s stuck in a loop?
Flickr/PatCaswell1984
A somewhat anonymous posting on the Internet claims this school was unknowingly built upon an unmarked grave. What’s more, on Friday the 13th the ghost from said grave appears at midnight and pulls stuff out of the lockers. Since this Friday is the 13th, we’ll expect this to be confirmed or debunked in the comments below very soon after!
Flickr/Randy von Liski
The T-Bridge in Gaffney has been known to sport some pretty unusual apparitions. One of them is a car with no driver that appears only if you run all the way across the bridge without stopping. (Don’t try this unless there is a pedestrian lane, of course.)
Flickr/Aaron Escobar
The story is that Old Man Joe was an avid smoker and while driving down a road near Hartsville he dropped his lighter. When he reached below his feet fumbling for the lost item he ran off the road, into a creek and died. Today, they say, if you want to see the old man here’s all you have to do: head to the site of the accident, stop the car, put the keys on the hood or dash and then light a lighter three times in a row before saying, “Old Man Joe I got a light for you.” He’ll appear running through the water toward the light.
Flickr/a_Valentine Photography
On this lonely road near Laurens, a couple died on their wedding night. Locals who know the location of this spot on Rock Creek Road claim if you turn your car off and walk around it three times then it won’t start again. What’s more, there will be a ghostly figure that appears in the trees next to the road.
Wikipedia/JBarta
Construction began on historic Foster’s Tavern in Spartanburg in 1801. Now it’s a private residence. The old building has quite a long list of haunts, including ghost horses clacking on the roof!
Flickr/Jody Frost
The ghost of the Gray Man walks the beach on Pawleys Island when there’s an impending hurricane. If you see him then your house will be spared from the storm’s destruction.
TripAdvisor/csecrist95
Alice Flagg died at a young age soon after her brother forbid her to marry a man who was beneath her stature. On her death bed her brother removed the engagement ring she wore and tossed it into the marsh. If you visit Alice’s grave, walk around it clockwise three times and place a round object (representing her lost ring) on her marker, then it’s said her apparition will appear.
TripAdvisor/NaCl1
Poinsett Bridge is an extraordinary part of South Carolina’s transportation history. It’s the oldest remaining stone bridge in the state. But if you visit you may not want to turn off your car before you leave it in the parking lot. Many visitors report their cars simply won’t turn over after walking through this historic site. Could it be the ghosts that haunt the area? Probably!
findagrave.com/Jason Cockfield
During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Kolb was a Patriot who was forced to surrended to a band of Tory raiders outside his home. He surrendered and then legend has it, they shot him - likely in front of his family - just before they burned the house down. Visitors to his tomb near Society Hill say they’ve heard him walking around and rustling trees in the nearby brush.
Flickr/Georgi Marinov
There’s a strange occurrence that happens in Summerville involving an apparition called the Summerville Light. Those who’ve seen it say it appears at midnight on a lonely road that’s now reportedly blocked by the city to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Those who’ve seen the Summerville Light report that if you see it and you get scared and run - it will follow you!
If you’ll do anything to avoid haunted places, then you’ll definitely want to stay off of South Carolina’s most haunted street after dark!
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