The Town Of Winnsboro South Carolina Has A Terribly Creepy Past That Still Haunts Some Residents

Nothing is more creepy than the unknown. For that reason, and without logical explanations for many odd occurrences in 1792, one tiny town in South Carolina became the first in the newly formed state to accuse, try, and punish witches. It all started, of course, with the hysteria of the New England witch trials of 1692. It may have taken a hundred years for the nonsense to reach the little town of Winnsborough (now Winnsboro), but the effect was all the same.

Imagine living in a tiny little town where the townspeople all turn against you. That’s just what happened in Winnsborough. A group of residents banned together to accuse four people of witchcraft.

Flickr/Lino Petito

All four were tried and found guilty in 1792. What happened next is not exactly clear. Some accounts say the four were beaten and the soles of their feet badly burned. Other accounts say the townspeople attempted to outright burn the witches to the ground, although unsuccessfully. If the latter version is true, then what did they expect of witches? (Of course they had a spell to save themselves!)

Flickr/Neil Hamilton

After they lived through being partially burned, one witch in particular (named Mary Engles) has been remembered more than the others. She was initially accused of making a neighbor’s cow levitate — and then dropping it so forcefully onto the ground that its neck snapped.

Flickr/Micolo J

Other skeptical Winnsborough residents believed she was able to turn herself into an animal whenever she wanted, or needed, to.

Flickr/Björn Engqvist

But perhaps the biggest witch coup of them all was how all four of the accused witches managed to not burn to death after being found guilty. Was it a miracle? Or was it a spell? We’ll never know. One thing we do know is that the story of South Carolina’s first witch trial still haunts the town of Winnsboro.

Flickr/Nathan Siemers

And legend has it that Mary Engles still haunts the Fairfield County Courthouse in Winnsboro. The story ends with Mary suing her accusers — and winning! But many of them moved away before they paid her. She waits at the courthouse for their return. Local residents report seeing her ghost from time to time.

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If you love spine-tingling history-based tales, then you should check out this article about the most haunted grave in South Carolina.