It’s Halloween eve and to kick off the macabre mood, we’re sharing some of the most haunted spots + terrifying tales around Columbia.
So what do the Adluh Flour Mill, Gervais Street Bridge + UofSC have in common? (…Besides being some of the most-photographed locations on @colatoday’s Instagram.)
They’re all haunted. 👻Read on… if you dare.
🕷 Adluh Flour Mill | 804 Gervais St.
Columbia’s un-official Hollywood sign has not only existed as an iconic part of our skyline since 1920 – but it’s also home to the spirit of the former employee Jerome Busbee. The overall-clad mill worker was believed to have practiced voodoo and pinned his soul to his work cart, which remains in the same spot, unable to be moved, to this day.
🕷 University of South Carolina
UofSC has more than one haunted location – which should be expected from a large university that has been around since 1801.
○ Some have seen the lights turn on overnight at South Caroliniana Library, located off the Horseshoe — when former University President James Rion McKissick, who is buried in front of the library, is said to be wandering the building and perusing the books. Students have also reported feeling sudden cold spots + seeing doors opening and other items inexplicably moving around.
○ In the DeSaussure building, now a dorm located at 910 Sumter St., some have seen a female apparition with long, dark hair. She is said to be the daughter of Dr. Black, who was murdered by a group of soldiers. Seeking revenge, she poisoned the group but karma quickly struck when she accidentally drank some of the tainted wine herself. Her spirit + the soldiers’ haunt the building, stuck together for eternity.
○ The Longstreet Theatre, located at 1300 Greene St., is also rumored to be one of the most haunted buildings in Columbia. During the Civil War, the theater was used as a hospital and today’s green room once served as a morgue. Theater guests have reported walking into sudden chilly spots, feeling an unexplained unease, witnessing an apparition + hearing odd noises. The elevators in the building are also notorious for acting of their own accord, opening the doors unexpectedly and moving without being summoned.
🕷 South Carolina State Museum | 301 Gervais St.
The historic red brick building was originally built as a textile mill in 1894. One textile worker called “Bubba” is rumored to have died in an industrial accident. He can be spotted on the fourth floor and guests have described seeing a whole person, and sometimes a partial apparition, wearing overalls + stepping into the elevator. Some visitors claim to have ridden in the elevator with him and while exiting he walks down the hall and disappears into a solid wall.
🕷 Elmwood Cemetery | 501 Elmwood Ave.
Elmwood Cemetery has been a spooky spot for tourists + locals alike since 1845. You can even take a tour of who lies beneath its graves (like 500+ Confederate soldiers and a young bride who mysteriously died the night before her wedding). Until the guided tours return, check out the famous folks who lie in the cemetery + can possibly be seen floating around here.
🕷 Fort Jackson
This prominent military base may train over half of our nation’s army – but it also serves as a homebase to several spirits. A female ghost with a bullet hole in her helmet haunts a latrine where she died and witnesses have stated they can hear female voices + humming. She is not alone – a male apparition is rumored to lurk in the B Company 369th AG Barracks.
🕷 Gervais Street Bridge
Picking up hitchhikers can be dangerous – but especially when your passenger is no longer living. Rumor has it young female hitchhikers ask for a ride home then disappear about half way there. It makes you wonder why they didn’t just call an Uber.
🕷 Mill Creek Elementary School | 925 Universal Dr.
No one knows exactly who the shadowy figure seen roaming around this grade school is but one thing is for certain – they are there and they roam the campus. Students + teachers have reported feeling like someone is watching them + have seen a shadowy figure at the doors of the school gym. In addition to activity in the school, some of the residents who live just behind the campus have spotted some strange sights at night, including a shadowy figure approaching the houses or a dark silhouette with no discernible features on their face.
🕷 Olympia Mills | 510 Heyward St.
This popular student apartment complex houses more than just the living. Ghosts of child mill workers are said to lurk the circa-1899 halls.
🕷 Old State Road in Cayce
Who would’ve thought that one road could have so many ghosts? Old State Road is populated by 1,500+ Confederate soldier ghosts + a notably athletic ghost named “Ole Redeye.” Supposedly, those who drive down the road at 50+ mph, which is speeding on this road btw, will see Ole Redeye keeping up with their car. Not sure if it’s actually him? As the name implies, you will catch a pair of red eyes looking back at you. Today, if you listen really hard on the road, you may hear the faint sounds of people walking + falling into the creek.
🕷 Cinnamon Hill | 808 S. Lake Drive, Lexington
This historic house was built in 1892 and now houses a ghost or two on the second floor. Allegedly, when the house was a restaurant, a group of diners once took a picture and found an apparition had joined their party.
🕷Airport High School | 1315 Boston Ave., West Columbia
According to Lexington Life magazine, one of the most common ghost stories in the area comes from Airport High School, which is haunted by a former principal every night. Shortly after the school was built in 1958, the school’s first principal, George Pair, started reappearing after he died in 1962. Visitors can supposedly hear the sounds of his feet on tile, even though the floors are now carpeted.
🕷 Cribb’s Sandwich & Sweet Shop | 108 S. Church St., Lexington
In Lexington, some locals have claimed to see ghosts in the bathroom of Cribb’s. The most common story is spotting a young girl in the bathroom mirror.
Don’t just take our word for it – several Soda Citizens told us about their own spooky encounters.
“Wavering Place Plantation has a ghost named Fanny!!!! She took my intern’s name tag and my gold cake server! For real!” – Meagan W.
“The old state hospital grounds…very haunted. Mean spirits are there. Used to ride my bike to bull street and cut through. Saw and felt several things.” – Glenn-Joe G.
“Town Theatre has a ghost named Alice. Several staff members and theatre performers have seen or felt her late at night, and occasionally she likes to play tricks during actual performances themselves. Town Theatre is one of Columbia’s historic landmarks and the basement that houses the costumes is especially creepy.” – Lindsay H.
Read this story by Hardy Childers (recommended to us by Marshall R.) about Zauberspruch – a type of magic used for healing by German + Swiss immigrants to the Dutch Fork area.
Have more spooky Columbia stories of your own? Tell us by replying to this email. We’re just dying to see a ghost around town this Halloween.
Looking for a few more places that go bump in the night? Here are some of the most haunted locations in the Southeast. #RoadTrip, anyone?
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