Growing up in the Low Country of South Carolina, you get absolutely inundated with ghost stories. Even when it’s not anywhere near Halloween, people love talking about the most haunted places in South Carolina. A lot of them are right outside our back doors! Are you frightened of spooky urban legends from South Carolina, or do you find the creepiest locations fascinating and enthralling? Here are 15 of the most haunted places in South Carolina that will send chills down your spine:

1. South Carolina State Hospital, formerly known as the South Carolina State Lunatic Asylum (Columbia)
2100 Bull St, Columbia, SC 29201, USA
Michael Miller/Google Local




South Carolina State Hospital has certainly been around for long enough to have its own ghost stories. It was built between 1822 and 1827 and operated for many years as a state mental asylum. Whether or not any of these stories are true, most of us wouldn't really want to hang out in an old insane asylum. The building's roof recently suffered from a fire but was repaired. The property is now owned by a private company, and rumors abound over its future, but it may eventually be turned into an apartment complex.
2. Admiral's House (Charleston Naval Base)
Admiral's House, 1100 Navy Way, North Charleston, SC 29405, USA
Johanna/Google Local
It's really not surprising that this house has quite the history, as it was built way back in 1905. According to legend, at nighttime, you can see a small slave girl wandering through a clump of trees on the property.
3. Baynard Plantation (Hilton Head)
Stoney Baynard Ruins, Plantation Dr, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928, USA
Meridith112/Flickr




If you believe the stories, when you visit Baynard Plantation, you can hear or even see the funeral procession of William Baynard as it passes by his home. This is one place you probably don't want to hang around after sunset!
4. Crybaby Bridge (Anderson)
Crybaby Bridge, 2806 High Shoals Rd, Anderson, SC 29621, USA
Jimmy Gilstrap/Youtube
Crybaby Bridge is considered one of the most haunted places in South Carolina. It's said that if you stop your car in the middle of the bridge during the night, you can hear the crying of a baby. Many even report seeing the mother walking all over the bridge looking for her child.
5. Cypress Garden Ruins (Monck's Corner)
Cypress Gardens, 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd, Moncks Corner, SC 29461, USA
Joshua Frajosky/Google Local
This beautiful swamp is truly one of the state's great wonders. It's even got ruins, though they're not real antiques. They're left over from the filming of the movie The Patriot. Many people report hearing or feeling strange things as they pass by these creepy ruins in the middle of a swamp.
6. Hell's Gate in Oakwood Cemetery (Spartanburg)
Oakwood Cemetery, Spartanburg, SC 29302, USA
NatalieMaynor/Flickr
Oakwood Cemetery has the honor of being known by most as the "most haunted place in South Carolina." It is said that you will have phone problems during the day, i.e., the phone battery draining, a busy signal, phone ringing when it has been cut off, etc. At night, however, it is said you will see orbs, a white shrouding mist, and the laughter of children. NOTE: If you do go there after dark, please be careful and do not go alone. There have been many problems with vandals and such.
7. Abandoned House
Barbara Mazz/Flickr
Driving through the state's rural roads and backcountry, you'll see plenty of old, abandoned houses. It's enchanting to think about their history and why they were abandoned. There are also some abandoned mansions throughout the state, also fascinating.

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8. Montrose Cemetery (Darlington)
Montrose Cemetery, 2864 SC-34, Darlington, SC 29532, USA
Tim Evanson/Fickr
Paranormal investigators brave enough to go there after dark have spent many hours exploring this haunted cemetery . People have claimed to hear all kinds of things in this graveyard that was established around 1789. There are reports of orbs and hulking black figures, and some have reported hearing children or the primal scream of women. Many have noted that even though they were using the flash on their cameras, their pictures came out pitch black.
9. Old Train Buildings and Trestle (Smoaks)
Lastdue
Although the railroad is mostly gone and the buildings are falling down, the trestle does remain. It is said that you can still hear a ghost train run through the area.
10. Salem Black River Church (Sumter)
Salem Black River Church, 1060 Brick Church Rd, Mayesville, SC 29104, USA
Steve Sidwell/Google Local
All kinds of stories surround Salem Black River Church in Sumter, SC. It is said that it's haunted by a priest whose family passed away from a plague. In the back of the church, there's a small building that some have noted to have flickering lights, and many people even report seeing a man's shadow when no one is there.
11. Tuberculosis Hospital (Greenville)
Herdklotz Park, 126 Beverly Rd, Greenville, SC 29609, USA
Google Maps/Andrew Byars
This place has quite the history! It's been a tuberculosis hospital, an insane asylum, and even a prisoner release site. It eventually burned down, and paranormal investigators have found oddities here. Strange voices and sounds have been captured on audiotape. The root cellar here was preserved, and there's still some foundation left in Herdklotz Park, which was built atop the site. According to legend, rain puddles that gather here sometimes turn red with the blood of the tuberculosis patients that once suffered on this property.
12. White Point Garden (Charleston)
White Point Garden, 2 Murray Blvd, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
Alexander Cook/Google Local




Charleston is one of the most historic cities in the country, so it's no surprise that White Point Garden, the most popular park in the city, is allegedly full of ghosts!
13. Seven Devil's Bridge (Woodruff)
Woodruff, SC 29388, USA
Palmetto State Paranormal/Facebook
This bridge has a history of seven men being hanged here. According to legend, if you try to cross this bridge on foot at the stroke of midnight, you'll break down screaming and crying. It's just one of several haunted bridges in South Carolina .
14. The Hermitage (Murrells Inlet)
The Hermitage, 619 King St, Columbia, SC 29205, USA
Karen and Kelly
The Hermitage is a residential property that has a sad story of a lost love. Alice Flagg was the sister of a prominent local doctor. She loved a lumberman who was considered below her station. She fell ill and died of what is suspected to be malaria. Her brother found her lover's ring on a ribbon around the neck of her dead body and threw it into the marsh. It is said that Alice still walks the grounds, clutching her chest in hopes that one day she will find the ring that her true love gave her.
15. Rose Hill Plantation (Union)
Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site, 2677 Sardis Rd, Union, SC 29379, USA
ClemsonStepp/Flickr
Rose Hill Plantation is not far from Crybaby Bridge, and it's had its own fair share of paranormal activity. The family that lived here when it was built in 1827 spent their lives here and then were buried in a cemetery right on the plantation's property. It's one of our top picks of places in South Carolina to explore during the winter season.

Well, now you can stop searching for “abandoned places near me,” or not… Haunted South Carolina has many possibilities for spooky adventure. In such a historically rich state, there are many stories to be told and lots of them happen to be quite creepy. We’d love to hear your favorite ghost stories from South Carolina, and if you know of any other haunted spots, please share them in the comments!

Many of the locations mentioned above are closed to the public. Do not trespass onto private property and make sure to always follow local laws and regulations when exploring haunted abandoned places.

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Most Haunted Places In South Carolina

Leah | June 13, 2020

What are the creepiest cemeteries in South Carolina?

If you're itching to check out some scary places in South Carolina, it's hard to beat the eeriness of a cemetery - let alone the downright terror that can be had in supposed haunted cemeteries in South Carolina, such as:

  • St. Philips Graveyard in Charleston, for instance, is rumored to have a ghostly woman that can be seen crying over a grave as well as the sounds of baby cries.
  • According to an urban legend, if you circle the Cottageville Cemetery in Cottageville, South Carolina, three times and then honk your horn in the center, spirits of the dead will rise from their graves. Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but you could be the next brave person to try it.

 

What is the most haunted place in South Carolina?

Of all these South Carolina ghost stories, there are few more terrifying than the ones that are rumored to be true at the state's most haunted place. If the thought of a creepy cabin in the woods freaks you out, then SC's most haunted cabin will have you keeping the lights on at night. It's known as The Shamrock House, built back in 1925 as a family dwelling and is now a guest house where you can stay. According to the stories surrounding it, the restless spirit of a young woman who died decades ago haunts the house. Lights turn on and off on their own, and doors are said to open by themselves. Cold spots and the sound of ghostly footsteps have spooked guests. Would you dare to stay?

Are there any ghost towns in South Carolina?

Ghost stories are fun to talk about around a campfire, but they are just that - stories. The real ghosts of South Carolina can be found in the form of ghost towns. There were many places in the Palmetto State that have been lost to time and are now dilapidated, ghost towns in South Carolina that pique people's interest. Spots like Colonial Dorchester, a town founded in 1696, are now nothing but eerie ruins. That particular town met its demise during the Revolutionary War. Mountville is another abandoned town that has nothing but empty buildings left, with little to no history of it.

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