The late-1800s Converse College has a few haunted buildings, including the Williams Dorm, said to have a ghostly boy near its laundry room who will play catch with a ball, and Hazel B. Abbott Theatre, haunted by Miss Hazel herself. The Wilson Hall has a ghost with red eyes, and Pell Hall has a ghostly lady in white who once jumped out the window into her lover’s arms so they could elope–only he didn’t catch her. Pell Hall is also said to be home to Betty Payne, who hanged herself in a room.
If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know!
Rate this Haunted Place
What do you think? Is this place really haunted? Voice your opinion here! Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale.
Geographic Information
- Address:
- 580 E Main St
Spartanburg, SC 29302
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 34.956048, -81.918904
- County:
- Spartanburg County, South Carolina
- Nearest Towns:
- Spartanburg, SC (0.9 mi.)
Saxon, SC (2.8 mi.)
Arcadia, SC (4.1 mi.)
Glendale, SC (4.7 mi.)
Southern Shops, SC (4.8 mi.)
Fairforest, SC (5.2 mi.)
Valley Falls, SC (5.2 mi.)
Converse, SC (5.4 mi.)
Roebuck, SC (5.9 mi.)
Clifton, SC (5.9 mi.)
Contact Information
- Web:
- https://www.converse.edu/
Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.
Share Your Experiences
Comments (4)
Share Your Comments
Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
yes I have been there a few times. once for a concerto violin, and I felt a weird feeling. it was like someone was watching me! and then I felt something touch me. another time I went for a violin workshop (violin and viola), when I went to a room to get my lunch, then I thought I saw a dark shadow.
I actually live in Williams Dorm and one night I felt something tug at my covers it scared the living daylights out of me. Another night my roommate and I both saw a shadow in our room. I have a friend who lives in west Wilson and she can see into the bell tower from her room and there is a hand print on the inside of the glass of the bell tower. One night I was walking up from the new field house which is right beside Hell’s Gates and I heard chains rattling but no foot steps and at that time there would have been footsteps in the leaves because the leaves where all over the ground. Therese do doubt in my mind that this place is haunted.
A little less than ten years ago I had a friend (let’s call her E) that attended Converse and was boarded in the infamous Pell Hall. E lived right down the hall from the room that Betty Payne lived in and hung herself in and because E knew the girl (let’s call her Mary) that was currently living in the room she let us come see it.
The moment I walked in the room I felt an intense heaviness. Mary told us that the school warned her before she moved into the room that there was a ghost that wasn’t always friendly and had tendencies to bother whoever occupied the room. Mary being the brave, strong woman that she was, decided to take the room and as soon as she moved into the room she had a sit-down talk with Betty’s ghost and told her that she didn’t mind Betty being there and she understood her predicament and believed they could be friends and coexist in peace. Mary said that weird things would happen like things being moved around the room and the door locking and unlocking by itself but Betty was never violent towards her like she had been to others who were brave enough to live in the space.
I believed everything Mary told me and while it was all rather horrifying that a poor girl had hung herself in the door of her dorm room and her ghost was trapped in this odd, little room the most horrifying part of the room was not the stories of Betty.
It was Betty’s door.
The door that she hung herself against. Her silhouette, as well as the silhouette of the rope leading from the top of the door to her neck is still on the door. Like it happened yesterday.
They originally painted the door to cover up the horrible shadow but soon the silhouettes were back. They painted again and the same thing happened. So they decided to get a new door. Which worked for a while until the silhouettes came back. You can see where people have put layer upon layer of paint on this door but the shadow always comes back. You feel her so strongly when you look at the door. You can feel her distress.
Bless you Betty.
Bless your poor soul.
I pray you may find peace one day.
A little less than ten years ago I had a friend (let’s call her E) that attended Converse and was boarded in the infamous Pell Hall. E lived right down the hall from the room that Betty Payne lived in and hung herself in and because E knew the girl (let’s call her Mary) that was currently living in the room she let us come see it. The moment I walked in the room I felt an intense heaviness. Mary told us that the school warned her before she moved into the room that there was a ghost that wasn’t always friendly and had tendencies to bother whoever occupied the room. Mary being the brave, strong woman that she was, decided to take the room and as soon as she moved into the room she had a sit-down talk with Betty’s ghost and told her that she didn’t mind Betty being there and she understood her predicament and believed they could be friends and coexist in peace. Mary said that weird things would happen like things being moved around the room and the door locking and unlocking by itself but Betty was never violent towards her like she had been to others who were brave enough to live in the space.
I believed everything Mary told me and while it was all rather horrifying that a poor girl had hung herself in the door of her dorm room and her ghost was trapped in this odd, little room the most horrifying part of the room was not the stories of Betty it was Betty’s door. The door that she hung herself against. Her silhouette, as well as the silhouette of the rope leading from the top of the door to her neck is still on the door. Like it happened yesterday.
They originally painted the door to cover up the horrible shadow but soon the silhouettes were back. They painted again and the same thing happened. So they decided to get a new door. Which worked for a while until the silhouettes came back. You can see where people have put layer upon layer of paint on this door but the shadow always comes back. You feel her so strongly when you look at the door. You can feel her distress.
Bless you Betty.
Bless your poor soul.
I pray you may find peace one day.