Local legend tells us that one Halloween night, a woman and her kids were killed on the Devenger Road Bridge when their car was hit by a truck. The woman had stopped the car to retrieve something from her trunk. Now folks say the woman’s ghost will push you backward to safety if you park your car on the bridge.
Devenger Road Bridge
John D. Long Lake
John D. Long Lake is the spot where Susan Smith killed her children by strapping them into her vehicle and rolling it into the lake, claiming her kids were kidnapped by a carjacker. Folks who have visited the monument erected to them here claim to have heard children’s laughter and seen orbs.
Holy Name Cemetery
A white apparition, phantom disappearing headlights, footsteps, voices, and unexplained wind have all been reported at the Holy Name Cemetery across from a brick church.
Vicksburg Cemetery
Vicksburg Cemetery is said to have a glowing tombstone whose grave sports bleeding flowers in spring.
Dairy Queen
Who else would haunt a Dairy Queen but ice-cream-loving kids? Children’s laughter and the sounds of employees’ names being called have been heard after closing, and mysterious orders print up that were not ordered by anyone in the realm of the living. Items also have been known to disappear or noisily fall off cooler shelves, and cold spots have been reported as well.
St. Cloud Times
At the St. Cloud Times newspaper office, staff have been visited by an apparition of a man in the basement. He sometimes wears a printer’s shirt and other times a white shirt and bow tie. The ghost has been known to tinker with the electricity and play banjo music from beyond.
College of Saint Benedict - Benedicta Arts Center
The Benedicta Arts Center at the College of Saint Benedict was built in 1964 and is rumored to be home to a tall, ghostly shadow figure. Local legend says it’s the spirit of a man named Steve who fell to his death during the building’s construction. Steve has shattered lights during performances, and some witnesses say they’ve run smack into Steve, describing him as something invisible, but solid.
College of St. Catherine
At College of St. Catherine’s St. Mary’s Hall, a gray lady appears in doorways of the second floor rooms. Students also have reported something poking them awake right before their alarms go off or cold fingers on the backs of their necks. Some have heard the sound of someone running down the hallways when there was no one visible.
Tabernacle Cemetery
The 1842 Tabernacle Cemetery is said to be haunted. The apparition of a man has been seen next to a tree right behind the cemetery sign, and flashes of unexplained light have been seen flashing or shining on visitors.
Because of vandalism, the public is not allowed on the property and trespassers will be prosecuted.
Old Hester Store
The Old Hester Store was built in 1893 by William Hester and is now taken care of by the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation and Pickens County Historical Society. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of an African-American man who was hanged in the back of the store. His apparition has been seen hanging there at night. A lady in a rocking chair also has been seen through the top window.
