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The Lantern, Greenville, SC (2025)

11/22/2025

The Tragic 1988 Greenwood School Shooting Revisited

On September 26, 1988, 19-year-old Jaime William Wilson walked into Oakland Elementary in Greenwood and opened fire. Wilson is responsible for one of the first deadly school shootings in the country.

He was armed with a 22-caliber pistol when he started in the cafeteria and moved into a classroom. In the end, Wilson shot 11 innocent people on that day, and two died.

Wilson was the first person sentenced to death under South Carolina’s guilty-but-mentally-ill law. He had a competency hearing in 2011, but the judge apparently has not issued a ruling in his case. Wilson remains on death row.

The Oakland Elementary school shooting remains a part of South Carolina's haunted history, almost forty years later.

Written By John G. Clark Jr.

11/21/2025

The South Carolina UFO Welcome Center

In 1994, Jody Pendarvis decided to build a UFO Welcome Center in Bowman, South Carolina, which became an unintentional tourist attraction. The Orangeburg County attraction garnered a lot of attention through the years, when the 46-foot-wide flying saucer was first constructed using various materials, including wood, fiberglass, and plastic. He later added another 20-foot saucer in 2003.

Unfortunately, the UFO Welcome Center was sadly destroyed by fire in May 2024.

Written By John G. Clark Jr.

11/21/2025

This Ghostly Island on Lake Hartwell is said to be Home to a Witch

The island is all that remains (above water) of the Harrisonburg Plantation. The plantation was the home of Revolutionary War soldier John Harris Jr, who lived there for over 40 years. Harris and his wife were buried in a beautiful cemetery on the highest ground of their plantation.

The area was flooded in the 1960s to make way for Lake Hartwell, but their graves, along with 57 more, are still on the small island above the water line. Many say that the hilltop cemetery is the site of paranormal activity. The island reportedly lives up to its name with occasional ghost sightings by campers. There is also a legend that the area was home to Serril Broin.

Broin was the granddaughter of a woman accused of being a witch and killed during the Salem Witch Trials. Broin allegedly haunts the island to this day, with reports of hearing crazy laughter in the distance to greet those bold enough to visit.

Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image Credit: Tom Taylor at Random Connections

11/21/2025

The Ghost of Boggs Street in Greenville, SC

Boggs Street is located in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina, and many have reported seeing an apparition of a man wandering towards them, looking lost. The story is listed online and in books, such as Jason Profit’s Haunted Greenville, South Carolina.

The exact location is behind the 640 South Main Street building. Years ago, there were two brick warehouses, one of which housed a tombstone manufacturer. Legend says that all tombstones made it to their final destinations (no pun intended) except for one. It sat on the side of Boggs Street for many years. During this time, people reported seeing a ghostly man in this area. Some even said the tombstone gave them the chills just by looking at it.

It was finally moved, and some believed the spirit had finally moved on. However, that may not be the case. According to Profit, when he stopped here on his ghost tour in 2010, people pointed out that orbs appeared around him as he told the story to small crowds.

Greenville is one of the most haunted places in the state. The next time you venture to this part of the city, you can let the specter know that his tombstone has arrived so he can REST IN PEACE!

Written By John G. Clark Jr.

11/21/2025

The Yogi Bear Graveyard

Some may remember the unintentional tourist attraction, dubbed the Yogi Bear Graveyard, that was located off I-95 in North Carolina. When Yogi Bear Honey Fried Chicken locations began closing across the Southeast, the fiberglass statues that once occupied those restaurants were purchased by the Jellystone Park Campground in Halifax.

The statues welcomed travelers to the park and were placed around the grounds and at its miniature golf course. When the campground closed, the statues of Yogi, Boo-Boo, Cindy Bear, Ranger Smith, and others were left in a field beside the Lakewood Truck Stop.

At the time, Lakewood was considered one of the largest, if not the largest, truck stops along the East Coast.

Eventually, Lakewood also closed, while the statues were left sitting in the field, exposed to the weather. Slowly, the field became a tourist attraction as word spread, and people began stopping to relive their nostalgia.

But in 2008, new owners purchased the land and removed the statues.

Today, one Yogi Bear’s Honey Fried Chicken location remains open in Hartsville, South Carolina, and many of the statues that once sat in that field were rescued and found new homes.

Written By: John G. Clark Jr.

11/20/2025

The Cheeky Ghost of the Old Athens Theatre

Some believe the old Athens Theatre in New Bern, North Carolina, is home to a ghostly woman named Dorothy. The old theatre opened in 1911 as the Athens Theatre, seating fewer than 600. By 1929, the name had been changed to the Show Shop Theatre. Fourteen years later, in 1943, it was renamed the Kehoe Theatre until the 1950s. Finally, in the late 1970s, the curtain fell for the last time, only to be renovated around 1980; the New Bern Civic Theatre now operates it.

The legend states that Dorothy was once an actress there, but no age or date is given. No one knows how she met her demise, but reportedly, her ghost has been spotted on the balcony. Perhaps she is upset about her career and decided to stay. It’s also alleged that she likes to turn off the lights on other actresses.

Written By John G. Clark Jr.

11/20/2025

I took a little hiatus. I’ll be back tomorrow! We are expanding to include other areas. Let me know where you’re located?

11/17/2025

The Ghosts of the Crash of United Airlines Flight 823

Perched in the middle of Newport, Tennessee, sits the Cocke County Memorial Building. The building was first built in the early 1930s, and during that time, Veterans with American Legion Post 41 occupied the structure. But it would be a tragic event in July 1964 that would forever haunt the premises.

This part of eastern Tennessee is characterized by its mountainous terrain. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, Newport is a small city located approximately 30 miles from Pigeon Forge.

On Thursday, July 9, 1964, United Air Flight 823 departed from Philadelphia with 39 people on board. The plane was scheduled to land at Huntsville International Airport in Alabama, but it never made it. Around 6:15 p.m., the plane was reportedly seen flying low and eventually crashed about 2.25 miles from Parrottsville. Parrottsville is a small town located just outside Newport, in Cocke County.

The crash happened next to a family farm on a steep hill. In the end, only one body remained intact from the impact, and that was the passenger who is believed to have jumped from the number four escape window, before the plane made impact with the ground.

A makeshift morgue was set up at the Cocke County Memorial Building to house the dead. All of the crash victims’ families did receive remains for burials, but other body parts at the site were scattered and not easily identified. Those parts were put together in a casket and buried in Union Cemetery in Parrottsville.

Since the Cocke County Memorial Building was used as a morgue on that evening, some believe the spirits of those who died in the United Airlines Flight 823 may still be inside, walking the floors.

People have reported experiencing temperature abnormalities and unusual noises. A group called Paranormal Technology Investigations captured a reported apparition of a woman in white, along with other instances of paranormal activity.

Are the spirits of the crash victims still trapped inside this building?

Written By: John G. Clark Jr.

11/17/2025

The Ghostly Postal Worker of Aiken

The Old Aiken Post Office, situated at the corner of Park Avenue and Laurens Street, was constructed in 1912 and operated as a post office until the early 1970s.

According to author Sherman Carmichael in his book “Mysterious South Carolina,” the old building is also home to some strange things and even a ghost.

Carmichael writes in the book that a postal employee would climb the dome at the top of the building every day and night to raise and lower the American flag, even in inclement weather.

One day, the employee climbed while it was raining, slipped, and fell to his death.

Through the years, people riding by this building on stormy days have seen a shadowy figure fall from the top of the dome, only to vanish before he makes contact with the ground.

One woman who worked across the street from the Old Aiken Post Office saw a man standing on top of the dome while it rained. She asked a coworker to come over to see the man, but by the time the worker reached the window, the man was gone.

The flagpole was later moved to ground level.

Written By: John G. Clark Jr.

Source: Sherman Carmichael, Mysterious South Carolina. Pages 114, 115, 116.

11/16/2025

The Ghostly Legend of Whitewolf Road

Cherokee County, South Carolina, is home to some of the most haunted places in the state. Whitewolf Road in Blacksburg is no stranger to the paranormal, according to legend. Both stories are tragedies that left the spirits of all three victims forever tied to this countryside, where they met their fate. The road is near White Wolf Hollow and Kings Mountain State Park.

A man and a woman were reportedly brutally murdered on this road by a group of men many years ago. The deceased woman's ghost is said to walk the area in her blood-soaked dress near the hollow.

The second states a man was shot execution-style near his truck in the 1960s. After the man met his demise, his truck was torched to hide evidence. Legend has it that you can see the old headlights driving down the road late at night.

(Disclaimer) If you plan to visit any locations mentioned in our articles, please obtain permission, especially if they are on private property.

Written By: John G. Clark Jr

11/16/2025

The Ghostly Legend of Rock House Road

One location near Kings Mountain on Rock House Road in Blacksburg is said to be haunted by the spirit of a mentally impaired woman who was locked in the old Rock House in the 1800s. The girl was only allowed out at night to prowl the countryside by her overbearing father. Rumored that the old cellar was her domicile until the moon pierced through the sky each night. She would walk the rugged terrain with only a candle in hand until one chilly evening, when she traveled much deeper into the woods until her candle blew out. Unable to find her way back home, she perished. Legend says if you light a candle and hold it to the window in your home near this area or in your car, the girl’s face will appear. The old rock home reportedly still stands in the woods, but it can only be viewed a few times a year.

(Disclaimer) The Lantern recommends checking if sites are on private property or if you need permission to visit. If you plan to visit and no restrictions are in place, please be courteous of the grounds and area. All hauntings are considered alleged.

Written By: John G. Clark Jr.

11/16/2025

Haunted Kings Mountain

Kings Mountain National Military Park is a beautiful place, but through the years, it has earned quite a reputation for being haunted. The park is located in Blacksburg, South Carolina, near the state line between North Carolina and South Carolina. British officer Ferguson is said to still haunt the grounds by his cairn, along with others. Visitors to the park have reported seeing ghostly figures, phantom drumbeats, and hearing the sounds associated with battle.

According to an article on August 20, 2022, by the Southern Spirit Guide, “Some years ago, two reenactors were camping on the battlefield and in the evening went to visit Ferguson’s cairn. Both men deposited rocks on the grave. As they began to walk away, both had a sense that someone was standing nearby. They turned expecting a park ranger, though instead they saw a form that resembled the British Major. The figure spoke in a thick Scottish brogue saying, “It doesn’t always work, my lads,” and let out a hearty laugh.”

“A moment later in front of the frightened witnesses, he faded into the darkened forest.”

Written By John G. Clark Jr.

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