Have You Heard These Union County Ghost Stories?
Column Sponsored by the Union County Historical Society
By Gavin Tessnear
The question of the supernatural has long plagued the minds of mankind. Are ghosts real? Are people who have claimed to have paranormal encounters just spinning tall tales? The Bantam Gazette wants you to be the judge! You may have heard about the Boogeyman or the Headless Horseman, but in this article, we’ll tell you some famous ghost stories from Union County and right here at USCU!
One of the most widely told ghost stories in Union is that of a white dog that is said to chase travelers as they pass through a five mile stretch Old Buncombe Road in an area called Goshen Hill. The Hound of Goshen or “Happy Dog” is said to appear as a large white dog and has been reported following people who are walking or riding along the road, with accounts dating back to 1855. The dog has been said to jump through closed iron gates and frighten any mules or horses that it meets in the road. Legend states that this spirit originated when the dog’s owner was unjustly accused of murder by the residents of the area and hanged. Since then, the dog has continued to roam and search for him, even in death (Roberts, pp.4-6, Johnson, pp.82).
The Inn at Merridun, a now closed bed and breakfast close to downtown Union, is said to be home to multiple spirits. Most notable are the ghosts of T.C. and Fannie Duncan, a state senator and his wife who lived in the house in the late 1800s. Though smoking is not permitted in the inn guests have reported smelling smoke from a cigar that some say belongs to Mr. Duncan, while the smell of Ms. Duncan’s rose perfume is also reported. Some have also reported hearing music like Native American drumbeats or a piano or harpsichord playing, though no such instruments are on the premises. The apparition of a former housekeeper has also been spotted doing chores outside the building. (Johnson p. 78)
Local videographer Jerry McKee has recorded many paranormal investigations at Union’s historic sites, including the Cross Keys House. Many people report seeing the ghost of Mary Whitmire Davis or Mary Ann Bobo Whitmire, who lived in the house and died in an upstairs bedroom in 1888, standing at her bedroom window or in the attic window holding a candle. Strange occurrences have also been reported in the bedroom of Saphronia Whitmire, who also lived in the house during the late 19th century, mostly concerning a pair of shoes that is always left sitting on the steps next to the bed. Once, a group of women got special permission to stay the night in the house. The woman sleeping in Saphronia’s room moved these shoes aside for the night. When she woke up the next morning they had been moved to their original spot. The next day, she intentionally left them in place, only to return to the room and find them moved again.
While McKee did not see any apparitions or witness any moving shoes, he did hear the sounds of piano playing while recording. When he looked at the piano in the house, he found that the keys were frozen and could not be played. In a video recording that McKee did of Mrs. Davis’s bedroom, you can also see the nightgown that was laid out on the edge of her bed blowing back and forth, despite the fact that there was no open window or air conditioning in the room.
One of our lesser-known spooky stories comes from a place called the Bobo/Minter/Stewart House or Sedalia Plantation, where it is said that some residents remain in the house after a tragic accident. On March 15, 1881, Fannie Minter, the daughter of the home’s owner John Minter, was sitting in front of the fireplace when her dress caught fire. Her mother, also named Fannie, who was nine months pregnant at the time, tried to help her but also caught fire. Both died shortly after as a result of their injuries. The home passed to the Stewart family and eventually fell into disrepair before it was demolished in 2023, but not before McKee attempted to record paranormal phenomena inside. As he and his team were recording with a “spirit box”, a device that captures audio, and picked up two women’s voices speaking. One of his team members also reported feeling as if he were being touched. Later, they filmed what looked like a face staring back at them in an empty closet (Gomez, 2024).
Our next story takes place right here on campus! The Bantam Gazette collected stories from faculty and staff about encounters with the spirit that reportedly haunts the USCU Main Building, sometimes called Ethel, who had been known to play the piano in the auditorium. According to USCU History professor Dr. Allan Charles, legend has it that a woman committed suicide either in the building or in the nearby Fair Forest Hotel sometime in the early days of the school.
USCU Religion Professor Dr. Avery Fouts and former maintenance worker Tracy Ivey have both experienced strange occurrences in the building. A few years ago, while Ivey was opening the building alone at around 6:00AM, he began to hear what sounded like ice cream truck music coming from the piano in the auditorium. It continued to play until he reached the third floor, getting louder as he climbed the steps, but stopped as he entered the auditorium. Dr. Fouts told us about an instance where he entered the building while no one else was inside and heard the piano upstairs “stop abruptly”, as if it had been playing before he came in. When he reached his office, he began to hear footsteps on the floor above him.
As you walk around our campus and travel through town this spooky season, beware of these haunted locations and restless spirits!
Union County Museum Director Howard Lawson assisted with research for this article.
Sources
Gomez, Kelly (2024) South Carolina Home Held 200 Years of History in Its Walls. The Forgotten South. Retrieved Oct. 1, 2024, from https://theforgottensouth.com/sedalia-south-carolina-house-history/
Johnson, Tally (2005). Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry. History Press Library Editions.
Roberts, Nancy. (1962. Ghosts of The Carolinas. Literary Licensing LLC.
