Paraskevidekatriaphobia: the fear of Friday the 13th, which is said to date back as far as the Middle Ages.
There are plenty of speculations, but no one really knows why Friday the 13th is so scary. But it’s October and we are feeling the spooky vibes lately so we poked around to find some haunted places in the Upstate. And we were *not* disappointed.
Historic Oakwood Cemetery (Hell’s Gate)
182 Oakwood Avenue, Spartanburg
☠️ Chartered in the late 1800s
⚰ In 1914, 100+ graves were supposedly dug up to make way for a new development, and they were moved to Oakwood.
Scare level: 👻 👻
Many visitors receive mysterious calls or their cell phone batteries drain when they head to the “old” part of the cemetery. A few have reported seeing floating orbs, ghosts of children, or had a strong feeling that something is watching from some unseen vantage point.
Herdklotz Park
126 Beverly Road, Greenville
⚰ This park sits on the grounds where Hopewell Tuberculosis Sanatorium used to treat hundreds of tuberculosis patients between 1930 – 1950s. It also served as an insane asylum and a prisoner release site for some time.
☠️ In 2001, most of the building was burned, and later demolished. The basement door was sealed up and a playground was built on top of it.
Scare level: 👻
Visitors have claimed to hear strange sounds on the playground, including banging, screaming, and the sound of unseen bells. At night, people have spotted shadows + some people living nearby have claimed to see these shadowy beings in their homes.
Side note: This is actually a very nice park and when I visited, there were tons of kids playing soccer on the fields and on the playgrounds. It would be easy to miss the creepy sign + door.
Springwood Cemetery
410 North Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601
☠️ 200 years old
⚰ 10,000+ graves, including those of Confederate soldiers, prominent politicians, + a NASCAR driver.
Scare level: 👻 👻
Paranormal investigation groups have reported everything from phantom knocks to full-body apparitions.
Crybaby Bridge
2806 High Shoals Rd, Anderson
☠️ Its name comes from a legend that says if you stop here at night and cut off your engine, you’ll be able to hear a baby crying.
Scare level: 👻 👻 👻
Some people have claimed to see the baby mother’s walking in a white dress along the bridge looking for her lost child who vanishes when approached.
Poinsett Bridge
☠️ Built in 1820: Oldest surviving bridge in the state and once part of a connector road from Charleston and Columbia to the WNC.
⚰ One legend claims the bridge sits on an ancient Indian burial ground and another claims a mason died during construction and his bones are inside in bridge.
Scare level: 👻
Creepy reported incidents include unexplained screams, eerie moans, and odd lights.
If you want to know more about legends + local haunts, check out the Greenville Ghost Tour.
For our Spartanburg readers, the Main Street Trolley does ghost tours twice nightly through the end of October.
I love this time of year. 👻
Scare Meter:
👻 – Scary but cool to check out sometime with friends.
👻 👻 – Pretty freaky stuff seems to happen here but I would stop by (during the daytime only).
👻 👻 👻 – Probably too terrifying to go there. Ever.
