5 Unbelievably Creepy Haunted Locations in South Carolina

During the daytime, White Point Garden and Battery Park provide a wonderful learning opportunity, giving historical background to pirates, battles, and other exciting legends. Come nighttime, however, the place becomes overrun with spirits.

Notable pirate Stede Bonnet and his men were executed by hanging at White Point. After their deaths, the bodies were cut down and tossed into the marsh.

Some visitors claim that they can still see Stede and his 49 or so pirate companions walking around the gardens in search of their executioners, hoping to score some revenge.

But legend has it that if you visit the gardens after midnight, you can hear the pirates' anguished screams. And if you stand near Water Street and peer down, you can see the bloated faces of the dead pirates staring back at you.

If you want to get spooked from the safety of your car, this eerie bridge is the perfect place for you.

Legend has it that a distraught local farm girl snuck out to the bridge to toss her newborn baby over into the water. Several days later, the mother was found hanging from the rafters of her home.

Now, visitors of Crybaby Bridge report several chilling encounters when passing over the bridge.

It's said that if you drive out to the middle of the bridge at night and turn off your engine, you can hear the disembodied sounds of an infant crying. If you're really lucky, you may even see the specter of the child's mother searching along the bridge for her long lost baby.

Some say that they see the figure of a young girl hanging over the side of the bridge, gently telling her child not to cry.

Others allege a less serene meeting, reporting that the mother runs up to car windows, screaming about how she killed her baby.

Whatever encounter you may be hoping for, do be careful about cutting your engine. Visitors say they sometimes have trouble restarting their car, and find that their headlights have burnt out.

Built back in 1846, the Salem Black River Church is home to a number of spirits.

One such ghost is described as a classic Southern Belle, while others claim to see a downtrodden little boy crying. A more common ghost is that of a priest, said to have lost his entire family to the plague.

If visitors go around to the back of the church, they'll find a small building where many have reported unexplained cold spots. The lights tend to flicker here, and it's a prime spot to encounter the shadowy figure thought to be the priest haunting the grounds.

While some cemeteries are regarded as peaceful and serene final resting places, the Oakwood Cemetery is also known as Hell's Gate. This historic cemetery was established in the early 1850s, and though it is connected to many prominent locals and Civil War soldiers, it is most known for being wickedly haunted.

Visitors who walk the cemetery grounds report erratic behavior in their electronics. Batteries rapidly drain here, and some say that their cellphones ring even when there's no incoming call.

Some who have managed to answer these phantom calls say that the other line delivers only a busy tone. However, a few individuals claim that an echo of children's laughter or a low whisper can be heard on the other end.

If you visit the cemetery after dark, you may encounter strange lights and apparitions. An unusual mist seems to hug the ground here, and with it comes uncontrollable feelings of unease.

Nighttime guests of the cemetery have also reported hearing disembodied sounds like the laughter of small children or babies crying. There have been reports of physical sensations, too, such as being touched or pushed, as well as abrupt shifts in temperature.

One of the most famous stories from the Oakwood Cemetery is that of the Lady in White. Legend states that, after dying suddenly on her wedding day, a young woman was buried in this cemetery in her wedding dress.

This woman's apparition has been documented to be wandering aimlessly amonst the graves, her white dress trailing behind her.

Erected sometime around 1821, the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum was one of the first public mental institutions in the United States. At its peak, it housed more than 5000 patients.

Due to overcrowding and a lack of staff—as well as the iffy priorities of the time—the asylum has quite the inhumane history. It's no surprise that it stands today as one of the most haunted buildings in South Carolina.

Like many of the institutions of the time, the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum engaged in its fair share of lobotomies and forced sterilizations. But beyond that, records indicate that there were a myriad of incidents involving abuse and neglect.

Patients faced the misery of starvation, ice baths, and electroshock therapy. There were reports of rape and torture.

Some of the patients at the facility were restrained for unhealthy amounts of time. Some were even left to die there in their bonds.

The indescribable pain and suffering experienced here has ensured that there are a number of unsettled spirits still haunting the grounds.

Visitors of the now abandoned hospital describe walking through inexplicable cold spots, hearing strange hospital noises as well as the echo of disembodied voices, screams, and moans, and catching sight of shadowy figures.

One of the asylum's most famous spirits is that of a former patient named Mary, who allegedly died in the asylum in the 1850s. Visitors may see Mary wandering through the halls, either as a white mist or a full-body apparition.

Others may spot the specter of a man in a straightjacket pacing between cells or the ghosts of some of the former staff members who still linger behind in the administrative offices.

As this area was also was used as the site of a Civil War hospital, several Civil War ghosts have been spotted floating around as well.