♪ eerie music ♪
There's a plethora of stories revolving
around the world of the unknown in South Carolina.
From the ghost pirates of Charleston to the lizard man
of the swamps, this state has been the perfect place
for these legends and mysterious tales
to take root and grow in chilling detail.
Now, it’s time to discover some of South Carolina’s
most haunted places From the Sky!
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One of the most talked about ghost stories
in Anderson, South Carolina,
is the haunting of Crybaby Bridge.
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Rumored to be originally built in Virginia
in the early 20th century, this truss bridge crosses
the Rocky River at scenic High Shoals point.
Aside from being a rusted relic that was replaced
by a cement bridge in the 1980s,
there isn't much to see save for some
expressive graffiti.
The legend surrounding the bridge, however,
is as notorious as it is ominous.
There are several different accounts of the legend.
One version is about a mother and her baby
getting into an accident at the bridge
while another more sinister story insists that the baby
was thrown into the river below.
Regardless of what variant of the legend is told,
people have experienced some strange occurrences.
There have been reports of a woman dressed in white
searching for her missing baby on the bridge,
as well as a ghostly cry emanating from the water.
Could people actually be hearing the cry
of a ghost baby
or are they just being scaredy cats?
(cat meows)
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In Sumter County,
there’s one historical church with its own
supernatural story.
Built in 1846,
the Salem Black River Presbyterian Church
was founded by Scotch-Irish settlers in what is today
Mayesville, South Carolina.
This building was the successor
of another church constructed 44 years prior
and played an integral part
in developing the rural community.
Constructed using brick from local clay deposits,
the Salem Church remains mostly unaltered
and is one of the oldest brick churches
in South Carolina.
During construction, the “Old Session House”
located at the rear of the church
was built containing a large,
donated library.
Stories tell of a priest of the church
who lost his entire family to the plague.
Unable to cope, his spirit lingers on.
There have been sightings of a dark figure
and flickering lights inside the Sessions House.
People have also experienced cold spots
and malfunctioning electronics
when walking amongst the moss-covered
tombstones in the graveyard.
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Known for being a rough-and-tumble place
in the antebellum south, Edgefield has had
its fair share of grisly characters.
None, however, are as infamous as Becky Cotton
also known as “the devil in petticoats”.
As legend goes, Becky was a “Black Widow”
who killed her husbands out of resentment
or for financial gain.
Her crimes were horrific, using axes, needles,
and poison to murder her spouses.
It is said that she dragged the lifeless bodies
to a deep section of Beaverdam Creek
outside of the town known as Beck’s Hole.
Now a part of Slade Lake,
it’s been said if you listen close enough,
you can hear the wailing of Becky Cotton’s husbands
echo across the water.
When she was finally caught,
her charm and beauty seduced an all-male jury
that acquitted her during the murder trial.
Unfortunately for Becky, her foul deeds finally
caught up to her one day when her brother,
knowing what evil lied behind her pretty eyes,
killed her on the courthouse steps
by bludgeoning her with a rock.
♪
Whether it’s a haunted bridge,
ancient church,
or killer bride,
these spine-tingling stories make up just
a modicum of the strange and spooky happenings
that have taken place in South Carolina.
Whether these tales can be explained or have any truth,
remains a mystery best seen,
From the Sky!
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