Want to go ghost hunting in a local cemetery? Greenville, SC, and other spots around the Upstate are home to some seriously spooky cemeteries with chilling ghost stories to match. From tragic pasts to unexplained happenings, these places have plenty of eerie tales that have kept local legends alive for generations.
Ready for a paranormal adventure? Here are some of the Upstate’s most haunted cemeteries that might just give you the heebie-jeebies!
Old cemeteries can be peaceful places to stroll through and ponder what life was like for those at rest. They can also be sites filled with stories of sickness, poverty, and unrest. According to local legends, some of these tales explain why spirits reportedly haunt the places to this day.
These haunted places to visit near Greenville, SC have some pretty interesting ghost stories. Want to check them out yourself?
Haunted Cemeteries Near Me: Upstate, SC
Cemetery Hill – Spartanburg, SC
Rest in peace wasn’t a reality for many of the people buried at Cemetery Hill. The expansion of the Charleston and Western railroad lines through downtown Spartanburg encountered an obstacle: Freemans Cemetery. Considered the first Black cemetery in Spartanburg, Freemans was the final resting place of formerly enslaved people.
The cemetery was near where West Main Street crosses the train tracks that ultimately overcame the obstacle. In 1900, authorities moved the graves to Cemetery Hill.
We’re not sure if they were successful, but there’s only one way to find out.
Iva Cemetery – Iva, SC
Just walking past this cemetery at sunset is enough for visitors to invite a visit from a male apparition. Legend has it he follows people until they turn to look at him.
Magnolia Cemetery – Spartanburg, SC
The oldest cemetery in Spartanburg sits quietly behind the Krispy Kreme in Spartanburg. Just driving past it gives me the heebie-jeebies. If you’re braver than I am and decide to venture there, be sure not to spit out your watermelon seeds.
The ghosts don’t mind and probably nobody else does, either. It’s one of those wacky laws on the books that aren’t worth the trouble of authorities addressing. But just to be safe, stick to seedless watermelon should you plan a picnic at Magnolia Cemetery.
Oakwood Cemetery – Spartanburg, SC
Oakwood Cemetery is one of the most infamous cemeteries in the Upstate and reportedly one of the most haunted places in South Carolina.
Two of the residents of Oakwood are rumored to still make their presence known to this day. Visitors regularly see a woman and her child. She’s commonly referred to as “The Lady In White.” People say they experience pain and anguish when she appears, and that she is doomed to search for her son. He’s there, though, and he likes to play tricks on people who come to visit his grave.
To make room for railroad development in 1914, authorities moved more than 314 graves from Magnolia Cemetery. This only added to the unrest at Oakwood Cemetery. If you explore the area behind the potter’s field during the day, you might come across the entrance to a strange tunnel.
Macabre things have occurred in recent years. We won’t mention them here, but we don’t suggest you visit the cemetery at night for this reason.
Haunted Cemeteries Near Me: Greenville, SC
Duncan Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery – Greenville
Once touted as one of the most haunted places in Greenville, the cemetery’s remains are now on display in the parking lot of the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Old Buncombe Road. Before the property was cleared and developed, visitors reported hearing children’s laughter and the sounds of bouncing balls.
I’m not sure whether the changes make a ghostly encounter more or less likely. A trip to this centuries-old cemetery is definitely interesting, and you can always grab some milk and eggs while you’re there.
New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery – Tigerville, SC
This small church burial ground is the resting place of more than 100 people, some of whom were buried as far back as the turn of the last century. There are lots of stories on the internet of people experiencing odd things here. From the unexplained sounds of rustling in the surrounding woods to an apparition forming from a man’s pipe smoke, the grounds of this cemetery are a hotspot for hauntings.
Springwood Cemetery – Greenville
This cemetery dates back to 1784, when a single acre opened to the public for burials. Many prominent people from Greenville’s history are here. Later on, more acres were added, including a public African-American section sometime before 1863.
Springwood is a City of Greenville municipal cemetery, and the city lists visiting hours as dawn to dusk. Guided tours here aren’t a free-for-all, either: tour companies must register with the city, and those tours are only scheduled between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
There have been rumors of eerie occurrences here for years, including unexplained footsteps and the laughter of children when no children are nearby. Perhaps even creepier is the fact that, of the roughly 10,000 people buried here, approximately 2,600 graves have no headstones. Other graves have very little information on their markers, such as “Two little children. Names unknown. Found in the old vault. 1912.” Some suggest that these may have been children of sharecroppers, but no one really knows for sure.
I stumbled across the story of Fannie Heldmann. Fannie’s father, George, a prominent businessman in Greenville, arranged for her to marry his business partner. Fannie is said to have “gone insane” while planning her wedding (which she clearly was not happy about). One night in 1889, she slipped out of her bedroom, walked down to what we know as Falls Park, and drowned herself in the Reedy River. Her grave is marked with an enormous concrete angel. Fannie’s unsettled spirit haunts the cemetery. I’ve yet to visit at night, so if anyone would like to join me, I’ll be waiting in the car!
Andrea BeamA quick note before you go: Springwood is city-owned with published dawn-to-dusk hours, but several of the smaller and more rural burial grounds on this list are private or church-owned. Visit respectfully and during daylight, and turn around if a site is posted or gated.
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