Abbeville | Ghosts & Legends I

Kaltura

Old Jail, Abbeville, S.C.

The Old Jail is Abbeville's oldest public building. The sheriff lived on the first floor, and prisoners were kept on the second and third floors, the worst of whom were kept on the third floor, which has high rafters, perfectly suited for hangings. A medium came to Abbeville and wanted to know about the ghosts there. Once he arrived on the third floor, he immediately went over and started a very animated conversation with an "inhabitant," who was very unhappy. His name was Earl Miller, and he was African American, 28 years old, and has been there since 1905. The story continues...

Abbeville Opera House

Abbeville Tour Guide, David Eller, tells us of the first ghost to inhabit the Opera House, a construction worker who fell to his death from a 70-foot wall in 1908. He inhabits the backstage area and likes to bang pipes and make props disappear. The second ghost is that of a young lady from a New York touring company, who became ill and died during a performance there. She has a special seat in the third balcony, and a light is always left on for her, or bad things happen!

There is a third story, that of a mother and daughter who were walking around the square, when the girl ran away. The mother ran after her, and came into the church, finding the girl talking very animatedly to nothing! The daughter then introduced her mother to Elizabeth, her new friend. Over the coming weeks, the mother was able to see Elizabeth, as well. They somehow helped Elizabeth to find a solution to her problem. Elizabeth told them that this had been her home for so long that she thought she would stay. Perhaps she is there to this day!

More in this Series