Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry

With a history that stretches back to the earliest years of America, it comes as little surprise that the Upstate region of South Carolina is home to many ghosts and to hundreds of intriguing legends. In Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry, librarian and folklorist Tally Johnson introduces us to some of the area?s most colorful specters, from Major Ferguson, a British officer in the Revolutionary War who still haunts the grounds of his last battle at Kings Mountain, to the "Hound of Goshen," a demon dog who has been chasing passersby in Union and Newberry Counties since the mid-nineteenth century.

Among these stories Johnson weaves the local lore and history of thirteen upstate counties, drawing upon sources as varied as historic records, newspapers and personal interviews. Following Tally?s footsteps as he tours the Upcountry, the willing participant on this spooky journey can visit places like Foster?s Tavern in Spartanburg, where the sounds of ghostly piano music and horses trotting on the roof can be heard, and a bridge in Gaffney where the victim of a nearly forgotten serial killer continues to make her presence known today.

While there are numerous books re-telling the same ghost stories of the Carolinas and even more focusing on the Lowcountry, very few tales from the Upcountry have ever been published. Even longtime residents familiar with the legends of this history-rich region will be thrilled?and certainly chilled?to discover that they have far stranger and spookier neighbors than they had ever imagined.