By Lisa Sokolowski, founder/blogger, DrugstoreDivas.net
If you’re in Abbeville, and you hear something go bump in the night, don’t assume it’s a raccoon in a trashcan or a car’s exhaust backfiring. There’s a better chance that it’s actually a ghost.
Yes, a real life ghost. Well … a real dead ghost. Abbeville is filled with apparitions and ghost tales, making it the perfect place to plan a paranormal vacation.
If you’re lucky enough to be in town when Hourglass Tours is hosting a tour in the area, you can buy a ticket for one of their guided tours. If not, you can use this list to find the ghosts on your own (although, there’s no guarantee that you will have any ghost encounters).
Theatrical Ghosts
There’s a superstition that every theater is haunted, and the Abbeville Opera House sure lives up to that.
Over 100 years ago, a woman was set to perform at the opera house, but she fell ill. She was well enough to watch an understudy perform her roll … but not well enough to ever leave Abbeville. She retired to The Belmont Inn for the night … and died.
It’s said that she haunts the opera house now, often leading standing ovations for the performances there.
A seat on the balcony is always left open for her. But don’t touch it. People have had strange things have happened after – like disappearing props and strange footsteps being heard.
Rooms With A Boo
The Belmont Inn
The aforementioned actress who passed away at The Belmont Inn decided to haunt the opera house instead, probably because The Belmont Inn already has its own pair of ghosts.
The most famous ghost in all Abbeville is Abraham the Bellhop. Abraham was on the crew that originally built the inn. When construction was over, Abraham became the bellhop. He has been seen all over the hotel, in his bellhop uniform, still taking care of the guests.
Mostly, he jingles the door handles to make sure guests are sleeping safely in their rooms. So, if you see the doorknob shake, don’t worry. Abraham just wants to make sure you’re okay. He’s always a friendly ghost, but sometimes too friendly. Abraham has been known to appear in guest’s rooms, sometimes even getting into bed with the guests.
He’s not the only ghost who stays at the inn. There’s another whose presence has been felt on the staircase leading from the first to the second floor. If you don’t want to encounter him, take the elevator to your room instead.
Ghosts in Historic Buildings
The Abbeville County Museum
The Abbeville County Museum was constructed between 1830 and 1850. It hasn’t always been a museum. It previously operated as a jail. The sheriff and his family lived on one floor and prisoners were housed on the other two floors. The worst criminals stayed on the top floor where, it has been noted, there were rafters that were perfect for hangings.
Staff members have heard footsteps, which are attributed to ghosts. They might belong to Earl Miller. A medium visited the building and that’s when he met Earl Miller, an unhappy ghost who has been in the building since 1905.
Abbeville Welcome Center
If you head to the Abbeville Welcome Center, you can get a lot of information about the town… and you may encounter a ghost too.
Staff have been chased by a young boy. It has also been said that the young boy has been seen looking down the street.
There’s no information on who the boy is or how long he has been at the Welcome Center. But, the building has been around since the 1870’s, so he could have been there for a while.
Trinity Episcopal Church
The Trinity Episcopal Church has been around since 1842. The ghost who haunts the church has been around almost all that time.
The ghost inside is Elizabeth Marshall who used to visit the church daily in the 1860s, praying in the pews for her husband who was fighting in the Civil War.
Elizabeth was accused of being an informant and she and her son were murdered. Elizabeth’s ghost returned to the church and has been seen wandering the grounds and praying in the pews.
More Ghosts
Abbeville isn’t the only town in the Old 96 District that has ghosts. There are more Haunted Places And Ghost Stories in the area for you to check out while you’re visiting.
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Lisa Sokolowski traveled to the Old 96 District for the first time last year with her mom – who was actually haunted by Abraham at The Belmont Inn.
Lisa writes about travel, food, crafts and sometimes ghosts at Drugstore Divas.
