Stumphouse Tunnel - Ghost Hunting on Christmas Eve

Stumphouse Tunnel is a failed engineering feat leftover from the mid-19th century. The tunnel was to be part of a rail line that ran from Charleston to Ohio. Landslides caused the project to be abandoned in 1859, but it's now open to the public.

The tunnel is dark and a bit creepy especially on a rainy afternoon. Be sure to take a good flashlight and watch out for the ghosts. They're not hard to locate. The tunnel is supposedly haunted by Cherokee indians and former tunnel workers. It's rumored that if you toss a ball in the tunnel at night, it will be tossed back to you. (That's a fairly convenient rumor since the place closes at 5:00 making it difficult to test.)

My flashlight went dead as soon as I entered the tunnel so I went back to the car to grab a headlamp and more batteries for my Maglight. Even with both lights, it was very difficult to see inside the tunnel.

As you can see from the image below, I managed to capture some interesting apparitions in the tunnel. I believe this is what ghost hunters often refer to as "ectoplasma," otherwise known as a camera flash reflecting on fog. (Click on the image for a larger view.) The pentagram graffiti would be a bit more convincing if the pseudo-satanists hadn't painted it upside down.



I also managed to capture a number "ghostly orbs" as they are referred to over at GhostWeb.com otherwise known as a camera flash reflecting on raindrops. But this, combined with the eery echoes (a.k.a. moans), will certainly satisfy any true believing ghost hunter.







While there be sure to check out Issaqueena Falls.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 51 miles.


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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have been to this location many many times over the years. AS a youngster, we used to camp in the woods around the tunnel. I have never seen any ghosts or anything else. it's a nice place to visit. There was an old man that took care of the place years ago. His name was Oliver Ridley I believe. He grew up in the area and was FULL of knowledge. Great place to vsit.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Walhalla and have been to Stumphouse MANY MANY times. I have never seen or heard anything ghostly. I have always hoped something would happen though. And as a student at an arts school studying photography, I can tell you that the "orbs" in your photos are only dust particles. Your photo of fog is just fog, i know this because the tunnel is constantly moist and any heat that makes it's way in the tunnel through the hole in the roof causes the moisture in the ground to rise, creating the creepy fog.

Anonymous said...

PS... the moans are created by the wind passing over the air-shaft in the ceiling.

Unknown said...

I have been there a few times but stopped going due to the ghosts. I even found the disappearing town near by once back in 98. I took a knife from the ground there. It is not the fog or the wind I am talking about but the phantoms that are there. Though you may choose not to believe it, and it is ridiculous, it is real. So much that one phantom visited me at my home in Seneca to take back his knife and nearly strangled me to death in my sleep. When I woke up the knife was gone and had marks on my neck as if someone had been trying to choke me. I hope that you never run into the spirits there, but if you ever do be careful, they are not all friendly.

ddavisonnc said...

My family went to see this tunnel on Oct. 15, 2010.

I used a 12 mega pixel digital camera to take a picture of my husband and daughter standing at the entrance so the picture would show how dark the tunnel was going in to it.
When we reviewed the picture, we were shocked to see a large very bright light that has a misty oval shape extending from it that was above their head.

This Light is larger than their heads, and there were no lights, or anything reflective there that would have caused this to be there.
The light is behind them out of the sunlight at the entrance.

I would be glad to send a copy of the pic for you to see if you can explain it.

Unknown said...

I'm 32 now but when I was about 8 or 9. I remember going there with my mom and dad. I remember seeing what looked like a guy walking by us dressed in old clothes and was carring an old type lantern. I'm still to this day trying to figure out if what I seen was real or not. I've been back there many times since then and have never seen it again.