Founded in 1883, Oakwood Cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent members of Spartanburg. The cemetery is often referred as “Hell’s Gate Cemetery” for the oft-reported paranormal phenomena. Some claim a woman in white walks the grounds. It’s often listed as the most haunted cemetery in South Carolina.
The cemetery was vandalized, and a skull was removed from a coffin. It was returned a few weeks later.
It’s a lovely smaller town cemetery with some Victorian monuments.
Built in 1884, Bon Haven was a Second Empire home that was built by John Cleveland, a founder and trustee of Converse College and trustee of Wofford College. It once stood on North Church Street. Unbeknownst to some, John’s brother, Jesse, built a twin home on Howard Street (photo at the end of page). Growing up in Spartanburg, I remember riding by this house and getting glimpses of it through the trees. I was always in awe of it.
The home was demolished in 2017. The loss of this home is one of the greatest to Spartanburg’s history and architecture. The Jesse Cleveland home was demolished to build Cleveland Junior High school.
The home is well-documented as there was an attempt to save it. For more detailed exterior photos and interior photos, see the photos by Lisa Jones at Country Living and a video by the architectural salvage firm.
Photos courtesy of:
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Spartanburg Public Library Digital Archive Collection
I grew up in Spartanburg and decided to look for old photos in public domain books. It pains me that Spartanburg got rid of the building.
The above building replaced this one.
Reference: Landrum, J. B. (1900). History of Spartanburg County. The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company.
In Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Greenlawn Cemetery, there is an impressive monument, sculpted by Bernard Zimmerman , called “The Wonder of Life.” Commissioned by the cemetery, it’s one of the largest monuments I’ve seen in a lawn cemetery. Each sculpted figure (18 in total) represents different aspects of life. It was restored a a few years ago, and the trees that surrounded it were removed.
Founded in 1802, the Barnett Family Cemetery is located within the grounds of Camp Croft State Park. The Barnett family was one of the early Spartanburg families.
