Insight into the tradition that invites the Rock Hill and Winthrop community to explore one of campus’s oldest buildings.
By Gabriela Griggs
AC&T Editor
Arts, Culture & Technology
The Winthrop Student Alumni Council, also known as SAC, will be hosting their annual Ghost Tours inside of Tillman Hall on Friday, Oct. 23.
Paris Johnson, a junior educational studies major, is excited to get involved this year. Being a tour host involves an extensive knowledge of Winthrop campus history, but also requires preparing a costume and character for the role.
The SAC encourages students involved with the council to get out of their comfort zone, and offers involvement in the Ghost Tours as an opportunity.
“Tillman was selected because it used to be one of the main buildings on campus. It also has a lot of levels and space, [making] it easier to work with,” Johnson said.
Tillman Hall was originally built in 1894 and is one of the oldest buildings on campus. Originally, the building was called the “Main Building,” but that was changed after the destruction of the Tillman Science Building. Famously, Tillman was built entirely using prison labor and still houses remaining prisoner stocks in its basement.
There are various paranormal experiences students and staff have faced while inside the building. These experiences range from hearing sudden, loud noises to faint footsteps.
Benjamin Tillman, the South Carolina governor whom the building is named after, is also said to haunt the space. “The Ghost of Ben Tillman” is listed as one of the many “interesting features” the Winthrop website lists about the building.
Tillman has gone through multiple phases over the course of Winthrop’s existence. Now home to mainly administrative offices and other services, Tillman used to have a swimming pool, classrooms, a library, a museum and even a gymnasium.
The building is also well known as the backdrop for horror movies such as Asylum (2008) and The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), a sequel to Carrie (1976), the film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
Most students recognize the building for its auditorium as it temporarily provided a space for orientation and other activities while Byrnes Auditorium was under construction.
After meeting in McBryde Hall, the tours begin inside the basement of Tillman and then progressively make their way up to the building’s attic.
This event was started in 2005 by SAC to invite the Rock Hill and Winthrop communities to learn about the history of Winthrop, campus legends and to support the Winthrop Fund. These tours are one of the few alumni traditions that are held annually on campus, alongside the Annual Tree Lighting, Ring Ceremony and the Day of Giving.
“One of [the] best things about putting on Ghost Tours is the quality time spent with the [Student Alumni Council] and the volunteers. It fits with [our] mission statement because we are doing something for the students, alumni and community, to bring everyone together,” Johnson said.
Both the community on and off campus are very involved in this event. Many students see the tours as an opportunity to learn more about Winthrop while getting to see parts of campus that are usually off limits during the academic year.
“I think the students are more curious about going on the fourth floor, as you know it is one of the haunted floors on Winthrop’s campus. Ghost tours are the only time [people] can enter that space,” Johnson said.
Tickets to the event cost $10 and the SAC urges those interested to act quickly, as this event has a tendency to sell out. Purchasing a ticket to the Ghost Tours directly supports the Winthrop Fund, which exists as an immediate support to students through scholarships and aims to provide aid to those in need.
