One hot summer day in August 1895, William Wallace, a 14 year old sweeper on the third floor of Columbia Mills got bored and decided he wanted to see how the elevator worked in the old textile mill. As he stuck his head down to look into the elevator shaft a 1,000 pound weight used to balance the elevator cabin came crashing down on his neck.
While the weight didn’t behead the curious teenager, it did break his neck.
As William clung to life, his father, who was a foreman in the mill rushed to his side. Sadly, as he clutched his son’s hand, the young man died from his injuries.
Today the old mill in Columbia, South Carolina is now home to the South Carolina State Museum. People who work in the building have claimed to shadows darting around the museum from time to time. On some occasions a young man in overalls has also been spotted getting on the elevator. Strangely enough, no one ever sees him gets off.
