PICKENS — Thrill seekers will have a chance to experience a frightfully good time at Hagood Mill next month.

Appalachian ghosts and spirits have come to us through stories shared by our parents and grandparents over the last 100 years, and the fun-filled mountain tradition will continue at the mill.

Master storyteller and local legend H. Dean Watson will host a nighttime “Ghosts and Witches” paranormal walking tour at the hallowed and haunted site of Hagood Mill, located in the gateway community to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Watson, an award-winning storyteller, will share stories of the paranormal laced with tidbits of local history. Dean says the old Hagood Mill is one of the most haunted sites in Upstate South Carolina.

There will be four separate two-hour tours from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday evenings, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27.

Guests will gather at the Visitors Welcome Center at 7 p.m.

The first stop is a tour of the old mill itself, the reputed gathering place of a coven of witches located in the settlement of Pickens 100 years ago. In the mill’s creaky interior, Watson will relate the spine-tingling story about what took place in the mill as it was told to him many years ago by his grandfather. Watson’s grandfather was an old country preacher and founding pastor of three churches in the county.

The second stop is the nearby Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site, where visitors will be treated to a light show highlighting thousand-year-old Native American rock carvings recently discovered at the site. The ancient carvings and the Cherokee flute music create a spiritual experience in itself.

The third stop is a short walk by lantern light across the last steel truss bridge in Pickens County over a gurgling stream onto the site where there will be a flickering fire. In the firelight, Watson will relate the chilling story of Utlunta (“Spearfinger” in Cherokee), a horrible stone-skinned witch from Cherokee lore. Watson says the native Cherokee people have occupied this hallowed ground far longer than the white man, and their presence can still be felt; these feelings permeate his presentation.

The fourth stop is a return to one of the site’s primitive log cabins, where Watson will share one of his most riveting ghost stories, titled “The Golden Arm” … and beware of the ending! All guests who have survived the experience will then be given a “protection token” and departing cautionary warning about “Raw Head and Bloody Bones.” Do they still haunt the site? You be the judge.

The tours will be held to a maximum of 30 people. Pre-registration and payment are required prior to the night of the tour. Register online at visitpickenscounty.com/calendar for your favorite date for only $12 for adults (16 and older) and $8 for children (7-15), no charge for ages 6 and under. Or you can also call Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936 and register.

The Hagood mill is located just off U.S. Highway 178, three miles North of Pickens, at 138 Hagood Mill Road. Should there be a need for a rain date, one will be announced for sometime in November.

 For more information, contact the Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936 or go to visitpickenscounty.com/calendar. Those interested may also find out about Hagood Mill through Facebook and Twitter.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — An Easley woman has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of her neighbor.

Rebecca Barten Smoak, 57, faces charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to a release from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.

At 3 p.m. on Saturday, the sheriff’s office responded to a residence on Melissa Drive in Easley following a report that a man had been shot, the release said.

Upon arrival, deputies found a man in his late fifties who appeared to have been shot at least one time in the torso “with what appeared to be a shotgun,” the release said.

The victim was transported by emergency medical personnel to a hospital, where he later died.

On Sunday, Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley released the victim’s name, following notification of his next of kin.

James Kenneth Brazeal, 58, of 100 Melissa Road, Easley, died at Greenville Memorial Hospital from a gunshot wound to the chest, Kelley said.

“Detectives from the sheriff’s office determined through investigation that a female acquaintance had come to the location and was seen by at least one witness to be in possession of a long gun just moments before a gunshot was heard by neighbors,” the release said.

Before he died, Brazeal was able to identify the person who shot him, according to the release.

Smoak was found unconscious at her nearby residence later that day, the release said. She was arrested and transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment.

Following treatment, she was booked into the Pickens County Detention Center, where she is being held without bond.

A motive for the shooting had not been determined as of press time.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — A man has been charged in connection with a bank robbery in Easley Thursday afternoon.

Justin Lamar Kernells, of Jameson Road in Easley, is charged with entering a bank to steal and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

According to a news release from the Easley Police Department, a white man entered the TD Bank on Calhoun Memorial Highway Thursday afternoon.

The man presented a handgun and demanded money, the release said.

He left the bank on foot, carrying an undisclosed amount of money, entering the woods behind Rock Springs Baptist Church. He was described as wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts. He wore a camouflage head cover during the robbery.

Officers were in the area within minutes of the robbery and began looking for the suspect, the release said.

Photos of the suspect taken from security camera footage were released to the public.

Shortly afterward, a person found on the Rock Springs Church property was detained as a person of interest, the release said.

All property taken from the bank has been recovered.

Kernells was being held Tuesday at the Pickens County Detention Center on a total $60,000 surety bond.

Cleon Durham was born May 9, 1936. She has always lived in Pickens. She attended Montvale Elementary School, a school that is no longer in Pickens.

She was raised on a farm, and when she was growing up she helped with gardening by hoeing corn, picking beans and tomatoes and digging up potatoes. She said she also helped her mother in the kitchen and learned to cook at an early age.

When she was 15 years old, she met her sweetheart, Kenneth Durham, at Holly Springs Church. They dated for a year before eloping.

Cleon and Kenneth were married Aug. 22, 1952. She said Holly Springs was having a revival service. Her mother thought Cleon was wearing her pretty white dress to church, but instead of going to church, she and Kenneth went to Preacher Newton’s house and got married. She was only 16 years old.

They have three sons, Randy, Bennie and Jeff. They have eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Kenneth was in ill health for 19 years. During that time, Cleon took very good care of him.

Her youngest son, Jeff, was born 14 years after Bennie. He was 12 years old when his father had a brain aneurysm, so he was able to help out at home. Kenneth died Dec. 10, 2003.

Cleon’s first job was at Harper’s Five and Ten Cent Store in Pickens. She worked there for two years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. After her children grew up, she started working for Alice Manufacturing Company at the Elljean plant. She worked in the weave room for five years. Her job was cleaning the loom harnesses.

Carol Baker/Courier

Cleon Durham was born and raised in Pickens.

She worked in the lunch room at Hagood Elementary School for five years. After leaving there, she did volunteer work at all the schools in the School District of Pickens County.

One of Cleon’s nicest characteristics is helping others. She comes to the Pickens Senior Center every weekday and serves lunch to the handicapped.

Cleon gets up early every Saturday morning and rides around in Pickens and Easley looking for yard sales. She said that is one of her favorite things to do. She buys clothes and toys for the children in her family.

Once a year she goes on vacation to Edisto Beach with her oldest son and his family. She also goes to Pigeon Forge. She says she enjoys going to the shows there and listening to country and gospel music.

Her son, Bennie, is the pastor at Marietta First Baptist Church. When the senior members of the church take trips, he invites Cleon to go with them.

Cleon is a member of Mountain Grove Baptist Church. At one time, she was a choir director there. She sings in the choir, and sometimes she and her son, Randy, sing a duet together.

Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@thepccourier.com.