True crime in Lexington? This walking tour unearths the town’s dark histories

LEXINGTON, S.C. – A Quality Inn, a law firm and a courthouse on Lexington’s bustling Main Street may not catch a second glance at first.

That is, if you don’t know about the bodies buried beneath your feet.

Lexington County Museum’s Murders and Mysteries walking tour, beginning at the Icehouse Amphitheater at 8 p.m. Friday, aims to educate residents and visitors on the darker side of the growing town’s history.

“It’s a way of them relating to the past in a way that they don’t get from reading or visiting a museum,” said Patricia Shandor, museum collections director and tour guide. “It all happened around where we are.”

Free for everyone, the hour-long tours happen every few months, floating between Lexington, Irmo and West Columbia. Alternating between humor and solemn storytelling, the walking tour has grown along with the town, drawing 250 people at its most.

If weather interferes with Friday night’s tour, check for rescheduling updates on Lexington County Museum’s Facebook page. The Icehouse Amphitheater is located at 107 W Main St., Lexington.

Those who may not have the mobility or stamina to walk the entire tour are more than welcome to drop in and out throughout, organizers say. For more information about the route, please contact the Lexington County Museum at 803-359-8369.

Shandor splits the large group with museum director J.R. Fennell, the other tour guide for Murders and Mysteries.

Fennell has been a tour guide since the tours started in 2014, and has seen the fascination with true crime – and the tour – balloon.

“Some people were hungry for learning about the structures that are downtown, the history, the buildings, of course we talk about some of these crimes, and sometimes spooky things,” Fennell said. “True crime, I think, has really skyrocketed in popularity.”

Reports of ghosts in the courthouse, a murdered Unionist buried behind a hotel chain and duels gone wrong are just the start of what tour guests can expect. The tour also explores the legacy of conjure or “using,” – as some in the area still call it – and Lexington family lore.

But the tour is not all light, containing honest moments of reflection on lives lost. The story of a 1890 lynching of a young teen sheds a light on the history of racial violence in Lexington County, which Fennell says has prompted personal thanks from guests.

Sometimes, Fennell says, guests even share paranormal experiences or family stories of their own – some that have even made the tour.

“I’ve had people engage in conversation with us afterwards, and really kind of enlighten us about some stories that did not kind of make the newspaper,” Fennell said. “We don’t really tell too many ghost stories on the tour, but I have added a few of those that people have told me, things that happened in buildings on Main Street.”

Setting off laughter in the crowd over an ironic tale or speaking to guests who hang back after the tour to listen to their experiences, storytelling is part of what has kept Fennell leading tour groups for nearly a decade. The characters he brings to life highlight what guests can see of themselves in the past.

“People in the past were just like us,” he said. “You had people that did bad things, you had some good people, and you had in-between.”