EDITOR’S NOTE: The “Dark Corner” mentioned in the following column is a rugged, mountainous region in northeastern Greenville County, S.C., historically known for isolation, illegal moonshining and fierce independence. It spans the Blue Ridge mountain foothills near the North Carolina border, centered around the Glassy Mountain township. 

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GREER, S.C. — At the intersection of Dill Road and Tugaloo Road in the heart of the Dark Corner stands a solitary chimney that bears silent testimony to an old homestead that once stood here.

It was the home of the legendary Greenville County magistrate John B. Dill. Not only was it his residence, but it was also his courtroom; the place where he deliberated over some of the most celebrated cases in Dark Corner history. 

It was not an imposing structure. It was a small weatherboard house that stood just off the road. 

By the time I was visiting there in the early 1980s, Dill’s granddaughter, Mrs. Ruth Thompson, lived there. She had raised her own family in the house by the side of the road. And there she stayed until her death, after which the house stood empty and eventually had to be razed.

John B. Dill was the keeper of a country store that once stood just across the road from his Dark Corner home.

In 1893, Dill was appointed as a Greenville County magistrate. He served just three years, until 1896, but during that time many important cases were decided in his front parlor/courtroom. 

He also, on occasion, served as a deputy coroner, conducting inquests into several famous (or infamous) murders, such as the tragic, so-called “Hensley Burning,” where three people were killed in a house fire at the foot of Glassy Mountain that was determined to have been arson.

No doubt, during Judge Dill’s tenure, many Dark Corner distillers stood before him to hear of their fate. 

It’s said that on Friday evenings, federal agents from Greenville would flock to Dill’s home to spend the night. 

Then on Saturday mornings, they would rush into the nearby hills and hollers to flush out those who were making illegal whiskey. 

Mrs. Thompson, Dill’s granddaughter, told me on several occasions that, across the road from the old homeplace, there was once a gnarled and stately old oak tree where criminals were regularly hanged. I can’t verify this, but I do know that at one time Dark Corner justice could be swift and severe.

For several years after Mrs. Thompson died, the Dill home stood empty. There were even suspicions that the old place was haunted. Folks witnessed unexplained lights passing through the house at night. 

One family member told me that long after the power had been turned off, they walked into the house one evening and an old television that hadn’t been in operation for years was playing to beat the band! 

Shortly after that, the family felt it best to tear the Dill house down. Resident spooks would have to find another dwelling place. 

So now all that’s left of Judge Dill’s home and courtroom is an ancient stone chimney that still marks the spot where once upon a time Dark Corner justice was meted out by the old storekeeper-turned-magistrate. 

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Drew Hines is a native of Greensboro, N.C, but he has spent most of his life in Upstate South Carolina. He lives just north of Greer, S.C.  For those wishing to respond to his column, he may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Hines, a local and regional history enthusiast, also is an author and among the books he has written is “Hidden History of the Dark Corner,” published in March 2024.