The House on Michaelmas Avenue
Would you buy a house if you believed it to be haunted?
The house located at 709 Michaelmas Ave in Cayce South Carolina has been the buzz recently all over the Internet. I cannot say for certain how old the information is that I have, when this property exactly went on the market. But when this old house first showed up on radar, it did so on Zillow in a most peculiar way...
At first glance, this house in Cayce, South Carolina appears to be one of those types of properties which have become all to familiar in recent years, a cute little 4 bedroom, 2,656 sq ft house that had seen better days and what normally would be called a fixer-upper. With the house comes a small cottage in the back of the property and a separate attic apartment in the main house. Photos the interior of the house and of the cottage show that a fair amount of work needs to be done, but when fixed up, it might make a lovely home for someone and provide a small amount of income from renting out the cottage and the attic apartment. Asking price for it is (or I should say was) $130,000.00 USD. But there’s just a little catch to it... See, the attic apartment is not quite empty...
The original Zillow listing went like this: “Upstairs apartment cannot be shown under any circumstances. Buyer assumes responsibility for the month-to-month tenancy in the upstairs apartment. Occupant has never paid rent, and no security deposit is being held, but there is a lease in place.(Yes, it does not make sense, please don’t bother asking.)”
With such an ominous listing as that, one has to wonder to themselves whom or what exactly is occupying the attic apartment?! The listing quickly went viral over the Internet and the house in rather quick succession became known as the Cayce Nightmare house and much speculation about it helped to fuel the mystery. Was the attic apartment haunted by a malevolent spirit? Was it haunted by a demonic entity? Some even speculated that Satan himself had taken up residence there, a lease having been drawn up between the old property owner and Old Nick himself for whatever strange reason.
Well, as it turns out, this is not a ghost story with hauntings and evil demons. It is a story of a friendship that spans decades and the mystery of the Nightmare House of Caye South Carolina is more than what it appears to be...
The Home’s owner was a man named Michael Schumpert Sr. and he did something quite remarkable in this day and age...The apartment is occupied by South Carolina native Randall McKissick, age 70. Perhaps that name means nothing to you, perhaps it does. Randall McKissick was once a world-renowned artist who had fallen on hard times and one of his paintings still hangs in the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. He is the father of two loving daughters and he is grandfather to a precious red-haired grandson.
There are no ghosts, no nightmares, just an old man and his three cats trying to survive. Standing five foot five and weighing a hundred and thirty-five pounds, he has flowing white hair and beard and has a warm and friendly demeanor. He loves Elvis Presley and James Brown, and loves his cats almost as much as his art and his family.
“Animals are truer than people.” He says.
Up until about six months ago, he used to ride a Harley-Davidson chopper which had been customized by TV personality and designer Jesse James, but he broke the key off in the ignition and hasn’t been able to pay for it to be fixed. McKissick is a sensitive man, wise in years and can be thought of as an artistic genius who at the pinnacle of his profession, had paintings and illustrations in numerous museums and galleries, in private collections and corporate headquarters throughout the world! But now, after a series of setbacks beginning with the emergence of computer graphics and continuing with a divorce, an eviction, a series of thefts and some age-related issues, McKissick has lost his desire for painting. He suffers from anxiety, something he’s battled with since childhood and he has trouble these days keeping focused on tasks, his mind having a habit to wander. As for where he lives, he will tell you that he’s not much of a housekeeper or a yardman.
As for how he came to be living at the house on Michaelmas Ave, the house’s owner, Schumpert and McKissick had known one another since they were children. Originally, the house had been owned by Michael’s father, and then to David’s sister. But in 1997, Michael Sr had purchased the house from his aunt’s estate for $52,000.00 USD. It consisted of three living areas, the upstairs apartment, the downstairs apartment and the cottage and offered to let his old friend live in the upstairs unit rent free.
“My father and Randy were very close.” Said Michael Jr. “And dad is very charitable.”
Back in December of 2016, Michael Sr. was in a car accident and broke his back. He was hospitalized for five long months and is still bedridden. His wife Anne, is disabled as well and the two are being cared for by their son’s Michael Jr. and Mannie. But it’s been difficult financially and the family has suffered from the expense. They’ve attempted to rent out the bottom part of the house, but it needs so much work and the family cannot afford to do the repairs. So, with little choice it was decided to put up the property for sale.
“My parents need to sell it.” Michael Jr. said. “We really don’t want to and we want Randy to be able to stay there.”
And so that how the listing came to be. Michael Jr. wrote the version which went viral. Randall McKissick has lived there in that apartment for more than a decade and has said that his friend has never mentioned money. McKissick says he wishes he could pay him, but he doesn’t have any. - Amber Albert, McKissick’s daughter has said that the family is attempting to figure out a solution to her father’s housing but them too, money is tight. She hopes to find him a place with room for a studio, and for his cats so that he might find inspiration once more!
As for Randall McKissick, his anxiety issues makes it hard for him to travel or endure changes and sometimes, he doesn’t want to leave the house at all. He says that if you sent him to Paris and paid for everything, he wouldn’t go. His panic attacks are terrifying to him, but if he has to move, he will.
As I write down these few remaining words, Michael Jr. has since taken down the ad and the house at 709 Michaelmas Avenue is off the market.
“I just want to paint again.” Says Randall McKissick. “I just want to find that spark”
“Michael Schumpert is a good, kind and fine man.” Said West Columbia artist Roy Paschal. “In this age when people would sell out their mothers for a buck, here’s two friends in dire straits who are trying to help each other out.”
And from me personally as the writer of this blog, I would just like to add - I shall add the both of these men in my prayers and I can say first hand, I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of such a gift - having once faced homelessness and the kindness of a friend saved me. God Bless you Michael Schumpert Sr. and all your family.
Respectfully submitted
October 22, 2017
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