BOWMAN, S.C. — One of South Carolina’s strangest tourist attractions is no more, as an early morning fire destroyed the Bowman UFO welcome center.
The UFO welcome center was built in 1994 and quickly became a go-to sight for the curious, believers, travelers, and photo opportunities.
Betty Wilson, who lives in Bowman, stopped by to see if what she heard was true and said it was sad to see the UFO center gone.
“It’s like a part of our history. We done had it so long; it’s been here for years,” said Wilson. “And my grandbabies came here the other day, and he says, 'Mama, look at the UFO. Is it going to fly?' I said, 'No, we ain't gonna fly,' but, you know, he just likes it, so it was nice.”
Owner Jody Pendarvis lives right next door to the center. The fire also destroyed his home.
“I heard the popping outside of my bedroom, and I just thought it was a storm, and whenever I looked out back and saw the red stuff, I thought it was a fire engine at first but I was wrong,” said Pendarvis. “It was kind of devastating. In fact, it hasn’t hit me as yet. Terrible. I am sorry it’s gone. Let’s hope that I can rebuild it.”
Jerry Berry, who lives in Bowman, says he woke up to the fire this morning.
“I live on the other end of town, and when I pulled out my yard, I looked up the street, and I saw the black smoke; I knew a house was on fire. I didn’t think about the UFO,” said Berry. “I just feel sorry for Jody because he’s got to start all over. He probably lost all his clothes - all his belongings, and I don’t know whether he had insurance or not.”
Pendarvis said he was lucky enough to make it out of the fire.
“Lucky for me, I threw my pants on and my shoes on and my shirt,” said Pendarvis. “That’s all I got right now, but I’m sure I’ll survive.”
The cause of the early morning fire is now under investigation.
Even though Pendarvis said he wants to rebuild the UFO center, he did not give a timeline for when it would happen.