Halloween can be a fun and festive holiday for both children and adults. š But it also can be a spooky time when one can have unexpected encounters with the supernatural, or paranormal. It seems that wherever one travels, each destination will have its fair share of folklore, local legends, or even ghosts. š» South Carolina is, of course, no exception. All throughout the state, local communities and towns have ghostly tales of their own to tell. If you would like to delve into some our state's supernatural mysteries this Halloween, then view our content on South Carolina Ghosts and Legends below!
1 - Bubba The Ghost
This is the story of Bubba the Ghost from the S.C. State Museum.
2 - Alice Of The Hermitage
More than 150 years ago, the legend of Alice Flagg of the Hermitage began. This young lady from the banks of the inlet in Georgetown County has touched the lives of many, including the Chandler boys ā who grew up sleeping in Aliceās room. Variations to the history are plentiful, but there is evidence to proveā¦she did exist. South Carolina author and ghost tour guide, Elizabeth Robertson Huntsinger, takes SCETV viewers on a journey to the 1840s for a love story; and brings the folklore alive through research-driven storytelling and beautiful imagery. The Hermitage is now a private residence. However, if youāre looking for a chance to encounter Alice, your best chances are at All Saints Cemetery in Pawleys Island, and along the banks of the marsh in Murrells Inlet, where the original Wachesaw Plantation once existed.
3 - The Lizard Man of Bishopville | South of Spooky Podcast Episode
First appeared in 1988, nine feet tall, with a head similar to a human head, and afraid of cars...it's Lizard Man.
4 - The Legend of Becky Cotton
Becky Cotton was born around 1765 and married John Cotton around 1785. Becky's father was killed when three men burst into the house, but her husband did nothing to stop it. The legend has it that she waited for him to fall asleep and buried an axe into his skull. She was tried but was so beautiful and bewitching that the jury acquitted her. She married one of the jurors, but then was killed by her brother on the courthouse steps. The story goes on...
5 - Drunken Jack, The Pirate
During the golden age of piracy, there came an afternoon on which a pirate ship sailed into Murrell's Inlet to bury a treasure they would imbibe in that very night. By late in the afternoon, the rum had been buried and the pirates had begun to build there bonfires. Many frolicked on until midnight. However, Jack had drunk his last, just before sundown, and was last seen crawling toward scrub oaks. When Jack awoke the next morning, the ship had gone and there he was alone. He dug up some of the rum and that became his sustenance. Two years later, the pirates returned and found bottles strewn up and down the seashore. Surely other pirates had come along...
6 - Caught on Camera: Ghosts of the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point
Itās no secret that Charleston is one of South Carolinaās most haunted cities. The SCETV production team decided to highlight a place with lots of claims of unexplained paranormal phenomenaā¦the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point. The USS Yorktown has a long history dating back to World War II. The ship was a safe haven for her crew and now is a symbol of freedom and liberty.
7 - The Gray Man And Hurricanes
Plowden C.J. Weston went to England to be educated but returned to his beloved Pawleys Island, where he and his lovely English wife, Emily Esdaille Weston, built the Pelican Inn. He lived until almost the end of the Civil War, but died of tuberculosis in 1864. After his death, people began to see the Gray Man before every major hurricane. Could the figure in the gray greatcoat be that of Plowden C.J. Weston, who loved Pawleys Island more than anyone else?
8 - Ghost of Zoe at Poogan's Porch
Poogan's Porch has been located on Queen Street in Charleston, S.C. since 1976. Zoe St. Amand and her sister, Elizabeth, were spinsters who lived together for more than 60 years, the last 20 of which were lived there on Queen Street. When Elizabeth died after a short illness, Zoe couldn't deal with it very well. She moved into a nursing home and died there in 1954, nine years after her sister's death. The new owners turned the house into a restaurant and many renovations were needed, which angered Zoe greatly. When the restaurant opened, Zoe was there, sometimes peering at people from around a corner, sometimes walking into the building like a customer. Being angry, she likes to startle people, and she sometimes pushes people. She can be seen haunting every floor, walking through the dining rooms, coming through the front door, and at the bar. Where might Zoe next be seen?
9 - The Ghosts of Newberry
The legend of Madeline, the young woman who climbed the bell tower of Keller Hall at Newberry College, and while searching for her fiance', John, she slipped and fell to the ground with the bell tower rope wrapped around her neck, and was strangled. A local doctor said she died of a broken heart. Students at the college have told stories of seeing Madeline in a sheer, white dress.
In the cemetery in the mill town in Newberry on certain nights, the form of a young woman can be seen standing by the grave, sitting in the trees, or roaming the fields next to the cemetery. She is said to be waiting for her fiance to go to their wedding.
10 - South Carolina Legend: The Ghost Hound of Goshen
According to Ernest Shealy, The Ghost Hound of Goshen or āHappy Dogā is not a nice spirit. But does this killer canine really exist or is it just a made-up mutt? Shealy, curator of the Newberry Museum, recounts the story of Union and Newberry countiesā famous ghost dog. In this story, manās best friend holds a grudge against the townsfolk who killed his innocent master. Now he haunts a stretch of road deep in the Sumter National Forest. Some of the story seems to stray from the truth. āThere are bits and pieces of the legend that donāt make sense, if you stop and analyze them,ā says Shealy. Do you want to find out? Take a drive down Old Buncombe Road. Be warned...you may bite off more than you can chew. Maybe some mysteries are best left unsolved.
11 - The Ghosts of Charleston's Old City Jail
Built in 1802 and operational until 1939, the Old Charleston Jail housed the cityās most notorious criminals. Among those criminals, John and Lavinia Fisher and members of their gang were kept there until their execution in 1820. Among other famous prisoners, Denmark Vesey, accused of planning a slave revolt in 1822, Jaque Alexander Tardy, pirate, and Civil War POWs. In 2003, the tour company Bulldog Tours, founded by John LaVerne, started daytime and nighttime ghost tours through the building. It has been featured on multiple programs, including: Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, and the Travel Channel. Bulldog Tours has contributed over $1 million to the restoration of the historical building. Many visitors have claimed to have experienced supernatural encounters. Would a tour through the Old City Jail at night be enough to make you a believer?
12 - From the Sky | SC's Most Haunted
There's a plethora of stories revolving around the world of the unknown in South Carolina. From the ghost pirates of Charleston to the lizard man of the swamps, this state has been the perfect place for these legends and mysterious tales to take root and grow in chilling detail. Now, itās time to discover some of South Carolinaās most haunted placesā¦ From the Sky!
13 - Haints & Gullah Ghost
The south is full of old stories from the past, traditions and beliefs. Today we look at ghosts from the deep south called Haints, and how local filmmaker Jason Gourdine explored the topic in his latest work spotlighting this Gullah ghost.
14 - The Haunting of Poinsett Bridge | South of Spooky
There are unexplained sightings at Poinsett Bridge in Landrum, thought to be the oldest bridge in South Carolina. Join hosts Gavin Jackson and AT Shire as they investigate the fourteen-foot, Gothic-style bridge that is reported to keep cars from starting and be the source of bizarre screams and moans.
15 - The Merridun Inn
The house was built in 1855 by the mayor of Union. In about 1900, the house was named the Merridun. The house was bought in 1990, and the owners started working on it in 1992. They started seeing a lady in a gray dress, and they began finding shiny pennies on the floor. Footsteps are heard upstairs. A clairvoyant visited and identified ten energy forces in the house. Some of the ghosts include children, Native Americans, a mammy, a white dog, and a lady named Margaret. The cat, J.D., used to carry on conversations with some entity, changing the intonation of his voice throughout their long conversations. It is thought that J.D. might still be around, making sure the innkeeper is doing her job. Upstairs in the Sister's Room, there is an entity that stands in the bathroom door. Most people say they have never felt frightened and that the spirits in the house are all good.
š Have a safe, fun, and Happy Halloween!
