Still Among Us: 10 Haunting Legends of the Lowcountry
The Lowcountry’s most haunting legends blur the line between history, memory and myth
STORY BY RICHARD THOMAS + PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL HRIZUK
The Lowcountry has never been short on ghosts. For generations, stories of restless spirits, tragic romances, mysterious lights and unexplained encounters have been passed from one storyteller to the next, often attaching themselves to some of the region’s most historic places. Lighthouses, plantation ruins, old cemeteries and moss-draped roads provide the settings, while real people and events often form the threads from which the legends were spun.
The stories that follow are rooted in historical people, places and events, but they are legends, not historical accounts. As stories pass through generations of oral tradition, names and dates shift, recollections blur, and documented history becomes intertwined with folklore, legend and myth. What remains is part history, part mystery and part the enduring power of a good story. Whether you believe every eerie detail or simply enjoy the folklore, these tales offer another way to explore the people, places and mysteries of the Lowcountry. The ghost stories on the following pages are adapted and abridged with permission from stories developed for a manuscript entitled Hilton Head Haunted History Tales by local historian, Richard Thomas.
Explore the Lowcountry Legends
Forever Waiting
The legend: A heartbroken bride is said to still wait among the ruins of the Chapel of Ease on St. Helena Island.
Read: Forever Waiting: The Ghost Legend of the Chapel of Ease
The Light Still Burns
The legend: A lighthouse keeper’s daughter is remembered in a haunting tale from Daufuskie Island.
Read: The Light Still Burns: The Haig Point Lighthouse Legend
Get Off My Land
The legend: A man who lost the property he worked to own allegedly returned to Braddock’s Point to reclaim it.
Read: Get Off My Land: The Legend of the Stoney-Baynard Ruins
Dead Men Guard Their Gold
The legend: A buried treasure story gives Skull Creek one of Hilton Head Island’s enduring legends.
Read: Dead Men Guard Their Gold: The Skull Creek Legend
Revenge Across the Sound
The legend: A Revolutionary War killing left a restless spirit searching for vengeance.
Read: Revenge Across the Sound: A Revolutionary War Ghost Legend
Buried Too Soon
The legend: Scratches inside the Baynard Mausoleum fuel one of the Lowcountry’s most chilling tales.
Read: Buried Too Soon: The Baynard Mausoleum Legend
The Funeral That Never Ended
The legend: A ghostly procession is said to still carry William Baynard toward his final resting place.
Read: The Funeral That Never Ended: A Zion Cemetery Legend
The Headless Surgeon
The legend: A Confederate doctor killed at Fort Walker is said to still wander the old battlefield.
Read: The Headless Surgeon: The Ghost Legend of Fort Walker
The Warrior Beneath Harbour Town
The legend: A Yemassee spirit is said to guard ground beneath one of Hilton Head’s famous landmarks.
Read: The Warrior Beneath Harbour Town: A Hilton Head Legend
The Lady in Blue
The legend: A young woman is said to still tend a Hilton Head lighthouse after a deadly hurricane.
Read: The Lady in Blue: Hilton Head’s Lighthouse Ghost Legend
