Haunting Lowcountry Lore

Fall has finally arrived in the Lowcountry. The heat and humidity have given way to a crisp, salty sea breeze; the familiar hum of retreating cicadas slowly creep through the palmetto trees like a dense fog. The Lowcountry is an intriguing place to live or visit. It is a place with a past, peppered with honor and glory, controversy and sin. The beautiful landscape, unique culture, and vibrant history are only a few things that keep people connected to the Lowcountry for their whole lives, and sometimes...even longer.

The Blue Lady, Hilton Head Island, SC:
The Leamington Lighthouse, which resides on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands in Palmetto Dunes (pictured nexe page). The industrial looking structure was built around 1880 to guide ships into the Port Royal Sound.  The story goes that in 1898 a frightful hurricane pounded the coast of South Carolina. Adam Fripp, the lighthouse keeper, was unwavering in his attempts to keep the light burning for a ship that was caught out in the terrible seas, but Fripp suffered a heart attack during the storm.  His young daughter, Caroline, moved him to the lighthouse keeper's cottage. She vigilantly divided her time that night attending to the burning light to guide the ship to safety, and checking on her father. Sadly, he passed, and the next few days Caroline paced between the lighthouse and the cottage, all the while wearing the same long, blue dress. She passed soon after, some say from shock, although some say she lived a long life, continuing to warn ships of high tides and storms.

Another version of this tragic story is that Caroline was thrown over the railing of the lighthouse during the hurricane, while another version states that she was in love with a handsome young man that her father would not let her marry. She was so devastated that she hurled herself off of the lighthouse, and to this day, wanders the grounds, looking for her true love. Legend has it that on rainy, windy nights, Caroline can be seen wandering the grounds of the original lighthouse complex, keeping watch, and calling out for her deceased father or lost love, spending eternity donned in her long, blue dress.  The light keeper's quarters were moved to Harbour Town in the 1960's, where they still house local businesses. Some say the move confused Caroline, and she sometimes appears in this location, as well.


The Lovers of Fripp Island Beach, Fripp Island, SC:
During the spring of 1718, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, a notorious pirate, ordered a week-long blockade on Charleston, SC. During this time he took hostages, one rumored to be a member of the governor's council. According to the legend, he abducted a beautiful girl and whisked her away to Fripp Island. She wanted nothing to do with Blackbeard and this infuriated him.  He learned she was betrothed to another and had the man killed, bringing his severed hand to the girl. She was so grief stricken that she drowned herself in the salty sea. Some say, when the moon is full and bright, the two young lovers can still be seen walking down the shore, clutching each other in a warm embrace.
   

William Baynard's Ghost, Hilton Head Island, SC:
Braddock's Point Plantation had been in the Stoney family for four generations. It was one of the 20 working plantations at the time, and one of the most beautiful. Braddock's point was 1,000 acres, and owned by Captain Jack Stoney or "Saucy Jack", who drank heavily most days. One night, "Saucy Jack" challenged William Baynard, a newcomer and successful planter from Edisto Island, to a high stakes poker game. Being "sauced up", Stoney used the title to Braddock's Point to cover his bet when he lost the hand to Baynard.

Within a year, Baynard's new land had yielded him extreme wealth, and he met and married Catherine Scott in 1829. The Baynards loved Braddock's Point and entertained there often. During one lavish party, Catherine became violently ill, (possibly from malaria carried by mosquitoes) and died. William was devastated and inconsolable. She was buried at the Zion Cemetery (still located at the intersection of Folly Field Road and Hwy 278). William passed away 15 years later, never missing a single day to visit Catherine's grave. It is whispered that on stormy or foggy nights, William Baynard's ghost can still be seen riding in his departed's hearse, led by four ghostly horses, on the way to the cemetery for his daily visit.


The Joseph Johnson House and the Ghost of Gauche, Beaufort, SC:
411 Craven Street in Beaufort, SC overlooks the beautiful Beaufort River. "The Castle", as it's aptly named, was built in 1861 for Dr. Joseph Johnson. Due to the Civil War, the house was left unfinished (the porch railings and ironwork were caught by the Union navy), and seized by Union forces to be used as a hospital, morgue, and cemetery. Johnson was able to reacquire the property after the war by paying a hefty tax. A former director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation called it, "One of the great houses of the South Carolina coast." He spoke of "the extraordinary grandeur of the almost medieval house . . . its air of somber mystery, set in great oaks at the water's edge."

Legend has it that John Ribaut, a French explorer settled in Beaufort in 1562, bringing a dwarf jester with him named Gauche.  John Ribaut developed Charlsfort, which is the well-known United States Marine Base today, Parris Island. There is no evidence of how Gauche died. Some say he was hanged, some say he fell ill and died, while others still whisper that he was killed in a fight. There are accounts that a dwarf from Portugal, named Grenauche le Griffien lived in Beaufort during this time and was killed in a Yemassee Indian raid. While there is no evidence that connects Gauche to the "Castle", some believe that the little jester is drawn to the house for eternity because of the suffering that occurred there during the war.

Many people visiting the house say they have seen an apparition of the dwarf dressed in clothes that we all attribute to jesters of that period. People have also claimed to witness doors and windows mysteriously opening and closing; furniture moved in the middle of the night and unexplained ringing of bells. Some claim a cool breeze from the creek passes around the house, and the only thing left of this eerie fog is red handprints on the windows.


The Chapel of Ease, Beaufort, SC:
In 1740, the Chapel of Ease was built on St. Helena Island. This structure was built to aid in the convenience of worship for the planters. Traveling to Beaufort was a huge undertaking in those days. It served as the St. Helena parish until it burned down in 1886. Due to the tabby (a concrete made from lime, sand and oyster shells) used to construct the chapel, a good portion of it remains for us to enjoy today.

The church and the cemetery stand eerily deserted with a beautiful mausoleum that was built in 1852 for Edgar Fripp and his wife, Eliza. The two, bound together in life, were laid side-by-side for eternity. During the war, the mausoleum fell victim to Northern aggression, and was broken into in hopes of finding treasure. When workers tried to reseal the crypt, the next morning they would find all the bricks off to the side in a neat little pile. This happened a few times and finally the workers gave up. Whispers of the paranormal activity have remained to this day, along with the somber sensation that rises within those who step foot into the deserted cemetery.


The Eternal Resident, Beaufort, SC:
Built in 1816, the Wigg-Barnwell house was moved from its original location at the corner of Prince and Scott streets in Beaufort to 501 King Street. During the Civil War, the Wigg-Barnwell house, much like the Joseph Johnson House, was confiscated and used as a Union hospital. The Wigg-Barnwell house was owned by the Barnwell family until 1895, after which it was used as a school and then an apartment house. The story goes that a woman was murdered in one of the apartments and never left. Many wonder if the ghost of the murdered resident moved with the building to the new location.

Old Wives Tales About Spirits in the South:
.     The door is a powerful thing: it is the main point of entry and keeps out bad spirits. In Southern folklore, it is unlucky to open the back door for the first time entering a house because only the front door is protected from evil. Also, opening a door when someone dies, allows the easy exit of that soul.
.     It was believed that cats "suck the breath" out of newborn babies.
.     In Gullah burial customs, mirrors are turned or covered so that the deceased won't be reflected. At the burial site, the family smashes and breaks bottles or dishes so as to "break the chain" of death in the family.
.     The belief that evil spirits are able to control one's will; the Gullah put newsprint on their walls or fold newspaper and tuck it inside their shoe. In doing this, they feel protected because the spirit must read every word before they can control them (almost like wearing a protective symbol or amulet).
.     In the south, blue painted trim, shutters, and underside of the porch roof is believed to be a protective barrier between the living and dead.

Sources:
www.southcarolinahistoricalsociety.org
The Sands of Time: A History of Hilton Head Island, Margaret Greer.
The Gullah: Rice, Slavery, and the Sierra Leone -American Connection,
Joseph A. Opala
Best Ghost Tales of South Carolina, Terrance Zepke