Many people are often captivated by Halloween and the stories of the paranormal because they tap into the curiosity humanity has about the unknown and the afterlife. The thrill of being afraid in a safe environment, the mystery surrounding the afterlife and the supernatural, and the tradition of dressing up and sharing spooky tales all contribute to the excitement of Halloween.
Although Charleston is considered to be the most haunted city in South Carolina, Horry County does have a few of its own fearfully spooky tales of ghosts: legend of the Gray Man, the tale of Alice Flagg, and the mystery of the Lucas Bay Light. These stories have been sources of spooky entertainment for a long time.
Ghosts are often said to be stuck on this plane due to unfinished business, emotional attachments to a place or a person, fear of the afterlife, or traumatic deaths. The legend of the gray man is very simply a story of a ghost with unfinished business.
The Gray Man is said to be a protective spirit and is said to appear on the beaches of Pawley’s Island to warn the locals of approaching hurricanes. The legend of how the gray man died has many variants, some saying the gray man was a young man who died in a hurricane in 1822 while he was on he was trying to return home to his family. Another popular version of the legend involves the ghost of a mother haunting the area while searching for her lost infant.
It is said that those who see the gray man are advised to flee to safety. Their property will supposedly remain untouched by the storm, possibly protected by the spirit of the gray man. Sightings of the ghost have dated back to the early 19th century and have occurred before many major storms, including Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. The Gray Man has been a beacon of unfinished business for 96 years as he has guided people to safety with his appearance to warn locals of an impending storm. His story is one to show that not all spirits are bad and some are simply here to help people.
Another story is one filled with sadness and is a tragic tale of lost love and a lingering spirit which haunts the All Saints Cemetery and the Hermitage in Murrells Inlet.
This is the legend of Alice Flagg, a young woman from a wealthy family who fell in love with a man of lesser social status than her. Because of his social status, Alice’s family, especially her brother, disapproved of this relationship. Alice sometime later got engaged to her star-crossed lover and hid her diamond engagement on a ribbon she wore around her neck. When her brother, Dr. Allard Flagg found the ring around Alice’s neck, he demanded that she return the ring. Alice refused which led to her brother taking Alice’s ring and throwing it into a creek near their home. Alice died shortly after from malaria at the age of 16.
It is rumored Alice’s ghost roams the cemetery and the grounds of the Hermitage in a white dress, which most presume to be a wedding dress, still looking for her lost ring almost 200 years later. Visitors often leave flowers or tokens on her flat-lying grave marker. While some traditions suggest that walking backwards around her grave 13 times will summon her spirit.
The legend of Alice Flagg is so famous, a movie was produced called “The Legend of Alice Flagg” and is available to watch on Prime Video and is listed as a horror movie. Its description is one of the tale of Alice Flagg and how a woman and her husband learned that the legends and whispers of ghosts are all to real. The description: “On her honeymoon, a woman learns a girl who died of a broken heart haunts the bed and breakfast that she and her husband are staying in. When a hurricane strands them at the house, she learns the legends about the ghost are all too real.”
Alice’s story is one which shows how love and something with so much meaning can still exist in the afterlife. Alice may never find that ring, but the love she has for her lover keeps her here and her search for her ring endless.
The final story is of The Lucas Bay Light, which is sometimes referred to as the ghostly light on Gilbert Road in Conway. It has been a local favorite for decades. As with many “ghost lights,” there are several versions of the legend. One of the more popular legends attributes the light to the ghost of a Civil-War era woman wandering the area with a lantern, who is said to be searching for her infant child, who was swept away by a flood many years ago. The light can supposedly be seen at night on the very dark stretch of Gilbert Road, and some have also claimed to hear the sound of baby cries.
Halloween is a time full of frightful, fear inducing, and adrenaline-rush moments which makes the holiday of Halloween that much more ominous. Will you be looking for these ghosts over Halloween weekend?
