Sun, Sand and Screams – The Grand Strand’s Most Popular Ghost Tales
The Grand Strand of South Carolina has always been known for its miles of beach, stretching down the coast. Thousands of tourists come to the beautiful beaches of the Carolinas to put their toes in the ocean and spend their days lounging in the sun and playing in the sands. What few of these tourists know about the Grand Strand is that there is another side, a darker side.
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Sun, Sand and Screams – The Grand Strand’s Most Popular Ghost Tales
This article is provided as a courtesy from Monster Vacations Group (http://www.monstervacationsgroup.biz).
The Grand Strand of South Carolina has always been known for its miles of beach, stretching down the coast. Thousands of tourists come to the beautiful beaches of the Carolinas to put their toes in the ocean and spend their days lounging in the sun and playing in the sands. What few of these tourists know about the Grand Strand is that there is another side, a darker side. There is a rich history of ghosts and legends, here in the Grand Strand. A storied past of spirits, from the forgotten to the forlorn to the lonely to the specters intend on saving the living. When the sun goes down and the moon comes out to shine through the branches of the Spanish Oaks, dripping moss, ghosts are all too common in the Low country – You never know what you are going to see along the Southern Atlantic.
The Gray Man
During any Hurricane Season in Pawley’s Island, you may see a smoky gray figure wandering around the beaches as the rough tides roll in. To locals, he is known as The Gray Man. The lore says, The Gray Man was a young man during the Nineteenth Century. He was riding his horse on the coastline when a storm arose, knocking him from his saddle and killing him instantly. Since then, the figure has been seen numerous times during storm seasons. He is thought to be a warning. If he appears and walks away from you, you too should leave – evacuate. If he is seen standing, holding guard before the winds whisk him away, then you are safe to stay. Over two hundred years, The Gray Man has become a staple of the Grand Strand lore.
The Stone Crab Boy
By the Old Pier in Myrtle Beach, you may catch a glimpse of one of the most disturbing paranormal sites of the Grand Strand. The Stone Crab Boy is a phenomenon whose origins have only been speculated on. The origins, often debated, claim that a mother and son were splashing in the ocean when the undertow grew severe and the two tried to make it to the shore. The mother arrived safe on the shore, but the boy was bitten by a Stone Crab and fell beneath the surface. The waves were too loud to hear the boy’s screams as he struggled to keep his head above the surf that eventually took the young man’s life. Now, from time to time, he can be seen standing in the tides with a stone stare or silently screaming into the oncoming waves.
Lighthouse Annie
North Island off the coast of Myrtle Beach is an obscure place. The lighthouse is closed to the public and that may not be a bad thing. Since the mid-nineteenth century, this lighthouse has been haunted by its original inhibitors. The lighthouse’s first attendee and his daughter capsized in their boat just off the coast, near the lighthouse, killing them both. The father can be heard dwelling up and down the stairs looking for his daughter and his daughter, Annie, has been seen around the coast of North Island. Many boaters have looked out on the bow of their boat and seen the ghostly figure of young Annie standing as still as the night shaking her head “no”. It has been said that Annie is a sign of disaster and boaters should head to shore immediately or risk their fate at the peril of rough seas.
Alice Flagg
Alice has dealt the chills to many locals and tourists alike, since her death in 1849. Alice was in love with a suitor that was beneath her family status of South Carolina aristocrats at the Hermitage of Murrells Inlet. Her mother and brother forbade her to see him but Alice persisted and the two were engaged only to be separated once again by her family. Soon Alice fell sick and while caring for Alice, her brother found Alice’s engagement ring around her neck and threw it into the marsh, never to be found again. Alice soon succumbed to her illness and died. She was buried at the All Saints Church in Pawley’s Island under a stone that simply reads, “Alice”. The legend goes that if you walk around Alice’s grave backwards 13 times, you will feel Alice tug at any rings that you have on your fingers. There have been countless accounts of this event, but don’t believe them. Come and see for yourself.
The Grand Strand is an endless supply of fun and sun but the excitement doesn’t stop there. You ghost hunters and shadow dwellers have more than a handful of locations to visit and sites to see here on the coast.
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