{"id":4614,"date":"2024-09-27T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palmeravacationclub.com\/blog\/?p=4614"},"modified":"2024-09-25T11:08:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T15:08:29","slug":"southern-haunts-chilling-tales-from-hilton-head-island-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/palmeravacationclub.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/southern-haunts-chilling-tales-from-hilton-head-island-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Haunts: Chilling Tales from Hilton Head Island and More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Halloween grows near and the days become shorter, our imagination comes alive with everything that goes bump in the night. Simple tasks like checking your mailbox after dark or closing your blinds before bed might make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. This sensation happens to everyone, just as every town has its own ghost stories to tell–even Hilton Head Island! While the island doesn’t have many, we’ll include some stories in this guide that reach as far as Beaufort and Savannah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Savannah, GA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Aerial view of Savannah, Georgia skyline along River Street. Savannah is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We thought we better start off with the most haunted town in the United States, nearby Savannah, Georgia.<\/strong> Spooky season or not, ghost tours are a popular activity<\/strong> for visitors of the Hostess City. While you can totally tour the city by day on the convenient hop-on-hop-off trolley,<\/strong> if you\u2019re looking to focus on everything that goes bump in the night, opt in for the Ghosts and Gravestones Tour<\/strong> that\u2019s also operated by Old Town Trolley Tours<\/a><\/strong>. You\u2019ll get a guided tour<\/strong> of the historic city, access two of the city\u2019s most haunted venues<\/strong>, and take full advantage of the cooler temperatures after the sun goes down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those looking to experience Savannah\u2019s ghosts first-hand, Old Town Trolley Tours also offers something called the Ghost Hunters of Savannah Paranormal Investigation.<\/strong> If you\u2019re a fan of ghost-hunting shows, here\u2019s your chance to head out with paranormal investigators and use all of the latest ghost-hunting equipment.<\/strong> Sounds a little too creepy for us, but say hello to the ghosts for us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get down to what makes Savannah the most haunted town in the first place: the ghost stories.<\/strong> While we can\u2019t retell every single ghost story in this article, we\u2019ll highlight a few taken from the Ghosts & Gravestones website<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ghost of Gracie Watson<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bonaventure Cemetery is a popular landmark for visitors to visit because of how big, old, and beautiful the property is. Listen to your footsteps echo against the Lowcountry symphony of eerie quiet and cicada song, as you admire the grand works of art that many of the gravesites are marked with. It\u2019s also where one of the city\u2019s most well-known ghosts was laid to rest: Gracie Watson. The daughter of a hotel manager, Gracie passed when she was only 6-years-old, and presents are still left at her gated gravesite today. Her ghost has been seen in Johnson Square\u2014where her father\u2019s hotel used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Little Gracie statue in historic Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah Georgia. The life-size sculpture dates to 1889 and is a well-known Savannah tourist destination.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Revenge-Seeking Spirits <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another cemetery, Savannah\u2019s Colonial Park Cemetery is considered one of the city\u2019s most haunted places.  Firstly, this cemetery has more than 10,000 people buried there, with a lot of them buried in mass graves. That already means for some irritated spirits, but during the Civil War, the Federal Troops fighting for the Union are said to have made camp in the cemetery\u2014a strange choice, but ok\u2014and ended up desecrating and shooting up a lot of the graves and headstones. The already antsy spirits have been very angry ever since, and seek revenge to this day. So, if you want to experience cold spots or see orbs, head to this haunted hot spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Misplaced headstones in the Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Ghost Pirates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When we say \u201cGhost Pirates,\u201d<\/strong> you might think of Savannah\u2019s minor-league hockey team. Let\u2019s just say they were aptly named. A key port on the East Coast, the city\u2019s harbor saw friendly sailors as well as not-so-friendly pirates.<\/strong> Visitors today can still visit one of the pirates\u2019 most frequented haunts (pun intended), the Pirate\u2019s House.<\/a><\/strong> Opened in 1753, pirates would meet over drinks and sometimes kidnap other patrons using underground tunnels that led out to the Savannah River.<\/strong> While the restaurant is still open, you won\u2019t have to worry about being forced into a life of pillaging with a pirate crew. You might just have an encounter with a ghost pirate instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about some of the nefarious pirates that have set sail in Lowcountry waters<\/em>, here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exterior of The Pirate’s House, Photo from Restaurant’s Website<\/a> <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Interior of The Pirate’s House, Photo from Restaurant’s Website<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Hilton Head Island <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Lady in Blue <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The ghost of Caroline Fripp, otherwise known as the Lady in Blue<\/strong>, is one of the more popular ghost stories on the island. Legend says that during a terrible hurricane, Caroline found her father dead or near death\u2014some stories differ\u2014after suffering from a heart attack while doing his best to man the Leamington Lighthouse, now called the Hilton Head Island Rear Range Lighthouse.<\/strong> After covering his eyes with pennies, she took on the work of keeping the lighthouse lit to help ships find their way through the terrible storm. For weeks afterward, Caroline could be seen pacing back and forth from the cottage to the lighthouse, reliving the awful tragedy. Some say that you can see the ghost of Caroline still in her blue dress, pacing back and forth on stormy nights. Some have seen a blue light shining from the top of the now-abandoned lighthouse in Palmetto Dunes. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch this short video about the lighthouse (sans ghost story) on Palmetto Dunes’ Youtube Channel: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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