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    Ghosts of the Pee Dee
    Ghosts of the Pee Dee
    Ghosts of the Pee Dee
    Ebook123 pages2 hours

    Ghosts of the Pee Dee

    By Tally Johnson

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    A ghostly Figure hanging in a churchyard icy fingers that run up your neck the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp . From the swamps of Kershaw County to an abandoned graveyard underneath South of the Border, the South Carolina Pee Dee is home to a rich heritage and a sometimes frightening past. In this volume, storyteller and author Tally Johnson investigates the truth behind the ghostly legends of counties that have seen revolution and war, tragedy and triumph. With an attention to history and a passion for the truth behind the legends, this fascinating glimpse into the Pee Dee s past reveals that it is far stranger than anyone ever imagined.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe History Press
    Release dateMay 4, 2009
    ISBN9781614235361
    Ghosts of the Pee Dee
    Author

    Tally Johnson

    Tally Johnson is a graduate of both Southern Methodist College and Wofford College, completing degrees in history at both institutions. Following undergraduate work, he pursued an MA in history from Winthrop University. In addition to writing a column on Chester Country history for the Chester News & Reporter, Johnson works as a librarian at Great Falls Library. As part of his outreach to local schools and the surrounding area, he began telling stories of South Carolina ghosts. Ghosts of the South Carolina Pee Dee is Johnson�s third book with The History Press, and a geographic continuation of the stories held in Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry and Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands.

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      Ghosts of the Pee Dee - Tally Johnson

      same.

      INTRODUCTION

      During book signings and storytelling appearances, I often get asked, Do you believe in ghosts? I have to reply that I do, since I have seen them in almost every county of the state. I haven’t seen one in Jasper County yet, but it’s just a matter of time. I view ghost stories as a way to learn the hidden history of a place. The stories of yesterday that in today’s media would be in the National Enquirer are the ghost stories that we tell each other for a shiver. I also get asked why I would include ghost stories from Richland, Dorchester and Berkeley Counties in a book about the Pee Dee and Sand Hills regions. My response is, Where else would you read them? Few of the Charleston ghost story books embrace Berkeley and Dorchester. Anyone who has spent time at Lake Marion or Lake Moultrie would agree that those areas have more in common with the Pee Dee than with the Lowcountry. Richland County is included because I still had stories to tell even after covering some of them in my previous book, Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands.

      Finally, I also get asked if I am going to write any more books or if I am going to write a book on the ghosts of the Grand Strand and Lowcountry. I especially get the latter question from family and friends, who are more interested in road trips than ghosts. Well, honestly, that’s up to you. If this book sells well enough that the publisher wants more, I’ll write one. Or if you tell The History Press that you and all ten thousand of your friends want to read my next book, I’ll probably write one. My personal feeling is that I won’t cover the South Carolina coast anytime soon, barring a large number of requests and begging from my publisher. I mean, Terrance Zepke, Nancy Roberts, Margaret Rhett Martin, Nancy Rhyne, Geordie Buxton, Elizabeth Huntsinger Wolf and Blanche Floyd are some tough acts to follow. As it is now, I, like Isaac Newton, have seen as far as I have by standing on the shoulders of giants. I’m none too sure that I want to get under their feet. In any case, I do hope that you have as much fun reading this book as I did researching it. I got to go to some of the most history-drenched spots in inland South Carolina and meet some of the best public servants the state has in its corner. But remember: if you decide to follow in my footsteps, be careful, be respectful and obey all laws and signage. Otherwise, you deserve whatever happens.

      CHAPTER 1

      BERKELEY COUNTY

      Berkeley County is located in the southern central part of South Carolina and is surrounded by Charleston, Georgetown, Williamsburg, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Dorchester Counties. The present county was established in 1882 from Charleston County, though earlier parishes such as St. James Goose Creek, St. Thomas, St. Denis, St. Johns Berkeley and St. Stephens occupied the same territory. The county was named for John and William Berkeley, two of the Lords Proprietor, as well as the short-lived original 1682 county of the same name. From 1786 until 1882, the territory of Berkeley County was part of Charleston County. From the early part of the first century until about 1725, the area was home to several thriving native cultures. Both the Westo and Yamasee Wars ended any threat to English settlement, with Berkeley County being the site of one fort during the Westo War and five during the Yamasee. After its reestablishment, Berkeley County lost territory to Dorchester County. Due to its proximity to Charleston and its role as a center of recruitment for Francis Marion, the Revolutionary general known as the Swamp Fox and a native of Berkeley County, the county was the site of twelve actions during the Revolution. Besides the impact the Revolution had in the county, it had even more on some natives. Henry Laurens was president of the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1778 and then minister to Holland, a prisoner in the Tower of London and a peace commissioner following his exchange for Lord Cornwallis.

      No actions are recorded in the county during the Civil War, but it was the construction site for the Confederate semisubmersible Little David in 1863. John Gaillard—who served as president pro tempore under President James Madison while in the U.S. Senate from 1805 to 1826—was born in Berkeley County. Due to the death of Vice President Elbridge Gerry in November 1814, and until the end of Madison’s term on March 3, 1817, Gaillard was next in line to the presidency. L. Mendel Rivers, a longtime congressman known as the Serviceman’s Best Friend, was also born in Berkeley County. Mepkin Abbey—once the home of the Laurens family, of Revolutionary fame, as well as the former summer home of Henry and Clare Boothe Luce and now the center of a Trappist monastery—is located near Goose Creek. The bodies of Henry and John Laurens and Henry and Clare Luce are interred at the cemetery. Berkeley County was the home of Daniel Chamberlain, South Carolina’s last carpetbagger governor, prior to his election. Berkeley County is home to part of Lake Marion and all of Lake Moultrie.

      MEDWAY PLANTATION

      The original house at Medway Plantation was built circa 1686 by John D’Arsens a mere sixteen years after the first permanent English settlement at what was then Charles Towne. In some records, this gentleman is referred to as Jan Van Arrsen. However, by 1705 the house had burned down and was rebuilt by Edward and Elizabeth Hyrne. Over the more than three intervening centuries, several owners have come and gone, including some notable South Carolina names such as Stoney, Ball, Durant, Legendre and Fripp. During the ownership by the Stoney family, a brickyard was in operation alongside the rice fields that is reputed to have supplied bricks for Fort Sumter. The Stoney family is also thought to have been responsible for the remains of a racetrack on the property.

      As one would expect from a site so long inhabited, there are several ghosts present. Jan Van Arrsen (or John D’Arsens) is rumored to appear before the fireplace in the south bedroom, smoking a pipe. Perhaps he returns to enjoy the home that he died too soon in life to enjoy or to remind visitors of his pride of place, since his grave is unmarked and unrecorded. There is some dispute as to the identity of the other ghost at Medway. Most accounts claim that she is the young wife of a long-forgotten owner of the plantation who died in a hunting accident soon after their marriage. She died shortly thereafter from the shock of seeing her husband’s body on a makeshift stretcher. She appears at the north window, anxiously scanning the grounds for her beloved’s return. Some only hear the faint rustle of her gown while she waits. I think this could be Mary Hyrne, who may haunt Yeoman’s (or Yeamans) Hall in North Charleston, according to many online sources. I have not found any independent verification of this haunting, and I believe that, over the years, Miss Hyrne’s ghost has been moved from Medway to Yeoman’s Hall in the mind of the public. Sadly, I have not met either Jan Van Arrsen or the unfortunate bride, as Medway is private property. Perhaps others will have better luck.

      DAVE PEIGLER STILL ROAMS ST. STEPHENS CHURCHYARD

      St. Stephens Episcopal Church was built in 1768, and it still stands and is an active church, despite services not being held in the building from 1808 to 1932. St. Stephens is a National Historic Landmark, so treat it with the respect that it is due. The one known ghost is that of a local Tory, horse thief and burglar named Dave Peigler. Mr. Peigler was fond of raiding plantations while the Patriot owners were off fighting Tory partisans and British regulars during the Revolution. However, he was captured when an intended target named Captain Theus was home. Despite a brief escape, Peigler was hanged in the churchyard of St. Stephens. Now, you may hear the creak of a rope on wood or even see a figure staggering through the cemetery with a bottle in one hand and a gun in the other. If you do and you also see a rope around this figure’s neck, you have seen Dave Peigler. On my visit, I heard the unmistakable creak of hemp on wood but saw nothing. The sound was enough to encourage a hasty retreat.

      RICE HOPE PLANTATION

      Rice Hope Plantation was built by the Huger family about 1696. The plantation

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