Ghosts of Georgetown

by Elizabeth Huntsinger Wolf

Georgetown County, located between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina, is steeped in tales of dynamic men and women who once lived and prospered here. Though these men and women have now passed away, many of their spirits still remain. There are rumored to be over a hundred ghosts in the area, making Georgetown County one of the nation's most haunted locations. Ghosts of Georgetown  tells the stories of twenty of these apparitions. The ghosts in these tales range from the woman who died a horrible and tragic death on her wedding day, to the daughter of a former lighthouse keeper who warns sailors of impending storms, to the phantom choir whose voices can still be heard coming from the ruins of its former church. The stories tell of scorned lovers, innocent children, and wealthy plantation owners who have all returned to Georgetown long after their natural lives on earth were over. These tales weave the history of Georgetown's colorful past with the eerie spirits who roam the region in the present. Elizabeth Huntsinger is a South Carolina native whose mother’s family came to the state in the 1600s and whose father immigrated there from Scotland. Her first home in Georgetown County was a 1948-vintage 40-foot mahogany Chris Craft boat anchored in the Waccamaw River. Now a landlubber, she lives in a neighborhood built on the site of one of the area’s many rice plantations. In addition to being a full-time storyteller/literacy instructor for Georgetown County preschoolers, she leads Ghosts of Georgetown Lantern Tours and is an avid Civil War reenactor.

Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

Reviews

[Laurie Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing set of ghost stories! I’m glad the author included addresses of these houses. I’m tempted to spend a day driving by them all and rereading what happened there.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would not recommend.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much to the author's credit there are no swamp monsters, UFO stories, or old Indian legends to be found in this book. While stories like those mentioned may be interesting, they have no place in a book of ghost stories. There are also only a couple of really well worn stories here and for the most part the ghosts found in this book will be new finds for even the most faithful reader of ghost lore. Furthermore, the writing style of this author is excellent and very readable and she makes no historical mistakes that I could find.

That leaves only the lack of research to lessen the effectiveness of this book. Mrs. Huntsinger has done a good job of researching the history of the haunted site and it's ghost. The problem is that she never took the time to look for and interview people who had experienced the phenomena in question. Recent eyewitness accounts always lend an air of believability to this type of book and that kind of documentation is almost totally absent from this book. A little more digging and a few interviews would have gone a long way toward taking this from an average book to an excellent one.

[Mish · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of history and ghost stories. I picked through it over a course of a few days. Would be quite interesting if you were close to Georgetown and could visit the sites.

[Mason Parrott · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're into whimsical tales of forgotten days and local lore, this is your book.

[Allison | Bookcuterie]

Quick read while on vacation in Charleston. A lot of stories of people killing themselves because they were not able to marry their love.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an exciting reading and way to learn about the history of the area. I have a whole new list of places I want to go and visit.

[Erin Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

“In a time after the War between the States. . “ That says it all in the retelling of many of her stories.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little something I picked up while I was in South Carolina visiting family. It is a great read that would be fun to have before you visited the town. Georgetown offers tours of homes and it would be fun to use both book and tour in your travels. A very easy read that made the trip to Georgetown a little more interesting. I highly recommend this book for any true ghost enthusiast.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long ago stories with unhappy endings.

[Pattie Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

More history than spooky. But, that's not a bad thing.

[Anna Stiglbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love some good ghost stories!