Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts : Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations, and other Other Sites [Paperback]

Terrance Zepke (Author), Julie Rabun (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

Taken from real-life occurrences and from Carolina Lowcountry lore this collection introduces 32 ghost stories that will make your hair stand on end.
Why did Joe Baldwin's headless body once roam Maco's train tracks? What happened to grave robbers and curious kids when they came too close to the cursed crypt? Why do drops of blood continuously appear on the floorboards of the Cape Romain Lighthouse? Discover these tales, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Award-winning writer/photographer Terrance Zepke lives in central North Carolina and a small beach community in South Carolina. She has a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina. Ms. Zepke has lived and traveled all over the world, but she always comes back to the Carolinas and "...will always proudly call them home."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Lady in Blue...She was a sweet young girl, sixteen years of age. The child's big blue eyes and cherublike face were framed by a mane of golden hair. She lived with her father, her mother having passed away during childbirth. He was the sole keeper of Hilton Head Lighthouse, a rather large responsibility. The man was very conscientious, which was reflected by the many citation medals awarded him by the Light House Board. The channel and sound surrounding the uninhabitanted island made it a treacherous route for mariners on their way to other North and South Carolina ports, as well as those crossing by Georgia en route to Florida. To keep the light at optimum operating level, he spent his days making sure the lamp's wicks were cleaned and properly trimmed and the lamp and lantern room's windows were spotless. Every evening he faithfully hauled buckets of oil from the nearby shed and up the multitude of steps to the lantern room to keep the light burning brilliantly until daybreak. One night after supper he told his daughter he was going to check the light, just as he did every night. Within minutes, a storm had arrived at the island. The storm gave way to a hurricane, and rain pelted against the big glass panes of the watch room and lantern area. Wind accompanied it and circled the tower like an angry force unleashing itself. Thunder and lightening crashed and filled the sky while waves furiously slapped the shore. One of the windows shattered from the force of the gale, causing the lamp to flicker. The keeper covered the hole as best he could, and he then spent hours running up and down the stairs to relight the wick or bring more fuel, until he was out of breath and a deep pain filled his chest. By this time, his daughter had awakened and was frightened by the fierce storm and the absence of her father. She grabbed a dress out of her closet and put on her coat. As quickly as her feet would carry her she crosed the walkway that led from! the house to the beaon. There the girl found her father slumped over a step. Despite crying and begging, he didn't awaken. The storm had hit the area hard, and it was a couple of days before anyone came out to the island to check on the family. What they found was a tragic sight. Father and daughter were on the tower steps, both dead. She was wearing a pretty blue dress, and he was clutching a lantern and oil bucket. It was later determined the poor man had suffered a heart attack and the girl had died from shock and trauma. From that night on, whenever a terrible storm is approaching, a young woman wearing a blue dress has been seen warning others of the impending danger and signaling with her arms and hands to "go back...go back..." One couple even claims to have picked up a young blond-haired girl wearing a simple blue dress and worn coat soaked from the rain. As the man drove, his wife turned around to talk to the girl, but no one was there! The Lady in Blue had vanished into thin air. The woman was so upset that the man had to pull over to comfort her and look for the missing passenger. He never found the girl who had gotten into their car, but the back seat had to be wiped down from all the water left by the drenched stranger.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pineapple Press; 1st edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561641758
• ISBN-13: 978-1561641758
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,165,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Parapsychology
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Supernatural

More About the Author

Terrance Zepke studied journalism at the University of Tennessee and later received a Masters in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina. Zepke has traveled to every continent and lived all over the world. She always returns home to the Carolinas where she happily lives part-time in both states. She has written hundreds of articles and several books. When she's not investigating haunted places, researching pirates, or climbing lighthouses,she is most likely traveling to some far flung place. For more information, visit www.terrancezepke.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of ghost tales from the Carolinas, August 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts : Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations, and other Other Sites (Paperback)

My favorite stories were Body in a Barrel, Presence at Hampton Plantation, and the Keeper's Daughter. The author did a fine job of including details regarding her investigations--right down to microfilm, newspaper clippings, parapsycologists, professional ghost hunters, detectives, eyewitness sightings, etc. My twelve year old son even loved it. He showed it to his teacher and she read some of the stories to the class!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories!, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts : Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations, and other Other Sites (Paperback)

I've lived in South Carolina most of my life and never heard many of these stories. I love 'Sunset Lodge' and 'Murder at Cape Romain'! Great accompanying photos and sketches.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but too short., October 29, 2006

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts : Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations, and other Other Sites (Paperback)

Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts is just what it said it is on the cover - stories about haunted lighthouses, haunted plantations, haunted historic sites, people who went missing, mysteries and other unknowns. But at just over 150 pages there is very little meat on the bones. It took me only a few hours to read and each story is nothing but a simple story - no details, just the simple facts that take up two or three pages.