haunted corridors of the World War II aircraft carrier. While there are many stories of ghosts and hauntings from professional storytellers, great ghost stories abound from locals and island visitors alike as well. One local recently described a haunted happening at the Dock Street Theatre in downtown Charleston. “In 1976 while hanging out after rehearsal for Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ we heard footsteps up in the mezzanine and went up there to take a look. No one was there. Later we learned that the theater is haunted by past performers and other spirits. One such spirit has a wooden leg and is visible late at night, walking the streets close to the theater.” Another area legend describes America’s first female serial killer, Lavinia Fisher. Fisher and her husband operated a wayfarer’s inn at the site of the old Naval Hospital. Trapdoors, startling, disembodied voices and shadows, unexplained lights and strange encounters with otherworldly beings at the site are largely attributed to myths and exaggerated folklore but still inspire speculation and apprehension. Additionally, several locals have spoken of a ghoulish spectacle they claim to have witnessed, recounting a nightly scene in a vacant lot near the heart of the island. According to local legend, nearly every morning between the hours of 2 and 3, an apparitional line of soldiers clad in Civil War uniforms march through the lot in a long straight line, shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow. Bandages, slings, crutches and heads resting across shoulders create the gruesome imagery as these soldiers drag themselves across a landscape that once must have held uncertainty and tragedy. One resident described the scene. “Watching those soldiers march, bedraggled and forlorn across that lot, which surely must once have been a battlefield, is an unsettling sight. It’s like watching a 90-second video on a loop. The soldiers support one another as they limp and struggle to make it to the end of the lot only to start all over again. It’s eerie and fascinating at once.” The Isle of Palms and nearby Charleston are rich in folklore, legends and haunted happenings, and not just during the month of October. Whether you are asking residents to share their stories of the paranormal or booking a tour with a local company for a ghost walk or haunted hayride, or perhaps visiting one of the many legendary historical sites in our area, there is something to satisfy nearly every spooky appetite in or around the island. 13 IslandVibesIOP.com FEATURE From Page 12. Wellness by the Sea Regenerative Medicine & Aesthetics Board-certified medical professionals that offer personalized state-of-the-art treatments for face & body. WE DESIGN A PLAN FOR YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS. TRUST THE EXPERTS. Lasers, toxins, facials, weight loss and more. REQUEST YOUR PERSONALIZED CONSULTATION IN A SERENE ENVIRONMENT. 843.894.0955 YoungerYoustudio.com 1022 Carolina Blvd. Isle of Palms, SC
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