Lost romance, stormy weather and historical Pawleys Island. These elements are what connect the restless spirit of Alice Flagg and the lonesome Gray Man who haunt South Carolina’s coast.
Growing up in Murrells Inlet in the mid-1800s, Alice Flagg always hoped to find romance. Her family was wealthy, living in the grand plantation home, The Hermitage, yet that didn’t matter in her eyes; Flagg fell for a lumberman, and the romance blossomed. Because of the social expectations held for her at the time, the couple kept their love a secret from the world, especially from her brother, Dr. Allard Flagg. Eventually, the lumberman and Flagg were engaged. She kept the ring on a ribbon around her neck. Sooner or later, the brother would discover the secret relationship and send Flagg to a boarding school in Charleston. During her time at the school, Flagg became very ill. She was quick to return home, yet was too sick to recover and she passed away. During the heat of the events, her brother took the ring from her neck and threw it into a nearby marsh. Flagg never reunited with her lumberman and is buried in the All Saints Episcopal Church Cemetery in Pawleys Island, with her grave only marked with “Alice.” Locals say if you are lucky, you can see Flagg still searching for her ring.
Flagg is not the only figure searching on the island; the Gray Man has also been spotted, carrying a message of warning. The Gray Man’s story goes as follows: In the late 1800s, a man was traveling from Charleston to see his soon-to-be fiancée to ask her hand in marriage. As he was heading to her, there was a call for a storm. To shorten the trip and beat the storm, the man took a shortcut through the marsh, right outside Pawleys Island. Though as he went, his horse got stuck in pluff mud, a thick mud made from decaying Spartina grass, and went under. The water and mud pulled the man under the surface and killed him. Once the woman heard the news, she was devastated and started to take walks to clear her mind. One day, on one of her walks, she saw a gray figure who looked very similar to her lost love. The Gray Man told her to leave the island due to a storm that was coming. She did as he said and, when she returned home after the storm, her house was untouched while the surrounding houses were in ruins. Even today, if locals are approached by the Gray Man before a storm, their houses are also unbothered.
So, whether you plan on moving to the coast or just visiting, keep your eyes peeled for the two souls. And if you do end up seeing them, don’t be scared because now you know their story.
