Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts: Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations and Other Historic Sites

I love the South. It’s filled with Palmetto trees, wild magnolias, stately old rice plantations, and lots of ghost stories.

I heard my first one at summer camp when I was nine years old. The counselors told us one hair-raising tale after another, trying to scare us silly. Instead, I hung on every word, begging for more. I was hooked.

I’ve lived in many places, but have spent most of my life in the Carolinas. Storytelling is a favorite pastime around here, especially in the Low Country, and I still love to hear a good yarn about things that go bump in the night with no rational explanation. I’ve spent years listening to and compiling some great tales, and I even learned a few new ones when I was working on Lighthouses of the Carolinas, my first book.

Love, greed, murder, and mayhem are the things great stories are made of, and plenty of these elements can be found in the stories collected here. Some of the tales are grounded in library research of old newspaper clippings; the rest are retold as they were recited to me. Some are well known, with many adaptations, and some have seldom, if ever, been heard. I have been told several of these narratives by locals, ranging from young to old, matrons to fishermen. I’ve included some of my favorites, and the only change I have made is to adapt some of the language and dialogue to be more contemporary.

As to whether they’re true or not is an individual decision. I choose not to explore logical or rational justifications, but to savor the tales as they were meant to be. I hope you will also enjoy them.

And, if at night after you’re tucked into bed, reading by the light of your night-table lamp, you hear something in the attic, a not-so-faint creaking or rustling sound, it’s probably just the wind sneaking in through a gap around the window, or the effects of an old house settling.

Or is it? Maybe it’s the Ghost in the Attic, seeking revenge for his wife’s betrayal. Or, maybe it’s the spirit of the keeper’s wife who was brutally Murdered at Cape Romain by her husband. Maybe she’s come looking for him...Or maybe it’s a young woman, also known as the Lady in Blue, who is said to appear on particularly dark and stormy nights, warning others to “go back, go back...” It could also be the man who was Buried Alive calling to you, trying to get you to open his coffin...

Here are a few reviews on Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts:

"...Zepke's grouping will raise the hair on the back of one's neck, even more so if read alone at night."  -The State (Columbia, SC)

BarnesandNoble.com Reader Review
A reviewer, August 20, 1999,
COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!
"The stories were downright scary and intriguing. Some were very detailed, including sightings and investigations. A few seemed like urban legend, but were fascinating, nonetheless. The sinister drawings that accompanied each tale really completed the effect!"

Amazon.com Reader Reviews
Reviewer: A reader from Columbia, South Carolina
"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."

Great collection of ghost tales from the Carolinas, August 19, 1999
Reviewer: A reader from North Carolina
"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!"