Sunday, December 4, 2016

Peter Ferguson



Many people have claimed to see ghost, or something supernatural throughout their lives. The mysterious light that appears at night time on US Highway 21. At the beginning of Lands End Rd. there is a moss covered tree that it is said, if you park next to it at night you will experience an extraordinary and ominous light blaze past you. Lands End Rd. is located in the warmth of the coast in Beaufort, South Carolina. Much history surrounds the low country cities. The Charleston-Beaufort area has history embedded deep in its roots almost everywhere you go. During the civil war, Charleston was a key city for the confederates and was eventually going to be over taken by the Union as the war was winding down. They needed Charleston because it was the south’s biggest port.

During an attempted invasion of Charleston, Union soldiers were able to sneak up behind a Confederate soldier and cut off the head of Private Frank Quigley. Many of the Charleston and Beaufort area locals believe the mysterious “Land’s End Light” is the deceased confederate soldier searching for his head. In the research I did, many of the ghost light theories are believed to be the “spirits of people who are beheaded stays on earth in search of their head. (Jones)” Although this is a far-fetched idea it it’s still a possibility. It is also believed the light will lead you to the spot where Private QUIGLEY http://eatsleepplaybeaufort.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/fremont5soldier.jpg was beheaded.
           
For many locals, Lands’ End Light is very real, there have been many first-hand accounts of people who have claimed to see this supernatural light. The Charleston newspaper usually does a story about this supernatural phenomenon every other year during Halloween. The local police told local news stations about the line of cars parked along the ominous stretch of highway hoping to see the mysterious light. It can only be seen in the midst of the night and it’s believed if you are scared or fear what isn’t known then the light won’t appear. If you have an open mind and accept the unknown it will appear.
           
Humans go out seeking the unknown because we, as a species, want to understand the unexplainable. Two people died in the pursuit of this mysterious light in their vehicles. While in pursuit of the supernatural light the two men ran their car off the road into a tree. The mystery of the unknown fascinates us and makes us eager to learn more. As long as there are folk lore and ghost tale stories, there will always be people wanting to know more. Although some people might not realize what they really are getting themselves into.

Works Cited: 
Atteberry, Tom. “The ghosts of St. Helena’s chapel of ease and Land’s End light – true hauntings from South Carolina’s sea islands.” A gothic curiosity cabinet, 16 Oct. 2016, http://www.gothichorrorstories.com/behind-urban-legends/the-ghosts-of-st-helenas-chapel-of-ease-and-lands-end-light-true-hauntings-from-south-carolinas-sea-islands/.

Gooch, Bary. “Lands End Light – Frogmore, St. Helena Island, South Carolina.” SC Informational Highway. 16 Oct. 2016, http://www.sciway.net/hist/lands-end-light-st-helena-island.html

Jones, Louis. “The Journal of American Folklore.” American Folklore Society, vol. 57, no. 226, Fall 1944, pp. 237-254, JSTOR, doi: 10.2307/535356.  
Roberts, Nancy. nt. 2012, Eatsleepplaybeaufort, http://eatsleepplaybeaufort.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/light1.jpg 

Links for further research:
Graydon, Nell. South Carolina Ghost Tales, Beaufort Book Shop, Inc, 1969. This book is about all the supernatural phenomenon that go on in South Carolina. In this particular excerpt of the book it gives extensive information on Lands End Light and its history.

Heffernan, Erin. “The ghosts of Beaufort County: From strange lights to the Blue Lady locals share favorite ghost stories.” The Island Packet, 17 Oct. 2016,  http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article39629214.html. This web source talks about the many theories on what the supernatural light came from. This article also gives locals first-hand accounts as well as other ghost tales. 


Schlosser, S.E. “South Carolina Folklore.” American Folklore, 18 Oct 2016, http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/united-states-folklore/south-carolina-folklore/. This web sources discusses the importance of the many folk lore stories in South Carolina. The author also discusses many of the details of Lands End Light. 

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