Alice of the Hermitage

Author: Harry Caldwell

Alice Flagg’s alleged grave marker

Since the 1950’s there have been tales of a young woman named Alice Flagg searching a hermitage for her lost engagement ring. The strange this is that Alice Flagg died in 1949. The Hermitage, located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, does not seem like a place a ghost would be found. It is a quiet peaceful place where Alice spent her early years life living with her wealthy older brother and mother. There is simply nothing haunting about the home where Alice grew up, or so it seems.

Alice’s family expected her to fall in love and marry a wealthy man equal to her status. They did not know she had already fallen in love with a poor lumberman and recently became engaged to him. When her brother found out, he was overly vexed. Alice was sent off to boarding school, but soon after she fell extremely ill. When she returned home, she was bedridden, but her brother noticed the ring hanging around her neck. As Virginia Lamkin explains in her article called  “The Hermitage's Alice Flagg” , the ring was tossed into the nearby marsh never to be seen again. Shortly after Alice died. Some people may say she died of her sickness known as malaria, but many also think she died from heartbreak. Alice was buried on the plantation because a decision could not be made on where to bury her. She was buried in a glass casket wearing her favorite white dress that she wore when she met her lover.

Shortly after her death, a woman and her son came to visit the Flagg family. During their stay, the boy asked his mother who the pretty girl in the white dress was in his room. A resident overheard the boy and his mother, and she recognized  the girl he described as Alice Flagg. A couple weeks pass, and Alice appears in the garden to a family.

Alice has been appearing to people over the past sixty five years. Sometimes she is seen wandering through the garden in the light of the moon, presumably looking for her lost engagement ring, and other times she is seen sitting on the windowsill of her old room. People to this day are intrigued by the beauty, kindness, and grace of this ghost when she appears at the hermitage she cared so much for. Like many ghost stories, the story of Alice Flagg is rooted by heartbreak and forbidden love.

Works Cited:

Lamkin, Virginia. “The Hermitage's Alice Flagg.” Seeks Ghosts, 1 Jan. 1970, seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-hermitages-alice-flagg.html.

Roberts, Nancy & Roberts, Bruce. “Ghosts of the Carolinas.” Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2013. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/850529.

For even more information than this article provides visit:

 Roberts, Nancy. “South Carolina Ghosts: From the Coast to the Mountains.” Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2013. Project MUSE. https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/850541. This essay by Nancy Roberts explains a time when she and her husband went to the hermitage in search of Alice Flagg’s grave.

“The Hermitage - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.” South Carolina Picture Project, www.scpictureproject.org/georgetown-county/the-hermitage.html. This essay, written by an unknown author, describes the story of Alice Flagg as a folklore and historical legend.

Evelyn, Jamilah. “This Ghost Story Has a Certain Ring.” Community College Week, vol. 15, no. 24, June 1998, p. 18. EBSCOhost, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=786675&site=ehost-live&scope=site. This essay, written by Jamilah Evelyn, is written as documentation of a ghost story. Evelyn wrote this story to inform readers about the supernatural encounter she had with the ghost of Alice Flagg.

Alice of the Hermitage

Janee McCarthy

Among many other ghost legends in South Carolina, the legend of Alice of the Hermitage approaches a calmer, innocent ghost story, rather than a terrifying ghost story like we are used to hearing about. Alice was a young girl who lived on a rice plantation with her arrogant brother, whom she was not too happy with, and her mother.  The home was more of a beach home to them, surrounded by trees and marshes.



The Hermitage at Murrell’s Inlet


On the website The Moonlit Road, Cathy Kaemmerien and Craig Dominey wrote an article on the legend of Alice of the Hermitage, where they talked about her family’s traditions. Growing up, Alice Flagg’s family has always had strong beliefs of marrying the right person depending on the social class aspect. Living on the Hermitage, Alice met a young man that she fell in love with. Her family was not happy with this and her brother forbade Alice to see the boy. “The story goes on to say that in an effort to keep the two apart, Alice was sent away to boarding school in Charleston.” (The Hermitage- Murrell’s Inlet, SC). But that didn’t stop her, Alice decided that she could keep it a secret from her brother. One night, Alice’s beloved gave her a ring, which he engraved in the band, “love never fails.” Alice kept the ring on a ribbon around her neck, making sure to keep it from her brother.
 
Alice’s brother sent Alice off to school in Charleston, punishing her for going against her family’s beliefs and traditions. A couple weeks later, Alice was rushed home by her brother because of an unexpected sickness. She had high fever and laid in bed for weeks. While lying in bed, her brother snatched the ring from around her neck and threw it in the nearby marsh. Alice woke up frantically looking for the ring and died shortly after realizing it was gone.

It is believed that Alice Flagg still haunts the grounds of The Hermitage looking for her ring.“For I have never found my ring, though sometimes I still search the grounds at what is now called Wachesaw Plantation.”(Alice Flagg in her own words). Her grave is still at the Hermitage. People can go to the land and visit the grounds that Alice still walks around. Some people say they have seen her, and even talked to her. People lay flowers on her grave and pass on their stories about their visit to the Hermitage.



Alice Flagg’s Grave



Works Cited:
”Alice Flagg in Her Own Words; The Area’s Most Beloved Ghost Tells Her Story.” MyrtleBeach Online. N.d. Web. 13 Oct.

“The Hermitage-Murrell’s Inlet, South Carolina.” 2015 SCIWAY. Web. 12 Oct.
Kaemmerien, Cathy. “Alice.” The Moonlit Road. The Moonlit Road, 1997 LLC. Web. 12. Oct.
Roberts, Nancy. “South Carolina Ghosts; From the Coast to the Mountains.” Columbia. University of South Carolina, 1983. Print.
Ross, L. Woodrow. “Ghosts of South Carolina: Two stories of lost love and tragic death.” Independent Mail. Journal Media Group, 2015. Web. 13 Oct.
Links for further research:https://www.google.com/search?q=alice+of+the+hermitage

The Legend of Alice Flagg

Author: Disaiah Whack

Why do ghosts roam the Earth afterlife? I believe that a spirit cannot leave this Earth if it is holding on to someone or something. In Alice Flagg’s case she holds on to something a special someone gave her. Love is one of the strongest emotions that humans hold on to, and in this case so do ghosts.

            Alice Flagg grew up in a wealthy family consisting of a long line of doctors. Her family lived in The Hermitage on  Murrells, Inlet. The Hermitage still stands and is now a tourist attraction. Traditionally, it would only make sense for her to find love in a young man from a wealthy family. Unfortunately, Alice found true love in a local lumberman, which her family disapproved of. During this time (mid 1800s) it was unpopular for women of a wealthy family to marry someone outside of their social status. Alice, being in love, decided to continued her relationship with the lumberman. Over a period of time her lover gave her the gift of a ring tied on a ribbon, which she wore around her neck underneath her clothes so that her family could not see.  She kept her relationship with the lumberman a secret from her family for months. Using the ring as a reminder and symbol of her love. Once her mother discovered the hidden ring, Alice was shipped off to a boarding school in Charleston, South Carolina.  Her brother took the ring and through it into the marsh so she could not wear it anymore.

While away at the boarding school Alice became sick from a terrible fever. Once her brother found out about her illness, he rushed to Charleston to retrieve his sister from the boarding school and bring her home. Unfortunately, Alice died by the next day. Some say as Alice was on her death bed she reached and grabbed for the ring on a ribbon that had been snatched from her neck. The tale tellers say that Alice’s ghost, to this day, still roams the land where The Hermitage once stood in search of her ring on a ribbon.

Many people travel to see Alice Flagg’s grave, and some locals pay a monthly visit to her grave site. Sometimes, local schools take field trips to her grave in search for the ghost. They leave rings, flowers, and money. They say if you walk backwards around Alice Flagg’s grave 13 times her ghost will appear unto you. What would you do if you came in contact with the ghost of Alice Flagg? Could you relate to her story? Do you feel as though her sickness could have been prevented if her family would have let her make her own decisions about dating?

Further Research

AngelFire. http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/mytrip/alice.html

This website provide further research of the life of Alice Flagg not listed in the article.

The Digitel. http://www.thedigitel.com/business/charleston-area-ghosts-alice-flagg-1833-1849-38942-0415

This website provides further information on Charleston area ghosts.

Georgetown Paranormal. http://www.georgetownparanormal.com/alice-flagg.html

This website provides further research on ghost hunts.