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The Ghost of Alice Flagg and a tour of her grave

 

I don’t know why, but from a young age I have always loved old graveyards & cemetaries. Everywhere I go, I like to find one or two to explore. On a recent trip to Litchfield beach in South Carolina, I stumbled upon the graveyard of the All Saints Parish, which I later found out is famous for being the home of the grave and ghost of Alice Flagg.

 

The Ghost of Alice Flagg

 

The story of Alice Flagg is that of a tragic love story. In 1849 at the age of 16, Alice went with her widow mother to go live with her brother, Dr. Allard Flagg, at his new home in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Here, Alice met and fell in love with a lumberman who was considered well beneath the family’s social status- therefore her brother and mother disapproved of any sort of union between the two. However Alice kept meeting her beau in secret, and the lumberman even gave her an engagement ring. When her brother noticed the ring on her finger, he demanded she give it back, but instead she wore it hidden on a necklace. To make Alice forget about her love, her brother sent her to a boarding school in Charleston. While away, Alice became so ill (most likely with malaria or typhus) that on one stormy night her brother brought her back home in his carriage. Delirious, Alice slipped in and out of consciousness, while clutching the ring around her neck. She died th next morning. Alice was buried in her favorite white dress, but when her brother realized she still had the lumberman’s ring around her neck, he pulled it off and threw it into a marsh.

Legend has it, that Alice’s ghost can still sometimes be seen wandering the graveyard in her favorite white dress, clutching her neck, & searching for her lost ring.

 

Ironically, even though I love graveyards and cemeteries, I HATE and am absolutely terrified of the idea of ghosts. I hate haunted places & ghost tours, and I definitely can’t watch movies like “Paranormal Activity” unless I never want to sleep again. One time, when I was eight I stayed at a hotel that served as a hospital during the Civil War in Savannah, Georgia with my mom- after the bellhop told me some ghost stories about the place, I couldn’t sleep for the rest of our time there, and made my mom go with me and hold my hand whenever I went anywhere. Needless to say, I have avoided the entire city of Savannah, Georgia ever since.

My general reaction to being dragged to “haunted” attractions, especially theme parks during the halloween season:

 

 

Everyday locals and tourists alike visit Alice’s grave. It is said that if you start at the bottom right corner of her gravestone, walk around it 6 times counterclockwise then 6 times clockwise, stop at the letter “A” and place some kind of token on her grave (preferably a ring)- then make a wish- your wish will come true. And, for the truly adventurous, if you perform this ritual at midnight, the ghost of Alice herself will make an appearance. I decided to revisit Alice’s grave to try out the ritual for myself (although not at midnight of course- noooo thank you!). I’ll let you know if my wish ever comes (obviously can’t reveal what I wished for or else it won’t come true- duhhh).

 

 The grave of Alice Flagg, adorned with mementos left by those who visit her grave.
The mood ring I bought at the local tourist shop to place on Alice’s grave