Like many places in South Carolina, you can add Folly Beach to the list of places that have a haunted history that dates back for hundreds of years. From the days of the first explorers, ship-wrecked pirates, and the Civil War, stories and legends have been passed down for generations. Every year at Halloween, we like to revisit the scary stories that make Folly Beach extra spooky.

Long, long ago, one of the most haunting stories occurred on Folly Beach in 1832. Although many ships have wrecked off the coast of Folly, a particular ship called the Amelia traveling from New York to New Orleans wrecked close to the island of Folly Beach. There were 120 surviving passengers that took to shore. Instead of finding safety, they were quarantined as word of cholera among the survivors started to spread among the locals. Most of the survivors ended up dying of either cholera or starvation and are said to still haunt Folly Beach today.

Folly Beach’s Civil War history plays a large role in their haunted legends. Morris Island was the site of the famous Fort Wagner battles of 1863. During and after the battles, parts of Folly Beach were turned into hospitals where many badly mutilated and wounded soldiers were treated. Many soldiers died in those hospitals and were buried in unmarked graves. Throughout the years, heavy storms have uncovered some of these graves. As late as 1987, the remains of 14 soldiers were uncovered on Folly Beach with 12 of the bodies missing their skulls and other body parts.

Today, residents claim to witness paranormal activity on the island and whether or not you believe in ghosts, there’s nothing like a trip to Folly Beach to get you excited for Halloween.

Source: https://rootsrated.com/stories/a-haunted-history-of-folly-beach