St. Helena Island, a sea island located in the Port Royal Sound of South Carolina has a long history. Some say it’s the oldest settlement in the United States, founded shortly after its discovery by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, a Spaniard looking to colonize the sea islands, some time around 1520. Port Royal, located on […]
A True Ghost Story from the Sea: The Curse of the Charles Haskell
I fear thee, ancient Mariner!I fear thy skinny hand!And thou art long, and lank, and brown,As is the ribbed sea-sand. I fear thee and thy glittering eye,And thy skinny hand, so brown.’ –“Fear not, fear not, thou Wedding-Guest!This body dropped not down. Alone, alone, all, all alone,Alone on a wide wide sea!And never a saint […]
Too good to be true, mayhem on the highway turns into a ghost story from Old Charleston and the legend of Lavina Fisher
Though she’s been dead for almost 200 years, Charleston is in love Lavina Fisher. Or rather the legend of Lavina Fisher. According to legend, Lavinia had a way with men, particularly her husband John. John and Lavinia ran the Six Mile House, located as stated, six miles north of Charleston. Travelers heading in and out […]
Living history in America’s most historic attraction: Plimoth Plantation brings the seventeenth century to life
Of the living history sites I’ve visited, none capture the imagination like Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth Plantation feels real, for aside from the visitors, there are no traces of modern life. There are no signs, no artifacts behind glass cases, no areas roped off. This is truly living history, as the interpreters never leave character, and […]
The reason for the season? How Christianity dyed its pagan roots.
I remember Christmas as a time of magic. There was something supernatural going on that you could never put your finger on. Flying reindeer, animals that talk at midnight, ghosts and Santa, a supernatural figure if there ever was one. To believe in Santa required faith, not unlike the kind of faith required to believe […]
Historic attractions, shipwrecks and solitude on Cape Cod
Many things come to mind when you mention Cape Cod – JFK walking the beach at his summer White House at Hyannisport, a getaway for the well-to-do, the arts and alternative lifestyle of Provincetown. But an incredible amount of history has washed up on Cape Cod’s shores. One of the largest barrier islands in the […]
