The Old Burying Grounds, a historic cemetery located on Ann Street in Beaufort, North Carolina, is a serene and beautiful place. The earliest marked grave dates to 1711. A canopy of moss-covered live oak trees shades tombstones within. But one grave in the cemetery has a unique story to tell.
In the 18th Century, a family with the last name Sloo (Slow) relocated from England to this region, bringing their infant daughter. The father was a ship captain who made his living trading with English settlements. Prosperity found the family, and they built a home that still stands on the waterfront today.
The little girl’s father and mother often told her stories about Europe, and she longed to visit one day, begging her father to take her on one of his trips. He knew the harsh trip across the Atlantic, which could take months, was no place for a child, but he finally decided to allow her to come along when she was old enough. The mother allowed her to travel with only one promise- to bring her back home.
On the trip back to America, the little girl fell ill during the voyage and passed away shortly after leaving Europe. Instead of burying her at sea, the father couldn’t break the promise he made to his wife, so he found the only thing that could preserve the little girl- a keg of rum.
When they arrived in port, her mother rushed to greet her, only to hear the heartbreaking news. Instead of disrupting her body after being inside for months, she was taken to the cemetery and buried still in the keg.
But her story doesn’t end there. People who visit at night have claimed to see a ghost of a young child wandering and playing between the graves, while others say they heard a young girl humming. Items left are often moved about the graveyard at night and found on top of other gravestones.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
