Many may remember this amusement park, located just south of Myrtle Beach, with its signature lighthouse out front that welcomed beachgoers. But, deep inside this fun park lurked something more sinister during its years of operation. Today, people share fond memories of this place as a source of nostalgia, but was this park doomed from…
Did You Know This About Kings Highway
Kings Highway, also known as Highway 17, has a rich and haunted history along the Grand Strand. Many may not be aware, but the origins of this route date back to a Native American path that was established over three hundred years ago. It was called the “King’s Highway” because, when completed by 1735, it…
The 1526 Sinking of The Capitana
The shores around the Grand Strand are home to many shipwrecks. After all, at one time, these waters were considered dangerous to navigate. One of the biggest mysteries is the 1526 sinking of The Capitana. This ship was the flagship of Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon’s expedition to the New World to establish a settlement. It…
The Pirate Queen: Anne Bonny
Murrells Inlet was once a hub for piracy in the early 1700s. It was easy to dip into the inlet to avoid capture and hide, which made it a desirable location. Often, piracy is associated with male figures, such as Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet, but two of the most formidable pirates of all time were…
Is the Isle of Palms sitting on Stolen Loot from a 1955 New York Bank Heist
In April of 1955, the Woodside branch of the Chase Manhattan Bank in Queens, New York, was the site of a $205,000 robbery. Thomas “Duke” Connelly served as the lookout and getaway driver on that day. Since robbing a bank is a Federal crime, Connelly gathered his wife and kids and sought safer confines in…
The Wreck of The Amelia
In 1832, the Amelia made a voyage from New York to New Orleans with 120 passengers on board. The ship wrecked on Folly Beach, stranding all onboard. While stuck, 20 of the passengers died of cholera, also known as “blue death,” and word traveled to nearby Charleston about the passengers. People panicked over a possible…
The Pirates Den: Folly Beach
Yes, the infamous pirate Blackbeard once blockaded Charleston and even threatened to burn the city to the ground. Some may even be more shocked to learn that the legend of Blackbeard extends to Fripp Island, near Beaufort, South Carolina, all the way down to Georgia. As I have mentioned in numerous articles, areas such as…
The 1946 Greenville Ideal Laundry Explosion
On November 19, 1946, one of the worst accidents occurred in the history of South Carolina, which left four to six people deceased, with another hundred to a hundred fifty injured. Around 6:00 PM, 3,500 gallons of propane exploded at Ideal Laundry and Cleaners in Greenville. The blast was felt as far away as Gaffney…
Remembering the 1996 John D. Long Lake Accident
On August 31, 1996, the unthinkable happened again when a family and one other person drowned at John D. Long Lake, just outside of Union, South Carolina. This is the same lake where Susan Smith also did the unthinkable in 1994. The Phillips family, from nearby, visited the site when their Suburban began to roll…
Is Union County, South Carolina, Sitting on Civil War Treasure
Down Highway 49, past Monarch, near Browns Creek Baptist Church, sits a swamp and plenty of pasture land. The highway once served as a former stagecoach route that connected Union to Charlotte. After the Civil War ended, the Union army entered the Upstate, pulling wagons and distributing food to the local population. A German man…