THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The grave of Alice Flagg on Pawleys Island has become one of South Carolina's most enduring ghost legends. According to local tradition, Alice died heartbroken after her family forbade her romance. Visitors frequently leave flowers and report seeing a young woman in white near the cemetery, along with mysterious lights and the unexplained disappearance of jewelry left at her grave.
Alice Flagg was the daughter of Dr. Allard Flagg and died in 1849 at the age of 15. According to local legend, Alice fell in love with a man considered beneath her social standing. After her family forbade the relationship, she secretly accepted his ring and wore it on a ribbon around her neck. When the ring was discovered, it was removed, and Alice reportedly died of a broken heart shortly afterward. She was buried at All Saints Church on Pawleys Island. Visitors have long claimed to see the apparition of a young woman dressed in white wandering the cemetery, while others report cold spots, disembodied voices, and mysterious lights. A popular tradition involves touching Alice's gravestone and then checking for a ring-shaped mark or mysterious blemish on one's hand after leaving the cemetery. Although the story has become intertwined with local folklore, Alice Flagg was a real person, and her grave remains one of South Carolina's most famous haunted sites.