THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Local folklore links the ancient Fairchild Oak to two deaths, including that of former property owner Norman Harwood and plantation owner James Ormond II. Visitors have reported seeing the apparition of a man near the tree, sometimes accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of sadness.
Local folklore has it that this oak tree, over 400 years old, was the site of two deaths. One was Norman Harwood, who purchased the property around 1900, and is said to have killed himself under the tree. The second was James Ormond II, who owned a plantation here. Ormond’s body also was found under the tree, although it is unclear whether it was a murder or a suicide. Nowadays, folks say the apparition of a man walks in the vicinity of the tree and leaves onlookers feeling intense sorrow.