#118: SC Haunted History w/ Tally Johnson (podcast), Candlelight Tours of Drayton Hall, and Civil War Ghosts
#118: SC Haunted History w/ Tally Johnson (podcast), Candlelight Tours of Drayton Hall, and Civil War Ghosts
For South Carolina history lovers far and wide! Published weekly on Monday mornings. Enjoy weekly SC history articles, interviews w/ experts, book recommendations, and upcoming SC historical events.
Dear reader,
Welcome to SC History Newsletter #118!
It’s the best time of the year… spooooooky season! On that note, I hope you will enjoy today’s ghost-themed newsletter. We live in a beautiful and apparently…very haunted state! :)
As always, I’d like to welcome the following new subscribers to our community. Thank you for your interest in South Carolina history!
tally.johnson
ryrywest8
frankiecmclean
marendaallen
teresabetsill
saraofsc
jim2sheila
pbmbsc1964
maryspeedlynch
juleseck
jwood73663
pamkmccarty
ljlkward
mlesdgardner
warrenandkathy
mesmith5855
ryan.j.christian
jgainey62471
New friends! If you are new to the newsletter, please note that there are over 100 previous SC History newsletters on topics ranging from the founding of Charleston, sunken Confederate submarines, railroad tunnels filled with blue cheese, and so much more! I encourage you to take a look at our archive here.
Send me your topic ideas: I love it when subscribers write to me! Have a SC History topic or question you’d like for me to write about? Just reply to this email and let me know!
Join us on social: Please join us & keep the conversation going by becoming a member of our SC History Newsletter Facebook Community here! I can’t wait to meet you. :)
If your email “cuts off”: In your email app or website, if my emails “cut off” for you, please click the title of the email and it will take you to the full post on the Substack. I don’t want you to miss any content!
And now, let’s learn some South Carolina history!
Yours truly,
Kate
(Writing from Greenville, SC)
➳ Featured SC History Events
Please note our featured SC History Event below, and click here to visit my SC History Events Calendar that organizes all the upcoming SC history events I have discovered.
Please let me know if you’d like to add an event to the calendar! Reply to this email to send me your events.
Event Recommendation of the Week:
October 26th & November 30th | “2024 Candlelight Tours of Drayton Hall” | Drayton Hall | Charleston, SC | Tickets & information
“Create a very special historic memory this year in Charleston, SC. Take a candlelight tour of Charleston, SC’s historic estate, Drayton Hall circa 1738.
Beautiful and moving, this eighteenth century historic house is the oldest untouched home open to the public in the United States. On select dates, Drayton Hall will be open for these reservation-only Candlelight Tours to a limited number of guests on the dates below.
Experience Drayton Hall at night with these incredibly special candlelight experiences. This is a remarkable way to understand the house and the lives which touched it – and historic Charleston – from the perspective of a preserved colonial home.
$50 members/$55 non-members per person.”
➳ SC History Book, Article, & Movie Recommendations
“Civil War Ghosts of South Carolina” by Tally Johnson
(Note from Kate: This is a book by our podcast guest of today’s newsletter, Tally Johnson!)
“The Civil War was one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history and it began in South Carolina. The impact and after-effects of the war still affect us today, but are all the dead at peace? In this book, noted storyteller, folklorist, and author Tally Johnson provides both the ghost stories from throughout South Carolina that the Civil War left behind, as well as providing historical context for the stories. Some tales he debunks; but others, especially ones he personally witnessed, will make you shiver. Told in the voice of a native son of South Carolina, these stories prove that the past is always with us.”
➳ SC History Topic of the Week:
In our SC History Podcast #7, I was so excited to interview author and South Carolina haunted history historian, Tally Johnson!
As we enter spoooooky season here in South Carolina, I hope you will enjoy Tally’s insights, local ghost stories, and haunted history! :)
How to watch or listen to this interview:
Listen on Substack:
Click here or click on the image below to listen on the Substack podcast player.
Read the interview transcript:
On the Substack podcast page, you can toggle to the transcript of the episode at the top of the post.
Listen on iTunes:
Listen on iTunes by clicking below & subscribing
Watch/listen on YouTube:
Here is Tally Johnson’s bio:
Mr. Johnson is a native South Carolinian and a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College and Wofford College with degrees in history. He is the author of Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry, Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands, Ghosts of the Pee Dee (all for The History Press) and Civil War Ghosts of South Carolina (for Prospective Press) and has short stories in Off the Beaten Path 3 and Tales from the Old Black Ambulance (for Prospective Press). He is also the author of a Southern Gothic short story collection, Creek Walking (for Falstaff Books). He is the winner of the Caldwell Sims Award for Excellence in Southern Folklore from the USC-Union Upcountry Literary Festival. He has collaborated with Valentine Wolfe, contributing narration for the track The Bloody Bonnet at Blue Hole for their album, Winternight Whisperings. He has also contributed narration for the track Alice on the album Carolina Folklore by Antler Hill. He is on the Roster of Approved Artists as an author, as well as the South Carolina School Librarians’ list of storytellers. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, hiking, hammock camping, visiting historic sites, and reading. He has been a guest at ConGregate, ConCarolinas (also serving as Paranormal track manager for several years), Fandom Fest, MonsterCon, MystiCon, AtomaCon, Ret-Con, and Imaginarium, as well as a storyteller at several festivals, state parks, schools, and libraries all over South Carolina and the Southeast. He is currently Branch Manager at the Kershaw Branch of the Lancaster County (SC) Library.
Thank you for joining us, Tally!
Did you enjoy today’s interview? Any additional questions for Tally? Leave a comment below!
I always want to improve my work. Answer the poll below to give me your review of today’s newsletter. I also welcome your suggestions for new content! Simply reply to this email with your ideas. Thank you!