There is an old adage that says, “you learn something new everyday”. Today I started reading a book called Strange South Carolina, by Sherman Carmichael. I thought I knew everything there was to know about my home state, but to my surprise there were more than a few things I didn’t know. In his book published in 2015, by the History Press in Charleston, Carmichael has written down 64 stories, some that might be folklore or legend and some that are true.
Some of the stories that he tells include The Lizard Man, The Pawleys Island Witch, Hunter’s Store, and Lake Murray, where he tells what lies beneath the lake, just to name a few of the 64 topics covered in the book of short stories. While there were some stories I had heard before, I found some new ones I did not know about. Like the Pelagornis Sandersi fossils found in Charleston which is the only fossil of this prehistoric bird that has ever been found. Also, Woods Bay State Park is somewhere I need to visit after reading about the story of the headless woman, but I will not go at night.
Many of the stories in the book have ghosts or supernatural influences, which would make it a good book to read around Halloween if you are into scary stories or mysteries. Personally, I like the historic stories the best. The book is well written and the stories are short, so you can read a few a day. The best thing about this book to me is that it is about places I know or have been to in the past. The setting of South Carolina and the rural places that have such unique and interesting stories make this a must read for all who love South Carolina! Sherman Carmichael is from Johnsonville, South Carolina and has written four books about South Carolina.