The graveyard next to the Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island is the location of one of South Carolina’s most famous ghost stories. The story is shared that at 22, Julia Seabrook Legare died of diphtheria and was buried in her husband’s family tomb. A few years later, her brother passed away, and when they opened up the tomb, a pile of bones was found inside of the tomb. The belief was that Julia had been buried alive. Hence, this is why there is no door on the tomb today.
I love a good ghost story, but I also like thoughtful debunking. Writer Jaime Rubio dove deep into the family records of the Seabrook and Legare families to determine that there is limited truth to the story, but it is a ghost story that continues to be perpetuated.
The front facade of the church is largely unchanged.
Established in the 1680s, the Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island is one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in the country. The current church building was built in 1831 and has largely stayed the same in its almost 200-year history.
The church’s graveyard contains graves as old as 1787. The headstones illustrate this long history ranging from slate markers to more modern granite ones. The most famous burial is Julia Legare.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Some of the lovely ironwork is draped with Spanish moss. One of several obelisks in the cemetery. The torches pointing downwards represent a life “snuffed out” or ended. Cornelia Adelaide Seabrook, d. 1856-The symbol with the child riding on the back of an angel means the child heading towards heaven.
The Brick Church was built in 1827 on land donated by Reverend Payton Wade. Enslaved labor from the Lebanon Forest Plantation built this church building, and it’s a testament to their skills that this is simultaneously the oldest church and oldest brick church in Screven County.
According to 1859 member rolls, there were 419 Black members and 150 white members. Considering the Wade family enslaved over 400 people, it is likely that most of the Black members were enslaved by the Wade family. There was a slave gallery at one point, indicated by the covered windows at the top. The gallery has since been removed.
The church and cemetery are still in use today. The Wade plantation still exists as a pecan farm, but it is no longer owned by the Wades.
If you’ve ever visited St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia, you were likely looking for the final resting place of JonBenét Ramsey. Another reason is to visit the supposedly haunted grave of Mary Meinert (1863-1898).
The striking marker of the mother holding her two babies stands out in the cemetery. At night, people claim they can hear the cries of a weeping woman, who they believe is Mary. Some say that if you get close enough that you can see the tears on her face. Others claim to hear a young child crying for their mommy or that the twin babies switch positions in her arms. On Halloween night, you can circle the marker three times and ask, “Mary, Mary, how did your children die?” and she will appear.
According to her obituary, Mary left behind six children, two of them being twin girls that were only four weeks old. By the 1900 census, Henry Meinert is listed as a widow with four children. I am unable to determine when the two twin girls passed away. The mother died of a lung ailment, but it was likely a birth complication.
Obituary from the Marietta Journal‘ on May 26th 1898 (page 1)
The Death Angel Darkens a home
Death has again invaded the happy home in Marietta and took a pure and good wife and a loving devoted mother. Mrs. Marion Meinert wife our esteemed fellow citizen Mr. Henry Meinert. The sad event occurred last Saturday morning about 11:30 o’clock. The deceased had been sick some four weeks, her lungs being involved.
She was one of the most patient, lovable women in Marietta. She had a heart that sympathized with suffering humanity and one who did more charitable work in visiting the poor and sick ministering unto their need that did Mrs. Meinert. She was a truly a disciple of Christ and went about doing good.
She was in her 34th year of her age at the time of her death. She leaves behind her husband and six children, of that number were twin girls four weeks old.
The funeral services were conducted at the family residence on last Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock, Rev J.H. Patton officiating. There was a number of our citizens present.
The casket was literally covered with flowers, some arrange in beautiful designs, offerings of friends. The internment took place in the Episcopal cemetery. We tender our sincere sympathy to the bereaved husband, children, relatives in this their sad hour of their grief.
Located in McIntosh County on Highway 17, Christ’s Chapel is better known as the “Smallest Church in America.” Initially constructed in 1940, the current church was rebuilt after it was destroyed by arson in 2015.
From the historic marker, “On November 29, 1841, the cornerstone was laid for Darien Methodist Church on Vernon Square. This church, set afire twice by Federal troops in 1863, did not burn and became the rallying site for the rebuilding of Darien. Destroyed in 1881 by a hurricane, it was replaced in 1883 by the present sanctuary. The Women’s Society, begun in 1878, raised funds for rebuilding.”
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