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ETV Delves Into the Darker Side of
South Carolina's Haunted History for Halloween
Slate of Scary Stories Kicks Off at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30
For Immediate Release
October 17, 2008
Columbia, SC... In the days leading up to Halloween, horror movies seem to fly off the shelves as Americans scare themselves silly in preparation for the most frightening night of the year. And most people find comfort in the fact that the on-screen monsters were dreamed up by Hollywood.
But how would that change if they knew the stories they were hearing came right from their own back yards, and that the things that go bump-in-the-night might not be just a piece of fiction?
South Carolinians will get their chance to find out on Thursday, Oct. 30, as ETV presents an evening of spine-tingling stories that took place in cities and towns all across the Palmetto State.
The chills begin at 9 p.m. with the premiere of the Carolina Stories documentary "Ghosts and Legends." The 30-minute program slithers through swamps and creeps across cemeteries in search of everything from the world-renowned "Lizard Man" of Lee County to the Phantom of the Abbeville Opera House, to the headless Confederate soldier said to be stalking Land's End.
The program also unearths the tales of the body buried beneath Aiken's Old Post Office, the little girl whose ghost haunts the nearby Annie's Inn, and the macabre legend of Edgefield's Becky Cotton, who was said to be so beautiful, she was found not guilty for murdering her first three husbands. Her fourth? He was a juror at her last trial.
Then at 9:30 p.m., ETV presents an encore broadcast of the Carolina Stories program "Jolly." The show chronicles the exploits of Manse Jolly, a Confederate soldier who purportedly killed as many as 100 Union soldiers in post-Civil War Anderson, SC. Allegedly, his hatred of Yankees and the deaths of his five brothers during the war sparked this killing spree.
Finally, at 10 p.m. the Southern Lens program, "Southern Haunts: Ghosts of the Lowcountry," explores the haunted histories of Charleston and Savannah. Highlights from the program include stories of the ghosts of Blackbeard and his bloodthirsty buccaneers who are known to descend upon The Pirates House in Savannah, and the Holy City's Old City Jail, where thousands were executed, including America's first female serial killer, Lavenia Fisher. It is said that her spirit still walks the halls of the Jail, wearing the white wedding gown she was wore at her hanging.
South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.
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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.
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