South Carolina Legend: The Ghost Hound of Goshen

According to Ernest Shealy, The Ghost Hound of Goshen or “Happy Dog” is not a nice spirit. But does this killer canine really exist or is it just a made-up mutt? 

Shealy, curator of the Newberry Museum, recounts the story of Union and Newberry counties’ famous ghost dog. In this story, man’s best friend holds a grudge against the townsfolk who killed his innocent master. Now he haunts a stretch of road deep in the Sumter National Forest. 

Some of the story seems to stray from the truth. “There are bits and pieces of the legend that don’t make sense, if you stop and analyze them,” says Shealy. Do you want to find out? Take a drive down Old Buncombe Road. Be warned...you may bite off more than you can chew. Maybe some mysteries are best left unsolved.