Pawleys Island is on the coast of South Carolina and is home to a little over 100 residents and the legend of the Gray Man.
Some believe the Gray Man to be the spirit of a young man who died in 1822. He set out to visit his fiancé one day and mistakingly took a shortcut. That fateful choice sent him through the marsh, where he got caught in quicksand and died.
The following day, his ghost appeared to his fiancé by the ocean. She went home and told her parents what she’d seen. Concerned, they took their daughter to a doctor on the mainland. The following day, a hurricane hit the island, leaving only their home safe. The ghost of her beloved fiance had saved her life and her family’s home.
Legend has it that the Gray Man is only seen when a storm is about to hit. His presence is there as a warning to evacuate the island. If you see him, your home will be spared. Witnesses have claimed to have seen him and had their houses saved by storms in 1958, 1989, and 2018.
He still watches over the island to this day.
