Just a few weeks ago, as Florence was forming at sea, a couple claimed to have spotted the supposed Grey Man ghost along the Cherry Grove Pier. He is known as a blessing for the locals living along the coast. The Gray man legend has been told for decades, and no one seems to be able to disprove the well-known lure. The first sighting occurring in the mid 1800’s, and ever since then the Gray Man has been known as a warning of oncoming storms or hurricanes.

 The legend goes, that a sailor was taking time off sea to travel home to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. It was a sunny day, with no sign of clouds, as the sailor made his way along the coast. He was in a hurry to return home to his fiancée, so he decided against taking his normal route. Thinking that crossing the marsh would save him time on his journey, the sailor took a shortcut.

When a tropical storm, or a hurricane is on the rise, the marshes in South Carolina, tend to flood. The water that washes into the marshes mixes with the sediment and forms a quicksand like substance that can be very dangerous. Not remembering this, the sailor took his horse and attempted to cross the marsh. As the sailor urged his horse forward, knee deep in the murky waters of the marsh, a storm moved in. The unexpected weather caused the waters to rise, and the wind to blow and low and behold, the horse and his rider sunk in the mud. With no one for miles, and no means of communication, the sailor sunk to the bottom of the marsh and was never seen again.

Due to the tragic event, the Grey man is said to be spotted right before any large, endangering storm moves in. He is a blessing for the locals and acts as their own personal warning system. The Grey man has supposedly been spotted before hurricanes such as Katrina, Matthew, Hugo and now Florence. There are several stories that feature witnesses of the Grey man. Those who believe that there is a reasonable explanation for everything have had a hard time explaining how the houses of those who have claimed to see the Grey man have survived any severe storm to hit the Carolinas. The Grey man is the hidden blessing of South Carolina. Part of the legend states that any person who witnesses the Grey man shall have their loved ones and belongings spared. With Florence fast approaching, the locals of South Carolina are glad to have been, yet again, warned by sightings of the Grey man.

If ghosts are not real, and myths are considered a false form of entertainment, then how is it possible that houses along the coast have remained standing with no sign of damage after damaging storms such as hurricane Hugo? With Florence fast approaching, people can expect to see hundreds of people walking the beach, hoping to run into the Grey man.