The Headless Skeleton of Deer Island

Aaarrrghh!  Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and here on Theresa's Haunted History, I'll be celebrating the best way I know how---with a pirate ghost story!  Today's addition to my Haunted America page is an eerie one from a small island just off the coast of Biloxi, Mississippi, known as Deer Island.

It was the early 1800s and two fishermen had just set up camp on the sandy shore of Deer Island.  As they sat around the fire, preparing their evening meal, they began to hear rustling coming from palmetto bushes nearby.  At first, they assumed that an animal must be causing the racket, as the wind was too calm to produce such activity.  But then, the rustling intensified to the point that the fishermen turned around...only to find themselves face to face...uh, well maybe not face to FACE...with a HEADLESS SKELETON! 

Understandably, the two fishermen began backing up from the eerie bone man, and when they realized it was following them, they took off towards their boat at top speed.  The men left the island and all their belongings there overnight.  The next morning brought sunlight and bravado, and the men returned to collect their things.  There was no sign of their skeletal guest, but it is noted that later on, some money was found near the campsite.

The idea that money was found near the site sparked rumors that the headless skeleton must surely be the ghost of a deceased pirate.  A tale was told that many years before the fishermen made camp on Deer Island that fateful night, a pirate ship had landed on that same shore.  After the booty had been buried, the captain asked if any of his men wanted to volunteer to guard the treasure.  A naive, young man responded that he would do it, not knowing that it was customary for the designated security for buried pirate treasure was to be...supernatural.  The captain took out his cutlass, lopped off the man's head, and threw the body in the palmetto bushes.  The young pirate was true to his word, and his spirit, in the form of a creepy, headless skeleton, watched over the treasure for many years.  It seems as though he has finally retired, as no 21st century encounters with the skeleton have been recorded.

This fascinating bit of local lore was first recorded in a Mississippi newspaper column titled "Back With Father Time in the Early Days of the Mississippi Coast."  The article,"Headless Ghost Haunted Deer Island In Olden Times," appeared on May 20, 1922 and was written by local historian, Anthony Ragusin, aka Mr. Tony.

Mr. Tony was introduced to the story of the Deer Island skeleton by 78 year old local, Eugene Tiblier Sr.  The Tiblier family had been in the Biloxi area since the French Colonial times and were respected citizens with a deep knowledge of the area's history.  

*Information for today's blog came largely from a SunHerald article dated 17 October 2015:

Coast Chronicles: Stories of ghosts on Deer Island

Gasparilla's Headless Princess

Jose Gaspar

Arrgh! September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! My accent is a little off and my wench dress is at the cleaners...so I think I'll just celebrate with some pirate ghost stories! The legends and lore of America's pirates are steeped with superstition and supernatural elements, and many of our most well-known bearded bullies of the sea are said to still be hanging around in spirit form. Whether they are still guarding their buried treasure, seeking to exact revenge on those who did them wrong, or simply being punished for a life of misdeeds, these pirate ghosts and the ghosts of their hapless victims make up a huge chunk of our country's ghost lore.

While pirate ghosts can be found in many coastal areas, (and apparently in Ohio, as well!), this particular tale comes from Gasparilla Island in Florida, part of a chain of Gulf Coast barrier islands. For almost 200 years, visitors to the island, which for over a century has been home to the Boca Grande Lighthouse, have claimed to see what appears to be a headless woman roaming the beaches.

Like most pirate ghost tales, this story also seems to be steeped more in folklore than in history, with no real historical evidence to back up the claims or even prove that the main characters even existed. So then who is this strange, headless apparition? As the legends go, the famed Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar, better known as Gasparilla, used the island as his home base of operations throughout the late 18th century and into the early 19th century. He is even said to have buried treasure somewhere on the island near where the lighthouse now stands. Unfortunately, material treasure wasn't the only thing Gaspar sought to make his own---he also had a thing for collecting beautiful women, which he held on a nearby island now known as Captiva Island.

One of the women he captured was allegedly a Spanish princess known as Josefa. Josefa was a great beauty, and Gasparilla wanted nothing more than to make her his own. However, the more he attempted to win her over, the harder she spurned him, until finally one day, she spat in his face. In a fit of rage, Gasparilla grabbed his sword from his side and Josefa's head off. Distraught over killing his beloved Josefa, Gasparilla took her body to his own island to bury it.  However, legend states that he only buried her BODY. He apparently kept her head with him until his own death in the 1820s.

Since then, the headless body of the Spanish princess has been spotted on the beaches of Gasparilla Island, looking for her missing head. Some say Gasparilla himself has also been witnessed wandering the beaches. Is he looking for that treasure he buried---or is he looking for his lost love, Josefa, who continues to spurn him even in death?

If you visit the island, don't be too discouraged if you don't see the poor Spanish princess or the love-sick pirate. Just make sure you check out the old lighthouse, which has plenty of ghost stories of its own!

Source: Lighthouse Ghosts, by Norma Elizabeth and Bruce Roberts

The Galloping Horseman of Pine Baron

Wescott Road, Edisto Island

In a little over a week, I'll be in Charleston, South Carolina! So, I was pretty thrilled when I recently stumbled across a little ghost story from Edisto Island, located about 40 miles south of Charleston.  I found this tale in the book, Tales of Edisto, by Nell S. Graydon.  Originally published in 1955, this book (which I got from our local Goodwill) is a treasure trove of the early history of the area, complete with a fair sprinkling of ghosts and legends!  One such legend is The Galloping Horseman of Pine Baron.

I haven't been able to find out much history about the actual original home of the Pine Baron plantation (often referred to as Pine Barren or Pine Barony).  However, we know that the original house was one of the many homes associated with the Whaley family, who were early settlers to the island.  Colonel Joseph Whaley was cited as living in the home between 1806 and 1862, when he was forced to leave due to Civil War tensions.

After the war, Joseph, along with his son William Whaley, fought to regain legal control of Pine Baron and other property.  Unfortunately, the original home was believed to have burned to the ground in the 1930s by a disgruntled family member.  There are several notable stories associated with the history of the house, but today's tale comes from a newer home of the same name located on the plantation.

In August of 1945, a storm was on its way to Edisto and the author of Tales of Edisto (Nell Graydon) was staying at a cabin on the beach.  When an evacuation of the beach was called, Mrs. Whaley invited several displaced persons to spend the night in the old family mansion.  At the time, Mrs. Graydon's son was with the 11th Airborne Division on Luzon in the Philippines. Communication with him had been sparse in recent weeks and there were rumors of upcoming major action in that area...action that if went poorly, would result in horrible consequences.  Therefore, Mrs. Graydon had been glued to the radio, hoping for news of the war.

About an hour had passed at the home when a tree fell, knocking out power. The increased rains were also threatening to flood the nearby creek and for the first time in history, the water was seeping uncomfortably close to the house.  One of the gentleman who were staying with the party, a Mr. M-, decided to throw on his overcoat and walk down to his car, where he hoped to hear some news about both the war and the weather conditions on the car's radio.

Mr. M- was gone for over an hour before coming back up to the house.  Unfortunately, there was too much static to hear much of anything and he had no war news to report to the worried Mrs. Graydon.  He did manage to hear enough to learn that the storm was hitting nearby Beaufort and that's when he decided he better head back up to the house!  He hadn't been back for long when Mr. M- casually asked the other 11 or so guests at the home what the gentleman with the lantern had wanted.

Mr. M- told the group that while he was at the car, he saw a man on horseback with a lantern quickly gallop toward the house.  However, none of the guests had any idea what he was talking about.  No one had come to the door and no one had seen or heard anything.  Mrs. Whaley, however, knew EXACTLY what was going on, and put her hand on Mrs. Graydon's shoulder.  "Don't worry," she said.  "Your boy is safe and no harm will come to Pine Baron or its occupants from this storm."

She quickly explained...

A former owner of the home, William Whaley, had such a short fuse that he was known as "Powder Bill."  Ever since his years at South Carolina College in the mid 1830s he had been known to partake in plenty of duels.  Shortly after his marriage, his young wife was appalled to learn that William would be taking part in yet another duel, 40 miles away in Charleston.  She begged him to allow her to accompany him, but he wouldn't allow it.  As a compromise, he promised to post couriers with fresh horses every five miles between Charleston and the island.  As soon as the duel was over, the news would reach her quickly.

Luckily, William survived the duel and the good news reached the young Mrs. Whaley in a timely fashion, right as planned.  And ever since then, in times of danger or despair, the occupants of Pine Baron would look for the Galloping Horseman.  The Galloping Horseman only brought GOOD news, and seeing him was a sure sign that all would be well.

*This story has a lot of similarities to another popular South Carolina coastal legend, the Gray Man of Pawley's Island.  The Gray Man, if seen during a hurricane, is a good omen, and whomever sees him will be safe from the storm.*