She Made Good Gravy

She Made Good Gravy, All Saint, Pawley's Island, SC    

I had been to All Saint's Church near Pawley's Island before but learned later I had missed this tombstone and had to go back. My friend Rosie and I each started at opposite ends of the cemetery and although I spotted a few other interesting ones, she hit the jackpot. This lady was clearly well known for her gravy!

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - Chapel of St. John the Evangelist

Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, Waccamaw, SC   

Clearly not taken today since it has been pouring rain since early afternoon. When I decided I couldn't go for my usual evening walk I settled into professional level laziness. Now that it is bed time, naturally I will perk up and get a second wind.

I took this picture a few weeks ago on a quick stop at All Saints Parish before exploring Pawley's Island. This little chapel tucked away in the back of the property was a happy surprise. It is comfortably furnished inside with couches and coffee pots for small group meetings and worship next to the larger church building. More information on the SCIway page and on the SC Dept of Archives & History.

Cedar Grove Plantation Chapel – This chapel was built by Dr. Andrew Hassell for his slaves. He had it constructed sometime around 1850. The chapel was given to the All Saints Episcopal Church in 1898 and was moved off the plantation (National Register).

Looking for Alice

Alice Flagg grave marker, All Saints, Pawley's Island, SC  

I appreciate that churches must get very weary of ghost seekers in their graveyards. I was there for a respectful visit - photographing the church and touring the cemetery but I couldn't resist keeping my eye out for the grave marker of Alice Flagg and taking a few pictures while I was there. Alice is frequently mentioned in any collection of lowcountry ghost stories. Coins, flower petals and token rings were left on the stone. Here is the version from Myrtle Beach Online: 

Alice Flagg, whose brother Dr. Flagg owned Wachesaw Plantation, was raised in wealth and grandeur along the Atlantic Ocean. She fell in love with a poor, young man and they maintained a secret affair, and later an engagement.Once Dr. Flagg found out about the lovebirds, he quickly shipped Alice away to a boarding school in Charleston.While there, Alice grew ill with fever and a broken heart. She returned home and, while being prepared for bed, Dr. Flagg found her engagement ring on a chain around her neck. Consumed with bitter rage, Dr. Flagg tore the ring from Alice’s neck, marched out onto the marsh and threw the ring into the muck.With each day Alice grew sicker, but she never forgot her precious ring. She died, begging with her last breath for her ring. She is believed to be buried in the Waccamaw Cemetery, underneath a plain, white stone marked “Alice.”To this day, many people claim to see Alice wandering around her grave, searching for someone or something. Some have reported a slight tug or spin on rings worn around fingers and on chains. Legend has it that walking backward around Alice’s grave on a certain night of every year causes the ghostly white figure to appear, searching for her lost love.Source: “Tales Along the Grand Strand of South Carolina” by Blanche W. Floyd

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - All Saints

All Saints, Pawley's Island, SC  

I had a few spots marked to visit on yesterday's day trip to Pawley's Island and this beautiful church was a highlight. We explored the historic cemetery and peeked in the windows and then walked across the street to the other chapels.

The land of All Saints Church goes "way back" in the recorded history of this Low Country region. In the early 1700's, our property was owned by Percival Pawley and his wife Ann, who transferred the title to their son, Thomas George Pawley, and William Poole as trustees for "the people of the Waccamaw Neck" in order to build an Anglican church on the site. Our "old church" adjoining the cemetery is actually the fourth church building on that site. The first was built in the 1730's, the second in 1816, the third in 1843, and the present church in 1916. Access by the early parishioners to these early churches was gained in two ways—by land and by sea! On the south side of the All Saints property is a wetland drainage basin, which forms the small creek which crosses Kings River Rd. This creek winds behind the Rectory, behind the cemetery and Old Church, where it becomes a larger body of navigable water known to this day as "Chapel Creek". Chapel Creek runs out to the Waccamaw River. Many of today's residents of the Waverly neighborhood have boats behind their homes in canals which run into Chapel Creek. "Back in the Day" owners of Waccamaw or Pee Dee River Plantations might have been sailed or rowed to church in high style, navigating up Chapel Creek to a landing at the back of the Old Church.