H I LT O N H E A D • B L U F F T O N • B E AU F O RT
in go o d s pir its
LEGENDS & LORE + HAUNTING HISTORIES + POTENT POTIONS
Oct 2026
UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE
Catherine Donaldson has represented the Sotheby’s International Realty brand for over 18 years. Her commitment to the brand is FIERCE. Call her today to discover why.
THE
DONALDSON GROUP 20 Castlebridge Court, Hilton Head Island CURRENT LY OFFERED FOR $ 3,995,000 The ONLY harborfront setting currently available in Wexford. Set directly on the harbor at the end of a private cul-de-sac, this five-bedroom residence combines exceptional outdoor living with one of the neighborhood’s most desirable settings. The spacious floor plan features a grand living room upon entry, adjacent dining room, a generous kitchen, bonus room, bunk room, three-car garage, and dedicated golf cart bay. Signature golf, active tennis community, pickle ball, a private marina, and the signature lock-controlled 37 acre inland harbour.
CATHERINE DONALDSON Principal Partner The Donaldson Group Catherine.Donaldson @SothebysRealty.com danielravenelsir.com
843.338.2069
ACC E S S O R I E S • C LOT H I N G HANDBAGS • JE W ELRY RESORT & TR AVEL • GIF TS
Visit us in store: Hilton Head | SHELTER COVE TOWNE CENTRE, HILTON HEAD SC Old Town Bluf fton | 32 CALHOUN STREET, BLUFFTON SC
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A New Chapter in the Heart of the Lowcountry. London Square is a neighborhood designed to embrace the slow pace and easy going character of Port Royal. Peaceful morning walks beneath centuries-old oaks, the adjacent Cypress Wetland, biking the Spanish Moss Trail, fresh produce from the Farmers Market, sunset jaunts to Sands Beach, and evenings on the porch beneath the glow of a gas lantern. London Square is the first major residential community to be developed in the heart of the Village of Port Royal in more than 20 years. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy one of South Carolina’s most beloved coastal towns in a beautifully crafted new home.
Contact Whit Suber at 803.518.3888 or visit online for more details.
LONDON S Q UA R E
The very best of Port Royal.
PortofPortRoyal.com
TOGETHER WE WILL FIND YOUR DREAM HOME.
5 Junket 6 Bedrooms 6.5 Bathrooms 5112 Square Feet $4,495,000 Completely reimagined Palmetto Dunes 2nd row beach home featuring a stunning open kitchen-to-family room and abundant natural light throughout. his exceptional -bedroom home offers two master suites plus en suite baths in every bedroom, a cool bunk room, and an elevator. Boasting a superb rental history and expansive outdoor living space, it includes a new deck and patio, a new saltwater gunite pool, and your own private spa. Immediately adjacent to the beach path and ust steps to the number one beach in the country, this rare offering is sold fully furnished
Kim possesses an innate talent for treasure hunting — whether it’s finding the perfect home for a buyer or securing the ideal buyer for a property. Her unwavering commitment to exceptional service empowers her clients not only to find their dream homes, but also to build impressive real estate portfolios. Kim offers every client the time, experience, dedication, and commitment it takes to make their home-finding dreams a reality.
kimmcelman.com 1.843.683.9098 kim@kimmcelman.com
DESIGNED FOR THE WAY YOU LIVE. Front Light Custom Homes builds one-of-a-kind residences across the Lowcountry, from Palmetto Bluff to Kane Island. Our clients want a home that’s entirely their own, but not the open-ended timelines, moving budgets, and endless decisions that usually come with building it. That’s why we created Curated Custom: a fully custom process with the guesswork removed. From the first conversation, you know the steps, the timeline, and what to expect. We coordinate the architects, the design review, the permits, and the details, so you can focus on the home itself. At the heart of it is the Front Light Design Studio, where you’ll see, touch, and choose every finish alongside our design team, in one place, with expert guidance at every turn. No scattered showrooms. No second-guessing. Find out what Curated Custom means for your next home.
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807 William Hilton Parkway, Unit 1400 Hilton Head 843.342.4955
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OCT 30 - NOV 1, 2026 • HHICONCOURS.COM
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What legend or ghost story scared you most as a kid? PUBLISHER Lori Goodridge-Cribb (Local since 1986) lori.goodridge@wearelocallife.com
“Casper. He did not scare me, but was he real?” - LORI
“Deerman, said to haunt the woods around Kewanee, Illinois. If you see him three times, you die.” - LANCE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lance Hanlin (Local since 2007) lance.hanlin@wearelocallife.com
“The headless motorcycle man of Elmore, Ohio. A specter haunts the bridge where he met his untimely demise. I've been chased!”
ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER Jeremy Swartz (Local since 2003) jeremy.swartz@wearelocallife.com
“The Maco Light, the ghost of a headless train conductor said to wander the tracks in North Carolina with a lantern.” - CHARLES
DESIGNER Charles Grace (Local since 1997) charles.grace@wearelocallife.com
- JEREMY
AUDIENCE & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT Ashlan Saeger (Local since 2016) ashlan.saeger@wearelocallife.com
“The legend of Constitution Drive in Pennsylvania turned many high school nights into ghost hunts.” - ASHLAN “Lydia’s Bridge in Jamestown, N.C., where a woman killed in a car crash is said to hitch rides on rainy nights.” - BAILEY
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Bailey Gilliam (Local since 2020) bailey.gilliam@wearelocallife.com
“The Michigan Dogman — or anything in the woods at night.”
WRITER / CONTENT CREATOR Alea Wilkins (Local since 2024) alea.wilkins@wearelocallife.com
“Growing up in West Virginia, it was Tailypo and Mothman.”
SALES REPRESENTATIVE Rebecca Kerns (Local since 1999) rebecca.kerns@wearelocallife.com
“Leprechauns. The movie, the character, the whole folklore around it. I don’t like them!”
DIGITAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Kenny Brister (Local since 2023) kenny.brister@wearelocallife.com
“The Jersey Devil, while at Girl Scout camp in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.”
SUBSCRIPTIONS & FINANCE Leah Ortega (Local in spirit) leah.ortega@wearelocallife.com
- ALEA
- REBECCA
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DISTRIBUTION & LIST STRATEGIST Bruce Wolff (Local since 2002) info@wearelocallife.com
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800 Main Street Hilton Head Island, SC, 29926 843-802-2258 + LocalLifeSC.com
VOL. 10, NO. 10 LOCAL Life is published monthly by Momentum Media Group, Inc. All contents are copyrighted by Momentum Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. For back issues or advertising information, call 843-802-2258. Publisher is not responsible for claims and contents of advertisements. Product submissions should be mailed. LOCAL Life is not required to use your submission in any manner, and whether anything from your submission is included in our magazine is in our sole discretion.
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Legends & Lore The Lowcountry is a place where history and mystery are never far apart. This issue explores the legends, ghost stories and superstitions woven into life along the coast, from mysterious lights and restless spirits to root doctors, haunted landmarks and traditions meant to keep the haints away. Discover the stories behind some of the region’s most fascinating tales, explore places steeped in history and legend, and uncover beliefs and traditions passed down through generations. Some stories can be documented. Others survive through the telling. Together they reveal a darker, more mysterious side of the Lowcountry.
©MICHAEL HRIZUK
ox
Oct
WHAT LIES BENEATH Skull Creek looks peaceful at sunset, but one of Hilton Head Island’s oldest treasure tales gives these waters a darker edge. Somewhere beneath a pair of live oaks, legend says, pirate gold was buried with a gruesome form of protection. Read more about Skull Creek’s buried treasure and its supernatural guardian on page 126.
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Scare tactics
Haunted houses, ghost tours and scares worth the drive
54
See the light
Searching for St. Helena Island’s legendary ghostly glow
18 LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
58
Rooted in mystery
Inside the enduring legend of local root doctor, Dr. Buzzard
68
Spirit protection
Local traditions meant to keep troublesome spirits away
106
Creepy greens
Strange and spooky plants that thrive in the Lowcountry
114
Still among us
Ghost stories where history, mystery and legends collide
160
Kitchen magic
Recipes, rituals and superstitions reveal food’s mysterious side
177
Potent potions
Two haunting cocktails made for sipping after dark
CE L EB RAT I N G OVE R 5 0 YE AR S OF FI N E ART I N THE LOWCO UNT RY.
Mark Boedges In Color, To Rise 40" x 30" Oil
MARK BOEDGES Artist Reception - Friday, November 6th, 5-7pm
40 Calhoun Street • Suite 201 Bluffton, South Carolina 843.247.2049 redpianoartgallery.com
Oct
contents
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Publisher
The Lowcountry’s legends, ghost stories and mysteries come alive after dark.
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24
Contributors
Meet the creative locals who brought this month’s issue to life.
Dream sequence
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Links
A homeowner’s childhood wish for a grand staircase inspired this elegant Colleton River residence.
Exclusive articles and extras waiting online at locallifesc.com 64
102
42
Blend
156
64
Legends
150
108
Style
176
140
Culture
156
Eats
The hot list: What to watch, read and listen to in October
Local places where history, mystery and legend meet
Fresh looks ease Lowcountry wardrobes into fall
Artists bringing Gullah spirits and traditions to life
How the Carolina Reaper became a worldwide legend
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92
112
150
176
Business
Living
Shopping
Music
Libations
What’s new, what’s next and what’s making waves
Choosing the right surfaces for coastal living
Seasonal orange decor brings a warm touch of fall home
Olga Kern takes on Beethoven’s mighty “Emperor”
California’s forgotten wineries come back from the dead
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102
114
154
178
Wellness
Plants, faith and tradition shaped Sea Islands healing
20
Outdoors
Horseshoe crabs follow the moon to Lowcountry shores
LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
Folklore
A tragic love story said to linger at the Chapel of Ease
Poetry
A poetic celebration of the trees that shelter local wildlife
Happenings
Festivals, concerts and events in October worth your time
publisher
The darker side of paradise
m
The Lowcountry’s legends, lore and things that go bump in the night
Most people picture the Lowcountry in daylight: sunny skies, sparkling water, ancient live oaks and miles of beautiful beaches. Spend enough time here, though, and you discover paradise has a darker side. Maybe it’s the landscape. Spanish moss hangs from twisted limbs. Fog settles over marshes and lonely roads. Centuries-old cemeteries hide behind churches and beneath towering oaks. Our forests, swamps and maritime woodlands can feel wonderfully wild by day and downright unsettling after dark. Then there’s the history. Our towns have witnessed centuries of war, hurricanes, shipwrecks, tragedy and triumph, with fascinating characters whose stories still linger. According to legend, a few of those characters have lingered, too. That inspired this month’s Legends & Lore issue. Many of us who now call the Lowcountry home brought ghost stories from wherever we grew up. Ask someone which tale frightened them most as a kid, and chances are the answer has a ZIP code. Maybe it was North Carolina’s mysterious Maco Light, West Virginia’s Mothman, the Michigan Dogman or New Jersey’s infamous Jersey Devil. These stories were whispered at sleepovers, repeated around campfires and passed from one generation to the next. The Lowcountry has plenty of its own. There’s the mysterious Land’s End Light, the legend of famed root IN GOOD SPIRITS doctor Dr. Buzzard and cemeteries where the dearly departed are Publisher Lori Goodridge-Cribb enjoys a rumored to be not quite so departed. There are famous phantoms good ghost story, but her favorite October such as the Blue Lady, the Gauche, Maggie, William Baynard and the spirits are usually served over ice. Give her a Fripps. And if ghosts aren’t enough, there are tales of strange creatures little pumpkin spice, a splash of vodka and lurking deep in the swamps, including the elusive skunk ape. room to mix one of her signature potions, and she’s ready for spooky season. Spend a night alone in one of those wild places, and suddenly every squirrel in the leaves sounds 10 feet tall. That’s part of the fun, especially in October. The sun sets earlier, the nights turn cooler, fire pits come alive, and ghost stories somehow sound a little more believable. We’ve filled this issue with plenty to get you into the spirit. You’ll find a field guide to haunted houses, ghost tours and scares worth the drive; hauntingly beautiful images of places said to be haunted; stories of ghostly encounters; and a fascinating look at Gullah root work, healing traditions, folklore and superstitions. We explore magical realism, recommend books filled with mysteries, myths and witches, uncover hidden powers in your iPhone and spotlight clever technology for exploring SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE what comes alive after dark. Don’t miss an issue of LOCAL Life. Scan this Do we believe every story in these pages? That isn’t the point. Legends survive QR code to subscribe because we keep telling them. They connect us to the people, places and mysteries to the upscale lifestyle that came before us, leaving just enough unanswered to make us wonder. So enjoy the magazine of Hilton Lowcountry sunshine. Walk the beach. Admire the moss-draped oaks. Just remember: Head Island, Bluffton, Paradise looks and feels a little different after dark. Beaufort and beyond. LORI GOODRIDGE-CRIBB PUBLISHER lori.goodridge@wearelocallife.com
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LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
Trick or treat:
WHERE TO GO Grab your bags and buckets. These local neighborhoods and hot spots have earned a reputation for frightnight fun and plenty of candy. HILTON HEAD ISLAND Ashton Cove Chinaberry Ridge Allenwood Victoria Square Coligny Plaza BLUFFTON Bluffton Park Hidden Lakes Westbury Park Old Town Bluffton Victoria Bluff BEAUFORT AREA Pigeon Point The Point Habersham Downtown Beaufort Port Royal
Before you boo: Neighborhood participation and public Halloween events can change from year to year. Before heading out, check community announcements and event schedules, respect gatedcommunity access, and look for that universal sign that candy awaits: a glowing porch light.
DRIVING CHANGE Have you spotted the LOCAL Life Jeep around town? This month we pulled up alongside Gwen Chambers, executive director of BlacQuity, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting, elevating and empowering Black-owned businesses while advancing equity in our local economy. Learn more at blacquitysc.org.
Located in lovely Sea Pines Center
contributors MEET LOCAL CREATIVES BEHIND THE SCENES Tim Conroy Poet OTHER CREDS: Retired educator, founding board member of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, author of the poetry collections Theologies of Terrain and No True Route. FOR THIS ISSUE: Poem, The Community Tree. WHAT INSPIRED IT? Through the lens of a tree, I wanted to express how our magnificent trees provide habitat for so many of our beloved creatures and how we must protect them. These living witnesses of history must reflect a community’s sacred stewardship. HOMETOWN: Using a military brat’s prerogative, I chose Beaufort. CURRENT HOME: Beaufort WHY THE LOWCOUNTRY? How can you enter a tidal creek and hear the windswept marsh, then be blessed by the visitation of dolphins, blue crabs and shorebirds, and not be transformed by its miracles? A soul-worthy task is to ponder the tracks in pluff mud on a barrier island, then watch the water rise over them. Each sunset, you’re struck: God is the poet of these rivers. POETIC INSPIRATION: Cardinal flowers, butterflies, green sweat bees, skinks, birdsong, how our senses react to every minuscule facet of the natural world, and messy lives and struggles to find a way back to love. Isn’t love the only response to our predicament? BEST WRITING ADVICE: In 1993 my brother, Pat Conroy, gifted me a journal and wrote on its first page: “Find your voice. Most people never find theirs. You’ve got to write down what you think, or you never hear what you are trying to say.” Both Pat and my sister Carol, a poet, encouraged me to say Cavafy’s “The Great Yes” and muster the conviction to become a writer.
Bob Speare Artist and wildlife photographer
BACKDOORHILTONHEAD
OTHER CREDS: Naturalist, former Mass Audubon environmental educator, Lowcountry Master Naturalist, South Carolina Master Gardener FOR THIS ISSUE: Great horned owl sculpture WHAT INSPIRED IT? Owls are a favorite subject of mine, and the great horned owl is so widespread and beautiful. I’m sure I’ll create more. HOMETOWN: Chicopee, Massachusetts CURRENT HOME: Hilton Head Island WHY THE LOWCOUNTRY? You mean besides the birds? The amazing habitats. FAVORITE LOCAL SPOTS: Our dock, Fish Haul Beach and Wednesday nights at Sprout Momma. OTHER PASSIONS: Music, hiking, gardening and travel. BEST CREATIVE ADVICE: From my wife: “You’ve got to get into the studio and work!” WHAT MIGHT SURPRISE READERS? I’m learning to play the banjo. FAVORITE LOCAL LEGEND: There are Gullah legends that describe herons and egrets guarding the boundaries between land and water, keeping the Boo Hags at bay. MOST MAGICAL LOCAL PLACE: The foggy creeks on an early-morning paddle. BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME: I’ve made several mascot-style costumes for nature-related Halloween events. My favorite was a rotting log because I could lie down in it.
Lyla Zawatsky Writer and designer
OTHER CREDS: University of Cincinnati student, Class of 2028; fine arts major and marketing minor FOR THIS ISSUE: Hot tech, Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival preview HOMETOWN: Cincinnati CURRENT HOME: Hilton Head Island OTHER PASSIONS: I love expressing my creativity through large-scale oil paintings. When I’m not painting, you can usually find me working out or soaking up the sun on the beach. LOWCOUNTRY BUCKET LIST: Getting out on the water: jet skiing, boat rides and beach picnics. I’d also love to do yoga and paint on the beach and, if I’m lucky, catch and cook my own fish. FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CANDY: Anything chocolate. Reese’s, Kit Kats and Almond Joys are my goto Halloween treats. FAVORITE THING ABOUT OCTOBER: Fall is by far my favorite season. There’s something nostalgic and wistful about the crisp, cool weather and changing leaves. Fall fashion is the best, I love football season at my university and, of course, Halloween is my favorite holiday.
Other locals who brought the legends to life… PHOTOGRAPHERS Dawn Brut + Arno Dimmling + Andrew Frazier + Michael Hrizuk + Lisa Staff + Mary Alice Tartler
The Shops at Sea Pines Center 71 Lighthouse Road #215 843.671.3677 24
Hilton Head’s foremost and most fun fashion boutique. LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
WRITERS Daisy Dow + Becca Edwards + Denise Friday + Barry Kaufman + Debi Lynes + Carolyn Males + Marie McCaa Margaret Pearman + Elizabeth Robin + Michaela Satterfield + Michele Roldán-Shaw + Richard Thomas CONTRIBUTORS Amanda Castillo + Marcia Cornell + Jennifer Kenwell + Stephanie Lavender Jackie Wells-Lindstrom + Addison Palmer + Jim Palmer + Jean Meaney Wheatly
BLUFF TON • NORTH PALM BE ACH
W W W. K E L LYC A R O N D E S I G N S . CO M
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In case you missed it ...
From yes to I do
A Thoughtful Approach to Wealth in Retirement.
On the web: Articles our readers are loving at LocalLifeSC.com
Retirement deserves more than a standard investment approach. Our boutique team combines personalized advice with ongoing market intelligence from our Chief Investment Strategist — helping you navigate changing markets with confidence while keeping your retirement plan focused on what matters most.
Lowcountry Wedding: Planning a local wedding? Our guide has everything you need. Explore the digital issue, browse top local vendors, or request a complimentary copy at weddings.locallifesc.com
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Where to eat, buy and catch the Lowcountry’s freshest shrimp What your dog’s DNA can reveal about their health and behavior A guide to Bluffton’s best art galleries and creative spaces
Sign up for LOCAL Life newsletters A Registered Investment Advisory Firm Active Customized Portfolio Management since 1987 HILTON HEAD CAPITAL WEALTH ADVISORS, LLC GLEN W. ROBERTS – HHCP PRESIDENT & SENIOR PARTNER, CONWAY, SC WILLIAM M. GOLDFINCH – GOLDFINCH FINANCIAL GROUP, CONWAY, SC
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WATERSTREET RESEARCH PARTNERS, MINNETONKA, MN
Bruce Brenner Wood Managing Partner
804.350.1338 bwood@hiltonheadcp.com 7 Lafayette Place, Suite B, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
HILTONHEADCAPITALPARTNERS.COM FEE ONLY PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT 26Custodians: LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026Financial and Charles Schwab Our Raymond James
Want more LOCAL Life? Have our three newsletters delivered to your inbox each month. The Dish Best local bites for the weekend The Buzz LOCAL Life’s latest must-reads The Nest Home trends and tips
About the cover
A dried palm frond hangs against weathered blue boards at Bluffton’s historic Garvin-Garvey House, creating a hauntingly simple image for our Legends & Lore issue. Photographer Michael Hrizuk captured the scene for “Keeping the haints away” on page 68, which explores Lowcountry traditions surrounding spirits, superstition and protection, from haint blue and bottle trees to brooms and horseshoes. Readers can experience the historic setting for themselves at Oyster Factory Park in Old Town Bluffton. The house is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Hrizuk is the art director and photographer behind Hrizuk Studio. See more at hrizukphoto.com.
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Savannah haunted houses Why settle for a staged haunted house when the real thing is waiting just across the Savannah River? This October, trade artificial thrills for the authentic, spine-tingling experiences that only Savannah can provide. Named the most haunted city in America by the American Institute of Parapsychology, the Hostess City is home to many eerie landmarks and historic homes where ghosts are said to roam. Fuel up the car, and embark on a spirited nighttime adventure where the paranormal may be more than just a story. locallifesc.com/savannah-haunted-houses
Taco the town
Send a little Lowcountry
Maggie & Me
In honor of National Taco Day on Oct. 6, we compiled a list of local restaurants and food trucks that deliver exceptional flavor in a soft shell. From authentic Mexican eats to Lowcountry-inspired originals, these favorite spots make every Taco Tuesday worth celebrating. View the full roundup on LOCAL Life’s Instagram. @LOCALLifeSC
Share a piece of the Lowcountry with LOCAL Life’s “A Shell of an Issue” greeting card, featuring Michael Hrizuk’s memorable crab-pot cover from July 2019. Cards start at $6.22 and are available in multiple sizes, finishes and quantities, with envelopes included. Find this card and other LOCAL Life favorites at local-lifemagazine.myshopify.com.
500+ recipes to try Need a little inspiration in the kitchen? Explore more than 500 recipes in LOCAL Life’s newly improved digital collection, from signature dishes by local chefs to tried-and-true favorites made for sharing. It’s now easier than ever to find, save and print your next favorite recipe at LOCALLifeSC.com.
CLOTHING . SHOES . ACCESSORIES 6 Bruin Road, Bluffton Tuesday thru Friday 10 until 5 Saturday 10 until 4
843.707.9083 28
LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
CHAPTER CHAT
LOCAL Life’s Rebecca Kerns reviews “The Correspondent" by Virginia Evans, a warm, moving novel told through the letters of an unforgettable woman reflecting on friendship, family, loss and the connections that shape a life. Watch her review on LOCAL Life’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@locallifesc
A H OM E F O R Every Way of Life
DISCOVER A NEW VIEW OF THE BLUFF
4 4 0 CO R L E Y ST R E E T
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Beds: 3 | Baths: 3 Full, 1 Half | Sq Ft: 2,247
From trails and tee times to sunsets over the water, Palmetto Bluff’s latest homesite release lets the land set the pace. With views of the Inland Waterway, the Crossroads golf course, and the surrounding Lowcountry landscape, these homesites present a rare perspective of the Bluff.
Ten Homesites, Now Available
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Beds: 4 | Baths: 4 Full, 1 Half | Sq Ft: 4,479
At the heart of Palmetto Bluff is the land itself, and here each home is as distinct and storied as the Lowcountry landscape that surrounds it. From grand estates and riverfront retreats to charming cottages and thoughtfully placed homesites, every residence is both unique and unified in its place at the Bluff. Whether overlooking the marsh, tucked among the live oaks, or nestled within a bustling village, every home offers a distinct way to
AVA I L A B L E LISTINGS
experience life at the Bluff. Come experience the Lowcountry as it was meant to be lived.
palmettobluf f.com | 843.612 . 8566 | 19 Village Park Square Obtain the Property Report required by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. This does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy where prohibited by law. The complete offering terms are in an offering plan available from sponsor. File no. H-110005
local blend ©HILTON HEAD ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL
WORD ON THE STREET + COMMUNITY TIDBITS + FAST FACTS + LOCAL LANDMARKS THE HAUNT AT HHIHS 70 Wilborn Road, Hilton Head Island
The scare: Student stagecraft gets a sinister makeover. The shortest drive on our list might also be the easiest way to get yourself into trouble. Each year Hilton Head Island High School theater students transform their performing arts space into a maze of shadowy corridors, sinister scenes and strategically placed scares. This is more than a few cobwebs and plastic skeletons. Students put their theatrical skills to work with sets, lighting, sound, music and costumed actors lurking out of sight for just the right moment to make you jump. The result is a homegrown haunt with the feel of a live production and an easy entry point for families and Halloween fans not quite ready to venture deep into the woods.
©THE REAPER'S DUNGEON
Experience it: 7-10 p.m. Oct. 25, 27, 28, 29 and 30. Tickets ($10-$30) are available at the door of the HHIHS theater.
s
Worth the fright
A field guide to October’s haunted houses, ghost tours and other scares worth the drive STORY BY MARIE MCCAA
Some haunted attractions are a quick detour after dinner. Others require a full tank of gas, a brave friend in the passenger seat and the uneasy acceptance that whatever scratches the car door on the way home is probably best left unexplained. When October rolls around, the Lowcountry gets a little darker. Cornfields become corridors, forest trails disappear into blackness, and perfectly normal people suddenly develop a disturbing interest in chasing strangers through the woods. Plenty of scares are within striking distance of Hilton Head, from student-built haunts to sprawling forest trails and candlelit walks through one of America’s most famously haunted cities. Consider this your field guide, starting close to home and working outward. Choose your scare wisely.
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LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
THE REAPER'S DUNGEON 280 Recreation Lane, Walterboro The scare: A long walk through the woods where you're definitely not alone. Reaper's Dungeon understands one of horror's oldest rules: Sometimes what you can't see is much scarier than what you can. The attraction builds its scares around a long wooded trail, using isolation and anticipation as much as actors and effects. Live performers lurk along the route, but the trees do plenty of the psychological heavy lifting. You hear movement before you see anything. Something flashes between the trunks. Then you spend the next hundred yards wondering whether the noise behind you is part of the attraction or something you would rather not meet. Recommended for ages 12 and older. Experience it: 7-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in October. General admission is $8. About 70 miles, or 1 1/2 hours, from Hilton Head. reapersdungeon.com
ALEE SHRINERS HAUNTED HOUSE 100 Eisenberg Drive, Savannah
The scare: Moving floors, monsters and classic haunted-house mayhem. If you like your Halloween scares served with a side of Why is the floor moving?, this Savannah haunt is a strong contender. The trouble starts with a hand-built vortex tunnel designed to scramble your sense of balance before you have even found your footing. Simulated walkways, a suspension bridge and shifting environments make simply getting through the place part of the ordeal. Then come the masked characters, creepy creatures and chainsaw-wielding maniacs. Fake blood, spider webs, severed limbs and themed rooms add to the old-school chaos, while the floors, walls and scenery seem just as interested in messing with you as the actors. Alee describes the attraction as family-friendly, but don't mistake that for scream-free.
©ALEE SHRINERS
WE’VE GOT IT ALL FOR FALL!
Experience it: 7-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in October. Tickets are $25. About 45 miles, or 1 hour, from Hilton Head. aleeshriners.org
SAVANNAH HISTORY & HAUNTS 17 W. McDonough St., Savannah
The scare: Ghost stories told where they supposedly happened. For Halloween fans who prefer goosebumps to jump scares, Savannah supplies plenty of atmosphere before the storytelling even begins. This 90-minute outdoor walking tour winds through historic squares and cobblestone streets as guides recount ghosts, superstitions, tragedies and some of the city's darker chapters. There are no elaborate sets or chainsaw-wielding actors here. The scenery is Savannah itself: moss-draped oaks, centuries-old buildings and shadowy squares. It's a slower, more atmospheric kind of fright, best suited to those who would rather hear a chilling story beneath an old oak than have someone leap out from behind it. Experience it: Tours are offered year-round with dates and times varying. Reservations are required. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for ages 7-12 and free for ages 6 and younger. About 45 miles, or 1 hour, from Hilton Head. savannahhistoryandhaunts.com
For all your Fall landscaping needs visit our boutique Garden Center!
©SAVANNAH HISTORY & HAUNTS
WICKED SOUTH HAUNTED FOREST 3001 Lawrence Church Road, Pembroke, Georgia
The scare: A lost carnival, dark woods and nowhere comfortable to hide. For anyone who thinks haunted houses have far too many walls, Wicked South takes the terror outside. Its backstory begins with a traveling carnival whose performers set up camp in the woods. Something went wrong, the performers disappeared, and the abandoned camp was swallowed by the forest. According to the legend, when the mist settles between the trees, you can still hear them. That creepy premise unfolds along twisting trails filled with elaborate sets, props and live scares. Limited visibility may be the attraction's most effective trick: You can't see far ahead, you don't know where the trail will lead, and nearly every tree looks capable of hiding something. Visitors should be ready for uneven terrain and whatever October weather decides to add to the production. If you hear carnival music somewhere deep in the woods, don't say we told you to follow it.
©WICKED SOUTH HAUNTED FOREST
Experience it: Select nights Oct. 3-Nov. 1. Hours vary by date. Timed entry; admission is $15, parking is $2. About 73 miles, or 1 1/2 hours, from Hilton Head. wickedsouthproductions.com
35 Dillon Road | Hilton Head 843.715.2908 RETAIL GARDEN CENTER • GIFT SHOP LANDSCAPING • DESIGN • MAINTENANCE OCTOBER 2026 + LocalLifeSC.com 31 HARDSCAPING • DECKS • PERGOLAS • PATIOS
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hot tech
Clever gadgets for seeing, hearing and exploring what comes alive after dark SELECTIONS BY LYLA ZAWATSKY
Heat seeker
Steiner Nighthunter H35 Lite Gen II See the Lowcountry after dark in an entirely different way. This high-end thermal monocular detects differences in heat, allowing warm animals and objects to stand out when little or no visible light is available. It’s serious technology for nighttime wildlife watching and after-hours exploration. steiner-optics.com. $1,725
Did you hear that? Zoom H1essential Stereo Handy Recorder Footsteps in an empty hallway? A strange call from deep in the woods? This pocket-sized recorder uses stereo X/Y microphones and 32-bit float recording to capture the sounds of the night in impressive detail, including those you may wish you hadn’t heard. zoomcorp.com. $100
Deep-sea director
UV see what I see?
UltraFire 502UV PRO UV Light Some of nature’s strangest colors don’t reveal themselves in ordinary light. This rechargeable 15-watt UV flashlight is offered in 365 nm and 395 nm versions for making certain fluorescent materials glow. Take it outside after sunset and see what appears. ultrafire.com. $26
OCTOMASK Dive Mask for GoPro Turn your next dive into an underwater documentary. The OCTOMASK incorporates a GoPro mount directly into the dive mask, leaving your hands free to swim while your camera captures fish, sea turtles and anything more mysterious that happens to cross your path. Camera not included. octomask.com. $80
Proof positive
HP Sprocket Portable Instant Photo Printer Every unexplained sighting needs photographic evidence. This pocketsized Bluetooth printer connects to your smartphone or tablet and turns digital snapshots into 2-by-3inch ZINK prints. Perfect for haunted-house adventures or that blurry image you’re absolutely certain contains something supernatural. sprocketprinters.com. $90
Batting around
Wildlife Acoustics Echo Meter Touch 2 Bat Detector The night isn’t nearly as quiet as it sounds. Plug this ultrasonic detector into a compatible smartphone or tablet to hear bats’ high-frequency calls. Its companion app can record calls, display colorful spectrograms and even suggest possible species based on their calls. wildlifeacoustics.com. $179
Some voices never die
Watts haunting you?
A dead phone is scary enough. A dead phone miles from home is worse. This 20,000mAh solar power bank has four built-in cables, 20W fast charging, a camping light and flashlight, and enough connections to power up to six devices at once. blavorpowerbank.com. $70
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Night of the living zoom
Minolta MNDM10B 10x25 Night Vision Monocular Thermal imaging finds heat; night vision reveals the scene. This digital monocular combines 10x magnification with an 850 nm infrared illuminator, letting you peer into dark surroundings while capturing 4K UHD video and photos up to 48 megapixels. Now you can find out what snapped that branch. minoltadigital.com. $240
Para4ce Polterscript Device Ghost hunters have long listened for electronic voice phenomena, or EVPs. The Polterscript takes a different approach, converting what its maker describes as environmental energy changes into voice and text. Does that mean the spirits are talking? We’ll leave that investigation to you. ghosthuntersequipment. com. $399
A NEW STANDARD OF LUXURY IS TAKING SHAPE. See the vision come to life. 57 Inverness Drive • Colleton River • Offered at $3,950,000
SCAN FOR A WALKTHROUGH
To book a private tour, text or call Dan Anton at 401.338.1634. Email at Dan.Anton@BlufftonToHiItonHead.com
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TECH IT EASY
Hidden powers
YOUR IPHONE KNOWS A FEW TRICKS YOU MAY NEVER HAVE DISCOVERED STORY BY LANCE HANLIN
Let the group vote
y
Where should we eat? Which movie should we watch? What should we do Saturday night? Instead of enduring 47 increasingly confusing group texts, create a poll directly in Messages. With iOS 26, an iMessage conversation can include a poll with up to 12 choices, and everyone can watch the results come in. TRY IT: Open an iMessage conversation, tap the + button, and select Polls. Everyone participating in the poll needs compatible Apple software to see and vote in it.
You use it to text, check the weather, take pictures and figure out where you’re going. But hiding behind that familiar screen are features that can do things that seem almost supernatural. Your iPhone can remember where you’ve been, help settle a group debate, reduce motion sickness and even turn a lengthy webpage into a quick summary. Some of these powers arrived with recent software updates. Others have been hiding in plain sight. Consider this your guide to a little digital magic, no crystal ball required.
Remember where you’ve been
Can’t remember the name of that great restaurant you stumbled across on vacation? Your iPhone might. With Visited Places enabled, Apple Maps can keep track of restaurants, shops and other places you visit, then let you search your history by name, category, city or date. You can even add private notes to saved places. According to Apple, Visited Places are end-to-end encrypted and can’t be read by Apple. TRY IT: Open Maps, tap Places, then Visited Places. If it isn’t enabled, go to Settings > Apps > Maps > Location and turn on Visited Places.
Cure the back-seat blues
Summon the short version That fascinating article you found online would be even more fascinating if it weren’t 5,000 words long. On compatible Apple Intelligence devices, Safari can generate a summary of a webpage, giving you the main points without requiring you to read the whole thing. It’s useful for getting the gist, but don’t treat an AI summary as gospel. Apple notes that generated results can vary, so check important information against the original. TRY IT: In Safari, open a web page, tap the Page Menu button, and choose Summarize.
Give your alarm a personality For years the iPhone’s snooze button operated on Apple’s schedule. iOS 26 finally lets you choose your own. Want seven minutes? Twelve? Fifteen? You can customize the snooze duration for an alarm instead of accepting the standard setting. TRY IT: Open Clock > Alarms, create or edit an alarm, turn on Snooze, then choose your preferred Snooze Duration.
Find that mysterious PDF app Notice a new Preview icon on your iPhone? Don’t banish it to the App Library just yet. The familiar Mac app arrived on iPhone with iOS 26, putting a surprisingly capable document toolbox in your pocket. You can use it to view and edit PDFs and images, scan documents, fill out forms with AutoFill and export files in different formats and sizes. TRY IT: Open Preview the next time someone sends you a PDF instead of immediately hunting for another app.
Turn Apple Music into a DJ Apple Music picked up a few tricks that can make listening feel a lot more interactive. AutoMix blends compatible songs using techniques such as beat matching and time stretching, creating smoother, DJ-style transitions instead of awkward gaps. And when a favorite song is in another language, Lyrics Translation can help explain what the words mean, while Lyrics Pronunciation shows you how to say them. TRY IT: Start playing music and look for AutoMix in the playback controls. For a supported song in another language, open the lyrics and look for translation and pronunciation options.
Reminders is smarter than you think
Reading your phone in a moving car can be a recipe for queasiness. Vehicle Motion Cues may help. The accessibility feature places animated dots along the edges of the screen that move with the vehicle, giving your eyes visual cues that better match the motion your body is feeling. You can even set the feature to turn on automatically when the iPhone detects that you’re riding in a vehicle.
Apple’s Reminders app can do much more than nag you about an appointment. On compatible Apple Intelligence devices, share a recipe from Safari, and it can identify grocery items for your list. Create a Groceries list and Reminders automatically sorts items into categories such as Produce, Seafood and Frozen Foods. You can even build Smart Lists that automatically collect reminders based on tags, dates, locations, priority and other rules.
TRY IT: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Vehicle Motion Cues and choose Automatic. Just remember that this one is for passengers, not drivers.
TRY IT: In Reminders, tap Add List and choose Groceries for an automatically organized shopping list or Smart List to create your own filters.
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Northpoint Mortgage, Inc. is an Equal Housing Lender. NMLS 1515. South Carolina BFI Mortgage Lender / Servicer License. Loan program terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. All loans are subject to underwriting approval. Certain restrictions may apply. Call for details.
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Legends on the page Five books filled with mysteries, myths, witches and larger-than-life characters
Denise Friday, a social worker and mother of twins, finds both escape and reflection in a good book. This month she turns the page on legends, lore and unforgettable characters.
THE UNKNOWN BY RILEY SAGER In 1926 five women vanished from a remote Vermont island called New Avalon. There was no trace except their clothes hanging from a tree. There were never any answers, just an enduring mystery soaked in folklore and fear. One hundred years later a filmmaker wants to make a movie about the island and sends his cast there to experience the surroundings. Written with a slow, creeping sense of doubt and dread, the tension between the characters contributes to their growing terror of the island. An unpredictable thriller that will have you keeping the lights on!
CIRCE BY MADELINE MILLER The legend of Circe is expanded in this brilliant retelling. In The Odyssey, Circe is mostly known for turning Odysseus’s men into pigs. Miller takes Circe out of the background and expands her story to show that life is not what you are born into, but what you make of it. Born into a powerful house but seemingly without powers of her own, she is scorned by her family. Yet she discovers the power of witchcraft, and her craft threatens gods and angers mortals. A flawed outcast, she must ultimately decide between two worlds: her family of gods or the mortals she loves.
THE PIRATE QUEEN BY ARIEL LAWHON This historical novel portrays the life of Grace O’Malley, a 16th-century Irish noblewoman who became a legendary sea captain and pirate. She gained her love of the water from her seafaring family but was pushed into a brutal marriage for status and land. Ousted from her husband’s lands, she eventually returns to the sea, leading her clan’s fleet and fighting to protect her people against English incursions. Blending Irish legend with real history, Grace’s story is one of violence, danger, family and a woman determined to protect what is hers.
THE WITCH BY FREIDA MCFADDEN
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A new release from McFadden arrives just in time for spooky October. Julia Barlow has lost her home and job, so she retreats to her family’s 17th-century Massachusetts estate to check on her aging grandmother and hide out for a while. Odd disturbances in the house lead her to research its history, and the dual timeline shifts between the present day and the witch trials of 1692. She soon discovers some very unpleasant events connected to her family home, and they may not be entirely in the past. You will not see these plot twists coming!
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Subtle changes. Still you.
Gifted has everything Mahjong!
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Local IQ
October crossword challenge for locals
CLUES BY LANCE HANLIN + GRID BY JEREMY SWARTZ ACROSS 2. Name attached to Sea Pines ruins with a legendary resident ghost 5. Legendary St. Helena Island root doctor famed for his conjure work 6. Break this for a supposed seven-year streak of bad luck 8. African American spiritual tradition associated with root work and conjure 9. Beaufort cemetery that inspired the “garden” in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 10. Color traditionally believed to keep evil Lowcountry spirits at bay 11. Hilton Head lighthouse where the Blue Lady is said to linger 14. Object carried for luck, protection or supernatural aid 15. Gullah term for a troublesome or restless spirit 16. Legendary young woman said to haunt Daufuskie’s Haig Point Lighthouse 18. What Mom said to wait an hour to do after lunch DOWN 1. Walk under this if you’re willing to tempt fate 3. What cracking your knuckles doesn’t cause, despite the family warnings 4. Sweep someone’s feet with this and superstition says they may never marry 5. ___ tree, where wandering spirits supposedly get bottled up 7. Sign believed to foretell the future 11. What mysteriously appears along St. Helena’s Land’s End Road 12. Jester who reportedly never checked out of Beaufort’s “Castle” 13. Surname of Edgar and Eliza, whose spirits are said to haunt the Chapel of Ease 17. Swallow this and childhood lore gives you seven years to regret it
6.
Voted Best Gift Shop Every Year! Thank You for Shopping Local.
11.
Gorgeous Free Giftwrap Always!
Answer key ACROSS: 2. BAYNARD 5. BUZZARD 6. MIRROR 8. HOODOO 9. CITIZENS 10. BLUE 11. LEAMINGTON 14. CHARM 15. HAINT 16. MAGGIE 18. SWIM DOWN: 1. LADDER 3. ARTHRITIS 4. BROOM 5. BOTTLE 7. OMEN 11. LIGHT 12. GAUCHE 13. FRIPP 17. GUM
SUITE J2, VILLAGE AT WEXFORD
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Official Mensa®Challenge BECOME A LEGEND!
Don't let fear stop you from solving this Mensa quiz! 1. The names of three animals are hidden in the sentences below. Can you find them? (The letters are in consecutive order.) "See the bad ogre," said the storybook reader. "It was a delicate matter because the ogre was, maybe, arguably not ogre-like." 2. Each of the following definitions can be answered by two words that rhyme. More overweight record _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ticket on a piece of furniture _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Trick done with an improvement on papyrus _ _ _ _ _
_____
3. A palindrome is a word, sentence or group of words that reads the same backward or forward. For Mother's Day, the children called the florist to place a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . 4. The following 17 letters can be anagrammed into a two-word phrase meaning "not yet finished." DREIOOUUCCRST TNNN 5. Each of the crystal or china manufacturers is associated with one country. Match each one with the correct country in the list at the right.
1. Lenox 2. Wedgwood 3. Waterford 4. Lladro 5. Limoges
a. France b. United States c. England d. Ireland e. Spain
ANSWER KEY 1. dog, cat, bear 2. fatter, platter; table, label; paper, caper 3. RED ROSES ORDER 4. UNDER CONSTRUCTION 5. 1 - b; 2 - c; 3 - d; 4 - e; 5 - a
Mahjong mastery
World-Class Doctors Providing the Best Local Care. When it comes to the very latest cutting-edge technologies and unparalleled patient outcomes, eye care experts around the world look to the Lowcountry and the passionate eye care pioneers at Bishop Eye Center. The best of the best in superior compassionate eye care are right here in Hilton Head, Sun City, and Bluffton.
You don’t have to look – or go – far.
You’re halfway through the game with a promising hand and a first-line consecutive run taking shape on the right side of the card. Then disaster: The third 7 is discarded, leaving you no way to complete the pair. Time to pivot. How many possible pivots can you spot?
ANSWER: Four
The Leading Center for Cataract Surgery
Did you find them all? Watch Jennifer Kenwell’s video to see the four possible hands and how to make the switch. Find it at locallifesc.com or on the LOCAL Life YouTube channel (@locallifesc).
H ilto n Hea d • B l uf f ton N ew Rive r/Sun C i ty 8 4 3 -6 8 9 -3 9 3 7 • B i s hopEye . c om OCTOBER 2026 + LocalLifeSC.com
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“You look fantastic. Have you been on vacation?” Now you can get that compliment every day — without ever leaving home. INTRODUCING
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Inside LOCAL Life
October marks nine years of LOCAL Life! Rather than celebrate with a wooden plaque on the wall, we once again invested in an independent readership audit. Why? Because our advertisers deserve to know that the numbers we share about you, our loyal readers, are accurate and independently verified. October also brings a little required transparency. The U.S. Postal Service requires mailed periodicals to publish an annual Statement of Ownership with circulation and distribution information. So while we’re opening the books, we thought we’d share a few more numbers that tell the LOCAL Life story.
TM
Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only)
The hottest new treatment in aesthetics that uses Dynamic Muscle Stimulation to tone and strengthen facial muscles-helping you achieve an effect similar to a face-lift without surgery or needles.
Publication Detail Publication Name 1 Publication Number 1 ISSN 2 Filing Date 3 Issue Frequency 4 Number of Issues Published Annually 5 Annual Subscription Price 6 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication 7 7 Contact Person 7 Telephone 7 Complete Mailing Address of Headquarter or General Business Office of Publisher 8 8 Publisher (Name and complete mailing address) 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Editor (Name and complete mailing address) Managing Editor (Name and complete mailing address)
Owner Line 10 10
15 15a
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Call 843.522.8466 or visit beauforteyecenter.com to schedule yours today.
15b3 15b4 15c
15d1
TRUST YOUR EYES AND FACE TO THE EXPERTS. Medical expertise. Natural results. Beautiful confidence.
BEAUFORT / PORT ROYAL 843.522.8466 4 Professional Village Circle Beaufort, SC
OKATIE 843.706.2440
127 Okatie Center Boulevard N. Okatie, SC
WALTERBORO 843.212.2588
Complete Mailing Address Full Name 800 Main St, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 1 Momentum Media Group Inc
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MOMENTUM MEDIA GROUP, INC/LOCAL LIFE 09/01/2026
Publication Title Issue Date for Circulation Data Below
No. Copies of Single Average No. Copies Issue Published Nearest Each Issue During to Filing Date 12 Months 20796 20576
Preceding Extend and Nature of Circulation Total Number of Copies (net press run) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies.) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies.) Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. FirstClass Mail) Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation Outside County Nonrequested Copies stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other soruces) In-County Nonrequested Copies stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and
other soruces) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. FirstClass Mail, Nonrequestor Copies mailed in excess of 10% Limit mailed at Standard Mail
15d4 15e 15f 15g 15h 15i
or Package Services Rates) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms and Other Sources) Total Nonrequested Distribution Total Distribution Copies not Distributed Total Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation
16 16a
If total circulation includes Requested and Paid Electronic Copies
16b 16c 16d
Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15F) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both print & Electronic Copies)
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Publication of Statement of Ownership
18 18 18
Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner Title Date
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ALocalLifeSC.com P P O I N T M+ EOCTOBER N T S2026 NOW AVAILABLE
Complete Mailing Address
Full Name
2243
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5731
5679
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0 7974
0 7921
218
182
7706
7693
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4621 12545 20519 57 20576 38.86
4960 12835 20756 40 20796 38.16
electronic copies, report that circulation on lines below 0 0 0 0 0 Publication of this statement will be printed in the 10/01/2026 issue of this publication Laurie Laykish
PS Form 3526
302 Medical Park Drive, Suite 101 Walterboro, SC
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08/31/2026 MONTHLY 12 20.00 800 MAIN ST STE 200 HILTON HEAD ISLAND, BEAUFORT, SC 29926-1658 LEAH ORTEGA (843) 540-3814 800 Main St Hilton Head Island, SC 29926-1656 Lori Goodridge-Cribb 800 Main St Hilton Head Island, SC 29926-1656 Lance Hanlin 800 Main St Hilton Head Island, SC 29926-1656 Lance Hanlin 800 Main St Hilton Head Island, SC 29926-1656
Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, Other Security Holders Line 11 13 14
COMPLIMENTARY triLift™ CONSULTATION & FACIAL ASSESSMENT For a limited time.
MOMENTUM MEDIA GROUP, INC/LOCAL LIFE 22840
OWNERSHIP STATEMENT REQUIRED BY USPS
8/31/2026
0 0 0
SURVEY SAID... Here’s what an independent readership survey revealed about LOCAL Life readers:
THEY REALLY LOVE US Readers named LOCAL Life their favorite media source in the Lowcountry.
See What Life Is Like. Exceptional Independent Living. Care When You Need It.
READERS DO THEIR HOMEWORK More than 90% visit an advertiser’s website or search for the business online after seeing an ad in LOCAL Life.
READERS TAKE ACTION More than 75% of LOCAL Life readers are likely to purchase from our advertisers.
Whether you’re seeking the spaciousness of a villa, the convenience of carefree apartment living, or the added support of assisted living, The Bayshore has the living option that’s the perfect fit for your next chapter. EAT, DRINK AND SHOP LOCAL More than 90% visit a store or restaurant after seeing an ad in LOCAL Life.
One-bedroom apartments available and only limited villa availability.
In the spirit of full transparency for our advertisers and to learn more about our readers so we can deliver the most relevant content, LOCAL Life hires an independent thirdparty auditor who reviews and verifies every one of our printing invoices, mailing statements and digital reads, as well as reviews Google Analytics and email reports. Any reader or advertiser may request a copy of our Audit, Survey, raw data or postal and printer statements directly from the audit company, printer or us. Our advertisers trust us with their advertising dollars, so we ensure our audience claims are true and transparent.
421 Squire Pope Road, Hilton Head Island 843.940.7498 | BayShoreHiltonHead.com
Scan this QR code to check out our complete audit and reader survey.
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The hot list What to watch, read and listen to in October
SELECTIONS BY DAISY DOW
STREAMING
HBO War (drama) Morgan (Dominic West) and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Carla (Sienna Miller), try to talk through their failing marriage. When it becomes apparent that reconciliation is not going to happen, lawyers, gossip columnists and everyone in between begin circling to see how they can capitalize on their high-profile divorce case. Any iota of amicability left between the couple vanishes under the theatrical lights of a legal battle played out in front of opportunistic strangers. Release date: Oct. 1 NETFLIX Doing Life (drama) Anika (Naomi Baker) is a single mother and former corrections officer who once crossed paths with an inmate named Carousel (Jay Reeves) during a violent prison riot. Years later, after he is released, the two reconnect and form an unlikely bond. As Anika looks beyond his past, their relationship becomes a story of second chances, redemption and unexpected love. Release date: Oct. 2 APPLE TV Tenzing (historical) When you think of the first successful summit of Mount Everest, the name that likely comes to mind is Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston). The monumental feat, however, would not have happened without the decades of Everest-specific knowledge and mountaineering expertise of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok). Through years of preparation, the two adventurers prove themselves worthy of their place in the history books, even though their attitudes toward the mountain starkly differ. Release date: Oct. 16
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You Can See Everything (documentary) Convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is serving time for defrauding investors, but before entering prison she spent her final weeks of freedom being followed by deadpan comedian Nathan Fielder and filmmaker Lance Oppenheim. The unlikely pairing promises a strange collision of personalities and perspectives, fitting for a subject whose unwavering self-belief helped fuel one of Silicon Valley’s most notorious frauds. Release date: Oct. 16 Digger (drama) Digger is positioned as a Dr. Strangelovestyle movie for the modern age. Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), described as the most powerful man in the world, finds himself racing to prove that he can save humanity from a disaster he unleashed. Whether his frantic mission is driven by genuine concern or something more selfserving is part of the question. Release date: Oct. 2 Wildwood (stop-motion) Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) lives a relatively idyllic life in Portland, Oregon, enjoying nature and the normal adventures of being a kid. What she doesn't know is that just beyond the world she knows lies an enchanted forest, filled with fantastical creatures that don't always operate with the purest of intentions. When her brother is kidnapped by a flock of birds, Prue jumps into action to confront the unknown and do whatever it takes to get him back. Release date: Oct. 23
LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
BOOKS & NOVELS
MOVIE THEATERS
FOX World Series (baseball) October saves its biggest swing for last. Baseball's two league champions meet in the best-of-seven World Series with the 2026 title and a place in history on the line. If the series goes the distance, a winner-take-all Game 7 will be played on Halloween night. Game 1: Oct. 23
The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford By Nafissa Thompson-Spires (fiction) In 1920s Oklahoma, tensions linger after the Tulsa Race Massacre. When moonshiner Richard Milford unexpectedly dies, suspicion falls on the four women considered his wives. With Milford gone, Lally, Sophronia, Georgette and Vivianne become both suspects and confidants as they search for the truth. Release date: Oct. 6 A Mother's Brain By Susana Carmona (nonfiction) Pregnancy and motherhood bring enormous changes to the body, but scientists are still learning just how dramatically the brain changes along with them. Drawing on research from her neuroscience lab as well as interviews with mothers, Carmona explores shifts in brain anatomy, hormones and the immune system. Release date: Oct. 6 A Court of Splintered Harmony By Sarah J. Maas (fantasy romance) The wait is almost over for millions of ACOTAR fans. Fantasy powerhouse Sarah J. Maas returns to Prythian with the sixth book in her wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses series. The novel launches the new Valkyrie Cycle, with romance, danger and intrigue unfolding as Koschei the Deathless threatens the Fae territories and old alliances begin to fracture. Release date: Oct. 27
Voted Best Gift Shop! ALBUMS
Crisco
By Miranda Lambert (country)
Release date: Oct. 2
Outstanding Gifts at Unbelievable Prices
Frequency of Love
By Victoria Monét (R&B)
Release date: Oct. 2
We love enewton! Mud
Everything Under the Sun
Release date: Oct. 9
Release date: Oct. 30
By Remi Wolf (pop)
By Nickelback (rock)
PODCASTS
Love Trapped
Subject: True crime
Life of an Architect
Subject: Architecture/design
Thank You for Shopping Local.
Lingthusiasm
Subject: Linguistics
Art(s) on the Air (local) Subject: Savannah arts & culture
TRAVEL
Milan, Italy
Have supper, then see “The Last Supper.”
Helen, Georgia
Gorgeous Free Giftwrap Always!
Raise a stein in Georgia's Bavarian village for Oktoberfest.
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Community in action
Finding her voice again
HOW RESTORING A SMILE HELPED ONE WOMAN REDISCOVER HER CONFIDENCE, HER COMMUNITY AND THE JOY OF SINGING
For Erica Lewis, losing her smile also meant losing her voice. When she first came to Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of Hilton Head Island, she was living with constant dental pain and missing several teeth. Even speaking clearly had become difficult. But one of the hardest losses could not be measured on an X-ray. Erica loved to sing. Her faith was central to her life, and singing in the choir at Central Oak Baptist Church was how she worshipped and connected with her church family. As her dental problems worsened, singing became difficult too. “Family and church are everything to me,” Erica says. Without the ability to comfortably speak or sing, she felt separated from something that had always made her feel most like herself.
Someone who listened Erica needed extensive dental work, but finding care she could afford was another challenge. Volunteers in Medicine provides free medical and dental care to people who live or work on Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands and lack access to insurance or cannot afford treatment. VIM’s dental team developed a comprehensive treatment plan that included fillings, extractions and eventually upper and lower partial dentures. “They listened when other dentists didn’t,” Erica says. “They explained everything in a way I understood and helped calm my fears.” Treatment stretched over more than a year, requiring patience and commitment from Erica and the volunteer dental professionals caring for her. Through it all, she never missed an appointment. “My experience at VIM has been one of the best experiences of my lifetime,” she says.
More than a smile When Erica finally received her partial dentures, the change went far beyond
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STORY BY BAILEY GILLIAM
overall health, including an important relationship between gum disease and diabetes. For patients who have delayed treatment because they cannot afford it, access to dental care can restore everyday things oral disease has taken away — eating comfortably, speaking clearly, smiling without hesitation or, in Erica’s case, lifting her voice in song.
Back where she belongs
A REASON TO SMILE After more than a year of dental treatment at Volunteers in Medicine, Erica Lewis has regained her smile, her confidence and the ability to sing with her church choir.
appearance. She could speak with greater confidence and, most importantly to her, sing again. “Even my mother is grateful to VIM,” Erica says. “She gets to see me smile again and says I have more confidence.” Her experience also illustrates something easy to overlook: Dental care is health care. Oral health can affect eating, speaking and quality of life, and problems with the teeth and gums can cause pain and infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also notes connections between oral and
Today Erica is back in the choir at Central Oak Baptist Church. In a fitting full-circle moment, one of the people singing alongside her is Dr. Hirsh, one of the VIM dentists she credits with helping her get there. “I want to thank Dr. Hirsh, Dr. Atkins and the entire staff at VIM,” Erica says. After more than a year of treatment, Erica regained her oral health and the freedom to return fully to a community and calling that mean so much to her. A new smile was never simply about how she looked. VIM helped restore her smile. In the process, Erica found her voice again.
Take action Since 1993, Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of Hilton Head Island has provided free medical and dental care to people who live or work on Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands and lack access to insurance or cannot afford care. Community members can support VIM by volunteering or donating. Learn more at vimclinic.org. LL A TEAM EFFORT Erica Lewis with dental assistant Esmeralda and Dr. Hirsh, members of the VIM dental team that helped restore her oral health and get her back to doing something she loves: singing.
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local What makes them
THE MAN IN THE MANSION This portrait of Capt. Strachan once hung inside Strachan Mansion, where 5-year-old Dillon Heffner claimed to have seen his ghost sitting at a table.
adjective. lo·cal | lō-kəl
1: characterized by or relating to position in space: having a definite spatial form or location 2: of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular place: not general or widespread: of, relating to, or applicable to part of a whole 3: primarily serving the needs of a particular limited district of a public conveyance: making all the stops on a route
Seeing is believing
m
After 26 years on Daufuskie, Maryrose Heffner has more than a few ghost stories to tell STORY BY BECCA EDWARDS
KINDRED SPIRITS Maryrose Heffner is shown with her son, Dillon, whose childhood encounter with an unexpected visitor on Daufuskie Island became the family’s first brush with the unexplained.
WATCH IF YOU DARE Scan the QR code to watch the eerie footage Dillon Heffner and his friends captured at the Melrose Inn on Daufuskie Island.
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Most people do not expect to encounter a ghost while walking their dog, but Maryrose Heffner did. After seeing an apparition in Haig Point, she called her father, expecting to tell him an unbelievable story. Instead, he replied, “Maryrose, we believe in heaven, so why not believe there could be another dimension of life around us right now? We just have to be open-minded enough to believe — and see what’s right in front of us.” That wasn’t the family’s only brush with the unexplained. During their 26 years on Daufuskie Island, the Heffners collected a lifetime of eerie encounters, and her son even captured cell phone footage of what appears to be a specter. Q: When you moved to Daufuskie, did you know much about Lowcountry lore? Why did you decide to raise your family there? A: Back in January 1991, I finally traded my grueling commute from Boston for a fresh start on Hilton Head. Daufuskie Island was honestly the most magical place to raise our boys. They got to have that classic, old-school childhood — riding bikes, fishing and staying out until the streetlights came on — without us ever having to worry about their safety. Q: Your son Dillon was the first family member to see a ghost. Can you tell us about that? A: Back when Dillon was around 5 years old, he had a little run-in with Capt. Strachan. It was late at night and we’d just stepped off the boat from Hilton Head. While I ran into the mansion to grab the mail, my husband Tom and our sons, Sean and Dillon, were walking along the outside path. Dillon looked through one of the windows and noticed a
LocalLifeSC.com + OCTOBER 2026
man sitting inside. When I walked out the back door to meet up with them, Dillon immediately asked, “Mommy, who was that guy sitting in the mansion?” I looked at him and said, “Dillon, I didn’t see anyone in there.” He insisted, “Mommy, you walked right by him! He was sitting right at the table.” I asked him what he looked like. He said he was a guy with a cap, a dark jacket, a beard and a mustache. I had to tell him again — I really hadn’t seen a soul. A couple of days later, Dillon and I headed back to the mansion to grab the mail and a light bulb suddenly went off in my head. There’s a framed portrait of Capt. Strachan hanging right above the fireplace. I pointed to it and asked Dillon if he knew who it was. He looked at the picture and said, “Yeah, that’s the guy who was sitting in the mansion.” “Well, Dillon,” I told him, “you just saw a ghost.” Q: Why do you think ghosts visit some people and not others? A: That is a hard question. I truly feel blessed that I got to see a spirit and I do believe younger children are open to seeing spirits as well. I was just telling a client today about what my son saw when he was little. She shared that her granddaughter has been visited by her grandfather, who passed away years before she was born. Q: Why do you think ghosts linger in certain places? A: After living on Daufuskie, I believe some spirits remain connected to the land where they lived and simply aren’t ready to move on to the next life in heaven. Q: What is your motto in life? A: Be better, not bitter! One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. LL
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” – Mother Teresa
Have the smile you’ve always wanted! Dr. Rothwell is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and offers you the skill, compassion and dedication to help you have the smile you’ve always wanted.
Bonnie J. Rothwell, DMD, AAACD 11 Hospital Center Common, Suite 200 Hilton Head Island, SC
843.342.6900
hiltonheadcosmeticdentist.com smilesyoulove.com Bonnie J. Rothwell, DMD, AAACD
Call for your complimentary cosmetic consultation.
business
Local business buzz
New arrivals, big investments and what’s catching attention across the Lowcountry STORY BY BAILEY GILLIAM October brings another wave of openings, expansions and ambitious plans across the Lowcountry. New arrivals range from antiques and indoor golf to cultural experiences and personalized healthcare, while major projects are reshaping what’s ahead for the region. From entrepreneurs opening businesses to healthcare systems investing in a growing population, here’s what’s new now and what’s coming next.
NOW OPEN
COMING SOON
American Gullah 824A Paris Ave., Port Royal American Gullah opened its flagship Cultural Heritage House in Port Royal, creating a new destination devoted to the living heritage of the Gullah Geechee Sea Islands. Founded by artist Sonja Griffin Evans, the brand grew from a single painting created for the South Carolina Aquarium’s R.I.C.E. Project into an international traveling cultural exhibit. Its new home brings that story together through contemporary fashion, jewelry, fine art prints, heritage objects and cultural experiences inspired by the history, traditions and visual language of the Sea Islands.
10 Petals Antiques & Interiors 138 Arrow Road, Hilton Head Island
Treasure hunters have a new place to browse, with the opening of 10 Petals Antiques & Interiors. Located in the former Michael & Co.’s Antiques and Consignments space on Arrow Road, the shop features an everchanging collection of consigned furniture, antiques, vintage pieces, new home décor and distinctive finds. The store also accepts consignments, giving well-loved furnishings and décor a chance to find a new home.
Beaufort Memorial Concierge Care 300 New River Parkway, Hardeeville
Beaufort Memorial expanded its primary-care options with the opening of Beaufort Memorial Concierge Care in Hardeeville. Led by board-certified family medicine physician Dr. James K. Frost, the membership-based practice offers extended appointments, smaller patient panels, same- or next-day visits when needed and direct communication with providers. The model focuses on prevention, early detection, chronic-condition management and long-term wellness while giving patients greater access to their healthcare team.
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The Promenade, Old Town Bluffton Maison & Cambren is coming soon to Old Town Bluffton, bringing a new destination for gifts, entertaining and gracious living to the Promenade, just in time for the holidays. Built on the belief that bringing people together should feel joyful, not overwhelming, the thoughtfully curated shop will offer beautiful gifts, entertaining essentials and special touches for celebrations big and small. Everything is selected to make hosting and gift-giving a little easier, so hosts can spend less time stressing over the details and more time enjoying the people around them. maisonandcambren.com
The Readery
Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina, Hilton Head Island
Coastal Home Designer Partner Program
Coastal Home has launched a Designer Partner Program for local interior designers and decorators. The program offers access to its expanded showroom, curated furniture, accessories, artwork and trusted brands, along with space to meet clients and review selections. The Coastal Home team can also assist with product details, special orders and coordination, giving designers a convenient local resource for bringing their visions to life. coastalhomehhi.com
Birdies Golf Club 115 Persimmon St., Bluffton Golf season never ends at Birdies Golf Club, Bluffton’s new 24/7 indoor golf simulator studio. Designed as a private club for golfers of all skill levels, Birdies combines Uneekor EYE XO2 launch monitors and GSPro software with premium hitting areas, comfortable seating and a relaxed, modern atmosphere. Members can reserve sessions around the clock to practice their swing, play virtual rounds on courses around the world or unwind with friends, no tee times or favorable forecasts required. 48
Maison & Cambren
Books, bites and a little booze come together at The Readery, a new concept headed to Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina. The cozy café-meets-library will offer a place to settle in with a good book, grab a bite and enjoy a drink, whether you’re an avid reader or simply there for the atmosphere. The concept adds a playful new gathering place where literary culture meets Hilton Head’s social scene.
Reform Modern Pilates
105 Persimmon Place, Bluffton Reform Modern Pilates is coming to Bluffton with a boutique fitness concept centered on building strength through intentional movement. Offering reformer and mat Pilates classes, the studio will focus on highintensity, low-impact workouts designed to improve core strength, stability and endurance for everyday life. The studio aims to help clients move with greater confidence while supporting long-term health and wellness.
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wellness
Roots, remedies & magic
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HOW PLANTS, FAITH AND GENERATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE SHAPED SEA ISLANDS' HEALING TRADITIONS
©FAITH MITCHELL
STORY BY MARIE MCCAA
PRESERVING THE ROOTS Medical anthropologist Faith Mitchell began documenting Gullah herbal traditions in the Sea Islands in the 1970s, gathering firsthand knowledge from people who practiced natural healing. Her research became the book Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies, a pioneering record of more than 50 medicinal plants and materials and the traditions surrounding their use.
Across the Sea Islands, sources of healing once grew as close as the woods, fields and marsh edges. Leaves, roots, bark and berries became remedies in the hands of people who knew where to find them, how to prepare them and when to use them. That knowledge was passed through families, elders and informal apprenticeships, blending plant medicine, faith and spiritual traditions into a system of care shaped by generations of Gullah/Geechee people. Historian Deirdre Cooper Owens grew up hearing stories about that knowledge. Her grandfather, King Solomon Cooper, told her about his grandmother, Grandma Polly, whom he remembered as a root doctor and healer. Cooper Owens remembers hearing how Polly gathered plants with her grandchildren. Her grandmother remembered a different side of Polly, illustrating how the role of a root doctor could encompass both physical healing and spiritual practices. “You have the power to heal, but you might also have the power to curse in a kind of supernatural world,” Cooper Owens said. For Cooper Owens, that complexity was part of a larger system of community care. “Black people had to rely on each other and then had to rely on the healers and doctresses and doctors in their community, even if those people did not have the formal titles,” she said. Knowledge could be acquired through family, apprenticeship, heredity or a “call.” African, Indigenous and European practices came together through contact, settlement, slavery, trade and a shared environment, creating an evolving body of knowledge shaped by the people and landscape of the Lowcountry and Sea Islands.
What’s in a root doctor’s medicine cabinet? Along the Sea Islands, leaves, bark, roots and berries became part of a household system of care. Knowing the plant was only part of the equation. Healers also understood which part to use and how it was traditionally prepared. In the early 1970s medical anthropologist Faith Mitchell began documenting that knowledge on Wadmalaw Island. There was no medical facility on the island, she recalled, and the nearest clinic was on Johns Island. Without public transportation, Mitchell walked the roads with residents who identified plants and explained their uses. For Mitchell, documenting that knowledge became urgent. Many of the elders she interviewed belonged to generations whose knowledge had largely been passed down orally. “I could be of service if I write this down and publish it because these older people don't really have anybody to pass this information along to,” Mitchell said. Her research eventually became the 1978 book Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies, which documents Gullah herbal knowledge and more than 50 plants and other materials. Depending on the plant and its purpose, traditional remedies could take different forms, including teas, washes, poultices and other preparations.
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NOTE: These traditional uses are presented for historical and cultural context and are not medical recommendations. REDROOT Also called bloodroot in Mitchell’s documentation, redroot grew in dry woodlands. Healers dug up the root and used its bark in preparations for poor circulation and for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Because historical names such as redroot and bloodroot can refer to different plants, modern identification can be tricky. ELDERBERRY Found in wet thickets, along streambanks and near ponds, elderberry blooms with clusters of white flowers in late spring, followed by dark berries in summer. Mitchell documented its leaves being used for sores in African American, Native American and European American healing traditions.
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wellness
SWEET GUM Common in Lowcountry woods and other moist areas, sweet gum is recognizable by its star-shaped leaves and spiky “gumballs,” which mature in fall and often last into winter. Mitchell documented the leaves for sores and stomachaches, while the tree’s fragrant balsam also had a place in formal American medicine.
PINE TAR Pines are a year-round presence across Lowcountry forests, roadsides and old fields. Pine tar was traditionally made by slowly heating resin-rich pine wood and collecting the dark liquid it released. Mitchell associated it with treatments for colds, congestion, fevers, stomachaches and whooping cough.
SASSAFRAS Found in woods, old fields and other disturbed areas, sassafras produces small yellowgreen flowers in spring and colorful foliage in fall. Its aromatic roots and root bark were traditionally used in teas and tonics. Mitchell documented sassafras for strength, general health and backaches, as well as its use as a spring tonic.
The examples reveal just how specific that knowledge could be. “People knew how to pick these different plants, and they knew all of the animals that lived in the environment,” Mitchell said.
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©QUEEN QUET
More than medicine Herbal medicine and spiritual rootwork could overlap, but they were not the same. In traditions documented by Mitchell, natural illnesses might be treated with roots, herbs, barks and teas, while other conditions were understood through religious or supernatural frameworks. Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, cautions against reducing traditional healers to stereotypes. “Non-Gullah/Geechee folks need to understand that a healer is not a ‘witch,’” she said, adding that terms such as “witch doctor” are a “Hollywoodization” of authentic Gullah/ Geechee traditions. Cooper Owens similarly described traditional healing as part of a knowledge system that blends physical and spiritual understandings of health. “It is born out of a knowledge system that has protected Gullah/Geechee people for centuries,” she said. Queen Quet also cautioned against labeling all Gullah/Geechee healing practices as “voodoo,” noting that it is a distinct spiritual practice.
What does modern medicine say? Modern science can investigate the chemistry of plants, but finding an active compound does not prove a historical remedy was safe or effective. “Just because something is active against a specific target doesn't mean that it's necessarily safe,” said ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave. Scientists can study a plant’s biological activity, toxicity and chemical compounds, with human clinical trials providing the strongest evidence of safety and effectiveness. Preparation matters, too.
KEEPER OF THE CULTURE Queen Quet, also known as Marquetta L. Goodwine, is chieftess and head of state for the Gullah/Geechee Nation. She has spent decades preserving Gullah/ Geechee culture, land and traditions. The St. Helena Island native became the first Gullah/Geechee person to speak before the United Nations in 1999 and later received South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto.
“The way that we prepare things really does matter,” Quave said. Different parts of a plant can contain different compounds, and preparation methods can change what is extracted. Even identification can be difficult because historical common names may refer to different species. Still, Quave said traditional knowledge can provide valuable clues about which plants to use, when to harvest them and how to prepare them. “Traditional ecological knowledge is incredibly valuable,” she said. Historical use and science ultimately answer different questions. Traditional knowledge records what generations observed and practiced; science can test chemistry, biological effects, safety and effectiveness. Some remedies may reveal useful properties, while others may prove ineffective or unsafe. Their cultural significance, however, does not depend on laboratory validation.
Knowledge that remains For Mitchell, these traditions were never simply a collection of old remedies. Decades after her original fieldwork, she was struck by how much remained in use. “With all the change that's come to the Sea Islands in the last few decades, these traditions are strong, and they're continuing,” she said. The knowledge was never only in the root. It lived in the people who knew where plants grew, the elders who remembered what their mothers taught them and the healers who passed that knowledge forward. Across the Sea Islands, traditional healing remains a record of survival, adaptation and continuity. The roots still grow here. So does the knowledge attached to them. LL
Emergency care now on Buckwalter Parkway
Novant Health Bluffton Emergency Department is now open at 8 Parkside Drive on Buckwalter Parkway.
Find the location nearest you:
Health emergencies are stressful enough without a long drive. When every minute matters, you need care close to home. That’s why Novant Health is expanding emergency care — bringing trusted, high-quality care to your community, 24/7.
Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center Emergency Department 25 Hospital Center Blvd. Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Why choose a Novant Health emergency department? • Close and convenient: Our locations are strategically placed to minimize travel time. • Expert care you can trust: You get hospital-level care from board-certified physicians and an experienced care team. • Comprehensive care: Our freestanding ERs come fully equipped with advanced diagnostic tools, imaging and lab services. Come to us for expert care with your emergencies. Visit NovantHealth.org/Emergency to learn more about our locations.
© Novant Health, Inc. 2026 9/26 • SCR-4530384701
Novant Health Tidewatch Emergency Department 349 Tidewatch Drive W. Bluffton, SC 29910 Novant Health Coastal Carolina Medical Center 1000 Medical Center Drive Hardeeville, SC 29927 Novant Health Bluffton Emergency Department 8 Parkside Drive Bluffton, SC 29910
legends
IN DAYLIGHT Draped in Spanish moss, the massive live oak stretches across Land’s End Road like a gateway. By day it’s a striking Lowcountry landmark. After dark it marks the spot where generations have waited for the legendary Land’s End Light.
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Light at the end On a lonely St. Helena Island road, one of the Lowcountry’s most haunting mysteries still glows
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STORY BY LANCE HANLIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL HRIZUK Drive far enough down Land’s End Road after dark, and the Lowcountry begins to feel different. The houses thin out. Ancient live oaks stretch over the pavement. Spanish moss hangs from their limbs, and the farther you travel toward the southern end of St. Helena Island, the darker and quieter the road becomes. Then you reach the tree. Its enormous limb arches over the roadway like something conjured for a ghost story. By day it is unmistakably Lowcountry. After dark it becomes the landmark generations of thrill-seekers have used while searching for the Land’s End Light, one of Beaufort County’s most enduring legends. The phenomenon is usually described as a mysterious light appearing far down the long, straight stretch of road. At first it resembles a single automobile headlight. But instead of becoming two headlights as it approaches, witnesses say the glow grows larger, sometimes hovering above the pavement or drifting toward waiting cars before suddenly disappearing. Decades ago the legend drew such crowds that accounts tell of as many as 100 cars gathering along the road on a single night. What is carrying the light depends on whom you ask. The most chilling version belongs to a headless soldier. According to folklore, a Confederate sentry guarding the area in 1861 was surprised by Union soldiers, decapitated and left behind. His ghost supposedly continues along Land’s End Road, carrying an iron lantern as he searches for his missing head. Other versions attribute the light to a Union soldier or an enslaved man forever searching for the family from whom he was separated. Unlike the other spectral suspects, Private Frank J. Quigley was very real. Quigley was a U.S. Army soldier stationed at nearby Fort Fremont. In 1910 violence broke out between soldiers and local residents, leaving six soldiers wounded and Quigley dead. Over time, his spirit became another proposed identity for the Land’s End Light.
TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND
843.689.6367
1600 Main Street, Hilton Head Open 10am until 5 pm, Monday through Saturday pyramidshiltonhead.com | PYRAMIDS IS A GROUP 3 COMPANY OCTOBER 2026 + LocalLifeSC.com
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IS THAT IT? See that tiny glow beyond the oak? That’s what you’re watching for. The Land’s End Light is said to appear as a lone point in the distance, growing larger as it approaches before suddenly disappearing. If you see it, don’t start the car. According to legend, the moment the engine turns over, the light vanishes.
Naturally, there are less supernatural explanations. Researchers who investigated the phenomenon in the 1970s proposed that distant automobile headlights could create the illusion of a single floating light, appearing and disappearing as vehicles traveled through supposed dips in the roadway. Local historian Gerhard Spieler disputed the theory, arguing that the straight stretch was much shorter than researchers claimed and had no dips at all. No explanation has managed to kill the legend. Perhaps that is because the setting does so much of the work. Long before you see anything unexplained, you’re sitting beneath an enormous moss-draped oak on a dark Sea Island road, staring into a tunnel of blackness and waiting for something to stare back. Maybe the light is a ghost. Maybe it’s a distant car. Maybe nothing appears at all. But once you see a single point of light glowing far down Land’s End Road, deciding what you believe becomes considerably more interesting. LL
SEE THE LIGHT The legendary viewing area is about 48 miles from Hilton Head Island, roughly a one-hour drive. Head toward Beaufort, then follow U.S. 21/Sea Island Parkway onto St. Helena Island. Near Frogmore, turn onto Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, following signs toward Penn Center. The road eventually becomes Land’s End Road. Along the way you’ll pass Penn Center and, farther south, the tabby ruins of the historic Chapel of Ease. Continue beyond the intersection of Bermuda Bluff and Land’s End Road. Watch for the massive live oak pictured here, with its thick horizontal limb reaching over the highway. When you see it, you’ve found the traditional Land’s End Light viewing spot. Older accounts instruct visitors to pull safely off the road on the right side, facing the tree. Turn off the engine and headlights, and watch the straight stretch of pavement ahead. The light, if it comes, is said to begin as a single distant point before growing larger as it approaches. According to legend, if you panic and start the car, it disappears. NOTE: Land’s End Road is a public roadway through a residential community, not a designated paranormal attraction or parking area. Never block traffic, don't stop where it is unsafe, stand in the roadway or enter private property. If conditions do not allow you to pull completely and legally off the pavement, keep driving.
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Under the root doctor’s spell Inside the legend of Dr. Buzzard, the Lowcountry’s famous root doctor STORY BY MICHAELA SATTERFIELD + PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL HRIZUK He dressed in black, drove expensive cars and was known to sit quietly inside Beaufort County courtrooms, watching the proceedings through purple-tinted glasses. His name was Stephen “Stepney” Robinson, but almost everyone knew him as Dr. Buzzard. From his home on St. Helena Island, Robinson became one of the Lowcountry’s most famous root doctors, drawing clients from near and far and building a reputation so powerful that stories about him blurred the line between history and folklore. Some sought his help. Others feared him. Even Beaufort County’s sheriff became fascinated enough with rootwork to learn its traditions himself. Nearly 80 years after Robinson’s death, separating the man from the legend is not always easy. Perhaps that is why the legend of Dr. Buzzard refuses to die.
Getting to the root
CHARMED LIFE Known as “Johnnys” or Johnny Conqueroo charms, objects like these were used in Lowcountry rootwork for protection, luck or spiritual power. Some were carried in small cloth bundles, often called mojo bags, filled with roots, herbs and other meaningful objects.
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Rootwork, sometimes called conjure or hoodoo, is an African American folk tradition with deep roots in the South. It should not be confused with Vodou or Voodoo, distinct religious traditions that developed elsewhere in the African diaspora. In the Sea Islands rootwork historically combined knowledge of plants and natural remedies with spiritual beliefs, charms and rituals. Practitioners known as root doctors might be called upon for healing, protection, good fortune or to help with personal troubles. Some were also believed capable of placing or removing curses. Among the objects associated with the tradition were small packets or charms containing combinations of herbs, roots and other materials. Graveyard dirt also appears frequently in accounts of Southern rootwork, its meaning tied to the spirit and characteristics of the person buried there. Whether the power came from the ingredients, the THE DOCTOR IS IN Dr. Buzzard’s practitioner or the legend lives on in this Daufuskie Island believer depended on mural. Though Stepney Robinson lived whom you asked. Few on St. Helena Island, his name became inspired more belief woven into Daufuskie folklore, including than Dr. Buzzard. tales of a curse on island development.
legends Will the real Dr. Buzzard please stand up? Even the name carries some mystery. “Dr. Buzzard” eventually became associated with multiple root doctors, but the Lowcountry figure most famously connected to it was Stepney Robinson of St. Helena Island. Accounts describe Robinson as gentle in appearance and typically dressed in black. He became prosperous enough to own expensive automobiles at a time when car ownership itself was far from universal, and his reputation attracted clients from well beyond the Sea Islands. Then there were the courtrooms. Robinson was known to attend trials, where legend held that he could influence witnesses and juries through a practice known as “chewing the root.” He would sit quietly in the courtroom, sometimes wearing distinctive tinted glasses, while believers wondered whether something more than the law was at work. That reputation eventually put him on a collision course with Beaufort County Sheriff J.E. McTeer. McTeer attempted to prosecute Robinson for practicing medicine without a license. According to accounts that became part of Dr. Buzzard lore, one prosecution took a bizarre turn when a key witness began convulsing before testifying. Was it rootwork? Fear? Coincidence? McTeer apparently decided there was only one way to find out.
ROOTS RUN DEEP Thomas Heyward McTeer holds a portrait of his father, longtime Beaufort County Sheriff J.E. “Ed” McTeer, who famously studied rootwork while pursuing Dr. Buzzard and became known as the Lowcountry’s “white witch doctor.”
ART & ANCESTRY This historic St. Helena Island building was home to the Red Piano Too Art Gallery for three decades and now houses Lybensons’ Gallery and the Gullah Geechee Visitor Center. Inside, African art and artifacts reflect the broader cultural connections between Africa and the Sea Islands that shaped generations of Gullah-Geechee life and tradition.
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Fight rootwork with rootwork Rather than dismiss the beliefs surrounding Dr. Buzzard, McTeer began studying them. The sheriff eventually became famous in his own right as a self-described “white witch doctor,” claiming that he could remove spells and counter the work of root doctors. He developed his own clientele and later chronicled his experiences in Fifty Years as a Low Country Witch Doctor. It made for an irresistible Lowcountry rivalry: the sheriff and the root doctor, each trying to beat the other at a game in which belief could be as powerful as evidence. Stories about their strange contest grew with each retelling. One of the darkest involves the drowning of Robinson’s son. According to accounts of the legend, Robinson blamed McTeer’s supernatural meddling for the tragedy and called a truce. When Robinson eventually faced prosecution, he did something surprisingly conventional for a man supposedly capable of swaying a courtroom with a root: he hired an attorney. Robinson escaped with a relatively small fine and reportedly agreed to stop practicing medicine without a license. Conjuring, however, was another matter. His clients kept coming. And the legend kept growing.
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legends The legend lives on Before his death in 1947, Robinson reportedly passed his business to his son-in-law, who became known as “Buzzy.” Other practitioners would later use the Dr. Buzzard name, making it increasingly difficult to separate the original man from those who inherited his reputation. Rootwork itself never completely disappeared from the Lowcountry. In 2014, an 85-year-old Beaufort woman contacted police because she believed a neighbor had placed a curse on her. Stories like hers are increasingly rare, but they reveal how traditions carried across generations can linger long after the people who made them famous are gone. And perhaps that is the real power of Dr. Buzzard. Nearly eight decades after his death, people still tell his stories. They still debate what was history and what was legend. Most telling of all, they still speak his name. For a man whose power depended, at least in part, on belief, there may be no greater legacy. LL
READ DEEPER Here are four books that illuminate Dr. Buzzard, rootwork and the traditions of the Sea Islands. Fifty Years as a Low Country Witch Doctor BY J.E. MCTEER The Beaufort County sheriff recounts his encounters with Dr. Buzzard, root doctors and the Lowcountry world of conjure. Blue Roots: AfricanAmerican Folk Magic of the Gullah People BY ROGER PINCKNEY A fascinating exploration of rootwork, conjure and folk beliefs in the South Carolina Sea Islands. God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man BY CORNELIA WALKER BAILEY WITH CHRISTENA BLEDSOE A celebrated memoir preserving the traditions, beliefs and stories of GullahGeechee life on Sapelo Island.
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Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, Rootwork BY HARRY M. HYATT A landmark five-volume collection of firsthand accounts of hoodoo, conjure and rootwork across the American South.
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Stories in the shadows
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FIVE LOCAL PLACES WHERE HISTORY, MYSTERY AND LEGEND MEET STORY BY LANCE HANLIN + PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL HRIZUK
In the Lowcountry the past is never far away. It reveals itself in ruined churches, old mansions and weathered cemeteries, where ghost stories, spiritual traditions and historical mysteries blur the line between fact and folklore. Here are five local places where the two intertwine.
The Castle, Beaufort Few Beaufort homes come with a ghost story as colorful as the Castle. The Craven Street mansion was still unfinished when Union forces occupied Beaufort in 1861 and used it as part of a military hospital, with a small building behind the house serving as a morgue. But its most famous resident, according to legend, arrived nearly 300 years earlier. Gauche, a dwarf and jester said to have accompanied French explorer Jean Ribaut in 1562, is believed to haunt the property. Stories about Gauche credit him with tapping messages, moving furniture, jingling bells and leaving red handprints on windows. No records prove Gauche ever existed, but his legend has become inseparable from the Castle.
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Citizens Cemetery, Beaufort Along Hamar Street lies an unlikely piece of literary history: the burial ground associated with the “garden” in John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Buried here is Percy H. Washington, a well-known Beaufort root doctor called Dr. Eagle. His common-law partner, fellow rootworker Valerie Boles, inspired Minerva, the mysterious spiritual adviser in Berendt’s bestseller. The couple practiced rootwork from their home just two blocks away on Congress Street, giving the famous tale of mysticism and the supernatural a very real Beaufort connection.
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Old Sheldon Church Ruins, Sheldon With towering columns, ancient graves and moss-draped oaks, Old Sheldon Church looks built for a ghost story. The 18th-century church was partially burned by Loyalists during the American Revolution and later rebuilt. For generations lore held that Federal troops burned it again in 1865. But the current historical marker says the church survived the war and was dismantled by local freedmen around 1865-67, an account supported by an 1866 letter reporting that Sheldon had not burned. It’s a fascinating historical mystery, where even the story of how the church became a ruin has changed with time.
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John Mark Verdier House, Beaufort Built around 1804, this grand Bay Street home is associated with Lafayette’s celebrated 1825 visit and later served as Union Army headquarters during the Civil War. A popular ghost story claims a Verdier family member was killed in a duel and still haunts the house. There really was a Verdier duel at nearby Pigeon Point, but researchers have not confirmed who fought it, and records indicate John Mark Verdier Jr. died years later after a long illness. It’s a fitting Beaufort mystery, where a real event appears to have taken on a supernatural afterlife of its own.
Cooper River Cemetery, Daufuskie Island At Cooper River Cemetery, even the location tells a story. With roots reaching back to Daufuskie’s plantation era, the historic Gullah burial ground was established beside moving water, reflecting a tradition that spirits of the dead could travel across the water home to Africa. Generations of Gullah families have buried loved ones here, and some graves were traditionally marked with personal possessions, or “grave goods,” rather than carved headstones. The cemetery remains a powerful link to Daufuskie’s Gullah heritage, where beliefs carried across the Atlantic centuries ago can still be read in the landscape. LL
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legends
Keeping the haints away
LOWCOUNTRY TRADITIONS ROOTED IN SPIRITS, SUPERSTITION AND PROTECTION STORY BY LANCE HANLIN + PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL HRIZUK
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A HOUSE WITH HISTORY Built during Reconstruction by Cyrus Garvin, believed to have been formerly enslaved, Bluffton’s Garvin-Garvey House is one of the earliest known freedmen-owned homes still standing along the May River.
A blue bottle hangs from a live oak. A broom rests beside the house. Seashells line a windowsill and a horseshoe stands nearby. Familiar pieces of Lowcountry style, these everyday objects also have deeper connections to beliefs about spirits, luck and protection. Across generations, West and Central African traditions retained by Gullah-Geechee people blended with European and Christian folk beliefs throughout the coastal South, giving ordinary objects extraordinary meaning. The Garvin-Garvey House in Bluffton provides a fitting backdrop. Built during Reconstruction by Cyrus Garvin, believed to have been formerly enslaved, the historic home helps illustrate traditions found across the Lowcountry, though the objects photographed here should not be interpreted as evidence that the Garvin family practiced each custom.
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BOTTLED UP In Southern folklore, blue bottles hung from trees were believed to trap wandering spirits before they could reach the home.
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BEHIND THE BLUE A dried palm frond hangs against weathered blue boards, where the color recalls haint blue, traditionally believed to help keep troublesome spirits from entering the home.
Haint blue: A watery defense Perhaps no supernatural tradition has blended more seamlessly into Lowcountry design than haint blue. The pale blue-green shade still appears on porch ceilings, doors, shutters and window frames throughout the region. The name comes from “haint,” a variation of “haunt” referring to a troublesome spirit. According to a widely repeated Gullah-Geechee tradition, haints could not cross water, so blue paint was believed to help protect a home from unwanted spirits. The history is more complicated than the popular story sometimes suggests, but the protective association of blue has deep local roots. In fact, a preservation study of the Garvin-Garvey House notes that early freedmen’s homes traditionally featured blue-painted trim and that local superstition held the color would protect the home and its occupants from malicious intent. Today, many homeowners choose the color simply because they like how it looks, perhaps unaware of the beliefs behind the blue.
Bottle trees: A beautiful trap Southern bottle-tree traditions are commonly traced to West and Central African spiritual practices carried across the Atlantic by enslaved Africans. In Southern folklore, bottles could serve a protective purpose, capturing troublesome spirits before they reached a home. Wandering spirits were said to become trapped inside the bottles, unable to escape before daylight. Blue bottles became especially popular, adding another layer of protective symbolism. Bottle trees now brighten gardens throughout the South, but their significance runs deeper than garden art. The tradition is one of many reminders of African cultural influences that survived and evolved in the coastal South.
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legends Brooms and seeds: Count until daylight One of the Lowcountry’s most unsettling supernatural figures is the boo hag. In Gullah-Geechee folklore, a boo hag was said to enter a home at night and “ride” a sleeping victim, stealing breath or energy and leaving the person exhausted the next morning. Fortunately, folklore gave the hag a weakness: an irresistible need to count. A broom near a doorway or bed presented hundreds of bristles to count. Rice, benne or other small seeds scattered near an entrance created an even greater challenge. The idea was to keep the hag counting until daylight forced it to flee. Not bad for an ordinary broom: clean the house by day, protect it by night.
COUNT UNTIL DAYLIGHT Rice, benne or other small seeds were said to keep a boo hag busy counting until morning if scattered near doorways or beds. In Gullah-Geechee folklore, brooms carried meaning beyond housework. Their bristles were said to keep a boo hag busy counting until daylight.
Horseshoes: Iron at the threshold The horseshoe comes from a somewhat different branch of Southern folklore. European traditions long associated iron with protection against witches and harmful spirits, and horseshoes eventually became familiar good-luck charms throughout the South. Those beliefs existed alongside African American folk traditions in which iron also could carry spiritual significance. Over generations, traditions from different cultures mingled and changed, making it difficult to assign every Southern superstition to a single origin. Even the proper way to hang a horseshoe remains a matter of debate. One tradition points the ends upward to hold the luck inside. Another points them downward so good fortune falls upon those passing beneath. ACROSS THE WATER In Gullah-Geechee traditions, shells have long carried connections to water, ancestors and the passage between worlds, particularly in burial customs.
Shells: A connection across the water Shells carry deep symbolism in Gullah-Geechee and African American traditions of the coastal South, particularly in burial customs, where they have been associated with water, ancestors and the passage between worlds. Their spiritual use is best documented on graves. Their symbolism reflects the powerful connection between water, memory and the spirit world.
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Home was more than four walls Taken individually, these customs can seem like colorful superstitions. Together they reveal something deeper. Again and again, protection centers on the home. The house was more than shelter. It was a space to protect from dangers both seen and unseen. For Gullah-Geechee communities, some of these traditions also reflect the preservation and transformation of African cultural knowledge under slavery and afterward. Geographic isolation and strong community ties helped preserve African influences in language, spirituality, storytelling, foodways and other traditions throughout the coastal Lowcountry. Some practices faded. Others became folklore. And some became so thoroughly woven into Southern life that their original meanings are easy to overlook. That haint blue may simply be beautiful now. The bottles hanging from a tree may be garden art and the horseshoe may mean good luck. But look a little closer, and they tell older stories about water and spirits, Africa and America, and generations of Lowcountry families finding ways to keep whatever might be wandering outside from coming in. LL
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legends
Human, ape or legend?
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A SERIOUS CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF BIGFOOT STORY BY MICHELE ROLDÁN-SHAW
PROCEED WITH CAUTION A tongue-in-cheek warning marks the woods as “Bigfoot Area,” playing on the enduring idea that Sasquatch could still be roaming the remote forests of North America.
THE WALK THAT LAUNCHED A LEGEND A frame from the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film shows a mysterious, hair-covered figure striding through Bluff Creek in Northern California. The brief footage helped create Bigfoot’s now-iconic silhouette and remains one of the most famous and fiercely debated pieces of alleged Sasquatch evidence.
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SIX DAYS WITH SASQUATCH A 1969 newspaper recounts Albert Ostman’s extraordinary claim that a Sasquatch carried him away in his sleeping bag during a 1924 prospecting trip in British Columbia and held him for six days with a family of four creatures.
A shy, hairy giant digs clams on misty beaches and forages for berries in the matted temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. Sasquatch. An elusive bi-ped with thick white fur roams the snowy ranges of the Himalayas. Yeti. A primitive, muscular man haunts the remote regions of Siberia. Chuchunya. An aggressive hominid covered in reddish-brown hair terrorizes bushwalkers in the Australian Outback. Yowie. A strange ape-man that can laugh and cry interacts with villagers in hidden valleys of China. Yeren. A shaggy, barrel-chested creature with long, swinging arms wanders across T-shirts, mugs and bumper stickers in America. Bigfoot. Stories of not-quite-human beings have been present across time and cultures. From the feral Wildman of the Woods portrayed in illuminated manuscripts of medieval Europe (wodewose) to powerful wild beings depicted in the carved masks and oral traditions of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, human-adjacent figures have fascinated us for centuries. But if you thought the modern popculture Bigfoot was just a trendy joke, think again. Serious inquiry into the alleged evidence can be even more fascinating than the legend. For the remainder of this article, we will use the word Bigfoot as shorthand for the various humanoid cryptids described around the world, while recognizing that these figures come from distinct cultures and traditions. For some researchers who have spent years investigating alleged evidence, the question has shifted from whether Bigfoot exists to what kind of creature it might be. Their work goes beyond searching for physical proof such as footprints, hairs, bones or a body. Researchers and advocates, including the late anthropologist Grover Krantz, anatomist and anthropologist Jeff Meldrum and Matt Moneymaker, founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), have explored how such a creature might fit into the primate family tree.
THE MYAKKA MYSTERY This 2000 photograph, mailed anonymously to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department, appears to show a large, hairy figure lurking behind saw palmettos near Florida’s Myakka River. The image became famous as alleged evidence of the Skunk Ape, though the figure’s identity and the photo’s authenticity remain disputed.
Some have proposed that Bigfoot could be a relic hominin, meaning modern individuals would be unlikely survivors from an earlier evolutionary period. Hypotheses have invoked Neanderthals, Homo erectus, Paranthropus or other extinct human relatives. Others have proposed an undiscovered great ape, sometimes drawing comparisons to Gigantopithecus, a massive prehistoric primate known from fossils found in Asia. Fossil evidence, however, does not demonstrate that Gigantopithecus was a giant biped resembling Bigfoot, and none of these proposed connections have been scientifically established. Still others speculate that alleged Bigfoot populations could represent isolated groups of humans that somehow remained apart from modern Homo sapiens. Again, intriguing theory is not the same as proof. Long before Bigfoot entered American popular culture, many Indigenous peoples had traditions involving powerful wild, giant or human-like beings. Those traditions vary widely, however, and should not all be treated as versions of the modern Bigfoot legend. Among some First Nations of the Pacific Northwest, stories describe beings associated with forests, mountains and remote places. Depending on the community and tradition, such figures could be viewed as benevolent, dangerous, spiritually powerful or simply deserving of respect and avoidance.
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Rather than flattening these distinct traditions into a single Bigfoot narrative, it is more accurate to recognize that stories of beings beyond the boundaries of ordinary human society have deep roots that long predate today's cryptid culture. As European settlers and newcomers pushed farther into the North American backcountry, accounts of encounters with mysterious wild people and hairy creatures began appearing in newspapers, books and oral histories. Hunters, trappers, gold prospectors and others venturing into remote country returned with hair-raising stories that they sometimes hesitated to tell for fear of ridicule. One of the most incredible came from Albert Ostman, a Swedish-born lumberman who said he ventured into the wilderness near Toba Inlet, British Columbia, on a prospecting trip in 1924. Ostman claimed an enormous Sasquatch picked him up in his sleeping bag one night and carried him to a remote mountain valley. There, he said, he spent several days with a family of four creatures, observing their behavior and apparent communication at close range before escaping. Ostman repeated the extraordinary story for decades without substantially changing its central details and reportedly passed a polygraph examination. None of that proves his account was true, but it helped make his tale one of the most enduring stories in Bigfoot lore. Given that many people reporting Bigfoot encounters have been hunters accustomed to carrying firearms and bringing down big game, believers find it interesting that relatively few accounts end with a shot being fired. Again and again in eyewitness reports, people describe hesitating because the figure seemed disturbingly humanlike. Though hairy and primal, and sometimes described as emitting foul odors or blood-chilling cries, the alleged creature can appear just human enough to make pulling the trigger unthinkable. That idea has even made its way into law. Skamania County, Washington, famously passed a 1969 ordinance threatening severe penalties for killing Sasquatch. A later ordinance revised the punishment and established the county as a refuge for the creature. Whatcom County, Washington, declared itself a Sasquatch Protection and Refuge Area in 1991. Far across the world, Bhutan's Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary has also
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©SOUTH CAROLINA BIGFOOT FESTIVAL
legends
BIG FUN IN WESTMINSTER Bigfoot sightings are all but guaranteed at the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival, returning Oct. 9-10 to Westminster. The annual celebration brings Sasquatch fans together for costumes, vendors, entertainment and plenty of larger-than-life fun.
become associated in popular lore with the migoi, a yeti-like creature from Himalayan tradition. Then there is the film. In 1967 Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin were riding through the Bluff Creek area of Northern California when they filmed a large, dark, hairy figure striding across a creek bed. The few seconds of footage became the most famous visual evidence in Bigfoot history. More than half a century later, the Patterson-Gimlin film remains disputed. Believers argue that aspects of the figure's proportions, muscles and gait are difficult to reproduce, while skeptics contend that it could depict a person in a costume. No analysis has conclusively established the figure's identity. There are also haunting field recordings purported to capture Bigfoot vocalizations, most famously the so-called Sierra Sounds recorded in California's Sierra Nevada in the early 1970s. The strange whoops, whistles and chatter have fueled decades of debate over
whether they came from an unknown creature, humans or some other source. Skeptics raise questions that are difficult to dismiss. Why don't we have clearer pictures and videos in an age when nearly everyone carries a camera? Why has no definitive body, bone or DNA sample been produced? And how could a breeding population large enough to survive remain hidden in a continent crisscrossed by roads, hikers, hunters, trail cameras and aircraft? Those are valid challenges, and no universally accepted scientific evidence has yet established Bigfoot as a living species. And yet the stories continue. Here in the Southeast, we are not without our own version of Bigfoot. The Swamp Ape, or Skunk Ape, is a hairy, famously foul-smelling biped most closely associated with Florida and the Everglades. Reported sightings of similar creatures, however, extend beyond Florida and through other parts of the Southeast. And if there were anywhere left for one to hide, the vast, wet wilderness of South Carolina's ACE Basin would certainly look promising. Just sayin'. LL
A LASTING IMPRESSION This cast of an alleged Bigfoot footprint was made in 1997 by Deputy James P. Akin near Elkins Creek in Pike County, Georgia. Today it’s displayed at Expedition: Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum in Blue Ridge, Georgia.
Bigfoot festivals around the U.S. South Carolina Bigfoot Festival: Oct. 9-10; Westminster, S.C. sQuatch Fest: Jan. 29-30, 2027; Longview, Wash. Estes Park Bigfoot Days: April 23-24, 2027; Estes Park, Colo. Ohio Bigfoot Conference: May 1; Cambridge, Ohio Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival: May; Townsend, Tenn. Great Florida Bigfoot Conference: June 12; Ocala, Fla. Bigfoot Daze: June 26; Willow Creek, Calif. Sasquatch Summer Fest: July; Oakridge, Ore. WNC Bigfoot Festival: August; Marion, N.C.
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legends
Who decides what’s real?
MAGICAL REALISM BLURS THE LINE BETWEEN FACT AND FOLKLORE AND ASKS, WHO HAS THE POWER TO DRAW IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?
REALITY, REIMAGINED Netflix’s adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude brings the novel’s extraordinary world to the screen, where the miraculous, the mythical and the everyday coexist without explanation.
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A cloud of yellow butterflies hovers around the head of a young man wherever he goes. A rain of tiny flowers descends from heaven when a patriarch dies. An entire town is stricken by a plague of insomnia that causes its residents to lose their memories. A trickle of blood rolls down the street, turning corners and entering the home of a mother to alert her that her son has died. A beautiful and saintly young woman ascends to heaven while hanging sheets on the line. These are a few memorable moments in One Hundred Years of Solitude, the landmark 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, that has lately recaptured public imagination, thanks to a Netflix adaptation. As fantastic as the plot details may seem, Márquez famously insisted that his writing was rooted in real experience. “The truth is that there’s not
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©NETFLIX
STORY BY MICHELE ROLDÁN-SHAW
a single line in all my work that does not have a basis in reality,” he told The Paris Review. “The problem is that Caribbean reality resembles the wildest imagination.” Márquez is one of the most celebrated authors associated with magical realism, a literary mode that weaves extraordinary happenings into otherwise recognizable life and treats them as part of the natural order. Ghosts live among families. Prophecies govern fates. Time bends and circles back on itself. The wildness of the natural world spills into the apparent order of human society like jungle creepers overtaking an empty house. Unlike much fantasy, which establishes worlds with their own supernatural rules, magical realism often offers no explanation for the impossible. The miraculous simply happens, and the people experiencing it may accept it as readily as rain.
©NETFLIX
NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS
RETURN TO MACONDO The final chapter of Gabriel García Márquez’s sweeping saga arrived on Netflix in August, bringing viewers back to the magic, mystery and tangled fate of the Buendía family.
Magical realism became especially influential through the Latin American literary tradition, where writers used the form to explore histories, cultures and realities that did not always fit neatly within conventional Western ideas of realism. Some of its most famous works include “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende, “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel, “The Lost Steps” by Alejo Carpentier and "Pedro Páramo” by Juan Rulfo. Critics have interpreted magical realism in countless ways. Its impossible events can function as metaphor, expose the absurdity of supposedly rational societies or reflect histories so violent and surreal that conventional realism seems inadequate to describe them. The genre also can challenge assumptions about whose version of reality deserves to be treated as authoritative. Indigenous beliefs, folk traditions and perspectives marginalized under colonial rule may appear alongside Western ideas of history, religion and reason without being dismissed as inherently less valid. But there is another, simpler way to look at it: What seems magical to people outside a culture may be perfectly ordinary to those within it, and vice versa.
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©NETFLIX
legends
A RAIN OF YELLOW In Netflix’s adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude, Úrsula Iguarán stands amid a shower of yellow flowers, transforming an ordinary courtyard into something extraordinary.
Colombian author Ingrid Rojas Contreras explores that idea in The Man Who Could Move Clouds, her 2022 memoir about a family history filled with experiences that would be familiar to readers of magical realism: cursed treasures, healers, fortune tellers, ghosts and shape shifters. There are also kidnappings, killings, terrible accidents resulting in amnesia and the heavy burden of intergenerational trauma. The events of her family's life can seem every bit as extraordinary as the experiences that outsiders might be tempted to classify as supernatural. Toward the end of the book, Rojas Contreras reflects on how European colonization imposed definitions of what was real and what was not, what counted as history and what was dismissed as folklore, what qualified as religion and what was labeled superstition. In school she was taught that Jane Austen wrote realistic fiction, while Gabriel García Márquez wrote magical realism. Yet she observes, “Magical realism was just realism to us, and Jane Austen was not any life that was possible in our land.” What we recognize as reality is also shaped by perspective. The categories used to describe it have historically reflected power: whose history was recorded, whose beliefs were legitimized and whose experiences were relegated to myth or superstition. Calling one worldview “real” and another “magical” can reveal as much about the person doing the labeling as it does about the world being described. That distinction mattered to Márquez himself. In a 1980 interview with The Harvard Advocate, he was asked whether his work was influenced by folklore. He rejected the characterization but explained that he drew material from popular legends because people's beliefs carry a reality of their own. “I don’t know if it’s a reality or not that the dead sometimes come out of their tombs,” Márquez said, “but it’s a reality that people believe it. So what interests me is not whether it happens, but the fact that some people believe it does. And if you just add up these beliefs you can create a whole new universe.” LL
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243 Belfair Oaks Boulevard | Belfair
5 bedrooms . 5.5 bathrooms . 5,302 square feet . $1,695,000
Sweeping views of the signature 12th hole of Belfair's West Course and Hidden Lake provide an exceptional backdrop for this 5BR/5.5BA home. A dramatic two-story great room welcomes you with soaring ceilings, a fireplace, hardwood floors, and multiple sets of French doors that fill the space with natural light and showcase the beautiful setting beyond. An open second-floor gallery overlooks the main living area, while the sweeping staircase and architectural details add to the home's impressive sense of scale. The spacious kitchen features abundant cabinetry and counter space, stainless steel appliances, and a large peninsula, with an adjoining breakfast area. A separate family room offers another inviting retreat, highlighted by a striking built-in 300-gallon saltwater aquarium. Includes a private, light-filled office overlooking the course, well-appointed bedroom accommodations, and a finished suite over the three-car garage offering excellent privacy for family and guests.
Richard MacDonald
(843) 384-8797 richard@rmacdonald.com
Joey Doyle
(843) 290-5055 joeydoyle@charteronerealty.com
Sanders MacDonald
(843) 816-4800 sanders@charteronerealty.com
#1 RANKED Real Estate Company in The Lowcountry
living
WELL BALANCED A symmetrical layout and arched inset cabinets create a formal atmosphere in this living room, yet the abundance of natural light makes it warm and inviting.
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HOME SHOWCASE
Dream sequence
A homeowner’s childhood wish for a grand staircase inspired this elegant Colleton River residence.
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STORY BY ALEA WILKINS PHOTOS BY ANDREW FRAZIER, VOYAGE CREATIVE
From Barbie’s Dreamhouse to the Batcave, the imagined homes of childhood rarely become reality. Moat-bound castles are hard to come by, candy-coated interiors wouldn’t last in our Lowcountry heat, and hot pink slides are swapped for more practical modes of moving downstairs. This Colleton River Club residence, designed by Pearce Scott Architects, is the exception. When the homeowners first met with the Bluffton-based firm, they presented a trove of inspirational images for their ideal Lowcountry residence. For the wife, there was one feature that she couldn’t live without: a grand, arching staircase. “That’d been her childhood dream,” principal architect David McKinley says. “The entire house was then designed around that stair.” Inspired by the sweeping staircase, this luxurious abode demonstrates how a single show-stopping feature can shape an entire house’s design. Its curved form guided the home’s architecture, creating a cohesive, cozy and circuitous space, turning a childhood fantasy into a forever home.
B R I N G PA R A D I S E H O M E
INDOOR & OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS
coastalhomehhi.com 843.837.4100
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living Round and round
A GRAND ENTRANCE Inspired by the owner’s childhood dream, the grand, curved staircase required a team of 12 to install.
Immediately upon stepping through the front door, the staircase makes a big impression. Its graceful arc draws upward from the welcome mat to the secondfloor lounge, catching the eye with its intricate Art Deco railing. Compelled by its grandeur, the Pearce Scott team let the staircase guide the home’s design. “We wanted to create subtle accents of it all throughout,” McKinley says. In the living room built-in cabinets and a wet bar are capped with a dome. Select doorways and windows arch to match the staircase’s rounded structure. Outdoors, dormer roofs and a winding entry route reference its magnificence and complexity. Around the staircase full-wall paneling encloses the foyer, building depth and dimension that extend into the adjoining rooms. McKinley notes how the design completed the entryway while seamlessly flowing into the rest of the home. “If we left [the walls] unfinished, it’d feel empty,” he says. “We pulled that idea through there to blend those spaces.”
Calm, collected Despite the grand entrance, the owners still wanted their home to feel relaxed. Cozy. "She said that was her favorite word,” McKinley affirms. Inspired by the Lowcountry’s ease, the home’s laid-back atmosphere stems from its open-concept kitchen, dining and living spaces, welcoming friends and family — including their cocker spaniel, Violet — to gather. Its color palette envelops the space in warmth, rendering the cabinetry in a creamy white finish, the armchairs in burnt sienna velvet and the decor in splashes of olive green. An abundance of natural light completes the picture. Together the interiors strike the perfect balance of formal and easygoing, creating spaces worthy of their front-row views to the lagoon and golf course, while feeling lived-in and homey. McKinley points out the living room as a prime example. “It feels formal with the furniture layout,” he says, noting their positioning before the fireplace, “but the amount of natural light coming in is what makes it more welcoming.”
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BACK OF HOUSE An adjoining galley kitchen, wrapped in a coastal wallpaper and navy cabinetry, neatly tucks everyday appliances away, while the formal kitchen opens into the living room for easy entertaining.
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48 Pennington Dr. Suite B | Bluffton, SC
living Built to last Beyond aesthetics, this dream home delivers on comfort and functionality. Fortified with accessibility features, it illustrates a concept McKinley refers to as “aging in place.” “It’s always smart to plan ahead,” he says. The staircase may look majestic now, but its climbing arch may pose more of a challenge to elderly joints. Because the homeowners anticipate caring for their parents in the future, they sought an alternative that still feels luxurious. The solution: a hidden elevator that moves from the ground floor to the rooftop. “They wanted their parents to be able to access every space of the house,” McKinley says. The elevator, in addition to the home’s spacious floor plan, helps everyone enjoy every room, view and feature for years to come.
Full circle While the homeowner once dreamt of a grand set of stairs, she now has visions of the future. Upon seeing the completed home, built to face the sun as it rises over the water, she could already picture her new morning routine. “When she wakes up, she grabs her coffee, then hangs out on the porch, and then she slowly gravitates all throughout, ending up on the second-floor porch and then heading back inside,” McKinley recalls. It’s also a space she intends to share. Each room, she says, has already been claimed by an extended family member promising to visit. To McKinley, those plans for the life ahead make this home a dream come true. “I think the most memorable thing is walking through and hearing her stories,” he says. “It was just really neat to hear [how] the whole thing tied together.” LL
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living
GET THE LOOK
Stairway to heaven
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THE MAKING OF THIS DREAM STAIRCASE INVOLVED PLENTY OF PLANNING, PRECISION AND A DOZEN PAIRS OF HANDS. STORY BY ALEA WILKINS + PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW FRAZIER, VOYAGE CREATIVE
As far as entrances go, this grand staircase takes the foyer to the next level. In a majestic curve, it rises to the second-floor landing of this Colleton River Club abode, ushering in stately elegance with every step. The feature fulfills one of the homeowner’s childhood fantasies. She envisioned one day having a staircase like those she had seen in movies. Pearce Scott Architects translated that dream into a real, livable home, but making it happen was far from simple. “When you have this floating curved stair, nine times out of 10, they're built off-site in a factory,” says David McKinley, principal architect of the project. Pearce Scott partnered with StairCrafters Inc., a contractor based in Easley, South Carolina, to bring the homeowner’s vision to life. Working from opposite sides of the state, the two teams sent ideas, plans and dimensions back and forth to create the perfect stairway. When it arrived, McKinley was startled. “It actually came on a trailer,” he recalls. “It wasn’t completely finished, and they had like 12 guys pick it up and carry it into the house.” However, after tightening the final nuts and bolts, McKinley says that the extra effort was worth it. “It’s one thing to draw it, but to then see it come to life like that is pretty cool,” he says.
ABOVE & BEYOND Above the staircase, a crystal chandelier completes the foyer, creating an elegant focal point that contrasts with the foyer’s crisp white walls.
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Artisan Finishes | Remodels
Design Build | Custom Homes 843.802.0743 | rchconstruction.com 90 Capital Dr. Ste. 103 | Hilton Head Info@rchconstruction.com
living
TAKE IT OUTSIDE
Room to roam
A SEAMLESS SEQUENCE OF PORCHES, PATIOS AND POOLSIDE SPACES MAKES THE MOST OF THIS PICTURESQUE COLLETON RIVER SETTING STORY BY ALEA WILKINS + PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW FRAZIER, VOYAGE CREATIVE
s EASY DOES IT Overlooking the intracoastal waterways of Colleton River Club, this home’s backyard embraces the view from a two-story porch. Each space flows from one to the next, mirroring the gentle, natural rhythm of the Lowcountry.
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Sitting on a corner lot in Colleton River Club, this home is surrounded by picturesque Lowcountry views. On one side, the green of a golf course rolls along, and out back, a lagoon sparkles beneath the sun. To help the homeowners make the most of their prime real estate, Pearce Scott Architects created a backyard that invites gathering, sitting and staying a while. The fun starts in the screened porch’s outdoor kitchen. Its fireplace, grill, weatherrated television and abundant seating welcome the opportunity for al fresco dining, complete with a show from the golfers passing by. Around the corner, the backyard expands into a pool deck framed by a spacious lawn, and upstairs, a second-story porch overlooks the entire scene. Principal architect David McKinley notes how the layout has an intrinsic rhythm for easy all-day enjoyment. “The open porch is a full continuation of the living room that opens up to the pool area, and then it all connects to the screened-in side porch, which flows into the interior kitchen,” he describes. “So, the whole thing has this nice circulation to it.” In this backyard every day becomes its own experience, combining the best of Lowcountry living with an unbeatable view. LL
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living
INSPIRATION BOARD
Read the room
ROWS OF BOOKS, WORLDLY ACCENTS AND TRADITIONAL ENGLISH DESIGN TURN THIS WINDMILL HARBOUR LIBRARY INTO AN INVITING ESCAPE STORY BY ALEA WILKINS
A good story will draw you in. The same goes for libraries. This elegant study, curated by Group 3 Designs for a Windmill Harbour residence, enchants with its sophisticated yet understated design. Antique-style furniture, rich wood finishes, brass details and a cartographic desk give the room a collected-over-time, worldly character. At the same time, clean lines, functional accessories and a glass interior wall balance those traditional elements with a sense of openness, making the library feel intimate without feeling enclosed.
1. TAKE A SEAT A desk chair can be practical without looking like it belongs at the office. This Georgetown swivel-tilt chair from Hancock & Moore pairs flexible movement with top-grain leather cushions for comfortable seating, while fern-green upholstery, mahogany wood and brass casters make it feel right at home among the library’s rich finishes. 2. BOOKED FOR HOURS In a room filled with books and objects that suggest another era, even the clock contributes to the story. This vintage option from Pyramids adds architectural interest and practical function, while its geometric form complements the room’s European influence without competing with the more ornate furnishings. 3. MAP IT OUT The road map to success starts at this cartographic desk. Across its oval top, finished with a two-tone patina that evokes Regency-era glamour, a world map lends an adventurous spirit to the library while reinforcing its well-traveled sensibility.
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4. WELL READ Floor-to-ceiling bookcases can easily make a room feel smaller, but here they have the opposite effect. Rows of books lead the eye from the entrance to the back wall, while their staggered arrangement creates depth and keeps the book-lined room from feeling closed in.
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5. BRASS ACT Against the study’s dark wood and moody palette, brass provides just the right amount of brightness. Its soft golden tone warms the deeper finishes, while repeated touches on the chair, desk and accessories help tie the room’s mix of styles together. STUDY IN STYLE Designed by Group 3 Designs for a Windmill Harbour residence, this sophisticated library balances old-world character with modern openness. Rich wood bookcases and a cartographic desk bring warmth and history, while a curved glass wall allows light to flow from a skylight in the center stairwell. Brass details and deep green accents provide the finishing touches.
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Photography by Tim Nelson
living
EXPERT ADVICE
Solid ground
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SURFACES FOR COASTAL HOMES STORY BY ALEA WILKINS Lowcountry life can be tough on floors. From the well-worn path between the kitchen and the patio, to wet paws tracking sand down the hall, hard surfaces have to withstand the realities of coastal living. Choosing the right ones means striking the perfect balance between durability and design. To narrow down the options, Savannah Surfaces Interior shares five things every homeowner should consider when creating spaces built to endure it all.
1. Start with the space, not the sample. Before falling for a beautiful tile or hardwood, consider how the space around it will be used. High-traffic areas designed for gathering demand more durable materials than private suites, while mudrooms, entryways and foyers must withstand their proximity to the outdoors. Be realistic about a room’s purpose to determine which surfaces will serve it best.
2. Think about maintenance. Even the most beautiful surfaces can lose their appeal when upkeep becomes a daily chore. Delicate hardwoods, natural stone and carpeted floors each come with their own maintenance routines, so consider what will work best with your lifestyle and how much upkeep you’re willing to manage.
3. Consider the entire home.
ROOM WITH A VIEW A mix of patterned flooring, large-format tile and textured wall surfaces proves that a cohesive room doesn’t have to rely on a single material. Considering how surfaces work together across an entire space can create a look that feels layered, intentional and built to last.
4. Don’t underestimate scale. Observing a single tile sample is one thing. Seeing it multiplied across a space is another. Depending on the tile’s size, pattern and grout lines, a completed space can look remarkably different at home than it appears in the showroom. Before committing to a case, picture the material at scale, and consider the atmosphere you want to create.
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A cohesive home doesn’t have to match. Intentional contrast, like pairing a marble shower with a decorative tile wall, can create some of its most striking moments. Each unexpected blend suggests thoughtfulness without feeling mundane, providing all the ornamentation a room needs without excessive decoration. GRAIN EXPECTATIONS Wood-look tile delivers the warmth and character of natural wood with a surface suited to demanding spaces. Before making a selection, consider how variations in tone, grain and plank size will look when repeated across an entire floor.
MAKE A SPLASH A bold blue mosaic backsplash shows how the right surface can become a room’s defining feature. Pattern, color and scale add personality while turning a hardworking area into a focal point.
5. Choose trends thoughtfully. Leaning into current trends can make a home feel in vogue, but even the most modern selections can become dated. Rather than following a fad, choose surfaces based on how they will complement your home’s architecture, setting and overall style. The goal isn’t simply to find the right fit for today, but one that will continue to feel right for years to come. LL
Style. Shade. Secure.
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The Petitt Family
70 Pennington Dr # 4, Bluffton, SC (843)949.8444 www.seaglasswindowscapes.com
living
y
Let there be light
HOW LIGHTING SHAPES THE WAY YOU SEE, MOVE AND FEEL AT HOME Dr. Debi Lynes is the founder of Freudian Slipcovers on Hilton Head Island and a licensed therapist and interior designer focused on creating spaces that support the way people live.
©CAV INTEGRATED HOME
©CAV INTEGRATED HOME
You reach a dark hallway at night and feel along the wall for a switch. You settle into your favorite chair to read, only to find yourself squinting. You cook dinner in a beautiful kitchen but discover your own shadow falling across the cutting board. These may seem like minor annoyances, but together they reveal something important: how well your home is actually working for you. Lighting can help or hinder everyday life. Good lighting does four basic jobs: it helps you see clearly, move safely, perform tasks and feel comfortable. When it falls short, you may notice the effects long before you think to blame the light.
See better A single overhead fixture can leave bright spots in the center of a room and shadows around its edges. Layering overhead, task and lamp light at different heights creates more even illumination and reduces harsh contrasts.
Move safely Stairways, hallways and the path between the bedroom and bathroom are places where lighting gaps matter most. Dark steps and abrupt changes between bright and dim spaces can make navigating a home more difficult, particularly at night. Low-level or motion-activated lighting can illuminate the way without flooding the house with light. Just as important, switches should be where your hand naturally reaches for them.
Work smarter Kitchens are a classic example of lighting in the wrong place. An overhead fixture behind you can cast your own shadow onto the counter where you're chopping, measuring or reading a recipe. Undercabinet lighting puts illumination directly on the work surface. The same principle applies to a reading chair, desk or hobby space — put the light where the task happens.
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LIGHT WHERE IT MATTERS In the kitchen, the best light follows the work. In this project by CAV Integrated Home, pendants bring focused illumination to the island, while under-cabinet lighting brightens perimeter work surfaces and helps prevent your own shadow from falling across the counter during prep.
Feel comfortable Not every moment calls for the same amount or quality of light. Brighter illumination can make daytime activities easier, while warmer light — generally around 2700K to 3000K — can create a softer atmosphere in the evening. Dimmers provide flexibility, and shaded or well-positioned fixtures can reduce the glare that makes an otherwise inviting room uncomfortable. These considerations become even more important as we age. Our eyes generally require more illumination and take longer to adjust between bright and dark areas. That makes stairways, entrances, bathrooms and other transition spaces especially worth examining. For Sandy Benson, owner of CAV Integrated Home, thoughtful lighting starts with considering how a room will be used. “Good lighting is where science, architecture and technology come together,” Benson says. “Designing the lighting system as part of the home, not as an afterthought, creates spaces that look better, perform better and feel effortless to live in.” LL
A CLEARER REFLECTION Recessed fixtures distribute light across the room for safer movement, while dedicated lighting at the mirror provides the direct illumination needed for shaving, makeup and other daily routines.
GIVE YOUR HOME A LIGHTING CHECKUP • Can you see every stair tread at night? • Is there a dark stretch between the bedroom and bathroom? • Does your shadow fall across the counter while you cook? • Can you comfortably read in your favorite chair? • Do fixtures glare rather than glow? • Can you easily lower the lights in the evening? Walk through your home tonight, and pay attention. Your rooms may have been answering all along.
Luxury in Every Detail. RIVERWALK 843.379.3237 | HILTON HEAD ISLAND 843.689.3237 BEAUFORT 843.379.5012 | POOLER 912.450.3400 DISTINCTIVEGRANITEANDMARBLE.COM
living
Off the wall
s
THROUGH CUSTOM WALLPAPER PRINTS, PAINTER LELI HOLMES TRANSFORMS HER LOVE FOR THE LOWCOUNTRY INTO LIVABLE ARTWORKS STORY BY ALEA WILKINS
“So apparently I draw wallpaper!” Leli Holmes captioned a September 2025 Instagram post, sharing behind-the-scenes footage as she graffitied the interiors of Pockets Full of Sunshine’s Hilton Head Island storefront. The custom mural, a sprawling patchwork of Lowcountry landmarks, was the first of what would become her burgeoning wallpaper company, a venture that has now caught the attention of everyone, from local businesses to influencers, with nearly 500,000 Instagram followers. As an artist, Holmes has seen her work displayed in houses before. Since 2017 she has sold commissioned paintings and custom coastal-inspired prints on tea towels and stationery, but designing wallpaper felt closer to home. “It is such a great feeling to see something go from my desk to someone’s walls,” she says. “I’ve felt that with my paintings, of course, but there is something really special about someone choosing your wallpaper when there are so many options out there.” BRING IT HOME Shop Leli Holmes’ Lowcountry-inspired wallpaper at leliholmes.com. Choose from smooth or grasscloth finishes, order a sample to test your favorite pattern, or contact Holmes for help determining how much wallpaper your space needs.
Artistic roots
Local inspirations
With a background in graphic design, Holmes found that creating wallpaper prints came easily. “I’ve always loved patterns and have wanted to design wallpaper for years,” she says. “As I started turning my artwork into designs for tea towels and other products, wallpaper felt like a natural next step.” Each print begins with a single watercolor design. On her computer she then duplicates the design over and over to create a pattern. To Holmes, the initial step is the most crucial, sometimes taking days or weeks to perfect. “Something that looks fine on your screen can become really obvious once it repeats across an entire wall, so I order a lot of samples and make adjustments [until] I’m happy with it,” she says. Though the process can be painstaking, Holmes believes that level of detail and artistic freedom is what makes her prints unique. When working with homeowners, she can customize her designs to match their specific needs and aesthetics. “I’ve had clients send me their paint colors, and I’ve changed the wallpaper to work specifically with their room,” she says. To Holmes, the result is worth the effort: spaces that feel unique to every home and homeowner.
For her designs Holmes takes inspiration from her surroundings. A longtime Lowcountry resident, her love for the local wildlife, landscapes and architecture is evident in every carefully rendered brushstroke. Her city-specific toiles, a collection including Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Savannah, feature landmarks from the Harbour Town Lighthouse to Alljoy Donut Co. “One of my favorite things is watching people look at them and start pointing out places they know,” she says. On Instagram enthusiastic commenters share their favorite locations that earned a spot in her designs. The fans agree: It’s not just about a pretty pattern. It’s about local pride. Wallpaper may be the most recent addition to her portfolio, but Holmes’ love for the Lowcountry is nothing new. That affection comes through in every design. “They’re fun prints, but they also tell a little story about the Lowcountry, and I think that’s why people connect with them.” LL
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COLORS OF THE MONTH
Once upon a room
A storybook palette proves bold color can still lead to sweet dreams STORY BY LANCE HANLIN
Every memorable story needs a setting, and this bedroom certainly knows how to set the scene. Burnished orange walls wrap the space in warmth, a wall of deep, muted blue millwork creates an unexpected focal point, and a smoky brown-gray dresser adds one final note of mystery. On paper, three bold colors might sound like too much for a room designed for rest. Here they work because each has a role to play. Natural wood, creamy bedding and soft textiles quiet the stronger shades, while brass accents add just enough glow. The result feels warm, collected and slightly mysterious without sacrificing the calm a bedroom needs. For a month devoted to legends and lore, consider it proof that sometimes the most enchanting rooms begin with a little color courage.
Get the look Bring some of this bedroom's bold, storybook character into your own space. Choose colors that play different roles. Bold palettes work best when every shade has a purpose. Here orange envelops, blue commands attention, and the dark dresser grounds the composition. Turn the bed wall into the main event. Floor-to-ceiling mill work instantly gives a bedroom architectural presence. Extending it above and around the headboard makes the bed feel built into the room rather than simply placed against a wall. Balance warm and cool. Pairing warm orange with cool blue gives the room energy while keeping the palette balanced. Neither dominates because each has enough visual weight to hold its own. Give bold colors room to breathe. Cream bedding, pale curtains and understated upholstery provide necessary quiet moments between the stronger shades. Use wood as a bridge. The headboard, nightstands, window trim, door and flooring introduce natural warmth that connects the orange and blue while keeping the palette from feeling overly coordinated.
©SHERWIN-WILLIAMS
Repeat dark notes sparingly. The dresser and small dark hardware details help anchor the room without introducing another competing color. Add a little glow. Brass lighting brings warmth to both the blue and orange while adding a polished note. The sculptural chandelier also draws the eye upward and emphasizes the height of the room. Every bedroom tells a story. This one just happens to have a colorful cast of characters.
DRESSER
FEATURE WALL
WALLS
Sherwin-Williams Nocturne (SW 9520) Nocturne adds a dark, grounding note without competing with the room's two dominant colors. Its smoky brown-gray tone gives the dresser more presence and creates another layer of depth in the palette. Against Pennywise, it feels especially rich, while warm hardware keeps the piece from appearing too heavy. A satin finish provides a smooth, furniture-like appearance with enough durability for a hardworking surface.
Sherwin-Williams Bunglehouse Blue (SW 0048) This turns the wall behind the bed into the room's defining feature. The deep, muted blue gives the floor-to-ceiling millwork visual weight and provides a dramatic counterpoint to the warm orange surrounding it. Extending one color across the cabinetry, paneling and open shelving helps the entire installation read as a single architectural statement. A satin finish highlights the vertical detailing.
Sherwin-Williams Pennywise (SW 6349) With a name especially fitting for October, Pennywise gives the room its character. This warm terracotta brings to mind autumn leaves, sunbaked clay and burnished copper, making the bedroom feel cozy without relying on traditional neutrals. An eggshell finish keeps the walls soft while adding enough durability for everyday life.
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outdoors
FREQUENT FLYER
The handy bird
Meet the tiny pine-forest acrobat that uses tools, stores supplies and keeps family close STORY BY BAILEY GILLIAM + PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARY ALICE TARTLER
LISTEN UP
Scan this QR code to hear the call of the brown-headed nuthatch.
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BUILT FOR THE PINES With its warm brown cap, blue-gray back and sharp, pointed bill, the brown-headed nuthatch is built for life among Southern pines. Strong feet and claws allow this tiny acrobat to move easily along trunks and branches as it searches bark crevices for insects and seeds.
If the pine forest had a neighborhood handyman, it would be the brown-headed nuthatch. Small, hardworking and particularly skilled in all things pine, this tiny bird spends its days scrambling over trunks and branches, inspecting every crack and crevice. Brown-headed nuthatches are compact birds with blue-gray backs, white undersides, warm brown caps and sharp bills that look slightly oversized for their bodies. They make their homes primarily in open, mature pine forests across the Southeast, where they zigzag up, down and around trunks and branches with remarkable agility. Unlike woodpeckers, which often brace themselves with stiff tail feathers, nuthatches use their strong feet and claws to cling to bark while searching for food. And they rarely work alone. Brown-headed nuthatches are highly social, often moving through the trees in busy little groups, one bird following another from pine to pine. You’ll probably hear the crew before you see it. Their distinctive squeaky calls sound remarkably like rubber duckies. Follow the squeaks, look toward the pines, and you may find the whole gang hard at work.
A tool user with a toolbox This handyman uses actual tools. Brown-headed nuthatches have been observed using flakes of bark to pry beneath other pieces in search of hidden insects, sometimes carrying a useful chip from place to place. Why toss out a perfectly good screwdriver? In warmer months they scour trunks, branches and pine needles for spiders, beetle larvae, cockroaches and other insects. When
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insects become scarce, pine seeds become an important part of the menu. The birds wedge seeds into bark and hammer them open with their bills, while stashing food beneath loose bark and in crevices for later. For this bird, a pine tree is a hardware store, grocery store and home all rolled into one.
The family business During nesting, males bring food to females as they incubate, and pairs may remain together for several years. Once chicks enter the picture, the family operation gets even more interesting. Older offspring, often males from a previous brood, sometimes remain with their parents and help raise the next generation, defending territory and bringing food to the female and her chicks. In human terms, the kids don't always move out. Some stick around and help Mom and Dad raise their younger siblings. Family members also may sit close together and preen one another's feathers, a social behavior known as allopreening. Outside the breeding season, brown-headed nuthatches often remain in social groups and join mixed flocks of woodland birds as they forage through the pines. Resourceful, social and perfectly suited to life among Southern pines, the brown-headed nuthatch doesn't need much to make a good living: a healthy pine forest, plenty of insects and seeds, a useful scrap of bark and family nearby.
Where to find them “Brown-headed nuthatches are closely associated with open, mature pine habitat, so listen for their squeaky calls anywhere tall pines dominate the landscape. They also can be encouraged to visit pine-filled backyards with the right combination of food, water and nesting habitat. Brownheaded nuthatches nest in tree cavities but also will use appropriately sized nest boxes, making a well-placed box another way to provide nesting habitat. Also, don’t forget that providing a source of clean, fresh water is essential for both drinking and bathing for all your backyard birds.” – Mary Alice Tartler, Audubon Master Birder
Essentials
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outdoors
WILDLIFE WONDER
Older than legend
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Blue-blooded survivors have been following the moon to shore for hundreds of millions of years ©DAWN BRUT
Most legends survive only in stories. Horseshoe crabs still crawl onto our shores. Armored like something from another age, these unmistakable creatures belong to an evolutionary lineage stretching back about 450 million years — long before the first dinosaurs. Despite their name, they aren't actually crabs. They're marine arthropods more closely related to spiders and scorpions, equipped with copper-blue blood, a formidable-looking tail and a reproductive rhythm tied to the moon and tides. If someone invented them for folklore, they might sound a little far-fetched. Yet each year horseshoe crabs emerge from Lowcountry waters to continue a ritual their distant ancestors were performing long before humans existed.
STORY BY BAILEY GILLIAM
The moon “Horseshoe crabs are just an absolutely incredible and unique animal,” said Dawn Brut, director of education at the Coastal Discovery Museum. Adults move toward beaches and salt marshes to spawn in spring and early summer, with East Coast activity concentrated primarily in May and June. Their arrival often coincides with higher spring tides surrounding new and full moons. Females dig nests and deposit thousands of tiny eggs, which males fertilize externally. A female may return repeatedly during a season, ultimately laying 80,000 to 100,000 eggs. Most will never become adults. “Maybe just a handful, maybe five, are going to survive to be adults,” Brut said. Horseshoe crabs provide no parental care, but their eggs become part of a much larger coastal story. In South Carolina, research by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources has documented spawning in salt marshes, broadening scientists' understanding of the habitats these animals use.
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FOLLOWING THE TIDE Horseshoe crabs gather in the shallows during spawning, a ritual timed to the tides and often the new and full moons. Barnacles and other hitchhikers accumulate on the shells of older animals, visible evidence of years spent along the seafloor.
Fuel for a legendary journey Horseshoe crab eggs provide a rich food source for shorebirds and other animals. Among those travelers are red knots, which migrate thousands of miles between southern wintering grounds and Arctic breeding areas. The connection is especially dramatic around Delaware Bay, where migrating red knots arrive during horseshoe crab spawning and feast on exposed eggs. “Horseshoe crab eggs are like instant energy,” Brut said. “It gets them nice and plump so they’re healthy and can continue their journey. Then they’re ready to breed when they get back to the Arctic.” Here in the Lowcountry, the eggs feed shorebirds, fish and other animals, connecting
what happens beneath a few inches of sand or tucked into a salt marsh to the larger coastal ecosystem.
Growing into their armor The eggs that escape predators hatch into larvae resembling miniature horseshoe crabs. Young crabs spend their early lives in shallow coastal waters, feeding and growing. Because their hard external skeleton cannot stretch, horseshoe crabs must periodically crawl out of their old shells, or molt. Juveniles molt repeatedly and typically take nine to 12 years to reach sexual maturity. By adulthood they have molted more than a dozen times. After their final molt, their armor begins accumulating evidence of life along the seafloor, from scratches to barnacles and other hitchhikers.
©DAWN BRUT
TAG, YOU’RE IT A numbered tag turns a horseshoe crab into a traveling data point. Researchers use reports from people who encounter tagged animals to track their movements, survival and spawning activity. If you spot one, record the tag number, and call the number printed on it.
Inviting Homes
Start With The Light
Tale of the tail That intimidating tail isn't a weapon. Called a telson, it helps horseshoe crabs steer and right themselves when overturned. They don't sting or bite. “If you see a horseshoe crab flipped on its back, you can flip it back over,” Brut said. “Grab it gently by the sides of its shell, never by the tail, turn it upright and allow it to continue on its way.” That simple gesture can be lifesaving.
Blue bloods Horseshoe crabs are also famous for their blue blood. Instead of the iron-containing hemoglobin that makes human blood red, theirs contains copper-based hemocyanin. Cells in their blood react quickly to bacterial endotoxins, a trait scientists harnessed to develop the LAL test, long used to detect dangerous contamination in drugs, vaccines and some medical devices. Newer recombinant tests can perform this job without horseshoe crab blood, but their contribution to medicine remains extraordinary: an animal whose lineage predates the dinosaurs has helped safeguard modern medical products.
Keep the legend alive Horseshoe crabs have faced human pressures for centuries. Today their populations and spawning habitats are closely watched because of their importance to coastal ecosystems. In South Carolina, taking or possessing a live horseshoe crab without an appropriate state permit is unlawful. The Coastal Discovery Museum helps introduce students to these ancient animals through its Crabs in the Classroom program. The public can also help by protecting beaches and marshes, keeping shorelines free of debris and turning over stranded horseshoe crabs when needed. And if you encounter one moving across the sand beneath the moon, remember what you're seeing: a descendant of animals that lived hundreds of millions of years before us, still coming ashore with the tides and following the moon. LL A FLIP OF FATE An overturned horseshoe crab reveals the legs, mouthparts and other intricate anatomy normally hidden beneath its armored shell. If you find one stranded like this, gently turn it over by the sides of its shell, never by the tail.
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outdoors
LOWCOUNTRY ALMANAC
October BY BAILEY GILLIAM
Night & day
October takes nearly an hour of daylight with it as the month goes by. Sunrises arrive later, sunsets slip earlier, and those long Lowcountry evenings begin to feel decidedly more autumnal. Sunrise: About 7:17 a.m. on Oct. 1 to 7:39 a.m. on Oct. 31 Sunset: About 7:07 p.m. on Oct. 1 to 6:33 p.m. on Oct. 31
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PICK OF THE PATCH A sea of orange awaits at The Great Pumpkin Patch at Holiday Farms in Gillisonville, just north of Ridgeland. Open Oct. 2-31, the family-friendly fall destination offers far more than the perfect pumpkin, with hayrides, a corn maze, farm animals and plenty of seasonal fun. Wander the patch, snap a few fall photos and make a day of this Lowcountry autumn tradition.
Golden light, cooler breezes and a little moonlit magic settle over the Lowcountry
October is when fall finally begins to feel at home in the Lowcountry. Mornings turn cooler, humidity loosens its grip, and golden light stretches across marsh grass beginning to take on its autumn glow. Gardens get a second wind, evenings arrive earlier, and suddenly sitting outside sounds like a good idea again. With guidance from the 2026 Old Farmer’s Almanac and Grow Great Vegetables South Carolina, here’s what to watch for, plant and enjoy this October.
Weather predictions Fall should have a little more fall in it this year. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a cooler and drier-than-normal September and October for the Atlantic Corridor, with temperatures averaging about 1 degree below normal and rainfall running about an inch below normal. Average temperature: 67 degrees (1 degree below average) Precipitation: 3 inches (1 inch below average) FORECAST BY WEEK Oct. 1-14: Periods of rain, then sunny; cool Oct. 15-20: Rain; cool Oct. 21-28: Sunny; milder Oct. 29-31: Showers, then sunny; warm 104
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Astronomical events October has plenty happening overhead, from two meteor showers to one of the most evocatively named full moons of the year. Oct. 3: The moon reaches its thirdquarter phase, beginning a stretch of darker evening skies as it wanes toward the new moon. Oct. 8: Look north after nightfall for the peak of the Draconid meteor shower. Oct. 10: The new moon arrives at 11:50 a.m. Oct. 21-22: The Orionid meteor shower peaks, producing swift meteors from debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. Oct. 26: October’s full Hunter’s Moon reaches its peak at about 12:11 a.m.
Tides & currents Stay in sync with the rhythms of the Lowcountry coast. Scan this QR code for the latest tide and current predictions from NOAA.
In the garden PREP Clear out spent summer plants, remove weeds and diseased material, and refresh beds for cool-season crops. Keep an eye on moisture as rainfall becomes less reliable, and have row covers ready for tender plants when the first truly chilly nights arrive. Fall also is a good time to add mulch around established beds and shrubs, but keep it a few inches away from stems and trunks. PLANT There’s still plenty of time to put something new in the ground. Plant collards, kale, lettuce, mustard greens and garden peas, along with Brussels sprout transplants early in the month. Mustard and Brussels sprouts should be planted by midmonth, while collards and kale can go in through October, lettuce into early November and peas through November. Plant garlic cloves this month, pointed ends up, in welldrained soil, for harvest next year. It’s also prime time for onions and annual strawberries, which can establish strong roots now for spring fruit. HARVEST October is one of those wonderful Lowcountry months when summer and fall can overlap in the garden. Depending on planting dates and conditions, gardens may still produce okra, peppers, eggplant and late tomatoes while fall crops and leafy greens begin joining the harvest. Sweet potatoes, pumpkins and winter squash bring the season firmly into fall.
Best days
October days are especially favorable for these particular activities: Go fishing: Oct. 10-26 Harvest above-ground crops: Oct. 16-18 Schedule dental care: Oct. 7-8 Bake something: Oct. 3-4 and Oct. 30-31