Ghost Creek

"Now, you children be sure to be home by dark.. and no playin' around that creek, neither!  They's ghosts down there at night!"  This was the admonition of many mothers as they sent their children out to play in this rural area of Laurens county, South Carolina in the mid '40's.  This one statement kept numerous children safe from their own dare-devilry and foolishness.  Just a small statement to put a bit of fear into them.

Of course, the kids knew that what Mom was saying was the truth.  It was well known that if you went down the dirt road to the place it ran to the bank of the creek and the moon was full, you might get a right scare.  It was not uncommon to see two or more children run screaming up the road as if the devil himself was on their heels.

Many had seen the eerily glowing specters on the other side slowly wandering up and down the bank as if trying to find their way across or through this watery barrier in order to reach you and take your soul back to where they came from.  It seemed that the water stopped them as surely as a thunderstorm would stop a picnic.   

On this particular day, the Martin boys were planning to do a bit of fishing.  Their Mother had long since given up trying to keep them away from the creek. They had heard the tales of ghosts all their lives but weren't fazed at all.  As most pre-teen country boys will, they spent most of their time in the summer, either helping in the fields, exploring the surrounding woods and streams or trying to see who could catch the biggest fish on their cane poles.

As their day of helping Dad plant some row crops had finally come to an end, they grabbed their poles and headed down the road.  There was a really good hole just down and around the bend of the creek where they had even caught some catfish once or twice.  It sure would be great if they could take a mess back with them for tomorrow's dinner.  Mom would make some of her famous hush-puppies and they could have some cream corn and peas to go along with it. 

The fishing was even better than hoped for.  One had pulled in three nice, pan sized cats while the other had caught one catfish and three bream.  They were so intent on supplying the family with supper that they didn't notice the time and were caught unawares when darkness fell on the creek- bank. 

As they took their time making their way back along the slippery bank, the boys remembered the stories of the spirits said to haunt the creek.  By the time they had reached the road they had successfully put themselves into near hysteria with imagined sounds and sights in the darkening woods. 

They climbed the last bank back to the clearing of the dirt road, finally feeling that they could now breath since they were away from the creek.  As they bent over, trying to catch their breath they looked back the way they came and nearly fainted dead away.  There, on the far side of the creek, directly across from where they had climbed up to the road hovered six phantoms!  They seemed to be swaying back and forth, about four feet off the ground and making terrible moaning sounds.

Well, that was enough for the Martin boys.  The ran, heads down and legs pumping, all the way back home, lucky to have held onto their poles and fish due to their fright!  From then on, the Martin boys did any fishing they wanted to do either early in the morning or during daylight hours.  Mom never had to warn them about Ghost Creek again.

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The parents only told the story of Ghost Creek in order to protect their children from the danger posed by the running water when it was too dark to see well and they might accidentally get hurt.  They felt like they knew the truth.

Mr. Robertson owned the land on the far side of the creek and he pastured a small herd of Hereford cattle there.  Herefords are a breed of beef cattle that are normally a rust colored brown on their bodies with white faces.  Commonly known as white-faced cattle.

Now, in the light of a full moon (which is when the 'ghosts' supposedly appeared) the cattle's body color tended to blend into the color of the surrounding field leaving only their faces glowing in the moonlight.  These bovine heads were what the parents believed were to become known as the Ghosts of Ghost Creek.  What they never realized was that after the kids were long gone from the creek and the moonlight had faded from the sky, the specters continued to wander to and fro along the banks and tributaries.  Perhaps the grown-ups were right all along and just didn't know it. 

So, if you want some good cat-fishing, there is a right nice hole you might sink a line into, but make sure you are well away from there by evening.  Don't you dare get caught by the dark down on Ghost Creek.

*The road is now paved and has been named, Ghost Creek Road.