Page 132 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

132 | October 2023
LIVING HISTORY
The Gulf Coast’s Spookiest Secrets and Darkest Lores
From greedy pirates to a ridiculing granny, the Gulf Coast has a lagniappe of otherworldly entities who have staked a spiritual claim in
antebellum mansions, forgotten graveyards, and a vacant hospital. And no matter which of the charming 12 coastal towns you hail from, you no doubt grew up hearing terrifying yarns involving a ghastly soul
or two, maybe even three. We all did.
If you’re just visiting the gorgeous white-sandy beaches, here are the spookiest ghost stories from the shores of the Gulf Coast and beyond
that you should have on your spectrum.
GRAVE CONCERNS
The Garden of Hope Cemetery in Gautier has it all, a friendly ghost, a menacing mischievous spirit, and a lone gravedigger turned grave robber who drags his loot back to his own crypt. It’s also known as Franklin Cemetery and it’s considered one of the most haunted places in the country, teeming with ghostly activity. Cheryl Anne, a friendly ghost girl, innocently frolics in the cemetery, while her best friend Bloody Sarah, plays menacing pranks on anyone foolish enough to visit the graveyard or the nearby area. According to reports, Bloody Sarah is wearing a gore-stained dress and runs frantically into the road, giving drivers the impression, they’ve hit her with their vehicle, and then jumps up while insanely laughing and runs away. Other ghostly sightings include Cheryl Anne’s father, Hal, who allegedly killed Cheryl Anne, her siblings, and her mother, and the ghost
of a young gravedigger who claws his way out of his grave, steals flowers and wreaths from other gravesites, and then returns to his resting place with the haul. Passersby have also reported seeing the gravedigger hitchhiking along the road but when they stop, he informs them that he died there and then he disappears.
HAUNTED HOSPITAL
Of all the historical haunts throughout the Magnolia State, Howard Memorial Hospital in Biloxi has to be the most unsettling. The now-closed facility opened in 1963 and despite thousands of patients, it’s the two little mischievous girl ghosts that people still talk about to this day. The seven-year-olds would play with thermostats and elevator buttons, and phantom girl giggling was often heard echoing the halls. Some patients reported more sinister experiences including blood-curdling screams and sobbing weeps and
a soft, little girl voice that whispered in their ear. But a true ghostly girl sighting was a sign a patient was marked for death.
Howard Memorial Hospital.