Case file · Haunting
Gray Man of Pawleys Island
Pawleys Island, South Carolina, says a figure in grey walks the beach to warn residents before great hurricanes; those who see him find their homes spared.
1822 CE · 33.43, -79.12 · status: legend
The account
The legend is usually tied to a young man who drowned in quicksand in 1822 rushing to see his fiancée. Sightings are claimed before the 1893 storm, Hurricane Hazel (1954) and Hurricane Hugo (1989).
The sceptical view
The stories were collected in the 20th century and sightings are reported mainly after a storm.