The Ghost Hound of Goshen (Happy Hound) - A South Carolina story
The story behind the Ghost Hound of Goshen and the ghost dog that still haunts drivers passing by Old Buncombe Road in Union County, South Carolina is one that many may not know of. In the years before the Civil War, many Charleston planters had homes in the mountains of North and South Carolina where they could escape the humid heat that summer months brought to the low country. One of these villages along the major stagecoach route was Goshen Township where to this day there have been sightings of a not so Happy Hound racing by.
The story goes that sometime in the early 1850's, a traveling salesman with his large white bushy haired dog passed though Goshen Hill Plantation selling his wares. With his dog by his side, for company and protection, he went door to door looking for business. While he was in town, a murder took place in the area. The locals believed that because he was the only outsider around at the time, he must be the killer. Out of anger the town formed a mob and, despite the dogs best efforts to protect his master, the salesman was killed for his supposed crimes. The dog managed to bite a few people during the attack, but one man shot him with a rifle and the wounded dog ran off into the woods.
After the angry crowd dispersed, leaving the body, but the dog was observed by many locals guarding the body and not allowing anyone near him or his dead master. Soon after, no one particularly wanted to acknowledge the incident or the dog, as it had become obvious another man had committed the murder. Weeks passed, but the dog never left the body of his master. Finally, one morning, a local noticed that the both had mysteriously vanished. The relieved locals took this as a sign, they could now put the mistake behind them. But that would not be the case.
It wasn't long after before locals began reporting sightings of a large white spectral type dog that would chase them down the road, then disappearing into the woods. No one believed in the sighting until a prominent local physician, Dr. George Douglass, saw the Ghost Hound in 1855 and began documenting the sightings. Until his death, he maintained that the dog often accompanied him on his rounds, he was never afraid of the ghost and considered it to be a friend.
Most people reported no harm, but those who were reportedly a part of the mob that killed the salesman were not so lucky. A local man was driving a wagon with produce when the Ghost Hound attacked him, spooking his horses and causing his wagon to overturn, dumping all the produce on the ground. The man fled with the dog snarling at his heels. Other people a part of the mob reported horrible attacks by the white ghost dog, one man's hand was crippled by a bite from the dog that nearly severed it across the palm. Another was almost drowned when the dog knocked him off the shoreline into a creek, while another man was ridding as fast as his horse could run when the Ghost Hound ran up and bit him thought his boot causing him to walk with a limp the rest of his life. Even when locals tried to kill the dog, the shots fired passed though it with no harm. In time, the pattern became clear, the spectral dog was bent on revenge for his master.
Eventually everyone who had been a part of the mob was punished in some manner. The worse was reserved for the man who initially blamed the salesman. Although he himself was never attacked, he greatly feared the Ghost Hound and his attacks. His 4 year old son disappeared in the same area where most of the attacks took place. Sometime in the 1920s the attacks stopped and tapered down to only stories of past threats. Some believed this was because the last of the members of the mob had passed away by this time.
By 1940s, the Old Buncombe Road had been paved and cars had replaced the horse and buggy, however sightings were still made by locals driving though the area. A local man named Barry Sanders reported being frighted and chased home by the Ghost Hound, but he came to no harm. The spectral dog was also reported in the late 1970s when an older lady, whose house faced the old seldomly used road, was sitting on her front porch. She saw a large white dog come into her yard and then leap toward her. Although she had fainted, she was able to recount her story to others when she recovered.
Today, locals and travelers claim that you can be driving through this area and no matter what speed you are going, the Ghost Hound can show up, running beside your car. If you stop, the large white dog will be sitting in front of your car. Some have claimed it will throw its head back and howl at times. There are still usually a few reports of the Ghost Hound every year, more often in the summer than winter.
Driving down Old Buncombe Road has become some what of a legend in South Carolina. The sightings of the Ghost Hound of Goshen have been documented for over 150 years now and continues to bewilder locals. Most believe the dog is continuing to protect his master from harm, chasing away anyone who could do harm, but no one really knows what the Happy Hound is or who it will go after next.
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