Agnes of Glasgow

Summary

Agnes of Glasgow (1760–1780) was a Scottish woman who became a figure of American folklore.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Agnes followed her lover, Lt. Angus McPherson, who was a British Army officer, to America during the American Revolution. She stowed away on a ship bound from England to America, arriving in Charleston, South Carolina. Believing his unit was assigned near Camden, in Kershaw County, South Carolina, and having heard that he may have been wounded, she wandered through towns and the wilderness hoping to make contact with him or someone who knew him.[1] However, she became ill and died in 1780 before she could find him. As legend goes, she was buried under cover of darkness by Wateree American Indian King Hagler, who had befriended her.

Local legend maintains that she searches for her lover still, and that her ghost haunts the Bethesda Presbyterian Church where she was buried, and the surrounding wooded area to present day.[2] The legend is such that it has received media attention in South Carolina, as well as ghost hunters from around the country. Local historians confirm that the British Army did arrive and fight the Battle of Camden during that year, but since her tombstone reads she died on 12 February, they would not have been in Camden at the time of her death. Also, Hagler died in 1763, at which time Agnes was still a child in Scotland.

References edit

  1. ^ Hull, Edward Boltwood (1918). Guide-book of Camden,containing description of points of interest, together with an historical sketch, pioneer and revolutionary scenes, battle of Camden, battle of Hobkirk Hill. Camden, S.C. p. 33. hdl:2027/loc.ark:/13960/t6nz8fv8g.
  2. ^ Camilla, Jess (2008). "Where the spirits still walk". hdl:10827/12002. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links edit

  • "Agnes of Glasgow". Find a Grave. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  • Agnes of Glasgow legend Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  • "The State" article on Agnes of Glasgow[permanent dead link]