| This was a well
known story during the time when Robert White Sr and his family were growing up in Cross Keys Union Co SC, there is no doubt in my mind, that the White Children had fun with this local tale. |
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The Hound of Goshen Happy Dog A South Carolina Ledgend Provided by: Bennett Mahaffey |
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In the days long before the Civil War, wealthy planters traveled
between Charleston, S C and the N C mountains. The main
access was a stagecoach route, called The Old State Road.
This route passed through the Goshen Hill village. Goshen
Hill is in Union County, near the Newberry County boarder.
A peddler, whose name is lost to history, came through this
village, traveling with his faithful dog. A murder occurred in
the area about the time the peddler came. The peddler, being
a stranger, was tried and hanged for the murder. He was hanged
from a tree off the Old State Road, near Ebenezer Church. The
peddler's faithful dog was with him when he was hanged. The
dog stayed where his master was hanged, whimpered and
howled mournful sounds for several days. The hangman
returned and killed the dog, to end his misery.
Three years after the hanged man's death. The hangman was
passing by Ebenezer Church in his buggy. The hangman told,
he was attacked and run off the road by a great white dog. It
came out of the old graveyard, passed through the iron fence,
ran between his horse's feet and wrecked his buggy. The dog's
eyes were fire-coal red and spun like spin-wheels. The legend
is, the hangman was so upset by his ordeal, along with his Goshen
Hill and Maybinton neighbors not believing him, hanged himself.
In October 1855, about twenty-five years after the hanged man's
death. William Hardy, owner of the Hardy Plantation down the Old
State Road had a sick slave. Hardy sent Ben, a young slave to fetch
Doctor George Douglas, owner of the Oaks Plantation about three
miles from Hardy. Dr. and Mrs. Douglas were startled from their sleep
by Ben's shrieks of terror. When the Dr. opened his door with lit candle, Ben
fell at his feet trembling and crying. " Please mars! keep dat white
varmint from getin me!" Dr. Douglas seeing Ben covered with cold sweat
in a terrible state of fright brought him into his house. Dr. Douglas's
wife, Miss. Frances cared for Ben while the Dr. checked about Ben's mule.
The Dr.'s inspection of Ben's mule was the mule trembling more than Ben,
lathered white with sweat, his mouth scarlet with blood from his bit.
Ben told his story to Dr. Douglas.
I wuz doin what mars Hardy bid, makin time not to sweat de mule.
When down en de deep part of de Old Road, I hears a noise hind
me. A low growl close up en dem darkest woods. I den see dat white
thing come out of de old graveyard. De mule seen hit too. He broke en
de fastest run. Us thought we wuz beatin hit. Den hit came out dem
woods en front us. De mule reared up when he see de dog en front.
I mos fell off. I look a-gin, dat varmint wuz a-grinning like a skull grins,
his eyes a-spinnin. Me en dat mule wuz a-shakin en a-runnin. Dat
varmint never let us til I wuz a-hollerin down near de Oaks en
seed yo candle.
Dr. and Mrs. Douglas let Ben stay the night at the Oaks.
The Dr. had a slave watch over Ben through the night.
The next morning Dr. Douglas and Ben went to the Hardy Plantation.
The Hound of Goshen is also called Happy Dog, because of the
legend of the dog having a skull grin.
The Old State Road is the road that runs from the Whitmire
Carlisle Highway through Goshen Hill and Maybinton to Columbia.
Legend is, the stretch of the Old State Road between Ebenezer
Church and where the Oaks Plantation once was is Happy Dog's Domain.
This legend has been repeated since the 1855 incident. It was
passed into the twentieth century by former slaves. Many curious
ghost hunters have traveled down what is now called the Old
Buncombe Road, to Happy Dog's domain. Some claim to have seen
THE HOUND OF GOSHEN
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