Episode 182 Buried Alive on Edisto Island The Legend of Julia Legare

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Off the coast of South Carolina, on Edisto Island, a mausoleum at the back of an old churchyard has become the center of one of the state’s most persistent ghost stories. The name “Legare” is carved over the entrance, and for generations people have whispered that a young woman named Julia was buried alive inside. This episode follows the legend to the historical record and asks what we can really know about the woman whose name turned a family tomb into one of South Carolina’s most talked-about hauntings. Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTikTok @southernmysteriesInstagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com Episode Sources "Tomb of Julia Legare." South Carolina Picture Project. https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/tomb-of-julia-legare.html "The Legend of Julia Legare." Edisto Beach. https://edistobeach.com/the-legend-of-julia-legare/ "Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island." South Carolina Picture Project. https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/edisto-island-presbyterian.html Jaime Rubio. "The True Legend of Julia Legare – Fact vs Fiction." Dreaming Casually, Aug. 7, 2014. https://dreamingcasuallypoetry.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-true-legend-of-julia-legare-fact-vs.html "Julia Georgiana Seabrook Legare (1829–1852)." Find a Grave memorial 65651815. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65651815/julia-georgiana-legare "Hugh Swinton Legare (1847–1854)." Find a Grave memorial 65655039. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65655039/hugh-swinton-legare "Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island Cemetery." RootsWeb transcription https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cemphoto/history/sc/charleston/edisto/scehmedtall.html "Julia Georgianna (Seabrook) Legaré (1829–1852)." WikiTree profile Seabrook-911. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Seabrook-911 "Julia Georgiana Seabrook (1829–1852)." FamilySearch. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/M4KR-51C/julia-georgiana-seabrook-1829-1852 "William Seabrook (1773–1836)." FamilySearch. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LKLK-T93/william-seabrook-1773-1836 "Robert Chisholm Seabrook (1821–1852)." FamilySearch. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/MZJY-FBZ/robert-chisholm-seabrook-1821-1852 "Seabrook Plantation – Edisto Island – Charleston County." .https://south-carolina-plantations.com/charleston/seabrook.html "Cassina Point Plantation." South Carolina Picture Project. https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/cassina-point-plantation-2.html Historic Houses of South Carolina. J. H. Easterby et al. (PDF). https://archive.org/download/historichousesof00leid/historichousesof00leid.pdf "The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. XVII." (PDF). https://www.carolana.com/SC/eBooks/SCHGM/The_South_Carolina_Historical_and_Genealogical_Magazine_Volume_XVII.pdf "James Hopkinson Papers, 1847–1921." ArchiveGrid / WorldCat summary. https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/archiveComponent/41963032 "Slaves of James Hopkinson (1810–1875), South Carolina." https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Slaves_of_James_Hopkinson_%281810_-_1875%29%2C_South_Carolina "1865 List of Abandoned Plantations, Edisto Island, South Carolina." https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:1865_List_of_Abandoned_Plantations_Edisto_Island%2C_South_Carolina "Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands – Berwick Legare, Edisto Island." Smithsonian NMAAHC Freedmen’s Bureau Digital Records. https://nmaahc.si.edu/freedmens-bureau/record/fbs-1662423774659-16

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Shannon Ballard, the creator and host of Southern Mysteries. Before we get started, I want to say thank you to listeners who support the show on Patreon. This is an independent podcast, and I handle the research, writing, recording, and production myself. To staff of one, your support helps cover the real world cost of making the show.
0:24.0	A special welcome and thanks to new patrons, Evan Ward of Bentonville, Arkansas, Brandy Smith of
0:31.1	Graniteville, South Carolina, Robin Adkinson of Springville, Tennessee, and Kathleen Wall of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,
0:40.9	and to Benjamin Smith, Luann Rosamondo, Janet Banks, M. Carter, and Brinston Knight,
0:48.9	who are supporting from mysterious locations. Thank you so much. Now, if you'd like to join them on Patreon,
0:57.3	you'll get access to the first three seasons of Southern Mysteries, which are only available
1:02.3	there. Plus, add free listening. And when you support the show as a much obliged member,
1:08.2	you get exclusive stories through my monthly patron podcast, Audacious. The show
1:13.9	dives into some of the most mysterious crimes and scandals in American history. You can learn more
1:20.7	and join today at patreon.com slash southern mysteries or just search for Southern Mysteries podcast in the Patreon app.
1:37.4	Off the coast of South Carolina, between Charleston and Beaufort, there's a sea island where the marsh meets the moss,
1:46.6	and the pass never quite settles. At the back of a quiet churchyard stands an old brick mausoleum.
1:54.3	Legree is carved over the entrance. Locals say if you stand there long enough, the air changes. It grows heavier, like someone
2:04.9	else has stepped up behind you. And over time, a story has wrapped itself around that vault,
2:12.4	a story about a young woman named Julia and a burial that may not have been what it seemed.
2:21.3	Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring Southern history and true crime. I'm your host,
2:28.2	Shannon Ballard. This is episode 182, buried alive on Odesto Island, the Julia Legree legend.
2:39.6	In the mid-1800s, yellow fever moved through Beaufort, South Carolina, and people were
2:46.4	scared of more than just the disease. The way it worked was confusing. Some patients slipped into such a deep
2:54.3	coma that their breathing slowed, their pulse was hard to find, into a family standing by the bed.
3:02.2	It looked like death. In that world, the idea of being buried alive was something people worried about.
3:11.0	One local doctor remembered as Dr. Perry worried about it enough to plan for it. He treated
	...

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