Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller
Date: December 2, 2023
Naturally, we asked the park ranger for any paranormal or urban legend stories associated with the fort. The ranger told us that during the summer of 1862, Confederate soldier Patrick Garrity fired his rifle at the Lieutenant, but the gun misfired. Garrity then swung his rifle like a club at the officer. Trying to flee, Garrity leapt from the drawbridge and into the murky moat and drowned. Why Garrity attacked his officer, no one knows. Fort staff and volunteers say Garrity’s ghost still haunts the fort. Sounds of slamming doors and shadow figures have been reported and are usually linked to Garrity. I arrived at the fort 20 minutes before closing so other than learning this urban legend from a ranger, I had no time to investigate. As I prepared to enter our car and drive away, a creepy fog came out of the Savannah River and encircled the fort.
We encountered some very strange things while visiting Old Fort Jackson. We were there with our two children. It did not feel like we were in danger.. but there was an overwhelming sense of heaviness, not sure how to explain. I told my daughter to snap tons of pictures.. There were not many people there that day , perhaps only a handful. Except for the feeling I had, and then again the feeling that I was ready to go and wanted to get out of there. We saw nothing to the physical eye. Our dogs that were in our RV were freaking out the whole time. Barking unusually loud and frantic. It was not until we left and started looking at pictures from all different cameras and phones.. that we had captured images that we did not see with the naked eye. One was a small child in a bonnet and apron dress standing by the cannon on the upper deck, with her back to the camera. One was a pair of what appeared to be soldiers sitting down resting against the wall by the lower cannons with their guns propped against the wall, and there were a pair of boots sitting there as well. Another had a half a torso pic of what appeared to be an officer uniform in the room that had the kegs stored. And then one when taking a pic of my daughter in front of a display, there was a soldier standing beside her , the outline of him , holding a musket pointing down. I still have the last one, but the others mysteriously disappeared off our devices, which sounds like hogwash, but it is true. Definitely lots of activity in this place.