For decades, the town of Summerville, South Carolina, has been the backdrop for eerie ghost stories. Locals have long whispered about strange lights and mysterious sounds near Old Sheep Island Road, or Old Light Road, where a ghostly figure, thought to be a grieving wife, has been said to haunt the railroad tracks. The story goes that a man working on the railroad was tragically killed by a train, and since then, his wife’s ghost has wandered the area, carrying a lantern.

Many have reported seeing glowing orbs of light near the tracks, often described as small, ball-shaped and glowing in shades of blue, green, or sometimes even red and white. These eerie lights are sometimes seen moving or growing in size. Along with the strange lights, residents claim to hear odd sounds like shaking cars, slamming doors, and disembodied whispers, which have been linked to the ghostly legend. But could there be a more natural explanation for these haunting phenomena?

Dr. Hough’s Groundbreaking Discovery

Dr. Susan Hough, a geophysicist with the Earthquake Hazards Program, believes the explanation lies not in the supernatural but in natural seismic activity. After studying the region’s history and geology, Dr. Hough discovered a critical clue: a “kink” in the railroad tracks that suggested they might be built along a fault line. This new finding led her to reconsider the long-standing ghost story in a different light.

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Dr. Hough’s research revealed a significant earthquake that struck Charleston in 1886, with a magnitude of 6.6 to 7.3, and its seismic effects may have impacted the area near Summerville. She found that the rail line south of Summerville had been displaced by about 15 feet, indicating that the area had been built on or near an active fault line. This earthquake, she theorizes, could explain the strange lights and sounds reported by residents for decades.

Earthquake Lights and Unexplained Phenomena

One of the most compelling explanations Dr. Hough offers is the phenomenon of “earthquake lights.” These are unusual lights that appear during or near seismic events, and they’ve been reported in various locations, including the Carolinas. Dr. Hough suggests that the glowing orbs locals have seen near the tracks could actually be these earthquake lights. These lights are often linked to gas released from the Earth, which can ignite due to rock movement or static electricity during seismic activity.

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While the exact cause of earthquake lights is still a mystery, Dr. Hough’s research provides a plausible explanation. The lights could be the result of gases like radon or methane being released during shallow earthquakes, which then ignite and form glowing orbs in the air.

The Sound of Ghosts?

As for the strange noises heard in the area, Dr. Hough suggests that they could be linked to the tremors from shallow earthquakes. Seismic waves with frequencies between 20 and 200 Hz are within the range of human hearing and can produce sounds that resemble distant explosions or low-frequency rumblings. These vibrations can also cause “infrasonic” noise, which, though below the audible threshold, can create physical sensations that people might interpret as ghostly activity.

Dr. Hough believes that understanding these natural phenomena could shed new light on both earthquake science and the ghost stories that have long haunted Summerville. Her hope is that this new perspective will lead to further investigations into both the seismic history of the region and the enduring mystery of the “ghost lights.”

A Scientific Approach to Spooky Stories

Thanks to Dr. Hough’s research, the ghostly tales of Summerville might not be entirely folklore after all. They could very well be tied to an underlying natural phenomenon — seismic activity and earthquake lights. While the ghost stories may continue to captivate the imagination of locals and visitors alike, the possibility of these eerie occurrences having a scientific explanation is an exciting breakthrough that might finally unravel the mystery of Old Light Road.