Where the dead still speak: The living legacy of Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - At a quiet bend along the Cooper River, where Spanish moss hangs like lace over centuries of Charleston history, there’s a place some say looks haunted.

But step a little closer, and you’ll find something far more beautiful than eerie: Magnolia Cemetery, a nationally registered treasure where art, architecture, and memory intertwine beneath ancient oak trees.

For more than four decades, Beverly Donald has cared for this hallowed ground, first as director, and now as trustee.

“I’ve never, ever seen a ghost,” Donald says with a laugh. “God said if somebody tells you they seen a ghost, they’re lying. So I don’t believe in ghosts.”

Magnolia’s story stretches deep into Charleston’s past. The land once passed from the King of England through plantation owners, revol