Welcome to History Files, the show that meticulously unpacks the secrets hidden beneath the surface of famous legends.

Our inaugural series investigates The Lands End Light, a ghostly orb that has haunted a remote stretch of road on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, for over 200 years.

In Part 1, we leave the ghost hunting behind and establish the crucial historical foundation of this Lowcountry mystery:

• The Original Inhabitants: We trace the history back centuries before the planters, examining the original chiefdoms—the Cusabo and Yemassee tribes—who first navigated the Sea Island waterways.

• The True Meaning of Lands End: Discover why colonial settlers named this specific point "Lands End," revealing the powerful economic and symbolic significance of the road as a boundary of control.

• The Oldest Legends: We connect the historical dots from the Yemassee War of 1715 to the tragic origins of the light's oldest folklore: the heartbreaking tale of a spirit eternally searching for a family torn apart by early enslavement.

This isn't just a ghost story—it's the history you never learned in class.