Joanne Saylor, a Summerville resident who has been an independent licensed Charleston tour guide for 21 years will present GHOST STORIES OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA LOWCOUNTRY at the White Gables Clubhouse 7PM, Thursday October 18.

Largely self taught, the antique store owner is considered the dean of area tour guides and regularly tutors individuals preparing for the licensing exam. In the 1980’s she was one of the first to offer ghost themed tours of the peninsula, and in recent years her walking and bus tours of Summerville’s historic district have been among the most highly rated features at Summerville’s annual Golden Age of Inns Festival. 

There is no charge for the event, but organizer Jerry Crotty, a Prudential Carolina Realtor and White Gables resident explained “A hat will be passed to benefit Saylor’s effort to purchase a thermal imaging camera for the volunteer fire department near her home.  Saylor’s appearance is part of what is known in the neighborhood as the “Third Thursday Speaker Series,” a program of events that features a history themed presenter at the clubhouse on the third Thursday of selected months.

Previous month’s speakers have included Post and Courier writer Dora Anne Reaves, who told stories about the Summerville’s Golden Age of Inns, author Dick Cote’ who wrote City of Heroes, about the 1886 Charleston-Summerville earthquake, Ashley Chapman director of Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, Trident Tech instructor and international tea expert, Mack Fleming who detailed the area’s experience with tea cultivation, and most recently, Dave Rainford of Middleton Place who shared the history of the Middleton family’s place in South Carolina history.

The speaker series is one of several programs Crotty developed while Community Affairs Director for the traditional neighborhood near Knightsville. Though no longer employed by the neighborhood, Crotty continued the series because he believes, “The more we learn about the area we share, the more we’ll feel at home here, the more we’ll get involved, and the better it’ll become.”

Interested and attentive listeners of all ages are welcome and no RSVP or advance registration is necessary. For more information contact Jerry Crotty at 843) 343-7213 or jcrotty@prucar.com.