Grancer Harrison - The Ghost Story

The Ghost Story

The oral legend of Grancer Harrison has been edited by generations of successive story tellers to spare modern sensibilities the true nature of slavery in the age of Grancer Harrison. However, the story does give us a glimpse into the life of a wealthy and popular planter who lived, and danced, at the peak of agricultural production in the slave-labor-driven South just before the US Civil War. The story is now summarized as follows, 'Grancer was a successful cotton planter and is said to have owned the largest number of slaves in the county. His slaves dubbed him "Grand-sir", which became shortened over time to Grancer. He hosted barbecues, dances, and horse races every Saturday possible. He loved these things so much that he had his slaves build a large dance hall just for the parties he sponsored. Grancer had a pair of clogs, or dancing shoes, that he wore just for the parties he loved so well.'

'The years passed and Grancer was faced with the fact that he would not live forever, so he began to prepare for his final arrangements. Slaves were sent to the nearest brick kiln in Milton, Florida, and work began on the large above ground tomb he intended to be buried in. Grancer was to be buried in the tomb with his dancing clothes and his clogs on, lying on his feather bed. The burial site was within earshot of his beloved dance hall so that he could still be a part of it in some way. The end for Harrison finally came in 1860 and his burial orders were followed exactly. The Saturday night dances continued for a while but without Harrison it just wasn't the same and the dance hall soon fell into ruin.'

'Then people began to tell tales of passing the Harrison Cemetery late on a Saturday night and hearing the eerie sounds of fiddling and dancing coming from the cemetery. Other stories had passers-by reported hearing the deep booming voice of a man calling out square dances and being accompanied by a fiddle.'