One of the best-known spirits to haunt St. Simons Island is an interesting take on the classic spook light myths of the Gothic South. As a young girl, Mary de Wanda (“Mary the Wanderer” as she is now known) traveled to Georgia from the Old World with her family. Her early life was not an easy one, a childhood filled with loss, poverty, and despair. After only a few short months, she was alone and penniless in a new country with no prospects and no chance at a life of happiness.
Her fortunes changed when she met Raymond (his name changes in different tellings), a young fisherman of modest means. They soon fell in love, and he proposed to take Mary’s hand in marriage. While making his way back from Darien on the Frederica River, Raymond and his boat were lost during the terrible Georgia Coastal Hurricane of 1824. Distraught, Mary spent several days and nights searching for her true love. Eventually, she simply disappeared.
Today, a ghostly light is often seen floating along the midnight shores of the Frederica River and into the forests that line the waters. Observers always report the same thing: a tall, beautiful woman of Latin descent carrying a lantern. For 100 years, Mary has spent the afterlife searching for Raymond in hopes of becoming his bride.
