Ghosts of Cass

Cass, WV

My family and I love to take weekend trips to see some of West Virginia's most scenic and historic sites. Luckily, many of those sites tend to have a reputation for being haunted! Our latest adventure took us to the Cass Scenic Railroad. Not only did we ride the Shay #5 engine up to the town of Durbin and back, but we spent two nights in the restored company town of Cass itself.

Cass was a company town, created in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, to accommodate the logging crews working the nearby sawmills. Most of the two-story employee homes were built around 1902 and were pretty nice, with lots of modern amenities (excluding bathrooms until the 1920s!) and plenty of room to raise a family. Loggers had the option to rent or purchase their homes. If they purchased the home, they were allowed plenty of free lumber to build additions onto the houses. The only catch was, if they ever sold their home, they had to sell it back to the company at the SAME PRICE they paid for it. They were ensured to not LOSE money, but if they did any improvements to the home, then they were not compensated for the added value. 

Logging operations in the area ran until about 1960. The following year, the state purchased the railroad and by 1963 was operating it as the Cass Scenic Railroad, a huge tourist attraction. The town itself wasn't made a part of the state park until 1977. 

Company House on Spruce Street

We stayed at 332 Spruce Street, a handicap accessible, 4-bedroom home up on the hill. We checked in Friday evening, got up Saturday to catch the train, then spent another night before checking out early Sunday. It was a comfortable stay with plenty of room and a great view. From our back deck, we could look down over much of the town of Cass. From our front porch, we could watch a whole herd of deer frolicking along the tree line and field.  It was relaxing, yet a little...spooky. 

To be honest, I didn't do very much research into the haunted history of the town before our trip. I knew people had said it was haunted, but I didn't look very far into the details of why they thought that beyond a story found on the WV Ghosts website. In the story (LINK HERE), the author tells of staying in one of the furbished employee homes, much like us. They visited a small craft shop and saw a strange white blur go by quickly; when asked about it, the shopkeeper informed them that a little girl had died in the home from an illness that the local doctor couldn't treat.

The story goes on further to say that they heard a woman screaming around 10pm. When they went to look outside to see where the scream was coming from, it sounded like someone was rattling the doorknob, trying to get into the house. When the author discussed the story the next day with family, their sister and dad had also heard the scream, but they had heard something the author hadn't---a man whistling INSIDE the house!

Ghost Hunting at the
Company House

That was enough for me, so I decided to pack just a few, very basic pieces of ghost hunting equipment. My son has recently expressed an interest in ghost hunting, so I thought a little investigating of the company house would be a fun activity to fill some time. We had a few interesting things happen, but nothing too crazy. At two separate times during our stay, we heard what sounded like the back doorknob jiggle. When filming a short 'reaction video' to a Dubai chocolate test-testing, my son and I both heard a voice coming from the downstairs bedroom. When we played the video back, there is a voice, but I can't prove that it wasn't actually my son saying 'okay,' despite none of us remembering him saying that. 

During our Saturday night 'ghost hunt,' we had some strange K-II hits, some hilarious things come over the spirit box, including both our names (which, my son is named Luke and the Luke family was instrumental in the creation of Cass, so that might be unrelated), a comment on Luke's dad being 'a fool,' and lots of stuff about an accident. We may have also gotten an EVP, but I'm still trying to clean it up, because I can't make out what it says. Before bed that night, I laid around and just did a simple search through the newspaper archives for Cass, just to see if anything came up that was interesting, or seemed to fit what we had heard over the spirit box.

Being a railroad and logging community, there were plenty of articles about untimely deaths from industrial accidents. I was kind of surprised at the amount of murders, though. There were quite a few angry fellas running around Cass at the turn of the last century. But there was one article that stood out; it was an article about a fire that had killed a mother and two young children. The father managed to save two additional children and himself, and the tragedy rocked the community. Little did I know that there was way more to the story...and that it would actually play a part in the haunted reputation of the town!

Company Store, Museum and Restaurant

When we got home after a long, jam-packed weekend (another blog about that coming soon!) I started delving into the research a little more in preparation for writing about Cass' haunted history. The website for Pocahontas County tourism has a page dedicated to the area's haunted locations, and I was pleased to see that Cass was on their list. The article mentions hearing the ghostly train whistle of a phantom train....but it mentions that there is one house in the restored neighborhood that is more haunted than others. The house in question is the Doyle House on Main Street. According to the article, witnesses have reported seeing a woman with two young children walking down Main Street near the house, late at night.

Unfortunately, we weren't staying in the Doyle House. Even though the house number wasn't given, we were up on Spruce, so it definitely wasn't us. But, the name caught my attention. Where had I heard Doyle before? 

You may have guessed it; Doyle was the name of the family who suffered from the tragic fire! On February 3, 1915, a fire at the Doyle residence took the lives of Mrs. George Doyle (Jessie) and two of her children---8 year old Charlotte and two year old George William Lee Doyle, Jr. George was able to save 4 year old Ethel, and George Jr.'s twin sister, Claris. In his efforts, he was burned severely, and suffered a broken arm. In addition to the house, fire was also set to the nearby Oddfellows Hall, and a picture theater owned by Mr. Doyle. Those two locations were saved through a bucket brigade. 

What makes this story all the more tragic is that the fire was no accident. It took over a year, but a man named L.H. Haroff/Harouff was finally arrested and confessed to the crime. Harouff, a restaurant owner from Marlington, was a firebug with a history of burning down the homes and businesses of his rivals. He admitted to the Doyle arson because he was in negotiations to buy the picture theater owned by Doyle and a relative, but Doyle wouldn't sell. 

Aaron and Luke in front of the
(haunted?) Shay No. 5 Engine

Harouff's defense was that he was insane. The fact that when Harouff was finally tracked down and arrested for the arson of lawyer, L.M. McClintic's home, HE ASKED MCCLINTIC TO REPRESENT HIM! It also doesn't appear as if Harouff ever really made it to the WV State Penitentiary for his crimes. It's possible that he was sent to a state hospital, such as the Weston State Hospital (Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum), but I cannot find any mention of the verdict of his trial through the archive service I use. I did, however, find what I THINK is his obituary...and at the time of this person's death, they are not incarcerated.

So yeah, I can totally understand why Jessie's ghost, along with two of her children, are seen roaming the streets of Cass after such a senseless tragedy. The scream that the visitors from the WV Ghosts story heard may also be tied in the fire. But, there are plenty of more ghosts in town apparently!

Cass Depot

On July 30, 2025 (AFTER WE HAD COME HOME) a new blog post was published on Salt Shaker Press, giving a list of haunted locations throughout Pocahontas County. I REALLY wish I had this list before our vacation, because we actually visited, saw, or drive by a lot of these places, and I would have definitely paid more attention and taken more pictures. Anyway, the post lists a ton of places throughout Pocahontas County, but specific to Cass:

1. The Phantom Train Whistle: Heard throughout the area after the last train of the night has long passed, this whistle is believed to indicate a special run for the spirits of those killed in nearby logging/train accidents.

2. Shay No. 5 Engine: This is actually the engine we were assigned on our round trip to Durbin! It is said to be haunted by a brakeman who was crushed to death in the 1930's. This ghost makes his presence known by the scent of pipe tobacco and the occasional shadowy apparition. 

3. Company Store: Witnesses have reported seeing the apparition of a woman in an early 20th century dress, peering out the second floor windows of the company store. It is believed she is a wife, watching for her husband to return. While we were in town, there was one strange thing about the store, which most likely is NOT paranormal, but I thought I'd go ahead and record it. When we arrived in town on Friday and checked in, we were told the internet was out, but they had an order in to fix it. We bought some drinks and snacks at the company store (now a museum and gift shop) and asked about paying with a card vs. cash. We were told that they could take a card, because they had a separate backup system that never went down. Later that evening, the wifi was restored. It was a little slow at times, but there were no real problems until right before we checked out Sunday morning. As we were planning our route home, the internet wifi once again went out and there was no cell service in the area. We headed down to the company store and attached restaurant for breakfast, where we were told by a panicked young waitress that the backup internet connection had also gone down and they could only accept cash. According to the staff we talked to, this had never happened before, and it had everyone a little on edge that morning! 

4. Greenbrier River Trail: We didn't really explore the Greenbrier River Trail, but apparently it's a hot spot for paranormal activity, too. Hikers and bikers have seen a lantern light swinging in the distance. The light approaches them, but as they get closer, they can see that no person is holding the light. The light then abruptly goes out. 

That's a LOT of paranormal activity for such a little town. But, it's a little town steeped in history and it is a great place to have a family adventure. Our company house was comfortable, everyone was super nice and polite, and the train ride was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful, scenic trip up there and back and I would highly recommend it for a weekend getaway. You'll see a lot of wildlife. You'll see a lot of history. And if you're lucky, you might even see a ghost! 

Sources and Further Reading:

Cass Railroad Ghosts, by Kelly Bowman. Published on WVGhosts.com 14 July 2004

The Paranormal Sites of Pocahontas County. Posted 29 October 2024 on the Pocahontas County Tourism site. 

Cass Scenic Railroad: WV State Parks Website

Ghost Stories, by Normal Alderman. Salt Shaker Press Blogspot. Published 30 July 2025

National Register of Historic Places Nomination for Town of Cass

National Register of Historic Places Nomination for Cass Scenic Railroad

Death Registry for Doyle Family

Find-a-Grave Entries for George Doyle Jr., Jessie Doyle, and Charlotte Doyle

The Charleston Daily Mail
15 July 1916

Terror in Talcott---Poltergeists and Klan Rallies at the Old Manning Home

M.A. Manning
From History of Summers County, by James Miller
Accessed via Internet Archive

Back in April of 1925, the Hinton Daily News ran an interesting story about a haunted house in nearby Talcott, WV. The house in question was being rented to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chattin, a young couple who had been married a little over a year. Shortly after moving in, the couple noticed an alarming display of poltergeist activity when their (presumably) heavy dresser turned itself completely around without the aid of human (living human, anyways) hands. At first, they sort of played the incident off and replaced the dresser to its normal position.

But it happened again.

The second time the dresser spun around on its own was the catalyst the Chattins needed. This time, they arose and fled in fear. At first, Paul had the upper hand and was in the lead toward the door. However, his wife Mabel, described as being fleet-footed, quickly flew past her husband. In the confusion, Paul saw a white-clad figure zoom past him and assumed it was the ghost, causing a second burst of panic. 

Needless to say, the Chattins moved out and did not return to their haunted home. The home in question, located at the upper edge of Talcott, was known locally as the Manning House. It once belonged to Matthew A. Manning and his family. 

Manning was born on May 4, 1848, in Ireland, but came to the United States at four years old. His family lived in Monroe County before moving to Nicholas County before the start of the Civil War. While living in Nicholas, Manning joined the Confederate Army. By 1871, he had moved to Talcott. Although he was a lawyer by profession, he took advantage of the population boom occurring as a result of the building of the C&O Railroad line and opened up a mercantile business with a man named Park. In 1876 he married Miss Mary Campbell. Together they had two surviving children, Frank and Faye. Sometime along the way, he built what would be known for years as the Manning House.

Manning was a prominent and (mostly) well-liked citizen. He was a Mason, a Catholic, and a politician. As a Democrat, he served multiple offices and even served on the Board of Education, as well as a stint as postmaster. Manning passed away in his home on December 13, 1900, from heart disease. 

Mary would live until 1926, but at some point had moved out of the home. She passed away at her daughter's home in St. Albans, but her remains were said to have been brought home to the old Manning home and buried in Talcott Cemetery #2 alongside her husband. 

View of Talcott from Big Bend Mountain
Source: WV History on View

For much of the early 1920's, the Manning home was used as a rental property. After the Chattins fled in April of 1925, a Hinton newspaper noted that in May, Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Dodd were moving into the house for the summer. I'm not entirely sure they stayed long, however. While I couldn't find any news articles about the Dodds fleeing in terror from the haunted house, I'm not sure they would have wanted to stay around for what happened at the house in June. 

On June 12, 1925, Talcott Unit A of the Summers County Klan no. 90 held a huge event. Klan members were to meet at the nearby school and parade to a stage area set up near the Manning home for "patriotic speaking and drill performance." The public was invited to witness the spectacle and were to assemble on the grounds of the Manning property. An estimated 2500 people showed up! Whether the Dodds were Klan supporters or not, I don't think they'd have been too happy with 2500 people plus an actual cross burning on their lawn, which makes me think the house was once again abandoned. Unfortunately, Mrs. Chattin wasn't the only white-clad figure causing terror in Talcott that Spring. However, give me a furniture spinning ghost over the Klan any day. 

The two-story frame home wouldn't last forever. On December 14, 1951, the house was entirely destroyed by fire. At the time, it was owned by W.D. Lowry. Ashby Lowry was living on the second floor, while the first floor was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. L.B. Rogers. Despite the Lowry ownership, the home was still being referred to as the Manning property. 

The fire started in the second-floor kitchen and quickly spread, causing considerable insurance damage, thanks to Mr. Lowry having recently bought all new furniture and clothing. It is said that hundreds of people blocked traffic for miles on Rt. 3 to watch the old landmark burn. 

So, who was the dresser-turning ghost? The article states that several people had died in the home, and that's certainly true of most houses of that period. M.A. Manning was probably the most well-known death to have happened in the home prior to the haunting. Was HE the resident ghost, looking after the interior design choices of his former residence? And did the haunting stop with the Chattins, or did other families experience furniture moving around on its own? Since the only activity that was reported was the moving of furniture, it's possible that this truly was a poltergeist of the recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSKP) variety. Perhaps a young bride, adjusting to married life and the prospects of starting a family made Mabel Chattin the perfect agent for poltergeist activity.

Whatever the cause or whomever the culprit, parallels between this case and another are evident. In February of 1925, the Stokes family was run out of a haunted house in Hinton when doors flew open and beds shook in the night. You can read about that story on my post Terror on Temple Street! 

The Hinton Daily News
11 April 1925

The Hinton Daily News
13 June 1925

Beckley Post-Herald
15 December 1951

Ghostly Tales from the Ohio Valley Electric Railway

Winchester Avenue
Ashland, KY

The Ohio Valley Electric Railway was an interconnected streetcar system connecting Ashland, KY, Huntington, WV, and Ironton, Ohio. Incorporated in 1899, it lasted until 1937, being known as the Camden Interstate Railway Company between 1900 and 1908 (Huntington's haunted Camden Park was established in 1903 as a picnic area for railway patrons!).  This 'modern' convenience opened up another affordable option for travel around the tri-state, but for whatever reason, it also became a mobile haunted house, showcasing the area's paranormal activity. In a newspaper article from 1923, THREE separate spooky experiences were documented. One such incident occurred on Winchester Avenue in Ashland, KY, with prior incidents occurring near the Big Sandy Bridge and Kenova Station. 

The Winchester incident occurred in May of 1923. Passengers were minding their own business as the car traveled down Winchester Avenue. Suddenly, a PHANTOM COAT floated in through a rear window, and drifted up the aisle before vanishing before shocked eyes. The car was stopped and the motorman, along with several passengers, got out to investigate. No sign of the coat or anything that could be mistaken as a phantom coat was ever found. The article made sure to mention that none of the witnesses had been drinking, and it appeared as if only one or two people of color, were frightened by the unexplained incident.

The article then goes on to state that several years prior, a different motorman and passengers were traveling over the Big Sandy bridge and had to stop to avoid a collision with a phantom car. As soon as they stopped, the car vanished.

One final story is mentioned as being witnessed by the writer of the article himself. He and a number of others were at Kenova Station (in West Virginia). They looked through a window of a passenger car stopped on the bridge and claim to have been able to see Ashland, Kentucky as plain as day, almost as if they were observing from atop a hill or Ferris Wheel. This particular mirage did shake up the witnesses pretty bad, and several believed it was an omen that something bad was going to happen along the journey. Luckily, everyone made it safely to their destinations. Theresa's note: I'm not entirely sure this last incident was related to the Ohio Valley Electric Railway or not. As its written, it seems like it may involve a regular train, but was included in the article as a means to emphasize the point that some pretty strange stuff had been happening in the tri-state in the past few years! 

The Independent Herald
(Hinton, WV)
17 May 1923

Robert Bailey: Mysterious Death at Thurmond

Thurmond 2025
Picture by Theresa

Last weekend, I investigated West Virginia's most infamous and well-known ghost town---Thurmond. I had been to visit a handful of times, but this was the first opportunity I had to actually do a little ghost hunting (a big thank you to Appalachian Ghost Tours for hosting!) Therefore, I had to do a little digging into some of the history of this fascinating town. 

One thing I noticed is that a lot of people were found deceased in Thurmond. Like, a LOT. And, the majority of them were found in or just outside of Thurmond on the banks (or in some cases IN) the New River. Some went into the water on their own accord, either by accident or by suicide. The bridge pictured in this blog, which connected Thurmond proper to where the Dunglen Hotel was located, was a favorite spot. Others were theorized to have been tossed in, the victims of foul play. A great number of the deceased turned out to be Italian immigrants, which I've addressed in my last blog post (The Mayor Who Fined a Dead Man) and I'll surely address in future blogs. But, there was at least one man who was born and raised here in West Virginia who met his tragic end in 1937. It is unknown just how he ended up in the New River, but his official cause of death was listed as drowning. Here's his story:

Robert Dow Bailey was a thirty year old man from Price Hill, WV. He worked as an electrician for a local mine. On April 17, 1937 (Saturday), he left his wife, Flora, at Mt. Hope, saying that he had $100 and was going to Thurmond. That was the last she ever saw of him. On April 23rd, his body was found along a shallow edge of the New River, across from the C&O Depot, down by the roundhouse. An unnamed African American woman who was out at the river picking greens found the body and alerted authorities. 

Thurmond Bridge, near Round House
Turntable visible to the left
Circa 1900 
Source: WV History on View

The county coroner, E.R. Daniels, ruled the cause of death to be drowning. Local physician, Dr. G.W. Grafton, noted a bruise on Bailey's right side, but pointed out it couldn't have been the cause of death. And, the mortician, C.B. Collins, stated his opinion that the body had been in the water all six days he'd been missing. So what happened to Robert Bailey?

Sam Pugh, the proprietor of a local beer garden, claimed Bailey came into his establishment around 9pm Saturday night. Bailey was drunk and wanting to order beer, but Pugh refused him. Pugh also refused Bailey's request to leave some money with him at the establishment. Bailey then left. 

Others came forward to say they had also seen Bailey Saturday evening as he arrived from Mt. Hope. They said he told several people that he had "been picked in a poker game." Somewhere along the way, Bailey certainly did seem to lose quite a bit of money. He wife claimed he left with $100, but his body was found with only $16---a $10 check and $6 in various other forms of currency. 

During my research, the number one reason given for why so many took their own lives near the Thurmond bridge was cited as losing all their money gambling. It's possible that this is what happened to Bailey, but we also have to take into consideration that he was robbed and tossed into the river, or that he was simply drunk and stumbled and fell. Whichever way he left this mortal world, his memory lives on as one of the many victims of the New River at Thurmond. 

Robert Bailey Death Certificate
WV State Archives

 

Beckley Post-Herald
24 April 1937

The Mayor Who Fined a Dead Man

Illustration by Estelle Lilly
depicting the drowned Italian. 
From Melody Bragg's Window to the Past

As Appalachian Ghost Tours gears up for our public investigation of Thurmond, WV this weekend, I thought I'd share some interesting stories from the Mountain State's most infamous 'ghost town. One of my favorite legends from the town is the tale of the dead man who was fined by the mayor.  

In the story, made popular by the book, Window to the Past, by Melody Bragg, when the body of a foreigner washed up on the shore near Thurmond, there was one detail that made it distinct from the many other bodies that would wash up. The majority of the bodies that washed ashore usually had empty pockets---it was assumed that a lack of money meant that the person, depressed by gambling losses, committed suicide by jumping from the bridge, or that they were robbed and killed and tossed into the rapids to hide evidence of the crime. 

Therefore, it was VERY strange that this person not only had quite a bit of cash on their person, but also a pistol. Leo Schaffer, the mayor of Glen Jean (which extended to include the southside area where the Dunglen Hotel once stood) decided to fine the dead man for illegally carrying a pistol. The amount of the fine---the exact amount of money found in the dead man's pockets. Afterwards, the man was given a pauper's funeral by the county. 

Like all good legends, when you start to examine the documentation surrounding the event, details begin to become even more muddled! 

According to various newspaper articles, linked below, here's a slightly different perspective on what happened:

On Tuesday, May 31st, 1904, two Italian brothers were visiting Thurmond during a work break from their job at nearby Dun Loop on the Loop Creek railway branch. They were drinking heavily and decided to head down toward the river to take a rest. It was about 2 o'clock (am or pm not given). One of the brothers, named J.M. Sariti, told the other he was "going to fly" and then plunged into the swift moving, swollen river. 

Thurmond Bridge
Photo by Theresa

There seems to be some confusion about what happened next. Onlookers may have tried to rescue Sariti, but it appears that his brother either didn't realize what was going on or considered rendering aid a lost cause. At one point, he walked off to get more beer. He did return later but made no effort to recover his brother's body. In fact, he seemed pretty unbothered by the whole affair and went back to work. The brother's attitude has led to speculation that this may have been more than just a drunk man doing drunk man things. Some say the Italian intended to commit suicide, while others threw suspicion on foul play.

A reward of $50 was offered up (some say by the brother, but one newspaper said by officers) to recover the body. That reward was indeed collected that Friday when Captain A.A. Hartford/Harford was coming east on his train through Thurmond and spotted the body floating in the river. Hartford alerted authorities, who were in no rush to do anything. The body was tied to the shore to prevent it from washing away but wasn't removed until Saturday evening.

That's when it was discovered that the dead man had a staggering $130.50 in his pockets! No pistol was mentioned, however, in contemporary news reports. 

$50 of the dead man's cash was used to pay Hartford his reward and the remaining $80.50 WAS used to pay a fine...not for carrying a pistol, but for 'suiciding.' Mayor Schaffer definitely wasn't playing around. Sariti was then buried shortly after in Thurmond. 

However, the next day, either a friend or the father of Sariti showed up in town from Pittsburgh, bringing with him a metal coffin in which to bring the body back home. By this time, the body was much too, uh, bloated, to even fit in the metal coffin and had to be reburied in Thurmond. This caused even further legal trouble. The cost of reburial was charged to the friend/father of the victim, and when a disagreement over payment was had with Mayor Schaffer, the friend/father was locked up by Marshall Harrison Ash until an agreement could be made. 

Pardon my language, but fining the dead man the amount he had in his pockets for allegedly committing suicide (many sources say he didn't) THEN locking up a relative over a pauper's burial payment is quite frankly, a dick move. And, I'm not the only one who thought that. In the June 18th, 1904 edition of the Hinton Daily News, there was an editorial letter ran, written by J.S. Thurmond, who was the mayor of Thurmond proper. (Due to some disagreements over the selling of alcohol, the depot side of the river was actually the town of Thurmond, and right across the river, while generally considered a part of Thurmond, was actually annexed into the town of Glen Jean so that alcohol could be served at the Dunglen Hotel.)

Mayor Thurmond wrote about how Mayor Schaffer's actions in fining a dead man did not reflect the views of those in Thurmond, and that Schaffer was in no way affiliated with that town. Further, as the body was found outside of either city's limits, Schaffer had no right in doing what he did. Mayor Thurmond was pretty upset that local newspapers kept attributing the bad stuff happening on the south side (in Glen Jean), including criminal behavior and the misdeeds of the mayor, to the dry town of Thurmond. 

Sources and Further Reading:

Window to the Past, by Melody Bragg. Edited and Designed by George Bragg. Illustrations by Estelle Lilly. Published 1990 by Gem Publications. 

Hinton Daily News
01 June 1904

Hinton Daily News
06 June 1904

Hinton Daily News
18 June 1904

The Spirit Who Made a Man Give up Spirits

ChatGPT Image

What would it take for you to give up one of your biggest vices...or even addictions? For some, giving up such indulgences is no easy feat. However, for one man in Mercer County, WV all it would take is some strong encouragement from a ghost. 

Back in 1937, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph delighted its readers with regular ghost stories, submitted by locals and often featuring local haunts. In one such article, a woman from Nemours confirmed a previous story that happened to a man who lived out on what is now known as Brush Fork. 

This man had a bad habit. Despite having a family and not enough money to support them properly, he made it a regular occurrence to go out to Flat Top yard where there was a still. The man would purchase a jug of whisky, or sometimes even some good ol' 'shine...and place it in a sack for the walk back home.

On one particularly clear night, the man was walking back home with his sack of whisky when he heard what he described as a woman's voice coming from the clouds. Curious, he stopped to listen. Suddenly, from right over his head he heard the voice say, 'Drop that liquor!' At the same time, a loud thud, almost like a lightning bolt, hit the ground near him. 

The man dropped his sack of whisky and ran home. He got down on his knees and told his wife the whole story before swearing off liquor for good. And, according to the source telling this tale, that promise was kept and the man stayed sober for the rest of his days. 

Whether or not it was really a ghost, a drunken hallucination, or someone using the opportunity to teach this man a lesson...it doesn't really matter. What matters is that a man was able to give up a particular vice that was detrimental not only to himself, but his family. And, if it turns out that it WAS a spirit that led to him giving up the spirits, then that's just icing on the cake! 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
21 February 1937

The Summit Snake

AI Image using ChatGPT

This strange story comes to us courtesy of one of my favorite Fortean Historians, Historian of the Strange. Back in July of 1914, Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Brooks of Summit (Wood County), WV were sitting on their porch. They had settled in to enjoy the evening air, when they heard a rustle in the nearby brush. Suddenly, a yellow hoop came shooting out of the brush and began rolling down the hill. Faster and faster it rolled, until it built up enough speed to straighten itself out and FLY through the air. It flew across the valley and landed in a tree about 400 feet away.

This strange creature was dark yellow. It was five inches across at the head, tapering to 1/2 an inch at the tail. Its length measured 30 inches. Instead of wings, it used its tail as a propeller. When questioned by skeptics, the Brooks swore that what they saw was NOT a bird carrying a snake. Others theorized that the creature may have been a dragon. Some rationalized it as a type of lizard with gliding abilities. The Brooks, however, were adamant that they had seen a flying snake and nothing more. 

Ophidiophobia is the official term for fear of snakes, and it's not an uncommon phobia for many. Luckily, that's not something I personally suffer from, but I will say that I'd absolutely be more than a little unnerved to see a yellow hoop roll down the hill, then spread its serpentine body and fly across the valley. The Brooks seemed rather unfazed by the whole incident, and it doesn't seem like the rest of the town cared much, either. As far as I can tell, this incident didn't make it into the local papers. The clipping below, provided by Historian of the Strange, comes from the Tampa Tribune in Florida! 

I can only imagine why a Florida newspaper would be interested in a weird, but not too weird story from a tiny town in West Virginia. It wouldn't have anything to do with the idea that it wasn't likely to be fact-checked would it?  Stay spooky, ya'll---and keep your eyes to the skies in search of flying snakes!

The Tampa Tribune
12 July 1914
Source: Historian of the Strange FB