Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Little (Haunted) Catholic Church on Irish Mountain

Photo by Michael Keller
Photo by Michael Keller. Source
St. Colman Catholic Church is located about 15 miles away from Hinton, in an area of Irish Mountain named Sullivan's Knob.  Maurice Sullivan was the first settler in the area, purchasing 435 acres of land from the Gwinn Family in 1855.  The following year he was joined by the Quinlan family, and then several other Irish families.  Together, they turned the small, isolated community into a thriving Irish farm settlement.

The community  was largely of the Roman Catholic faith, and church services were held in private homes, provided once a month by a traveling preacher from St. Patrick's in Hinton.  The community pushed for a church of their own, and in 1876, Sullivan deeded over 1 acre of land to Bishop Joseph J. Kain for use as a church and a cemetery.  The cemetery unfortunately came first, as in that same year, John Quinlan passed away and was buried on the grounds.

The church was built the following year and consisted of a hewn log structure.  The cemetery is unique in that it has a "Lost Souls" corner for unbaptized babies.  The name St. Colman comes from a Gaelic saint, and the church became known as the "little Catholic church on Irish Mountain."

The church never did gain its own preacher, and continued to receive services through St. Patrick's in Hinton.  In 1928, the church was refurbished.  Clapboard painted white was erected over the hewed logs.  In 1983 it became a registered historical site.

Visitors to the church in recent years have reported unexplained cold spots and cold mists that are actually seen.  Some have reported these cold mists will take an almost human shape, and that sometimes they will stop and pause on pews by visitors, as if sitting beside them.
National Register Application

4 comments:

  1. My name is Matt Cline and I am a member of Appalachee Paranormal based in Princeton, WV. I really enjoy your site. Anyway, we have investigated this location twice now. We have had some truly remarkable occurances each time. I hope we can connect about this subject and other locations. If you are interested send an email to appalacheeparanormal@gmail.com

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  2. My name is Wes Bennett..I am a member of St Patrick parish in Hinton. I am NOT accusing anyone here of anything..I just wanted to pass some information. The reason people have the opportunity to believe/not believe any old site is haunted, is because others have cared enough over generations to preserve that site. Sometime this month someone went into St Colman and smashed the pews, desecrated the altar, tore Christs body off the cross, kicked the wall of the old confessional down, and broke many windows. They also scrawled on the wall "This **** aint haunted." There are no words to express the contempt I have for the people who did this.

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  3. Annonymous- People who behave in this fashion are not paranormal investigators but normally stupid teenagers. Its sad that people do things like this. Paranormal investigators do a lot to insure the safety and upkeep of any historical location. Most of us devote ourselves to locations and work our tushes off making sure they are preserved and in good condition. We both are at a loss of words for anyone who disrespects a beautiful landmark. Ashley

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    1. Thanks, Ashley! Myself and the rest of my team agree. We are just as active in historic preservation and education as we are actual investigation and it sickens me to hear that people don't treat these places with the respect they deserve. Unfortunately, when vandalism and trespassing occur in the name of "ghost hunting," it hurts the legitimate investigators.

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