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| Mercer School ca 1914 Source: WV History on View |
Charleston's first Mercer School building was constructed around 1888 at the corner of Washington Street East and Brooks Street. Just before it was torn down in 1925 to make room for the new (the third and last) Charleston High School, the Charleston Daily Mail ran a short, light-hearted piece about the 'spasmodic' return of the school's ghosts. It seems that several years prior, the city was on high alert, both from being just a short time post-WWI and also because Charleston had been experiencing a rash of 'firebugs,' who had been responsible for several area fires.
So, when strange, flickering lights were observed in Mercer Hall, and then sporadically throughout the building in the late hours of the night, it was believed to be intruders. Later, the assumption would turn to it being the fault of some ghosts, or 'hants.'
The article notes that the flickering lights were again being seen and could be the ghosts' way of saying goodbye to the building before being torn down. However, it's pretty obvious that to the author at least, there was no real paranormal activity at play. The ghostly phenomenon had a tendency to cease whenever investigated and not show up for long intervals in between 'hauntings.' And while there's probably a lot of truth in that belief, I personally would like to think that the creepy old castle-like building, covered in ivy, WAS haunted, like so many other schools tend to be.
The land where the Mercer School once stood is now located behind the Clay Center, across from CAMC General. It is unknown whether or not the spooky light show continued with the new high school, or if paranormal activity is still present within the halls of the current on-site buildings.
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| The Charleston Daily Mail 10 January 1925 |
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| 1912 Sanborn Fire Map Mercer School Circled in Red |
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| Current Map Approximate Location of Mercer School Circled in Red |
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