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| Stone, Ky ca 1913 |
Want some insider information? On Saturday July 11, 2026 Appalachian Ghost Tours will be hosting a public ghost hunt at one of southern West Virginia's most popular haunts....The Old Hospital on College Hill! Tickets for this event will be limited, but they will be an absolute STEAL. If you've been looking for an opportunity to investigate this awesome location, this will be the perfect opportunity. Please follow AGT on FaceBook for updates on when tickets for this (and many other awesome events throughout the year) go on sale!
I've been lucky enough to have investigated the Old Hospital on College Hill a handful of times, and it is one location that never disappoints. We've always had some crazy activity, and there really isn't one floor that isn't just as active as all the rest. We've even had activity begin almost from the second we started bringing in our equipment. So....in preparation for the big event, I'll be posting as many articles as I can about those who passed through the hospital's halls. Although there are a few more well-established stories associated with the hauntings, and a few names continue to pop up over and over through EVP and spirit box communications, you really never know just who will try to make contact with you, wanting their story told. William Farmer may be one of those spirits that cannot rest until he tells his side of things.
William (W.A.) Farmer was a 28 year old employee of the Tierney Mining Company, living at Stone, Kentucky in Pike County. According to contemporary newspaper reports, Farmer had gone to the home of fellow employee, Richard Tolbert, to confront him over a quarrel involving Tolbert's wife.
It is believed that Tolbert, who fled after the attack, shot Farmer in the neck after he wrested away the gun that Farmer had just fired at HIM. As of this writing, I couldn't find any follow-up as to Tolbert being charged with the crime, so it's possible that the self-defense claim held true, at least in the eyes of the law.
Farmer was brought to the nearby Williamson Memorial Hospital, located across the river in Williamson, WV. He passed away the next day from his injuries. The date was February 19, 1929. This event would go down on as being Pike County's first official homicide of 1929. Unfortunately, Williamson Memorial, now known as the Old Hospital on College Hill, would see many, many homicides during its years as the biggest and most modern hospital in the area, serving citizens from both West Virginia and Kentucky. Do some of those victims still roam the halls of the old hospital? Come join Appalachian Ghost Tours on July 11th to find out!
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| The Daily News (Pikeville, KY) 28 February 1929 |
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| Death Certificate for W.A. Farmer Source: WV Vital Statistics |
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