How Haunted Hollow Got Its Name

Bluestone Lake
Photo by Brian Powell

In the summer of 1862, Phillip Thurmond, along with help from his brother William, formed a band of Confederate volunteers from largely Fayette, Greenbrier, and Monroe Counties. They would become known as Thurmond's Rangers, a sort of Civil War era home guard unit with the mission of assisting the war effort as scouts, spies, and raiders. 

Unfortunately, although Thurmond had a good reputation, the Rangers were seen by many as nothing more than thieves and bushwhackers. Out of this reputation grew a story of a haunted road, deep in the mountains near what is now Hinton, WV. 

As told by Ernest S. Allen in the 20 February 1946 edition of the Independent-Herald, a Hinton newspaper, the Rangers spent several months camped in the Bluestone area, at the foot of Low Gap Mountain. 

One day, a young boy was captured and accused of being an enemy spy. The Rangers tried to scare him into giving them information, but when that didn't work, they resorted to more drastic measures. A group of them took the boy about a mile up the mountain and tied him to a tree. There, they tortured him, but he still wouldn't say a word. It was said that the boy most likely had developmental delays and honestly didn't know anything. At last, they shot him and left his body there, tied to the tree. 

After that, the area became known as Haunted Hollow, as those passing by, especially in the evening hours, truly believed that the spirit of the young boy was still haunting the mountain. His apparition had been seen by some, yet others heard the unmistakable sounds of the marching of phantom soldiers. 

No one can really verify whether this is a factual account or not, but the legend lasted for several generations. As for Thurmond's Rangers, more and more volunteers would join up with them until they were nearly 650 men in strength. Late in 1863, they became the 44th Virginia Cavalry Battalion, making them an official part of the Confederate Army. 

Philip would die in October of 1864 in Winfield, where his body lie unmarked for many years. (Fun fact, I just happened to 'accidentally' be there when archaeologists dug up his remains for reburial). William, however, survived the war and went on to become a prominent citizen in Fayette County and is credited with founding the now infamous ghost town of Thurmond! 

More on Thurmond's Rangers:
McKinney, Tim. "Thurmond's Rangers." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 08 February 2024. Web. Accessed: 15 June 2026.

20 February 1946
Independent-Herald (Hinton, WV)

The 'Ghost' of Walnut Hill Cemetery

 

Walnut Hill Cemetery
Photo by Find-a-Grave contributor Zelda

I love a good 'true' ghost story, but sometimes a spooky case of mistaken identity is just as strange, if not more! That's what happened to John Davis, caretaker of the Walnut Hill Cemetery, located just outside Columbus, Ohio in Hamilton Township. 

Strolling through the cemetery one evening, he noticed a spooky figure sitting atop a tombstone. As he approached the figure, he realized that it wasn't a ghost, but just some guy, wearing nothing but a blanket as almost a cape. The man's clothes were in a pile at his feet. When he noticed Davis' approach, the man inquired as to whether the referee was on his way.

Davis wisely told the man he didn't know, but he'd go check. The man then let Davis know that he was eager for a boxing match. Since he couldn't just leave a naked man sitting in his cemetery trying to fight people, Davis brought the stranger to the county jail. His clothing was searched for personal items and enlistment papers for the army were found. 

It was decided to hold him in the jail until a lunacy inquest could be completed, which begs the question as to whether or not he actually was mentally ill. Was this all staged as an attempt to avoid being sent into military service during World War One? Or, was the thought of going to war actually too much to bear, causing the man's mind to fracture. Perhaps he was already a little...off, or perhaps under the influence. Whatever the cause, it was clear he was NOT a spirit of the little cemetery and to me, that is truly disappointing.   Stay spooky, ya'll!

04 January 1918
The Big Sandy News (Louisa, KY)

Sleeping with the Spirits at the WV State Penitentiary

 

Convicts in the prison yard of the WV State Pen (1914)
Source: WV History on View

Over the course of its long history, the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville has suffered from a multitude of logistical problems, the most common being overcrowding. In late 1922, the prison had once again exceeded its designed capacity and was now home to well over 1600 inmates. Warden Terrell was running out of sheer space to store all these men, so he came up with a brilliant plan!

The Death House, which was a small building annexed off the main prison, had four cells. As these cells were only used to house inmates who had an upcoming date with the gallows, they weren't in full operation. What if some of the overflow was housed there?

The decision was made to select 35 inmates, all African Americans, to bunk down in the Death House. I cannot come up with a reason other than sheer racism why the black prison population was chosen, but they were. However, this wasn't without problems.  

A trope that continually shows up in these old newspaper articles I share is the stereotype that African Americans are extremely superstitious and afraid of ghosts and spirits. Therefore, the article in question notes that it took a while, but 35 men were found who claimed, "no fear of spooks."  Warden Terrell managed to find almost three dozen men that had no qualms in sleeping in the area where a quoted two score of men had spent their last moments, waiting to die at the hands of the state for crimes accused.

I don't like to think of myself as a particularly superstitious person, but even I have to admit a certain ick factor when it comes to using such a dark place for regular inmates. But it worked out. After a thorough cleaning and disinfecting (which included the removal of anything that would remind the prisoners where they were), the men were ready. Each night, they'd move 35 cots into the area, which were set up in and around the annex and cells. It was said that the sleeping arrangements were just as comfortable as anywhere else in the prison, with an added bonus of increased security features, allowing one guard to manage all 35 inmates. It was even said that many of the inmates assigned to the Death House annex had a sense of pride concerning their new quarters.  I wonder, though....did anyone actually ever have a paranormal experience there? Did the spirits of the executed men ever make their presences known to the 35 inmates who temporarily got a taste of death row?

*MORE WV State Penitentiary Articles!*

03 December 1922
Charleston Daily Mail