Charleston's Haunted East End

Charleston Ghost Tour Company FB Page

Last November, my husband and I moved into an apartment on Charleston's historic East End. My dad has worked and lived in the area for quite a few years now, and often tells me about the ghost stories and reports of hauntings HE has heard, many from some of the buildings where he works. Hell, we've even experienced a few unexplained things in our own apartment, including the sensation of being touched, and seeing a man standing in our hallway. So, when the Charleston Ghost Tour Company announced that it would be offering a Ghost Walk of the Historic East End as part of the annual Sternwheel Regatta festivities, I signed my husband and me up!

Despite living in the area, life has always seemed to get in the way, so this was only the third tour I've gotten to take with Charleston Ghost Tour Company---the first two being focused on downtown haunts. Those were awesome, but I REALLY enjoyed the East End tour as we meandered about this historic district, learning about the haunted history of my new home.

April and Scott start the tour

It was hotter than Hades as my husband and met the rest of the tour participants in front of the Governor's Mansion. We had signed up for the 9pm tour on June 30th (I had an investigation on the 1st!) hoping that the later time would be a little cooler. It wasn't, and the humidity was oppressive, but thankfully the tour was conducted at an easy walking pace with the opportunity to sit down in a few spots. 

As stated, we started off at the Governor's Mansion and learned why employees are no longer allowed to enter by themselves. I'd like to think that Governor Jim Justice is just terrified by the ghosts, and that's why he refuses to follow state protocol and actually LIVE there...but the Greenbriar also is said to have it's fair share of ghosts, so I guess he can't use that as an excuse!  Following the Governor's Mansion, we moved onto another building on the state capitol grounds, Holly Grove Mansion. Holly Grove is Charleston's oldest home, being built in 1815 by Daniel Ruffner. From the legends and lore, even during the Ruffner's tenure there, a servant had an unfortunate run-in with an alleged ghost...a run-in that would prove fatal. 

The Ruffner family, who at one point owned all the land in the current East End (and pretty much all of the land between Malden and the Elk River, too), would make a couple of appearances on this tour. We also made stops at Ruffner Park, which once served as the town's burial grounds, and where several members of the Ruffner Family are still said to be buried. Dogs tend to avoid this area (except for my beagle, who when we tried it, was far more fascinated by the squirrels and new places to pee, rather than any potential ghosts) and strange temperature fluctuations are common. 

Holly Grove Mansion

We also stopped at a private home along Kanawha Boulevard that also once belonged to Ruffner heirs. According to a famous psychic medium of the late 19th/early 20th century, this home was a portal to connecting with deceased Ruffner ancestors and she would occasionally hold seances there. A modern owner of the property also had some paranormal activity, and contributed the less-than-friendly atmosphere of the ghosts to him NOT being a Ruffner relative. 

Two more houses along the boulevard were near-identical copies of each other, or at least they were when they were built in 1923 by Albert Schwabe for his two daughters. The daughters, Claire and Hedwig, were giving matching EVERYTHING, and it is said that even in death, the two girls' spirits are still in the homes, copying each other. If one turns a light on, the other will turn a light on in the reciprocating room. This must be quite the spectacle for anyone happening to pass by at night, or watching from across the river.

Speaking of the river...

April Morgan, owner of the Charleston Ghost Tour Company was accompanied by Scott Worley of Beckley Ghosts, a tour company, offering tours in the southern part of the state. One of the stories Scott added to the tour was the tale of a strange giant leech creature that lived in the Kanawha River, luring people, especially small children, to their demise. That's a pretty horrific aquatic cryptid to lay claim to, but being the Kanawha River, nothing surprises me.

Capito Mansion

Another stop on the tour, and my favorite home we visited, was the Capito Mansion on Virginia Street. I drive by this location all the time on my way to my dad's place. Now, I'll make sure to slow down a little and try to catch a glimpse of either the shadow man, who struts across the front porch, still acting as a guard for Mr. Capito's perfectly legal wholesale liquor business *coughcough*, or the angelic image in the stained glass, depicting a woman who passed away while giving blood during the home's time as a Red Cross donation site. 

The evening was wrapped up back at the West Virginia State Capitol, which is full of enough legends and lore for its own tour, probably. Both guides shared some personal experiences from the building, and also shared some of the more famous tales, such as the Suicide Stain and the phantom maintenance man. Overall, I had a great time. It was certainly worth the $10 admission fee, and (mostly) worth the mini fibro flare up due to the heat and being so outta shape, lol. I had a great time learning more about the haunted history of the state's capital city and will be waiting patiently for more tours held during slightly cooler months!

Both the Charleston Ghost Tour Company and Haunted Beckley offer a variety of tours throughout the year, so please follow them both for more updates! 

Ending at the State Capitol

School Spirit at Shady Spring

Back in December of 1953, the Beckley Post-Herald ran a rather interesting article, written by Bill Childress of the Shady Spring High School newspaper, the Panorama. In what they called a 'publicity stunt,' Bill, accompanied by two other members of the school newspaper (editor Jack Wills and sports editor Robert Cole) spent an entire night, locked in the dark and empty school. Their mission---to record evidence of the Shady Spring school spirit.

Built in 1924, the original Shady Spring High School was referred to as 'the Shoe Box on the Hill.' Over the years, the school would go through various enlargement and improvement projects. It would also pick up a reputation for being haunted. It was noted that visitors to the school after dark would hear strange noises. 'Several reputable persons,' as quoted in the article, reported hearing both phantom whistling and footsteps within the hallowed halls. 

On a windy, rainy night in December, the three young men went spook-hunting, armed with nothing more than a tape cassette recorder, intent on capturing these ghostly sounds. After several unsuccessful attempts at capturing anything paranormal on tape, by midnight, the three decided to go ahead and make their efforts thrilling to their fellow students by creating some ghostly sounds of their own to be played back later. Interestingly enough, shortly after they faked their own phantom sounds, the boys DID experience a tapping sound that they could not debunk. 

A full night's effort was put into the investigation, lasting until classes began the next morning. Unfortunately, aside from the unexplained tapping sound, no other ghostly experiences were reported or recorded. The article doesn't state the opinion of the school principal, John Saunders, concerning this little foray into ghost hunting, but he must have been an awfully cool guy. I can't think of too many school principals who would approve of such an adventure! As a side note, I found an article from March 1953 stating that money would no longer be kept overnight in the school safe, as the school had been robbed 5 times in the last three years, the safe being targeted each time! I wonder if that had anything to do with the phantom noises heard at night...or the decision to let these boys come in and investigate.  Anyway....

School of Harmony

The Shoe Box on the Hill would serve as Shady Spring High until the 1966-67 school year, when a new school would be built. The Shoe Box would serve as an area junior high for several decades, before finally becoming home to The School of Harmony, teaching music to young children. No word on whether or not those ghostly footsteps and whistling are still heard to this day...but at least a whistling ghost would fit right in at a music school, right?  

Information for today's blog came from the 17 December 1953 Beckley Post-Herald article, written by Bill Childress. Additional information and photos came from the wonderful Facebook group, Our Southern WV Roots, posted by Joe Green. Stay spooky, y'all! 

The Witch of Wildwood

Witch of Wildwood
Photo by Robin Smith, Find-a-Grave

October 30th. The evening before All Hallow's Eve. Devil's Night. 

What would be a more fitting date to burn a witch alive? As one West Virginia urban legend states, that's exactly what happened to a witch named Kazimir Kiskis. She was burned alive, presumably for her association with witchcraft, and was buried nearby at Beckley's Wildwood Cemetery. The grave faces in the opposite direction, so that the witch doesn't have to spend eternity watching all the 'good Christians,' and they don't have to await the Resurrection looking at her.  Her spirit returns every Halloween eve to haunt the place where she was buried. For years, locals have been freaked out by the upside cross, covered in strange symbols, that marks the witch's final resting place.

As ya'll know, I love taking a peek behind the curtain of West Virginia's spookiest legends, and over the years, have found that even the most outlandish of tales often are rooted in a tiny grain of truth. Here's some truth about Kazimir Kiskis:

Kazimir Kiskis was born in Lithuania, but of Russian descent. HE was a coal miner who immigrated to the United States in 1907 and was living and working at the Lanark Coal Camp, located just a few miles from Beckley. On October 25, 1924, Kazimir Kiskis (known by his anglicized name of 'Charlie') was involved in a terrible house fire and received burns over his entire body. He lasted five long, agonizing days, before succumbing to his burns. He passed away on October 30, 1924. He was 38 years old. 

Death Certificate for Kazimir 'Charlie' Kiskis
WV Archives

Along with his strange, eastern European language and customs, 'Charlie' brought with him his religion. Charlie was a Catholic, and like many from his mother country, was probably Eastern Orthodox. Now, there are plenty of Christian sects TODAY that equate Catholicism with witchcraft, and back in the 1920's in southern West Virginia, things probably weren't much more...enlightened. Anyone who was seen as different generally was considered someone to be feared or to be ridiculed. 

Nevertheless, Charlie had a rather impressive tombstone erected in his honor, and hopefully, his funeral and burial were held in accordance with his beliefs. The tombstone actually featured a normal cross and obviously wasn't covered with symbols of witchcraft. Rather, the symbols and writing are probably a combination of Catholic symbolism and an epitaph written in Charlie's native language, Lettish. 

June 2025
Photo by Theresa

It's possible that the vandalism of Charlie's tombstone started early because of his Eastern Orthodox religion. However, I think its probably more likely that the tombstone MAY have originally broke from natural causes, and since then, vandals, wishing to add fuel and validity to the urban legend of a witch being buried in Wildwood, continue to deface the stone, turning a regular cross into an upside down one. And from there, the legend grew. 

This location is featured on Haunted Beckley's Wildwood Cemetery Tours, where the correct information behind the stone and the person buried beneath it are shared, finally giving Charlie the respect he deserves. I know it's fun to think about creepy legends, visit these locations for ourselves, and share the stories. But, just keep in mind that behind these urban legends are real people. 

Stay spooky my friends! 

Historical Information for this blog came mostly from the Find-a-Grave page for Kazimir Konstanti 'Charlie' Kiskis

Happy Thanksgiving from Theresa's Haunted History

It's pretty obvious that 2020 has been a year like no other in our lifetimes. The worldwide pandemic has obviously put a huge damper on the world of paranormal investigation and research, in addition to just being a general upheaval in every day life.  So many things have changed, and we've all had to adjust to new norms taking the place of our previous way of life. My son isn't able to partake in the martial arts training he loves, and has also switched to virtual school, which is a lot of work and worry on my part. In addition to that, my mother in law passed away in October, and we're now going through the process of moving my husband back home here. 

I'm beyond stressed. My anxiety and depression have come really close a couple of times to spiraling out of control.  But, I know that I am so, so lucky and therefore, am so, so thankful this year.  My family has remained relatively healthy. No one has experienced job loss or wages cut because of the pandemic. We've been able to spend more time together, and I've had more time to slowly get back to working on my paranormal interests.

Earlier in the year, I took advantage of the lock down to catch up on my paranormal non-fiction reading. I also binged watched a ton of documentaries and paranormal shows on YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. I took a few online courses through Coursera and FutureLearn. And, I've been taking advantage of many FREE online lecture programs from a variety of paranormal researchers, historical societies, and other organizations. I've been trying to find the light in the dark, and I think I've been doing okay. But, I couldn't do it alone, and I wanted to share some of the specific people and things that I'm especially grateful for this Thanksgiving season. 

I'm thankful for my family for always supporting my paranormal interests and making sure I have the funds and the childcare to make sure I can pursue them. My husband has been especially great in encouraging me and never saying no when I ask him to make a stop at a local haunted cemetery on our way home. I'm thankful that I have access to the internet and various platforms to help me stay connected with others in the field, and watch/read/listen to paranormal media. I'm thankful that my car has held up and has safely transported me to different investigations and events this year and for the past 11 years.  I could write a book talking about all the things I'm lucky to have in my life, but here's just a short list of specific people/organizations I really wanted to give credit to.  I know I'm leaving so many people off this list, but here's what came to mind, in no particular order:

*The Flatwoods Monster Museum and Andrew Smith for giving me the opportunity to help spread the word about all awesome paranormal tourism opportunities you can experience in Braxton County, WV!  Click the banner link at the top of this blog (best seen on desktop version) to learn more about The Flatwoods Monster, the Haunted Haymond House, the Bigfoot of Sutton Lake, and all sorts of other spooky and non-spooky things that you can see in do in Braxton County.

*Teresa Holcomb Frame for inviting me to experience the Haunted Haymond House in Sutton, WV for myself this October. The Haunted Haymond House has a really fascinating history and no shortage of paranormal activity to be experienced.  There are different paranormal and psychic-themed events throughout the year, and you can also rent the home for overnight ghost hunts.  Teresa has done a wonderful job preserving and sharing the history of the home, and bringing it back to its original splendor.  She's also done a wonderful job in advancing the paranormal study of the home, through allowing investigators to come in and share their evidence and experiences.  This was also my first REAL investigation in a very long time, and so it was especially meaningful to have such a wonderful place be my first dip back.

*David Scott Worley of Haunted Beckley.  Haunted Beckley has some great ghost tours and other events throughout the year and I've been fortunate enough to attend several.  This year, Scott invited me out to two awesome ghost story and ghost hunting events.  Not only did I get to participate, but I also got to help lead some group investigations.  It was so fun getting to meet new people, and also connecting with people in person who I only knew through Theresa's Haunted History. 

*Brian Clary of SRI.  This year, I took a plunging leap out of my comfort zone and joined a newly formed investigation group, Spectral Research and Investigation. Because of the current worldwide situation, we're taking things slow, but we've had a successful training investigation of the TNT area, outside of Pt. Pleasant, and of course, the overnight investigation of the Haunted Haymond House! I can't wait to see where the new year brings us, and I look forward to really getting out in the field once again with like-minded individuals. A special shout out goes to my friend, who'll I'll call T---she wasn't able to make it to our Haymond House investigation, but she loaned me some equipment, which came in super handy!

*FeedSpot. I'm thankful that FeedSpot ranked this blog, Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State number 17 on its list of the Top 90 Paranormal Blogs of 2020! I'm not sure how I pulled that off, but I'll take it! 

*Lewis O. Powell IV of the Southern Spirit Guide.  The Southern Spirit Guide is one of my favorite blogs, offering information on tons of haunted locations throughout the southern United States, and its author, Lewis, has always been a great supporter of my blog. I'm blessed to have his encouragement! 

*I'm thankful for YOU!  Seriously, I cannot thank everyone who reads and shares my blog and social media posts enough. I love being able to connect with people who love the paranormal as much as I do, and I hope that my posts entertain and even educate you on the haunted history of West Virginia and beyond. Thank you for giving me a reason to keep doing what I'm doing, and the encouragement to keep improving.  I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and an amazing rest of 2020.  Here's to a better year in 2021---stay spooky, ya'll. 

Beckley Fall Oddities Fair

For many years, I've let my anxiety, fear of failure, and lack of motivation sabotage many opportunities I've been given in regards to the paranormal field.  I've turned down book offers, television appearances, and so much more...and it has hurt my work, both as an investigator and as a writer.  So, I recently made up my mind that I was going to just go for it and stop saying 'NO' all the time.  I had an opportunity this October with the BEX  Fall Oddities Fair in Beckley, WV!

The BEX Oddities Fair is a really cool event.  A similar event was held earlier in the year, but unfortunately I was unable to attend that one.  Therefore, when Scott of Haunted Beckley asked me if I wanted to secure a vending space at the October 26th event, I jumped on the chance!  The Oddities Fair featured tons of vendors selling all sorts of cool and spooky stuff, ghost tours and ghost hunts of downtown Beckley, meet-and-greets with local authors, live music, a costume contest, psychic/tarot readings and talks with paranormal researchers....along with plenty of other fun things to see and do in the Beckley Underground and surrounding areas.

Since the weather was supposed to get rainy and windy later on in the night, I was with a group of vendors who were set up inside Sir Walter's Tavern.Sir Walter's Tavern is a cozy, beautiful space with some of the nicest staff you'll ever meet.  My dad went with me to help out and I was surprised to see what a great time HE had checking out other vendors and chatting with those who stopped by our table. I think he loved the people-watching best, though, lol.  We were in a bar, so in addition to those who came specifically for the festival, many dressed in elaborate (and sometimes hilarious) costumes, we had a front-row seat to the weekend bar traffic.

My Vendor's Table

Talking with people about the paranormal and selling the few trinkets I made to help bring traffic to my table took up most of my evening, but I was able to sneak away for a bit to see Les O'Dell of West Virginia Cryptids and Strange Encounters give a very interactive talk in the Raleigh Theater. Les discussed his work in researching and investigating cryptids and ghosts, and a few of his clients were there sharing their personal stories.  It was a laid-back, informative and fun look at some of the unique investigative methods used by Les and his team, and stories of strange things he and others have experienced. It's always a pleasure to talk to him and see him present.

I also got to meet Jannette Quackenbush, one of my favorite authors and researchers of West Virginia ghost lore.  Jannette runs the Haunted West Virginia Facebook page, and also has a website entitled West Virginia Ghost Stories, Legends, and Haunts.  Jannette has authored a number of books chronicling West Virginia's spooky history, so of course I had to buy one! She's such a sweet and knowledgeable person and talking with her really motivated me to finish my own book.  I'm also looking forward to teaming up with her in the future for an investigation!

Les O'Dell-WV CASE

As the night drew to a close, I had one more memorable experience at Sir Walter's Tavern.  We had packed up the table and were just getting ready for the trek back to Winfield. I decided it would be a good idea to go use the bathroom before the long drive back down the WV Turnpike (also haunted, by the way!). Just as I was about to exit the stall, the stall door flew open towards me with such force that I thought for sure someone had come in and shoved it.  I sort of jumped out of the way as much as I could in a bathroom stall, put my hand out to stop the door, and said 'excuse me.' But, of course...I said it to thin air.  There was no one else in the bathroom with me. The palm of my hand actually stung a little from catching the door, so it was swung open with a good bit of pressure.  Was it a ghostly happening, or was there a natural explanation?  The next time I'm in town for one of Haunted Beckley's ghost tours, I'll have to remember to ask if there are any spirits hanging out in the ladies' room at Sir Walter's Tavern!

Anyway, the whole experience was awesome.  I got to spend some time with my dad in a town where I spent much of childhood, staying summers and multiple weekends with my grandparents.  I got to meet with fellow paranormal enthusiasts and talk about my favorite subject.  Hopefully, I introduced a few new people to my blog along the way.  And, to top it all off, I may have had my own paranormal experience! 

Weekend Plans: A Friday Funny

We've finally made it to the weekend!  For me, September is the official start of the Halloween season, which means my weekends for the next two months are going to be SUPER BUSY!  Do you have anything ghostly coming up this weekend, such as tours, investigations, festivals, etc.? Planning on staying in and watching ghost hunting shows or spooky movies?  Lemme know what you've got planned...and if you're looking for something fun to do and are in the Beckley, WV area, check out Haunted Beckley's Wildwood Cemetery Tour, this Saturday (August 31st)! 

Beckley's Shape-Shifting Ghost

This newspaper story was published in the February 25, 1889 edition of the Wheeling Intelligencer. The story originally came from the Raleigh County Index, a short-lived weekly newspaper out of Beckley, WV. It was only published between 1880 and 1893. I found this copy on my current favorite website, Chronicling America! 

Transcript: The Raleigh County Index gives the following ghost story: For some time past some of our townsmen and citizens of the vicinity have been alarmed at the sight of a ghost that makes its appearance at a coal bank about two miles from the village. Sometimes the apparition assumes the shape of a man's head with eyes as large as a saucer, while at others it is pleased to masquerade as a young female, so unlike the balance of the feminine persuasion that it refuses to speak even when addressed. A crowd recently went to the coal bank, determined to make the personal acquaintance of this supernatural being, but spooks never appearing to a multitude, they were, of course, disappointed.

A Family Ghost Tale From East Beckley

MawMaw, 1940s

I owe a love of all things ghostly to my maternal grandparents, Eugene Gilkerson and Mary Williams Gilkerson.  They truly cultivated an interest in ghosts, history and folklore in me and one way in which they did so was to share their own ghost stories with me!  Like many West Virginians, my family can trace its lineage to a mix of Cherokee and Scot-Irish roots...and with that comes many Appalachian superstitions and a belief in things that go bump in the night.

The following tale is just a start of several family ghost stories that I hope to share with you in the coming weeks.

My grandmother was the second youngest child in a family of over a dozen children.  Her father died when she was two years old (around 1927), and her brother Jack was just a baby.  Several years after that, her older sister Thelma would die of TB, leaving behind her own little girl who was raised as my grandmother's sister.  Originally from the Hinton area, sometime between 1930 and 1940 my great-grandmother moved her  family to Beckley where there was more opportunity for work and education.  The move wasn't an easy one because....

...the only rental house they could afford just happened to be haunted!

MawMaw, from around the time they lived in the house

The home has long since been torn down, but it sat at the end of a cul-de-sac off of Eisenhower Drive in East Beckley.  Piney Creek ran past in the backyard, a large tree graced the front, and a ghost lived in the attic.

Almost immediately after moving in, weird things began happening.  The family had hung a calendar on the wall above the staircase leading to the attic, and each morning, they'd awake to find that the calendar had fallen to the floor.  No amount of nails or other fasteners could keep that calendar bolted to the wall.

In addition to the calendar, which seemed pretty mundane, the family noticed the nightly sounds of weird thumps on the staircase leading to the attic, and on occasion, blood-curdling screams piercing the darkness.  More than one of the younger kids also claimed to have seen a woman in a white night gown in the home.

Unsure of what to do, some of the braver of the children still at home decided to conduct their own investigation and prepared to sit up for a vigil one night in hopes of capturing who or what was making all the noise.

Obviously, nothing happened the night they actually went looking for it!  But, not long after that night, the screaming once again commenced, awaking the household.  Fed up, several of the boys decided the noise had indeed come from the attic, which, as this was a rental property, was locked and they had never received a key.  They broke the door down and found the attic stuffed full of what they presumed was the previous tenants' belongings.  Among the household and personal items, some bedding was found wadded up in a corner.  Among it was a pillow stained with what eerily looked like blood.

The bloody pillow was thrown out and as a testament to the end of the paranormal activity, the calendar above the staircase never moved again.  Later, they would find out from neighbors that apparently a man had murdered his wife in the house while she slept, by shooting her in the head.

WV Turnpike

The WV Turnpike between Princeton and Charleston might just be West Virginia's most haunted roadway! It is plagued with many unusual happenings, ranging from phantom hitchhikers to strange lights to even UFO sightings. These are just some of the things that have been reported since the 88 mile long turnpike was opened for business on November 8, 1954.

Although the entire stretch of road is known for its haunts just as much as its known for its treacherous terrain, the bulk of the supernatural activity seems concentrated on a 15 mile stretch between Beckley and Mossy. Along this area, there are numerous reports of strange occurrences, many coming from state troopers. In two separate incidents involving two different troopers, a phantom hitchhiker has been picked up, only to disappear in the back seat of the police cruiser. One hitchhiker, a young man, was arrested (since hitchhiking on the highway is illegal) and put into the back of the trooper's car.  When the trooper turned around, the man was gone, leaving no trace except for the now-empty handcuffs lying on the seat.  The other 'hitchhiker' was a little girl who also disappeared.  She was found wandering the side of the road, not talking. In a similar scenario as the young man, the trooper put her in the car, turned to check on her, and she was gone without a trace.

Besides the actual road itself, the old Morton Truck Stop, also known as the Glass House restaurant (now torn down) was reported to be haunted and became sort of a collection point for travelers to tell their own stories and experiences.  It wasn't the only haunted building, though. In fact, a maintenance building near Nuckolls may have been the most severely haunted location associated with the entire turnpike!  Before it was torn down, the building housed heavy machinery and served as a fueling station for state vehicles.  However, despite there usually being very few people around, the building was constantly harassed by mysterious lights turning on and off by themselves and even FLOATING through the building.  Loud bangs and other strange noises were also commonly experienced by many people associated with the building.  The weirdest (and grossest) thing to happen, however, was an employee who had parked his van at the maintenance building came back to find that someone (or some THING) had put human feces in the backseat.  The employee swears no one living was around to pull off such a prank.

Many old family cemeteries were paved over or moved in the building of the highway which began in 1952, and at least 5 workers died in its construction. The highway runs along the sites of several major floods and mine disasters, and countless automobile accidents that have occurred along its span over the years, so perhaps these facets have something to do with the hauntings. By 1975, 278 people had been killed along the turnpike, with an additional 28 fatalities happening in 1979 alone! Much needed upgrades and safety repairs occurred in the 1970s, and since then, reports of activity have lessened significantly, but they still do happen from time to time.  For example, my mom and I had our own phantom hitchhiker story along this road a few years back. We were visiting my grandmother in Beckley and passed a scraggly looking young man wearing dark clothing and carrying an olive green army-like sack. This was an area where there were no exits for many miles in either direction, and we never saw a broken down car or anything in the area. We both looked in the rear view mirror as we passed him, but he had mysteriously vanished. We turned around at the nearest spot in the road and went back, just to satisfy our own curiosity, but we never did find him again and saw no place where he could have been, nor no cars which could have picked him up.Was he the same young man picked up by the state trooper years earlier...or just simply a guy trying to make his way to his next destination?

Sources:
A Guide to Haunted West Virginia by Walter Gavenda and Michael T. Shoemaker
The Greenbrier Ghost by Dennis Dietz
Turnpike Wiki
Account of UFO Sighting by State Trooper
ANOTHER Account of a UFO Sighting by State Trooper
History, Photos, Video Clips
The West Virginia Turnpike: 88 Miles of Miracle

Dedication Ceremony, November 8, 1954