Lehi Hospital: Gone but not Forgotten

The Lehi Hospital in Lehi, Utah was built around 1891 and used as a bank, with the second story being reserved as a ward house for the local LDS congregation.  By 1924, the basement of the building was being used as a crematorium business by a local autobody businessman...and apparently due to a lack of space, the bodies had to be cut into fourths to fit into the small cremation oven.

However, by 1926, the building became Lehi's first hospital, possibly since there were already cremation facilities on site, the perfect size to dispose of amputated appendages and other medical waste?  It is during the time of the building being a hospital is where it picked up its majority of legends and ghostlore:

It is said that the head doctor hung the head nurse from the flagpole.  And, being a hospital, many deaths verifiably did occur.  One such death happened in the elevator, where a patient died while being transported to surgery.

The hospital shut down by 1968 and remained vacant for many years until it was bought by Todd Vincze, who hoped to restore the building.  The costs of renovating such a building are tremendous, so the building was turned into a spook house attraction.  The 'haunted house' attraction was intended to bring in much needed money for repairs and upkeep, capitalizing on the building's macabre history, as well as some reported ghostly activity.  (Theresa's Note:  It always amazes me how many of these haunted Halloween attractions are ACTUALLY haunted, lol)

During its tenure as a haunted house attraction, many crew members had their own experiences, and paranormal investigators were allowed in to properly investigate and document such claims.  Unfortunately, by 2009 (3 years after I posted the orginal article on this site) the building was condemned and torn down.

Luckily, one of the paranormal investigators who had a long relationship with the ghosts of Lehi has documented her experiences.  Those can be found HERE.

Photo property of April Slaughter, from her website listed above

Much of the original historical information is from an ABC4 newschannel investigation

A REAL Poltergeist Story from Texas

The house, according to Google Streetview, May 2011

803 Poppet's Way, Crosby, Texas:  This address, located within the Newport subdivision outside Houston, is a real life Poltergeist story:

The upscale neighborhood first began acquiring modern residents in the 1980s. Ben and Jean Williams were the first to begin reporting problems...mundane things at first like toilets flushing and lights flickering. They also had a tree in their yard covered with strange markings, and rectangular sinkholes began appearing in their backyard.

In 1983, neighbors Sam and Judy Haney began putting in a swimming pool in their backyard and unearthed two coffins containing the bodies of a man and a woman. After some research, the neighbors got in contact with an elderly man named Jasper Norton, who was formerly employed as a gravedigger. He told them the area was once the site of the Black Hope Cemetery and that as many as 60 people, many former slaves, were buried there. The two bodies uncovered in the Haney yard belonged to Betty and Charlie Thomas, former slaves who were buried in the 1930s.

The land the subdivision sits on had remained in the custody of one family from a time prior to the Civil War, to up until when the property was sold in the 1970s to real estate developers. This family owned and operated a plantation, and after the Civil War, continued to employ many freed blacks as farm hands.

It is argued that the former owners of the property did not disclose the inclusion of a small portion of the land that was deeded for use as a Potter's Cemetery, however, it is claimed that the buyer was quite aware of its presence. Eyewitness testimony states that developers bulldozed several wooden crosses and a picket fence during the early stages of development.

In any event, Ben and Jean were the first to build a home on what was the cemetery in 1980, followed soon after by the Haney's. Out of respect for the dead, the Haney's made the tough decision to rebury the Thomas' in the yard, but shortly afterward, the Haney's started reporting hauntings in their home...disembodied voices, etc. Other neighbors were also experiencing activity and began moving out, but the Williams' and the Haney's decided to stay.

Unfortunately, the Williams' began to experience more and more problems. Their grand- daughter became ill, and the sinkholes began opening up. Ben even reported seeing an apparition hovering over his sleeping wife. The Haney's were also still experiencing problems and unexplained illnesses decided to file a lawsuit against the neighborhood's developer. The jury found in favor of the Haney's but the judge overruled the decision. The Haney's, now broke, filed for bankruptcy and fled the home.

The Williams' decided to try their hand at a lawsuit, but decided to gather more evidence first. In their quest, they found an older resident who told them that the strange markings on the tree in their yard actually marked the spot where two young girls were buried. Jean started digging but when exhaustion took over, her 30 year old daughter Tina began. After no more than 30 minutes, Tina suffered a major heart attack and died two days later. The Williams simply abandoned the house after that, seven years after they had first built it, and fled to Montana. The later went on to help co-author the book based on their experiences, the Black Hope Horror.

No current residents are experiencing problems in the neighborhood as reported by a local investigation team who has investigated and researched the area.

(Above photo property of THIS excellent site on the Black Hope Horror. Please visit for more information and more photos.)

UPDATE 2012:  I'm pretty sure the first time I heard of Poppet's Way was on one of my favorite TV shows as a kid...Unsolved Mysteries.  The segment featuring this real-life Poltergeist story can be found on YouTube!  The Black Hope Horror segment appears first in the episode.

Georgia's Corpsewood Manor

In the 1970s, a retired associate professor from the Chicago area decided to give up his former life and build a grand estate outside of Trion, Georgia. Dr. Charles Scudder, rumored Satanist and LSD experimenter, along with his servant and lover, Joseph Odom, gave up all material possessions, and cleared a tract of wooded area in Georgia, on which was hand-built a fine estate.

The estate would come to be called Corpsewood Manor, and held a variety of gothic and ritualistic paraphernalia and decor. It had no electricity, phone, or running water, and the two lived in relative seclusion, save for a small circle of friends who had similar ideals and lifestyles. It is rumored that a life time supply of LSD lured these people to the manor, where they would be involved in sadomasochistic and ritualistic practices. The house contained what was known as the "Pink Room," which held various restraints, torture devices, and homosexual pornography.

One of these members of this small circle, Kenneth Brock, was telling another friend, Tony West, how grandly the two lived on top of the mountain, and Tony concocted a plan to rob the two men. On the evening of December 12, 1982, Kenneth, Tony, Tony's cousin, and the cousin's girlfriend, paid an unexpected social call to Corpsewood Manor. Something in Tony snapped, and both Scudder and Odom, plus their two mastiffs, were brutally murdered.

Following the deaths, the families of the victims engaged in a fierce legal battle. Scudder had written his two children and wife out of his will, leaving everything to Odom. If it was determined that Odom died first, the estate would go to Scudder's family by intestacy. If Scudder died first, the estate would go to Odom's family. It was decided by a court of law that Scudder did die first, but not before the estate was pilfered and burned to the ground.

Many artifacts are still missing, but it is these artifacts that are said to be cursed. Visitors to the site report a strange feeling of impending doom and despair, and those who have taken souvenirs often report a string of bad luck that follows, and the feeling that the artifacts are giving off a negative energy.

Both Odom and Scudder were cremated, and Odom's ashes were spread on the grounds of Corpsewood Manor. Perhaps a part of him is still playing the role of faithful servant and lover, and is protecting the rare and expensive occult and other artifacts that once made up the manor.

Book Review for Ghosts of Greenbrier County

Title:  Ghosts of Greenbrier County
Authors:  Nancy Richmond, along with her daughters Tammy Workman and Misty Murray Walkup
Amazon Purchase Information

Ghosts of Greenbrier County was just what I needed this week:  a well-written, quick read focusing on some of the lesser known haunted areas of Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Greenbrier County, especially the Lewisburg area, has a long and fascinating history.  The landscape is dotted with tragedy from two major American wars, as well as numerous mine disasters and attacks on early pioneers by Native Americans.  This history is discussed in opening chapters of the book, but written simply and concisely, so as to complement, not overly burden, the main focus of the book:  the haunted history!

Supernatural tales of a more personal nature, as well as those of local fame, are the focus of this slim volume, which offers full-page color photos on every even-numbered page.  Many of the places mentioned in this book, such as the Gen. Lewis Inn and the Old Stone Church Graveyard, have had a long reputation of being haunted and are open to the public.  Other tales are a little more sketchy on details of time and place, thus offering a quick tale experienced by an individual...an experience not likely to happen again.

However, both formats work together to bring a wonderful compendium of Greenbrier County lore to life.  This is another book that has a place of honor in my WV paranormal library.  It is a must-read for any investigator in the West Virginia area, as well as anyone traveling to Lewisburg looking for some interesting, off-beat ideas of where to stay and visit!

Lewisburg's Angel of Death

  

Photo by Find-a-Grave user,
Steve Kirby

Updated October 2025

The topic of Lewisburg's Angel of Death statue is one that I had heard several times in passing, usually connected with the ghost tours of the town.  Unfortunately, I was never able to find much information online and with the tours only being conducted in the fall, I just never found the time to go on one of them, either!

Luckily, I have acquired a new book to add to my WV Paranormal Library:  Ghosts of Greenbrier County, by Nancy Richmond.  In this slender volume lies the tale of the Angel of Death, as well as plenty of other goodies that I'll be blogging about in due time.

Anyway, according to the book, the Angel of Death statue is a cemetery marker that can be found in the Old Stone Church Cemetery, located on Church Street.  The marker belongs to a young girl named Maud Mentague (Montague) Mathews.  Some misspellings in the text of the book led to a long, drawn out search for more information, but luckily, there are two photos of the monument found in the book as well, one which offered the correct spelling of the girl's name, as well as the addition of the last name Mathews, which was also left out of the text.  Once that was cleared up, I was able to find the girl's records online.

Maud was born on October 2, 1876 to Alexander R.F. and Laura G. Mathews.  She died on May 30, 1888 at the tender age of 11 years, 8 months.  The legend goes that Maud died from influenza, an illness which caused her lungs to fill with fluid and lead to her untimely death.  Her death certificate officially lists the cause of death as pneumonia.

Maud's Obituary
Staunton Spectator
13 June 1888

Needless to say, Maud's parents were grief-stricken over the loss of their young daughter and erected a beautiful carved angel gravestone to mark her final resting place.  A small ceremony held to commemorate the placing of this angel was attended by two of Maud's best friends, a set of cousins around 14 years old.  As the angel was set in place, each girl kissed a cheek on the angel in memory of their lost friend.

However, shortly after the ceremony, one of the young girls fell ill herself.  She had allegedly contracted the influenza virus and died of fluid on the lungs, eerily similar to the way Maud had died.  It wasn't long after that the second girl died; she was involved in a carriage accident and suffered broken ribs.  The broken ribs punctured her lungs, causing them to fill with blood.  Three friends had now died from similar lung issues, less than a year apart.

From then on, the sweet little angel statue meant to memorialize a child taken too early, has taken on a sinister reputation.  Locally, it is known as the "Angel of Death."  Legend states that anyone brave enough or foolish enough to kiss the statue will die within a year.   Other mentions of the statue online claim that the angel also has the ability to foretell the deaths of certain visitors to the site, although details are left out concerning just how this is done.

"Angel of Death" 2025
Photo by Theresa

When I visited this cemetery in 2009, I distinctly remember seeing this statue, and thinking how creepy it was.  Little did I know that THIS was the dreaded Angel of Death I had heard mention of but never could find!  Unfortunately, without a name or even a better time frame, I cannot verify the deaths of the two young friends...a blind search is literally like looking for a needle in a haystack, and I simply do not have the time to back it up.  

Since originally writing this blog post in 2012, I've been back to visit the grave of Maud Mathews a few times, most recently in October of 2025. The angel statue that stands guard over Maud has now been moved to a slightly new location in the cemetery, behind locked gates in an effort to curb the destruction to the stone by so many people kissing and touching the angel's cheek. I remember one visit and seeing bright red lipstick smeared all over the side of the angel's face. I've also dug a little deeper into the legend...

Unfortunately, after some pretty extensive digging, I still haven't been able to confirm the death of Maud's friends/cousins, a set of twin girls who perished after kissing the statue. But, I did realize that the angel statue doesn't just mark the grave of Maud; buried in the same plot and memorialized on the base of the same stone is Maud's little sister, Florence Vane Mathews. 

Florence, known as "Little Follie," was born on February 2, 1879 and passed away on November 8, 1889. The ten year old's cause of death was not listed in her newspaper obituary, but states that she had only been sick for about a week before succumbing. Another article states that her health had been poor for several years, and that she was a frail and sickly young girl, yet full of hope and beauty. It is said that she was eagerly welcomed into the arms of her beloved sister when she passed. 

Florence's Obituary
The Central Presbyterian (Virginia)
27 November 1889

The two young sisters were taken just a little over a year apart. What a tragedy that must have been for the Mathews family. They certainly spared no expense on memorializing their daughters with the angel statue, and they certainly took the time to memorialize both girls in the newspaper with long, poetic odes to how wonderful they were and how much they would be missed. In fact, it's in these poems where the legend may take root. 

"But not in cruelty, not in wrath,

The Reaper come that day;

Twas an angel visited the green earth

And took this flower away." 

The above is a part of the poem found in Maud's obituary.  The following is found in a similar poem for Florence:

"But when the pale angel came to her bedside she was the first to recognize the messenger, and with a serenity and courage, born of hope and faith, she entered the valley of the shadow undismayed." 

Both tributes mention an angel coming to collect the girls. Is it possible that Maud and Florence, two young sisters taken too soon, were the only two victims? Obviously, two deaths so close together in the same family is a horrific tragedy, and the fact that they were such young, bright little girls with a whole life ahead of them makes it even more so. Combine those deaths with distinct imagery of an 'angel of death' coming for them, and a (somewhat) creepy statue of an angel marking the graves, and you have the perfect recipe for an urban legend.

If you visit the grave of Maud and her sister, Florence, please remember to be respectful. Among the many who call the cemetery their final resting place, you're visiting the eternal resting spot for two little girls who were taken too soon. The grave is now behind a locked gate to protect it...and possibly you. 

Staunton Spectator
20 November 1889

Old Harden Elementary School

From a research standpoint, Harden Elementary was another one of those locations that required way more effort than was possibly worth it, lol.  I had heard the one-liner story about its alleged haunting over and over again from various websites...but never really could find out much information on it.  I've finally cobbled together something.  While this is a location I'd still like to know more about, and verify a few more facts, I think this will suffice for now.  Enjoy!

The story goes that a teacher of the Old Harden Elementary School could confirm that the building was indeed haunted.  In addition to strange, unaccounted for noises observed at night, an apparition had actually been spotted several times!  The apparition was believed to be that of former principal, Hattie Harden.  The noises, too, were said to have been caused by her.  From what I gather, the story was first submitted to WVGhosts by the witnessing teacher, where it was then picked up and passed along on various other websites.  Here's a little more information:

Hattie Harden was born in Harrison County on December 23, 1877.  She was the daughter of Thomas and Caroline Harden.  There is record from Patterson's American Education, Volume 13 that by 1916, Hattie was already the supervisor of elementary education in Salem, WV.  Hattie passed away on August 20, 1967.  She was 89 years old and her death certificate still listed her profession as teacher.  She never married, and never had any children.  She is buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery.

I'm not sure when Harden Elementary school became known by that name, nor when it was built.  From the photo I finally found, it appears as if it were a 1920s era school, with a "modern" addition of a style popular anywhere between the 1950s to 1970s.  I'm also not exactly sure when the school ceased being a school.  The latest date of it being a school I could find was in 2004.  It is currently NOT listed on the Harrison County Board of Education site, but is rather currently owned by the Salem United Methodist Church.  It has been replaced by Salem Elementary School as the local K-5 school.

According to their website, Salem United Methodist has seemingly done many renovations on the building, in order to get it into shape to meet the needs of their congregation and the community.  Among other things, a local Girl Scout troop meets in the building.  It is unknown whether or not Hattie still makes an appearance, however.  But...it seems that since renovations are one of those things that cause paranormal activity to get stirred up, and the fact that children are still using the building, Hattie might still be watching over her school.  As the daughter of an educational professional, I can personally attest to the old adage, "once a teacher, always a teacher."

Photo from Google Street View

The Ghost of West Virginia Wesleyan

 Name a college or university in West Virginia (or anywhere else for that matter) and you'll likely get a ton of stories regarding ghostly happenings throughout the campus.  West Virginia Wesleyan is no different...

West Virginia Wesleyan is a small private institution in Upshur County, which began in 1890 as the West Virginia Conference Seminary.  In 1895 the school built what was to become the oldest women's dormitory in the United States, Ladies' Hall.  It is Ladies' Hall where the ghostly folklore of West Virginia Wesleyan is centered.

In 1917, a young student and resident of Ladies' Hall by the name of Agnes Howard died after a brief illness.  After looking into the matter at the WV State Archives, and then through Ancestry.com,  I found Agnes' death certificate, which states that she died on December 21, 1917 in nearby Harrison County.  The cause of death was due to "complication [sic]."  The imagination can run wild with what the poor young girl actually passed away from. But, while information on her actual death is scant at best,  most reports do indicate, though, that she was single at the time of death, and that she was born in Webster County.

In any case, Agnes Howard, former student of West Virginia Wesleyan DID die while attending the institution, and in her honor, Ladies' Hall was renamed Agnes Howard Hall on June 7, 1920.  Interestingly, her father, C.D. Howard, was quite wealthy and had made quite a generous donation to have the hall built, so some say that it was named in his honor as well. 

While I do not have information pertaining to what floor Agnes occupied while in residence, I'm going to guess that it was the fourth floor, due to nearly all reports of paranormal activity coming from that section alone.  It seems as if Agnes prefers to be felt, and even heard...but rarely seen.  She also apparently likes to bother residents while they are sleeping.  The same stories of beds shaking occupants awake, hearing one's name being called, and phenomenon commonly believed to be sleep paralysis, with and without accompanying hypnagogic hallucinations are reported by numerous students each year.


Campus History

National Register Application for Agnes Howard Hall

Newspaper Article on the Hauntings
The bulk of information on this story comes from this article, which also contains a photo of a painting, allegedly of Miss Howard.

Some of the historical information for this blog came from A History of West Virginia Wesleyan College by Kenneth M. Plummer, pg. 56.