The Murder of William Farmer: An Old Hospital on College Hill Story

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!

MORE Old Hospital on College Hill Articles

The Daily News (Pikeville, KY)
28 February 1929

Death Certificate for W.A. Farmer
Source: WV Vital Statistics

The Gurgling Ghost of Pocahontas

 

When an article is entitled "A Genuine Ghost Story," you've got to believe it, right? 

The tiny, but historic town of Pocahontas, Virginia has its roots as a mining community, a fact that seems to lend itself naturally to a strong sense of superstition. Pocahontas ran rampant with ghosts in the early 1900's (see my blog about the Ghost That Caused a Man to Faint), which in some cases, led to a disruption in the mines. 

According to a newspaper article, around 1900, the West Mine in Pocahontas had a section it called 'Bluefield.' This particular section was abandoned due to a water seepage that resulted in a fairly sizeable lake---200 feet in length, apparently. However, by November of 1907, the mine operators wished to cash in on this lucrative coal vein, and re-open Bluefield. To do so, the lake had to be drained. Pipes were laid and pumps were installed, but there was a problem. Workmen kept experiencing "strange and unseemly noises emanating from the lake." These noises consisted mainly of a furious and violent churning of the water. Despite investigation, no satisfactory cause was ever found for the eerie lake noises, and the company couldn't find men willing to stay on the job. The article concludes with the idea that further investigation would be held into the cause of the noises. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any follow-up as to whether or not the mystery of the gurgling ghost of Pocahontas was ever solved. I will, say, though, that I've been to Pocahontas a few times for an investigation of the Pocahontas Fuel Company's office building (blog for that coming soon!) and I don't remember seeing any lake. So, hopefully, they got that all worked out!

Bluefield Evening Leader
05 November 1907

Hinton UFO (April 1950)

The little railroad town of Hinton, WV is no stranger to the strange. Not only is the town known for quite a number of haunted locations throughout...it has also seen quite a few flying saucers over the years! Significant sightings of UFOs over Hinton and surrounding areas took place in 1947 and 1952. Now, we have an article from a local newspaper showing that once again, Hinton was included in a series of nation-wide sightings, this time in the spring of 1950!

Mrs. R.W. Rossen and a visitor, Mrs. C.C. Honaker, were at the Rossen home on Ninth Avenue on Saturday, April 22, 1950 when they saw a low-flying, metallic colored disc flying up and down over the side of Corporation Hill in the west end of town. The sighting, which happened around 3:10pm, ended when the craft disappeared into the foliage, possibly landing or crashing along the hillside.  

To my knowledge, no other reports of this particular flying saucer were reported...or at least, published in the local newspapers. The women were adamant that it wasn't a kite that was seen, but were hesitant to come forward for fear of being accused of trying to start another flying saucer story. 

What is it the draws these flying saucers to the area in and around Hinton? For what we'd now consider a fairly small town, the area has seen more than its fair share of unexplained aerial phenomenon. Hinton continues to be a location of great paranormal interest to me and I'll continue to document and explore its many mysteries. Stay spooky, ya'll....and as always, keep your eyes to the skies! 

The Leader
27 April 1950

Carnegie Hall Haunts

Source: Budget Travel

Lewisburg, West Virginia was once voted 'The Coolest Small Town in America' by Budget Travel Magazine. I would absolutely agree with that---but I would also like to nominate Lewisburg for MOST HAUNTED Small Town in America! With locations such as the General Lewis Inn, the John North House, and the Confederate Cemetery, plus legends such as the Angel of Death statue, the town of Lewisburg is steeped in haunted history. Another site to add to this list is the Carnegie Hall Building, located directly across from the Old Stone Presbyterian Church and burial yard!

Dating back before the War Between the States, the Lewisburg Female Institute was a top tier institution of learning for the young ladies of not only the surrounding areas, but from places as far away as Canada. Unfortunately, tragedy would strike the L.F.I. on December 16, 1901. A fire started in one of the academy's two main buildings. Believed to be caused by overheated furnace pipes, the building burned for hours and was a total and complete loss. Luckily none of the staff, nor any of the 115 students were killed in the blaze, but it left the school in a tough spot. 

Other buildings in the area lent space for students to continue their studies, and by March of 1902, a newer and more elaborate building was in the works! Pleas for funding were answered by both the infamous philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who donated $26,750, and the townsfolk, who contributed another $10,000. The building was fully completed in time for the 1903 graduation ceremonies, with an official dedication ceremony occurring on Monday, June 8, 1903. 

The four-story building offered a gymnasium in the basement, ample auditorium space, and classrooms, toilets, an art room, and many other amenities. It was heated by steam, fully plumbed, and boasted electrical lighting. The new Carnegie Hall was a showplace for the entire town and served the L.F.I. (later the Greenbrier College for Women and then Greenbrier College) for many years, up until it closed in 1972. The following year, the property was bought by the state for use as the Greenbrier Center, a learning space for those with special needs.

In the early 1980's, however, the building was at risk of being torn down. Luckily, a local non-profit was formed called Carnegie Hall, Inc. Carnegie Hall, Inc. purchased the building and restored it to its original purpose---a showplace of education and the arts. Today, you can visit Carnegie Hall to take a class or workshop, see a variety of different types of performances, or peruse the gallery space.  

You should also keep your eyes and ears open for any potential paranormal activity! Over the years, visitors and staff have reported numerous incidents of ghostly goings-on. "Unexplained footsteps, flickering lights, and spectral whispers" are commonly reported, and earned Carnegie Hall a spot on West Virginia's 2025 Paranormal Trail---a fun project ran by WV Tourism that takes visitors to haunted locations throughout the state and lets them earn prizes for checking in to these locations. 

View of Carnegie Hall to the Left and
Old Stone Presbyterian Church to the Right
Photo by Theresa (October 2025)

Further spooky sightings that have been reported are seeing the full-bodied apparition of a woman in white. This phantom lady simply disappears before the stunned eyes of those who see her. The rattling of doorknobs may also be observed, only to realize there is no living person on the other side. 

But what makes Carnegie Hall so haunted? And who is the Woman in White? I can't answer that with any certainty, but I'd imagine that the buildings many years serving young women has a lot to do with the paranormal activity. When you have a large number of young people all in one place, that tends to create quite a bit of energy, which can leave behind an imprint that many people can pick up on.  You have a large group of students who are transitioning from adolescence into adulthood, many of whom are away from their parents and their homes for the first time. There are friendships being made, hearts being broken, and just a whole host of emotions getting stirred around, creating a psychic soup that is just right for fostering a haunting.

And obviously, when you have an institution that has run for that long, especially during the time period that L.F.I. and the Greenbrier College did, you're going to have students who pass away, either due to illness or accident, or occasionally by their own hand. Sometimes that death comes at the hand of another...

When researching this location, I came upon a frustrating lack of information regarding an incident that happened in 1904. A young Dr. Sandy Arbuckle was the on-site physician for the girls at L.F.I. and in the early part of the year, a few girls had taken ill with what seemed like a very treatable cough. The girls were given a codeine cough medicine and apparently became extremely ill. In the very few articles I found, the reports varied about how many girls actually took sick, and how many actually died. Only one name was ever given for a girl who passed away, and that was 21-year-old Maud Telford, who passed away on March 1, 1904, from what originally was listed as Angina Pectoris, or a reduced blood flow to the heart. 

Dr. Arbuckle was accused of mixing up the cough medicine with strychnine that sources hotly debated whether or not he stored on the same shelf. The blame shifted to the local pharmacy with the same accusations---they had accidentally sold Dr. Arbuckle strychnine instead of codeine tablets. I never did find a conclusion to these accusations, nor found the names of any additional victims, so I'll continue to look into this case. But could the Lady in White be Maud, or another student who suffered a tragic end? Hopefully, one day we'll have an answer. 

Sources and Further Reading:

Carnegie Hall Official Website and Facebook Page

Lewisburg Living History

Carnegie Hall, Inc Wikipedia

WV Paranormal Trail

Weird and Wonderful YouTube Channel: A Ghost Followed Us at a Cemetery!

Hinton Daily News
5 June 1903

Richmond Dispatch
17 December 1901

The Independent Herald (Hinton, WV)
07 April 1904

Rainelle UFO (May 1950)

Beckley Post-Herald
3 May 1950

The spring of 1950 was a big season for flying saucers in West Virginia! In February, a UFO was seen over Fairmont. In March, multiple witnesses reported a craft in Bluefield. In Charleston, a rectangular UFO was observed in April. Continuing with this trend, the town of Rainelle would have its own flying saucer report in May!

On May 2, 1950, two young men had a sighting on a rainy, spring afternoon. D.L. "Dave" Fleshman and Robert "Hank" Webb reported a brown disc streaked with silver, flying low over the town in a southerly direction. The object was about the size of a No. 3 washtub, and was moving very rapidly....so rapidly, that it had disappeared before the boys could alert anyone else to come observe the craft. 

Rainelle is located in the southern part of the state, in Greenbrier County. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of patterns with these 1950 sightings. They come from different parts of the state, and don't necessarily share many physical traits as well. So what was invading the skies over the Mountain State in 1950? 

#3 Washtub

Phantoms at the Pfister Hotel

Early Postcard View
Pfister Hotel

Today's blog takes us all the way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for an overnight stay at one of the most interesting haunted hotels in the midwest. What makes the phantoms of the Pfister Hotel, located just blocks away from Lake Michigan at 424 E. Wisconsin Avenue, stand out is their apparent love of the local Major League Baseball team. Yes, the ghosts at the Pfister seem to do everything in their power to give the Brewers as much of a home team advantage as possible. But, more on that in a minute...

The Pfister Hotel is a stunning, 307 room luxury hotel built in 1893 by Charles Pfister. Charles Pfister, known affectionately as "Charlie" was born in Milwaukee on June 17, 1859. At the age of 11, he was adopted by Guido Pfister, a German immigrant. Guido, who originally operated a shoe shop, teamed up with his cousin Frederick Vogel who operated a tannery, to establish a hugely successful leather business. A successful business meant money---lots and lots of money---and therefore, Guido diversified his business interests. One dream of Guido's was to build an opulent hotel that would become a showplace of wealth and prestige in the Milwaukee area. 

Unfortunately, Guido passed away on February 2, 1889. With work on the hotel just beginning, Charles, who inherited an estimated $1 million and held stock in the Milwaukee Hotel Company, decided to finish the hotel in remembrance of his father. The Hotel Pfister was completed and opened for business in May of 1893, at an estimated cost of $1 million. Charles Koch was hired as the architect, and the hotel featured many state-of-the-art and luxury amenities.

Guido Pfister
Source: Find-a-Grave user, Anthony S.

Every US president since William McKinley stayed at the hotel at one point or another, as well as a host of celebrities, many who have had their own paranormal experiences staying there. Even Elvis Presley was a guest in 1977, a few months before his untimely death. For many years, Charles, who never married and never had children of his own, lived in the hotel to oversee its daily operations. For the first year it was opened, the hotel actually LOST money, sometimes hundreds of dollars a day. But, when the 1894 state Republican Convention was held there, all rooms were filled to capacity, and the hotel became a base of political operations for Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole. 

In 1927, Charles suffered a paralytic stroke and sold the hotel to long-time employee, Ray Smith. Charles had acted as a mentor to Smith, so he was the perfect candidate to take over the hotel. But, as times changed and the country went through the turmoil of a Great Depression and a second World War, the hotel suffered a period of decline, lasting through the 1950s and 1960s. Ben Mercer stepped in to purchase the hotel and completed extensive renovations to return the Hotel Pfister to its former splendor. He even added on the 23-guest room tower at this time. 

Charles Pfister
Source: Wisconsin Historical Society Collections

It is said that renovations are often the catalyst for paranormal activity, but it wouldn't be until the 2010's that the hotel would really hit the paranormal mainstream as a haunted location. That's because numerous stories of ghostly encounters began circulating from players of visiting baseball teams! When an out-of-town team came to play the Milwaukee Brewers, they were generally put up at the Pfister. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a running tab of players' experiences (READ ARTICLE HERE), but just a few examples are:

2018: Carlos Martinez, pitcher for the Cardinals hopped on Instagram in the middle of the night to alert his fans that he had been touched by the Pfister ghost. He played really bad the next day and blamed the performance on the ghost. 

2001: Adrian Belte of the LA Dodgers told Sports Illustrated in an interview that he had heard knocking on his door in the middle of the night, but no one was there. He watched as both the AC and the TV switched themselves on. But it was the knocking coming from his headboard that led him to sleep with his bat, in fear. He said out of a total of three nights stay at the hotel, he probably only slept for about 2 hours. 

Carlos Gomez of the Minnesota Twins heard disembodied voices and experienced his iPod turning itself on. Michael Young of the Rangers heard stomping inside his room. To this day, Mookie Betts of the Dodgers won't stay at the Pfister---he books his own lodging while in town. And it's not just baseball players experiencing things, although they certainly seem to be the number one targets. When actor Joey Lawrence stayed in 2006, he was awakened by his daughter's toys going off on their own. Megan Thee Stallion and her entourage even did a little ghost hunting while staying there for Summerfest one year. 

There's no question that there's some spooky stuff going on here, but who actually haunts the Hotel Pfister? Multiple theories abound. Some believe it's Guido, sticking around to experience the hotel that he dreamed of, but never got to experience in life. Others believe that Charles is the obvious culprit. He built the hotel, lived in the hotel, and used the hotel as the center of his business and social life. Both men may have a vested interested in seeing their local baseball team dominate...or at least, may have a little fun messing with visiting teams the night before the big game. 

Another theory is that the land itself was haunted, way before the hotel was built. In a Milwaukee Daily Sentinel newspaper article from May 5, 1893, a man named Charles "Milwaukee" Sivyer was interviewed. Sivyer is recognized as being the first white male born in Milwaukee and was often sought out to give a history of the area in its early days. He remembered living in a log cabin where the Hotel Pfister now stands and says the area around it was once a burial ground. And, as anyone who has seen the movie Poltergeist knows, the one thing you don't want to do is build atop a burial ground! 

Sources and Further Reading:

Pfister Hotel Website

Charles Pfister Wikipedia

The Legend of the Pfister Hotel Ghost, by Becky Mortensen for WUWM Radio. 31 October 2022

Dodgers' Mookie Betts, Other MLB Players Say They've Been Haunted by Milwaukee's Pfister Hotel, by JR Radcliffe. 13 August 2024 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Tormented by the Devil

Ennis, WV ca 1910
Source

Ennis, West Virginia was once a thriving coal community, located in McDowell County. Established in 1888 by William McQuail and James McCormick, the town served as the base of operations for the Turkey Gap Coal and Coke Company, and later, the Ennis Coal Company. It was named for the family of McQuail's wife, Joanna Ennis McQuail. Today, not much exists of the original town, and the location is now a part of the Switchback community along US Route 52. But, at one time it was home to a sensational ghost story!

Various newspapers throughout southern West Virginia ran the story of the Ennis Specter in late August of 1917. One early Friday morning, just after the midnight hour, the residents of a local boarding house were awakened by the awful screams of a female in distress. All 8-10 persons heard the screams, which upon investigation, turned into the disembodied voice of a woman, calling herself Smith. Ms. Smith related that she was the sister of Frank Smith, who lived in Columbus, OH. She had been visiting Ennis some 14 years prior and was staying at the boarding house when she was murdered. The assailants, three men, stole $143 from her. The ghost was even said to accurately name the family who was living in the home at the time of the alleged murder. 

By the next morning, word of the ghostly voice spread far and wide, and visitors from miles around came to hear it for themselves. It is estimated that at least 3000 people visited the town of Ennis in search of the ghost. Local miners even refused to go underground that Saturday. 

Ennis, WV ca 1910
Source

On Sunday morning around 9am, the ghostly voice again spoke, telling the crowd her tragic story. When one curious on-looker asked her why she had waited fourteen years to come back, she stated that she had been in torment these past years and the devil just now released her long enough to come back and share the secret of her murder. 

The boarders packed their bags and left, and it was said that the owners themselves were packed up and moved out by Monday, not wanting to deal with the ghost of a murdered woman and the scores of on-lookers she brought to town. The building in question isn't really specified, other than it being a frame dwelling on the north end of the railway, nearly opposite the post office.  While looking into the history of the town, I found mention of a boarding house beside the old high school that was specifically for the use of teachers, but as the high school wasn't built until the 1920's, this probably wasn't the house. There was also the Ennis Hotel, but that wouldn't have fit the description, either. Unfortunately, it really doesn't matter now, as none of these buildings are left. The town of Ennis is as forgotten as the phantom Ms. Smith who once visited and ended up staying an eternity. We can only hope that while forgotten to history, her murderers were one day brought to justice. 

For more about the history of Ennis, and an excellent collection of local photographs, make sure to check out the Bramwell WV Website! 

The Hinton Daily News
18 September 1917

The McDowell Times
31 August 1917