How Old Woman's Run Got Its Name

Elk Hotel
Photo by Theresa ca 2017

2017 is the year I really started getting acquainted with the spooky little town of Sutton, West Virginia. One such trip led me to the end of the downtown district to check out the Elk Hotel, then known as Cafe Cimino. The beautiful historic home (which I'll be posting about in a different blog post!) sits at the confluence of the Elk River and a small creek and accompanying road named Old Woman's Run. 

At the time, I was intrigued with the odd name and even remarked to my partner that I bet there was a cool story behind it. And there was. It would just take me quite a while to find it and even longer to write about it.

The answer was waiting within the pages of The History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia, by John Sutton, grandson of the town founder. (You can read it for free at Internet Archive) It was published in 1919 and on page 40, tells exactly how Old Woman's Run came to be. 

During the early days of white settlement in the area, the area between Old Woman's Run and Granny Creek was filled with laurels, rocky cliffs, and dens. A large female bear roamed this area for years, giving birth to several litters of cubs. The she-bear wasn't seen for several years, but hunters in the area knew she was around by the extremely large tracks she would leave behind. It was these hunters who named the bear "Old Woman" and the creek near her stomping grounds, Old Woman's Run. 

The book goes on to mention that Old Woman was finally killed by hunters in the area where Moman Rhea lived. Although the book doesn't specify where exactly Rhea lived, it does give a little blurb about him later on. Rhea was one of the very few people of color in the entire county at the time the book was written. He was a former enslaved person, who, after his bondage had acquired quite a bit of land and become a progressive farmer known for his acts of kindness. 

To be honest, I'm kind of sad that the Old Woman of this story is simply a bear and not related to some ghostly apparition of an elderly woman haunting the hillside. However, this bear was described as being quite large and leaving behind large tracks. The book even notes that people of the area had always had issues raising pigs and lambs. What else leaves big tracks and steals livestock? Some may say Bigfoot. Interestingly enough, there are tales of just such a creature!

Reports of a possible Bigfoot have lasted up through modern day in the area of Sutton Lake....right near this confluence of the Elk River and Old Woman's Run Creek. These reports date back to at least 1919 when an interesting newspaper article about a wild man was published in the Evening Telegram out of Lakeland, Florida. The article reads:

Return of Wild Man Revives Old Terrors

Flatwoods, W. Va. – The belief that a wild man is still lurking in this vicinity, stealing and killing children and young pigs, is stronger than ever just now. A story related by Luther C. Douglas has dispelled all hopes that the terrible creature had fled to other localities. Douglas’ story follows:

“I was on my way home from lodge meeting,” said Douglas, “when I heard a noise near Ed Wiley’s barn, which is close to the road. I thought it might be a dog and paid little attention to it at first. Then, as I was passing a vacant house a short distance from Ed’s place, I heard a distant door slam and a wild-looking fellow, in rags and with long hair and beard that others who have seen him have described, came rushing out of the front door of the old house, brandishing a huge knotted club and uttering the most horrifying sounds I ever have heard.

“Being convinced by his actions that I was to be assaulted and possibly killed, I drew my revolver and took two shots at him. With this he turned and fled, screaming louder than ever. I didn’t pursue him. Not me. It would take a braver man than I profess to be to go on the trail of that horrible creature.”

The authorities are again agitating the question of taking some means to capture the much-feared lunatic, or whatever he is.

Obviously, whatever or whomever was stealing children and pigs in 1919 was described as being more human (even wearing some type of clothing and brandishing a weapon) than a she-bear, it gives one pause as to what exactly was going on in the little town of Sutton, so close to Flatwoods. 

Evening Telegram (Lakeland Florida)
08 March 1919

The Curse of the Bronze Lady

 

Photo from Find-a-Grave
Submitted by Jan Franco

Deep in the heart of Headless Horseman territory and located within the same cemetery where author Washington Irving lies, is an often-overlooked legend. It is the Curse of the Bronze Lady of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

When General Samuel R. Thomas, a wealthy coal and railroad baron and Civil War veteran, passed away from heart disease suddenly on January 11, 1903, he left behind three children and a widow. Samuel married Ann Porter in 1872 and was obviously deeply grieved over losing her beloved husband. She initially had him buried in a private mausoleum/crypt but felt that a man of such wealth and stature deserved a more fitting memorial. 

She hired sculptor Andrew O'Connor who created the bronze statue of a woman, seated in mourning. He named the statue appropriately 'Grief.' Unfortunately, Ann was appalled by the work. She believed the face was too melancholy and dismal; she wanted a happy countenance overlooking her husband's final resting place. (Theresa's side note: No one really knows why Ann was so persistent about having a 'happy faced' statue, but I'm kind of wondering if the mourning widow wasn't as unhappy as she wanted people to believe. After all, she had actually been left out of Samuel's newspaper obituary altogether! Or perhaps this was just a way to get out of paying the princely sum of money it would have cost her to commission such a piece.) Either way, Ann was displeased, and demanded O'Connor try again.

O'Connor obliged and created a second head for the statue, one with a more cheerful look. Ann approved of the new design, but it never made its way onto the statue. Instead, O'Connor hurled the head to the ground, where it smashed to pieces at Ann's feet (very Headless Horseman coded). He basically told her that his first design was perfect, and how dare she question his art. 

Photo from Find-a-Grave
Submitted by David M. Habben

And so, the Bronze Lady retained her original face. Ann would pass in 1944. Her body was cremated, and her ashes were interred in the mausoleum alongside her husband's body. Shortly after, the legends of the Bronze Lady curse would arise. 

Gaining popularity throughout the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's, especially with local teenagers, the legends of the curse are quite varied, depending on who is telling the story. There are those who state that anyone foolish enough to insult the statue or slap its face is instantly cursed. A simple touch of the cheek is enough to warrant a long run of bad luck. But it's when one chooses to sit in the statue's lap that things get REALLY weird. 

Some say that simply sitting in the lap at all is curse-worthy. Others say if you sit on her lap, jump down, and spin around three times, you'll be cursed. In another variant, those same actions are believed to BREAK the curse, should it be acquired through some other means. I especially like the variant where if you sit on the statue's lap and then go look into the keyhole of the mausoleum, you'll see a ghost!

Yeah, sometimes the Bronze Lady doesn't want to 'curse' you.... she just wants to be spooky. She may give you the ability to see ghosts through the keyhole, or she might simply be seen walking around the cemetery on dark, moonless nights. If she isn't seen, she may be heard; the mournful cries of the Bronze lady will get louder the closer you get to the burial site. In yet another variant on the lap-sitting, legend says that if someone sits in her lap, she'll cry tears of blood. And, back to the mausoleum itself, if you're not brave enough to look through the keyhole for ghosts, perhaps you'll be brave enough to knock on the door. You won't see ghosts, necessarily, but you'll be plagued with bad dreams. 

If you ever find yourself in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, visiting the grave of Washington Irving, or one of the many, many other famous authors and others to be buried within this hallowed ground, don't forget to stop by and pay your respects to the Bronze Lady. At the very least, DON'T INSULT HER!

Sources and Further Reading:

Find-a-Grave Entry for Samuel R. Thomas

The Bronze Lady of Sleepy Hollow: NY Ghosts Blog. 13 May 2025

The Bronze Lady: The Other Spooky Legend of Sleepy Hollow that You've Never Heard Of. The Lineup. Article by Jessica Ferri. Published 24 October 2017

Times Union (Brooklyn, NY)
12 January 1903

The Fairy Stones of Virginia

Virginia has a rather unique state park. Located in Patrick County, Fairy Stone State Park is a magical place where remnants of the fairy folk can still be found and even collected as souvenirs. At least, that's what folklore tells us. 

Fairy Stone State Park was established on June 15, 1936 on land donated in 1933 by Junius B. Fishburn. For years, the area had been special for its abundance of 'fairy stones' or 'fairy crosses.' Science tells us these fairy stones are staurolite crystals. The crystals, which formed seven miles underground, have been pushed up to the surface of the Earth as the mountains themselves rose. 

Staurolite crystals are six-sided and will often show up as twin crystals, intersecting at a 90 degree angle. This causes the rocks to have a unique appearance. The fairy stones will show up as an X, T, or even cross shape. The crosses are the most sought after and appear in the varieties of Roman, St. Andrew's, and even the rarest---the Maltese Cross. More abundant are the single crystal bricks. 

According to folklore, when the fairies of the Blue Ridge region received news, via messenger, of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the fairies wept. Their tears crystallized and became the fairy stones of today. Although the fairies themselves are said to no longer inhabit the area, the fairy crosses they left behind serve as a reminder of that sad day.  Some claim that the stones are lucky, and will protect the bearer from illness, accidents, and even witchcraft!

I became aware of the fairy stones thanks to an article I happened to stumble upon while looking up information on a completely unrelated topic. The Ceredo Advance featured an article on the fairies stones way back in 1906---thirty years before the park was established. It seems that a local man from Kenova, WV named A.J. Kelley was the proud owner of one such stone. Mr. Kelley was always glad to show off his fairy stone to anyone wanting to see it. 

After I started looking for pictures of these stones, I realized that I have actually seen them before, in crystal shops and rock shows. The small stones are often made into pendants or other jewelry, even as early as 1906. As I said, you can collect these for yourself! There are designated 'hunting' areas in Fairy Stone State Park, and guided fairy stone hunts. Tips are given on the website for where and how to find the stones, but any type of digging tools is strictly prohibited. 

All About Fairy Stones, from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Fairy Stone State Park Website

Ceredo Advance
11 April 1906

The Spirit at the Stump

Photo by Theresa

On November 1, 1936, the people of the Bluefield and Princeton area weren't quite ready to let go of spooky season! That day, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph ran a ghost story submitted by Mrs. Cecil Smith, a reader from near Princeton. 

Mrs. Smith told the story of a colored man named Foot who was accused of an unknown crime many years before. He was hanged at an old oak tree near Princeton, despite the fact that many believed he was innocent. The tree was eventually chopped down, leaving nothing but a stump. However, the spirit of Foot remained.

People passing the stump any time, day or night, could summon Foot's spirit by saying, "Foot, what were you hanged for?" The spirit would answer, "nothing."

Unfortunately, as of this writing, I haven't found any proof that a man named Foot ever existed, let alone was hung (or lynched?) for a crime he didn't commit. But, whether or not this story is based in fact doesn't change the idea that it's an interesting little ghost tale that at one time was a part of Princeton's folklore. Surely, numerous school children heard the story and dared each other to walk by the haunted stump, trying to summon the spirit of ol' Foot, who just wanted to make his innocence known. 

Theresa's Note: this story is also a part of a series that the Bluefield Daily Telegraph ran in the mid-1930s featuring ghost stories submitted by readers from around the area. There are some really fun little stories that showed up in this series, many of which you'll find here on Theresa's Haunted History!

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
01 November 1936

Guinea Pigs, Not Ghosts

 

Source: Office of Laboratory Services

Back during the summer of 1937, children in Charleston's East End were convinced they had a haunted building in their neighborhood. While playing near the West Virginia Department of Health's laboratory building, located at the end of McClung Street, near the statehouse, the children heard terrifying noises. Emitting from the lab were "frightful squeals" and "awesome thumps." Further, the children noticed an eerie light that would turn itself off and on throughout the night. 

The kids eagerly told their parents all about these spooky goings-on, and to their credit, the concerned parents believed them, and sought answers as to who, or what, could be haunting the laboratory. And then, in stepped the voice of reason. Mrs. Katherine Cox, head of the laboratory, offered an explanation. The squeals were not squeals of tortured spirits---they were the squeals of guinea pigs. The weird thumping? That was the rabbits thumping their hind legs within their cages. But what about the light that turned itself on and off? Well, that was an incubator light that flashed in regular intervals. 

Both children and parents seemed appeased by this explanation, and the matter of a haunted health department was dropped. The health department, which was established in 1881 by an act of legislature, was housed at 1812 McClung St. from 1928 until 1954, with an adjoining seven-room residential home providing additional laboratory space, starting in 1936. Mrs. Katherine Cox was head of the laboratory from 1934 until 1940. It was under her directorship that the animals in question were probably used for both rabies and tuberculosis inoculation research. 

Today, the location of the former laboratory is a parking lot for state capitol employees. I have to wonder whether those leaving their cars in the lot ever hear an unexplained squeal or thump....and simply chalk it up to traffic noises coming from the nearby interstate.

Source: Office of Laboratory Services

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
24 August 1937

The Headless Ghost of Centralia

Centralia Station ca 1905
Source: WV History on View

Located in Braxton County, West Virginia, close to the Webster County line, sits the nearly abandoned ghost town of Centralia. Once a thriving lumber company town, Centralia was created around 1890 to be the main shipping point for all lumber above the Elk River going towards the iron fields of Virginia. Through the town ran the West Virginia and Pittsburgh Railroad, later becoming the B&O. With the construction of the railway, men from all over came to find employment.

One such man who sought his fortune in the construction of the railway was Jacob Beamer. Beamer was known as a hard worker, but when the workday was done, Beamer loved nothing more than to entertain his colleagues with wild and fantastic tales. However, one story Beamer told over and over again, was one he swore was actually true. 

Jacob Beamer claimed that his ancestors were a race of people who were citizens of the moon and had the ability to teleport between the planets. They were guided in these travels by a special guardian moon spirit. On one trip to visit planet Earth, tragedy struck. A meteor hit the moon, knocking it off its normal orbit, killing those who lived there. The moon became uninhabitable, and Beamer's family was forced to forge a life for themselves here on Earth. 

His insistence of the truthfulness of this story earned him the nickname "Moon Man." And, to further the mythos of this strange man, Beamer was prone to taking long walks along the tracks during moonlit nights. Some say he could be seen gazing wistfully up at the moon. Others claimed that he was often accompanied on these walks by a shadowy gray ghostly figure.

Unfortunately, it was during one of these moonlit walks that Jacob Beamer would lose his life. He was struck and killed by a fast-moving train while taking his stroll along the tracks. His body was discovered the next morning, but his head was never found.  

Shortly after this grisly tragedy, Jacob Beamer's former co-workers and other witnesses around town began to report an eerie sight. On moonlit nights, a pair of ghosts could be seen, walking the tracks of Centralia. One apparition was obviously missing its head. The other apparition, a large, hulking gray entity, was seen guiding the headless apparition by the arm. Both appeared to be searching for something alongside the tracks. 

One day, the pair may have found what they were looking for. One day around 1930, a deer hunter from Pittsburgh was hunting in the area when he saw the ghostly duo making their way down the tracks. However, this time, the smaller apparition was carrying something in the crook of his arm. Upon closer inspection, the hunter could see that the object he was carrying was a human skull. 

For many years following this incident, Jacob Beamer and his moon spirit were not seen, prompting the townspeople to believe that he had finally found his head....and as a result, had finally found peace. Sightings of the ghosts remained a thing of the past until the original tracks were removed to make way for the creation of Sutton Lake. Following this event, the apparitions have allegedly returned. Some say the ghosts of Beamer and the moon spirit walk along the fields where the former tracks once laid, while others say they have moved to the newer tracks nearby.

Today, the location where the horrible tragedy took place, and where the ghosts may or may not still roam, is part of the Baker's Run Campground, just north of Sutton. Jeff Mace, who owns Jeff's Grocery, a store that specializes in selling firewood and other necessities to campers, believes that the exact location where Beamer's body was found sits near his store, and is happy to tell visitors about the story. 

Baker's Run Campground has 77 campsites, many with both water and electrical hookups, or just electrical. Shower facilities, picnic tables, and fire rings are available, making this spot an excellent location for those in the area wanting to fish or simply to experience a possible headless ghost!

Sources and Further Reading:

Remote Campground in Central West Virginia Includes Its Own Ghost. By David Sibray 13 October 2024. WVExplorer Magazine

Bizarre Tale of Moon Man Lives on in Remote Braxton County Valley. By David Sibray 11 March 2024. WVExplorer Magazine

Headless Ghost of Centralia Braxton County. 27 July 2025. Hur Herald. 

The Legend of Jacob Beamer: The Headless Moon Man of Centralia.  Dixie After Dark YouTube.

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer
21 September 1891

When the Lord Spared Louisa

Downtown Louisa, Ky
Source: City of Louisa

This month I celebrated my 43rd birthday. In the 4+ decades that I've been alive on this earth, I have witnessed so many "end of the world" predictions...literally too many to count. In fact, I think it was twice just in 2025 that I managed to survive the Rapture! And of course, the Y2K panic is still as fresh in my mind today as it was twenty-six years ago. 

As we all waited out the end of 1999, waiting for the ball to drop (followed by the planes to start falling from the sky, computers to crash, and everything resetting itself to 1900), we were all wondering just what our fate would be. I thought New Year's Eve 2025 would be a fun time to share another, much older prediction of destruction, going all the way back to the summer of 1920. 

The awesome Facebook page, Historic Wayne County WV, recently shared this newspaper article from the Wayne County News, dated June 17, 1920. 

On a warm, Tuesday morning in June, a "holy roller preacher" had predicted that Louisa, Kentucky would be destroyed by a fire a Biblical proportions. This unnamed preacher persuaded his followers to cross over the Big Sandy River into West Virginia and take refuge in the hills overlooking Fort Gay. There, they could safely observe the town of Louisa and all of its sinners go up in smoke. 

But, like so many predictions of this type, this one failed to materialize and the people of Louisa and surrounding areas were spared. I honestly don't know enough about the history of the area to even make an educated guess as to why Louisa, Kentucky was slated for destruction, while the towns all around it, including those across the river in West Virginia, were totally safe. 

So, speaking of predictions....what predictions do YOU have for 2026? Please share them in the comments below or find me on social media and let me know! 

Wayne County News
17 June 1920