2016 Keenan House Ghost Photo

Photo by Kim Miller

Hey, everyone!  I apologize---I need to start this blog off with a bit of bad news.  As many of you already know, my paranormal investigation group, HPIR, has spent the past 10+ years giving FREE ghost tours of downtown Guyandotte, WV.  Unfortunately, there will be no Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Walking Tours for the 2018 season for either Halloween or Guyandotte Civil War Days.

We have absolutely loved sharing the history of this community in a fun and spooky way, and have met so many great people along the way.  This is not a permanent end, but just a break to reassess how we can best serve a changing community.  For now, I encourage you to hop on over to the Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours Facebook page where our President and Founder, Melissa, is busy sharing plenty of stories, articles, and pictures in the interim.

And, for today's blog, I wanted to share with you ANOTHER spooky photo taken by one of our tour guests!  This photo was shared with us by Kim Miller.  The photo was taken during our 2016 tour season during one of our Civil War Days tours.  The home in question is the historic Keenan House, built in the early 1800s.  Over the years, the Keenan House has served as a home for several prominent citizens, acted as a historical society headquarters, and suffered a devastating fire that destroyed much of the interior.  It's biggest claim to fame, however, is the purpose it served over the course of November 10 through 11, 1861.

Close-up 

That year, a small Union recruitment camp and training center was set up in the then-bustling town of Guyandotte, Va., much to the chagrin of the local citizens who were largely made up of Confederate sympathizers. Late Sunday evening, on November 10th, the camp was raided by Confederate troops under the leadership of Captain (later General) Albert G. Jenkins. Surviving Union recruits and Union sympathizers throughout town were rounded up, tied together two-by-two, and held overnight at the Keenan House.  The next morning, those surviving the night were marched to Richmond to be imprisoned.

With 200+ years of life and death, combined with a good deal of suffering contained within its walls, could there be spirits still present at the Keenan House...and if so, could this photo show some of that energy?

One of the biggest things I'll miss about tours this year is the infectious excitement of our tour guests when they have an experience they cannot explain or capture a photograph they can't debunk. It's so fun to share that excitement with them and give them the opportunity to explore the haunted history of their own community...or even to introduce them to the haunted history of a new location for them!  We've actually had guests come from as far away as Israel enjoy our tours!  Keep an eye on our Facebook page, linked above.  I think we'll be back before you know it, stronger than ever!  Happy Haunting, ya'll!