The 'Ghost' of McMillion Church

Photo by Find-a-Grave user, Old Hokie

This story was found in the Fall 1997 edition of Goldenseal. In a special Halloween article, author Ruth Zicafoose tells the tale of a long forgotten ghost encounter at McMillion Church on Friar's Hill.  The church was built around 1889 and is located in Greenbrier County, about 6 miles from the town of Renick/Falling Spring. 

Ghost in the Church

By Ruth Zicafoose

This is a true story of an event that happened long ago in our community.

Near Renick, there is an area known as Friar's Hill.  In this vicinity there was, and still is, a place of worship known as the McMillion Church.

The area around there was sparsely settled with several miles between families, although not considered far apart according to the way we think of distances today.  There was a family of Knights who lived not too far from the church and several families of McMillions, from whom the church got its name.

It was in the summer time when a young gentleman of the community was courting a girl who lived three or four miles away.  In those days folks either walked, rode horseback, or drove a horse and buggy.  This young fellow had a fine saddle horse which he used for transportation in all of his romantic endeavors.

On this particular Sunday he was spending the afternoon with the object of his affections when about 4 o'clock the sky suddenly turned dark, signifying that a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain was fast approaching.  Desiring to reach his home before the rain started, he bid his beloved adieu, hurriedly mounted his horse, and galloped away.

By the time he reached the McMillion Church, which was right beside the road to his home, the rain was increasing rapidly.  Rather than risk ruining his Sunday-best clothes he decided to dismount and seek shelter inside the church.

The church doors were never locked and it was only one step from the ground over the threshold of the church door and into the shelter of the building.  He stepped far enough inside to escape the rain, but not too far so that he could hold his horse's bridle reins, leaving the horse standing outside in the terrible storm.

It was really pouring rain by this time and the sky had turned so black that one would have needed a lantern to see his way around the inside of the dark church.  Occasionally, when the lightning flashed, the inside of the church would be bright as day, just for an instant, then even harder to see than it had been, or as we used to say, dark as pitch.

After standing there and listening to the rain for a bit, he happened to be looking toward the pulpit when the lightning flashed another time.  He saw something that made the hair on the back of his neck start to crawl!  He caught a glimpse of a figure, dressed in white, rising from behind the lectern.  Then it was all dark again.  His eyes were riveted in the direction of the front of the church and he could not move!  

At the next lightning flash he could see it had not been his imagination playing tricks on him---it really was a tall human-like figure with long black hair.  The apparition, if that is what it was, had moved over from behind the lectern and had taken a step down from the pulpit.

At the next flash the figure had taken a few steps down the aisle toward the front door--it was coming toward him! He was frozen to the spot and scared speechless.  In another minute there was a big clap of thunder followed by an unusually bright flash of lightning.  The tall white figure was moving slowly, but surely, in his direction.  Each time there was a flash of lightning the figure was a little nearer.  If ever a heart was tested for failure that was the time.

The tall white figure seemingly floated past the middle of the church, then an arm on the side of the figure started rising.  In one of the flashes the young man could see a hand outstretched as though it would grab him!  He tried too run but he could not move.  Then he felt the hand on his shoulder!  It is a wonder he didn't collapse in a dead faint.

Then he heard his name, "Willis!" His heart seemed to stop!  He thought his feet had been nailed to the floor.  Then he recognized the figure.  It was a lady in the community who had lost her mind.  In her long white nightgown she had slipped from her bed and out of the house the night before, without any of her family knowing about it.  Her folks had searched all day Sunday and had not found her.

Since there were worship services only once a month at the church in those days, the lady had had the church all to herself.  

I do not know if the young man married the girl he had been courting that day, but I do know that he never forgot the time when he thought a ghost had captured him for sure!  All the rest of his life he would repeat the story for anyone who would listen.

Happy Halloween from GOLDENSEAL!

Theresa's Note:  Some of the spookiest ghost stories aren't really ghost stories at all!  This tale is another example of how things aren't always what they seem...an important thing to keep in mind when researching and investigating hauntings for yourself.  Having said that, I think I would MUCH rather run into a real ghost than a mentally unstable woman hanging out in the local church during a thunderstorm!  The description of her in her white nightgown and long, black hair, moving slowly up the church aisle, closer with every flash, is straight up out of a modern day horror movie! I hope she was taken back to her family and compassionately cared for...and I hope Willis wasn't too emotionally scarred after the whole ordeal! 

Renick, WV ca 1910 from WV History on View