Panther's Phantom Fire Truck

 

Panther Fire Station--Google Maps

In 1961, the Westerville, Ohio Volunteer Fire Department was in desperate need of a new fire engine. Unfortunately, budget issues wouldn't allow for a shiny, new engine to be purchased at that time. So, a used chassis from a 1959 fire truck was purchased. The firefighters themselves worked hard, adding a 2,200 gallon water tank and other vital pieces of equipment, creating an engine that the whole department and town could be proud of.  They named the new truck 'Big Red.' 

As the city of Westerville continued to grow and the budget increased, the volunteer fire department switched to a paid department. In order to be eligible for a paid firefighter position, one had to pass a test.  It is said that after one old volunteer failed to pass the test, he swore that he'd come back after his death and haunt Big Red.  

Big Red served the community of Westerville for about 18 years when the city decided it needed to be sold off.  This provoked some mixed feelings among the firemen.  Although Big Red was somewhat outdated and difficult to drive, it had for so long been a symbol of pride for the department and the town. The fire chief at the time tried to prevent the sale of Big Red, but was unsuccessful and it was sold to a truck dealer.

In 1979, the small town of Panther, WV, located in McDowell County, purchased Big Red for its volunteer fire department. Big Red put in two good years of service before it became a liability. Chief Edward Prince called it a 'death trap,' as its brakes and other mechanical parts were badly worn.  The engine was parked out back of the fire station and was stripped of any usable parts and equipment. 

It wasn't long after Big Red was taken out of service that people in western McDowell County, mainly around Panther and Gilbert started seeing Big Red out on the county's roads, mainly at night. Whenever someone tried to follow the phantom fire truck, they would lose sight of it as it would disappear around a curve or as it topped a hill.  Chief Prince, along with his wife and mother, actually had their own sighting of Big Red in the autumn of 1981. He immediately drove to fire station to confirm that Big Red was still parked out back, too stripped down to actually be driven anywhere. 

The spookiest part of these Big Red sightings were that every time it was seen, a fire would break out in the immediate vicinity of the sighting soon after.  In various tellings of the story, these fires would be completely catastrophic, destroying the building completely, and/or resulting in at least one fatality. Whether the fire was a major one or a minor one, almost everyone could agree that a Big Red sighting definitely would result in some type of fire in that area. 

So who is driving Big Red? Obviously, one candidate would be the Westerville volunteer fireman who promised he'd haunt the engine, but the answer might not be so simple.  Apparently, the former Westerville fire chief who tried to stop the city from selling Big Red passed away---right about the same time the phantom fire engine began appearing around western McDowell County. 

I became familiar with this story YEARS ago when my local news station ran a short piece on the sightings of a phantom fire truck. Several years ago, I searched the web for more information, and found a few conversations on an old TOPIX post. There wasn't a lot of detail---only that a 50's era fire engine, driven by an invisible driver, was seen around western McDowell, and that each sighting would coincide with fire shortly after. Therefore, I was THRILLED when I was at my local library, doing some unrelated research, and happened to take a break to read the book, A Wayfaring Sin-Eater and Other Tales of Appalachia, by James Gay Jones. The book was written in 1983 (reprinted in 2005) and contained the information that made this blog post possible! As an added bonus, when I found a photo of the Panther Volunteer Fire Station, it appears that Big Red is still there, still a part of the community.  I wonder if it's still making its nightly runs? 

UPDATE:

The Carport Chronicles Podcast has featured this story on a recent episode! Go check 'em out, along with the rest of their spooky, paranormal content! 

Book Review for Life with the Afterlife

Title: Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned About Ghosts

Author: Amy Bruni, with Julie Tremaine

Published: 2020 by Grand Central Publishing

Amazon Purchase Information

Life with the Afterlife was published last October, but as usual I'm late to the party, having only picked up and read this book in June of 2021. It is a memoir of sorts, chronicling the paranormal experiences and ghost hunting career of Amy Bruni. Amy Bruni, co-star of the show Kindred Spirits, got her television ghost hunting start on the original Ghost Hunters, joining the TAPS team as they investigate a multitude of haunted and historic properties, businesses, and even private residences. 

Over the course of thirteen chapters, we learn about how Amy got interested in the paranormal, how she became involved with the TAPS family, what led her to becoming a reality TV ghost hunter, and ultimately, what she has learned from the whole experience. 

I really like reading books written by other investigators. It's enlightening to see how others in this field got their start, and interesting to see how their philosophies and methods compare to my own. As long as I've been an investigator, I still realize that I can always keep learning and keep growing. One way to do so obviously is to learn from the experiences and expertise of well respected figures in the field of paranormal investigation. Amy Bruni has a lot of experience on her own, but throughout the book quotes plenty of other well-known researchers in the field, pulling in their expertise as well.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I actually learned much from this book. That's not to say that there isn't good information in the book---there is---but I think for me it's a combination of things. I've been in this field a LONG time, so most of the '13 truths' just seem kind of common sense to me. Secondly, I hadn't realized it before since I'm not a huge watcher of television shows, but Amy and I have quite similar ideas and beliefs when it comes to paranormal investigation. I especially appreciate her thoughts on the idea of offering assistance and a voice to those left behind here without necessarily 'crossing them over.' I've always been leery of those in this field whose sole mission is to cross spirits over to the other side. We don't know what awaits them over there---how do we know we're not sending them to a fate worse than death? 

Anyway, if you're a fan of the shows Ghost Hunters or Kindred Spirits, or otherwise follow Amy's work, you'll definitely want to read Life With the Afterlife. It is an interesting glimpse into the life of an interesting person, and there's definitely plenty of practical information included for those interested in the field of paranormal investigation. At 257 pages, written in a large font, it's a quick and easy read, perfect for getting in a little chill during those summer days by the pool!

If you've read Life With the Afterlife, let me know what YOU thought about it!  Feel free to comment below, or join me over on Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State's Facebook page. Stay spooky, ya'll. 

Horror of the Woods: A Braxton County Monster Prequel

 

 Back in May of this year, I dedicated a whopping SEVEN blog entries covering information concerning what local newspapers dubbed the 'Braxton County Monster.' These sightings, most of which happened in the early to mid 1960's throughout West Virginia, were all inexplicably tied to the 1952 Flatwoods Monster incident.  The beasts being seen clearly were more of a Bigfoot type creature than the spade-headed, skirt-wearing metallic monster that terrorized the small town of Flatwoods, yet they all got lumped together.

One of the sightings in particular I covered was from October of 1960. On a stretch of road near the Williams River in Pocahontas County, W.C. Priestly had quite a unique experience. This furry creature allegedly caused Priestly's car to stall through some unexplained power. The creature's hair stood on end, rendering Priestly's vehicle motionless until another vehicle came by and the creature's hair dropped, and it ran off. 

That's pretty weird, right? But what's weirder is that this wasn't the first hairy ape-like creature to be seen in this area of Pocahontas County near the Williams River!  The newspaper clipping over on the left is from the Shepherdstown Register, dated 28 October 1920---a whole 40 years before Priestly's encounter.

The article, which can be accessed for free at the Chronicling America website, states that for several months an 'ape, baboon, gorilla, wild man, or terror' has been reported in different areas from Pittsburg, PA to throughout the state of West Virginia. A hunter in the area claimed to spot the creature enjoying a berry patch on Black Mountain. He even claimed to have found the creature's nest, which was apparently filled with collected railroad spikes. A woman claims that SHE was pursued by the creature, which many believe was just a half-tame gorilla, and ran into her house to escape. She called her two dogs to chase it off, but the creature ended up choking both dogs to death. 

That's pretty horrific. But, was this creature actually some type of Bigfoot or was it really a 'half-tame gorilla?' Let's play skeptic and say that this was obviously a gorilla.  You may be wondering to yourself, 'what is a gorilla doing running loose in Pocahontas County in 1920?' The answer to this puzzle actually came from my own blog, lol. As I was looking over some older entries on Theresa's Haunted History, I came across another vintage newspaper article I had posted back in April of 2020. I had kinda forgotten about it, but as I re-read that blog, I realized that the article actually mentions this story!

Williams River.  Source

In my blog titled The Flat Mountain Beast, I share a newspaper article from the Greenbrier Independent, dated 26 November 1920. Greenbrier County lies just southwest of Pocahontas County, and it seems that locals there were seeing what they described as a gorilla with a broken chain around its neck. They surmise that this is the same creature that had been seen the month before in Pocahontas County. Fortunately, there are a few more details in this article. The beast is described as being about 350 pounds and standing 6 feet tall with reddish/blackish fur. The article also goes on to state that the animal is believed to have been the gorilla which escaped from a traveling circus near Wheeling, WV three months prior. 

So, the two beasts described in the two newspaper articles from 1920 are probably the same, and it IS probably a gorilla and not a Bigfoot.  But, could that same gorilla STILL be living in the same general vicinity 40 years later? It doesn't seem likely. Gorillas typically have a lifespan of about 35 to 40 years, although there are examples of gorillas living longer. I guess it's POSSIBLE that a gorilla could have led a long and healthy life in the abundant mountains of southeastern West Virginia, but I don't think it could have developed an adaptation that included causing cars to stall with its hair, lol. 

In any event, its a fun story and its interesting to ponder the possibilities. It's also a quick lesson in synchronicity! Just when I thought I was completely done with the Braxton County Monster Bigfoot series, I come across the Horror of the Woods article, posted by researcher Les O'Dell on his WV CASE Facebook page. As soon as I read it, I instantly thought of the Priestly case. I didn't have any plans on featuring it on a blog any time soon, but when I came across my entry about the Flat Mountain Beast and realized it was probably the same creature, I decided that I had to include it, sooner than later, in the annals of West Virginia's weird and wonderful history.

Theresa's Travels: Sistersville, West Virginia

On Saturday, June 12, 2021 myself and several other members of Spectral Research and Investigation headed north to Tyler County, West Virginia. We had been called in to assist a family in Sistersville who was experiencing some potential paranormal activity. As this was largely a daytime investigation and it was a 2.5 hour drive up there for me, there wasn't a ton of free time to explore the historic and spooky little town of Sistersville.  However, I wasn't about to let the opportunity to at least LOOK at some of the area's haunted hot spots pass me by!

My first stop of the afternoon was the historic and haunted Wells Inn. The Wells Inn opened in January of 1895 to cater to those connected with the recent oil boom in the area. It was built by Ephraim Wells, and he is believed to be the main ghost of the hotel. He is blamed for moving objects around, locking maids out of certain rooms, playing with the elevator, and the sounds of writing coming from his former office. Phantom footsteps have been heard in the halls and doors have been known to slam on their own. 

I had briefly entertained the idea of actually staying the night at the Wells Inn following our investigation, but since money's tight and time was short, I decided to skip the formal stay and wait until I had the time and money to really make the most out of my stay there. So, I had to be content to stop and take a few photos!  Unfortunately, there was a big sign on the front door saying that the lobby was open to guests of the hotel ONLY. I'm not sure if this was simply a COVID-19 restriction, or this is a permanent policy put in place for the safety and comfort of paying guests.  Either way, I was a little bummed (but I completely understood) that I couldn't go inside. 

I left the Wells Inn with the intent of heading up to Oakwood Cemetery and getting some good daytime photos of a very eerie monument known as the Stocking Lady. I'm not sure HOW I missed it, but my directions to Oakwood Cemetery did not work out, lol. I did, however, find myself in another local cemetery---Greenwood. I think Greenwood and Oakwood sometimes get confused, but I have heard some stories of Greenwood being haunted as well. In one report submitted to WVGhosts, a witness claims that a group of friends visited Greenwood and after touching one tombstone that felt hot, several girls in the group felt like they were being stabbed. White, moaning things were seen, and even approached their car! I can't vouch for these tales, obviously, but I think there was a reason why I ended up at this particular cemetery.  As I was driving around, looking at the tombstones, I actually stumbled upon the graves of more than one previous owner of the property we were about to investigate!

By the time I checked out Greenwood pretty thoroughly, it was time to meet up with the rest of the team. I was super bummed that I hadn't found Oakwood, as I REALLY wanted to see the Stocking Lady for myself, but I knew that we had a job to do, so I focused all my attention on getting ready for the night's investigation. 

The Spectral Research and Investigation team, accompanied by Zach Schwartz of Countere Magazine, met up at The Fort Pizza and Restaurant for lunch and to plan out how we were going to approach this particular investigation. I had a HUGE chicken wrap and fries. The food was good and the staff was friendly---it was a really nice little local place to gather our thoughts and decide what we needed to do to give our clients the best investigation we could. 

As this was a private residence case, I won't be going over details of our actual investigation, but I will say that it was a hard one for me, emotionally. It was a case unlike any other residential I've done over the years and although we plan on staying in contact with the family and continuing to work with them, I just personally feel like we were all stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to really solving their problems for them. So, that was disappointing, but the evening definitely ended on a happy note!  The family actually lived pretty close to Oakwood Cemetery...and offered to take us up there!

I first learned about Oakwood Cemetery and the Stocking Lady back in October of 2019 when I saw storyteller Granny Sue at the WV Book Festival. The Stocking Lady is a beautiful, yet damaged tombstone statue that overlooks the graves of the family of Philo and Nancy Stocking. Local legend states that those who have been bold enough to vandalize the statue of a woman in a flowing garment have suffered terrible fates. The person who broke off the statue's arms lost his own arm in an accident. The person who gouged out the eye area went blind himself. There are lots of stories of people simply touching the Stocking Lady, resulting in a run of bad luck, illness, and injury. 

Oakwood Cemetery didn't disappoint and I was thrilled to finally see the Stocking Lady for myself. I didn't get too close, though...just in case. 

Overall, the trip to Sistersville was a positive experience for me. I had driven through the area before on my way to Moundsville, but never stopped to really look around. The drive along the Ohio River between Huntington and Sistersville is a beautiful drive that takes you through so many little historic towns, each with their own legends and ghost stories. This trip to Sistersville may have been my first, but it certainly won't be my last.

So let me know...have YOU been to Sistersville? Have you stayed at the haunted Wells Inn or visited the Stocking Lady?  Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below, or join me over on Facebook at Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State to share your story! Stay spooky, ya'll. 

Sistersville Phantom Airship 1897

Happy World UFO Day! 

To celebrate World UFO Day 2021, I thought it'd be fun to share with you this story of perhaps West Virginia's FIRST UFO?

Beginning in late 1896 and lasting through 1897, the United States was plagued with a very unusual unidentified aerial phenomenon. Starting in California and steadily moving eastward across the country, sightings of strange lights in the sky attached to what many believed was a dirigible were reported by everyday citizens. On April 19th, 1897, the mysterious airship had made its way to the small town of Sistersville, West Virginia! 

The following newspaper article comes from the Philadelphia Inquirer, dated 20 April 1897. A series of red, white, and green flashing lights were observed heading into town from the northwest. When looked at through 'strong glasses,' a cone-shaped craft, 180 feet long, with large fins on either side, could be seen. It was observed for about 20 minutes. So sure that they didn't see just a mere star, the citizens of Sistersville who witnessed the strange phenomena passed around and signed an affidavit declaring what they saw. 

Interestingly, earlier that day, reports of a phantom airship crash in Aurora, Texas made headlines across the country. The airship had crashed into windmill/sump pump on Judge Proctor's farm, killing the lone pilot. The strange little body was given a Christian burial in a local cemetery. To this day, permission to exhume the body has been denied, cementing the tale's place in Fortean society forever. 

Were the citizens of Sistersville simply influenced by the strange events in Texas, and thus turned their own unexplained experience into something similar...or was there really a barrage of phantom airships traveling across the continental United States in 1897? Who were piloting these strange craft---beings from another planet, or simply men from our own planet, operating under a secret mission to advance air travel? We may never know, but to the people who witnessed the events of April 19th, 1897, there's no doubt in their minds that they had witnessed something extraordinary.