The Nurse Who Never Clocked Out (Old Hospital on College Hill)

After a successful and exciting investigation of The Old Hospital on College Hill this past summer, the SRI team is ready to head back for a follow-up! On Thursday, October 14th, we'll once again be making the trip to Williamson, WV to explore and document the haunted history of the old Williamson Memorial Hospital. 

One of the most popular stories from the Old Hospital on College Hill is the tale of the nurse who never clocked out. As the story goes, sometime during the 1950's, or possibly into the 1960's, one of Williamson Memorial's very own nurses was involved in a car crash on her way to work.  She was taken to the hospital's Emergency Department, where she passed away from her injuries.  Ever since then, she has been seen in various parts of the hospital grounds by both staff and patients alike.

Back when the hospital was still in operation, a woman had come to Williamson Memorial at the start of her labor.  She was presumably admitted to the second floor obstetrics unit, where she patiently awaited the birth of her child.  She claims that a nurse came into her room and told her that her baby would not be born that day, and that she should head home to wait until labor progressed further. On her way out, she was stopped by a different nurse, who alarmed, asked her where she was going.  The woman stated that the other nurse had told her to go home.  Flabbergasted, the 'real' nurse told her that she was the only nurse on the floor that day, and not, she would NOT be going home until the after the baby was born!

During some renovations to the hospital, a construction worker reported seeing the apparition of a nurse on the fourth floor. He was so spooked by the image that he refused to return to work.

The phantom nurse has also been seen in the basement. Here, she is seen FLOATING, mainly back and forth in the area between the two X-Ray rooms. Interestingly to note, the basement was the original location of the emergency department. 

But, perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of evidence for the existence of a ghostly nurse is a set of two photos. The photos were taken on Halloween night of 2018 by a tour patron named Sheena Daniels.  After her tour had ended, she had taken the two back-to-back photos on the 'overlook' between the hospital and the nurse's college. One picture came out normal, but the other clearly shows what appears to be the image of a nurse in an older uniform.

The Old Nurse's College

I've searched diligently for any historical documentation of a nurse passing away in a car crash. I looked through tons of death certificates from the WV Vital Statistics website, and tried multiple search terms on Newspapers.com.  While an absence of evidence doesn't necessarily mean the story isn't true, as of yet I haven't been able to find any historical documentation to give us an idea of who this phantom nurse may be. I did find something close, however...

On November 12, 1957, Mrs. Anna Hensley had just dropped her daughter (Mrs. Alice Davis) off at work at the Miners' Memorial Center in South Williamson, KY, where Mrs. Davis worked as a nurse.  Mrs. Hensley was returning home to Chattaroy with her young grandson, Barry Neal Davis (Alice's son). As she was driving along Turkey Creek Road, her car skidded off the highway and plunged 200 feet end over end into the waters of the Tug River.  Both Mrs. Hensley and Barry were thrown from the car.  Barry had been thrown quite a distance into the river. Mrs. Hensley had been thrown from the car much closer to the bank.  Gravely injured and clinging to her overturned vehicle, she was desperately trying to get to young Barry. 

Luckily, a Good Samaritan had witnessed the accident.  Orange Adkins, described as a small man in his 60's, was driving his truck west on Turkey Creek Road when he saw the car skid off the road.  Adkins stopped his truck, ran down the embankment, and plunged into the cold river.  He got Barry ashore first, and then went back and pulled Mrs. Hensley to safety.

Mrs. Hensley was actually a nurse employed at Williamson Memorial at the time, and that is the hospital she and Barry were taken to for treatment.  Barry was treated for exposure and released.  Mrs. Hensley, however, had suffered a fractured pelvis and other major injuries.

Admittedly, I was super excited when I found the newspaper article outlining this accident.  I assumed that if Mrs. Hensley was so badly injured, there's a good chance that she had passed from those injuries. The timeline fit the ghost story as well. Fortunately for Mrs. Hensley, though, that wasn't the case. The 48 year old nurse recovered from her injuries and lived to the ripe ol' age of 96, passing away in 2005. 

The Courier-Journal, 13 November 1957

I'm interested in finding out where the story of the nurse who died in a car accident originated from, and if any other researchers have found documentation showing who this dedicated employee may be. Whether or not the back story of a nurse dying in a car crash is true doesn't necessarily matter, however.  Over the hospital's 60+ years of operation, I'm sure many nurses have been employed there and passed away from various causes, at various times, and in various places, including their own ER. Nursing is one of those professions that requires a great deal of dedication and it would be totally believable for someone who spent so much of their life helping others to want to continue doing so after death. I'll be continuing my search to give an identity to this oft-seen ghost of Williamson Memorial---The Old Hospital on College Hill. 

Want MORE ghost stories from The Old Hospital on College Hill? Check out my blog post about Mose Blackburn! Also, check out Brian's blog post about SRI's Old Hospital on College Hill investigation! 

The Old Hospital on College Hill Facebook

The Old Hospital on College Hill Website

The Ovinnik of The Deep End Antiques

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On October 2, 2021, members of Spectral Research and Investigation traveled to Beckley, West Virginia for what we assumed would be a rather routine investigation of a local antique store, The Deep End Antiques. The store, filled with military memorabilia, crystals, and various objects obtained from police auctions, is located directly over the filled-in former swimming pool for Honey in the Rock Motel. So, we know we were possibly dealing with activity associated with the location itself, which has a long history of violence and tragedy dating back even before the motel was built in the early 1960's, but also perhaps with some of the items housed within the store. 

What we weren't prepared for was dealing with a location that absolutely embodied the idea of liminal space. The whole property, which encompassed way more than just the store itself, seemed trapped in a really weird, in-between worlds type of space, and seemed to have a really weird effect on our members. Located at a major crossroads, we were within half a mile of mine disasters, Civil War activity, fatal car crashes, claims of Satanic worship, and lots and lots of overdoses, assaults, and accidental deaths, and even murders. Throughout the evening, it was hard to distinguish just who or WHAT may have been trying to communicate with us, and at one point, it seemed as if we were dealing with something that was almost indescribable. Whether or not this was what some would classify as an elemental or as an ancient being older than we could ever comprehend, or if it was an observable concentration of just all the evil and sadness of the area that manifested itself, we might never know. Over the next few weeks, as our evidence review is completed and I've had time to really gather my thoughts, I'll be posting more about the history of this location, the reported hauntings, and of course, SRI's experiences. But first, I wanted to share a brief (and happy) experience with a rather unique little being that inhabits the store. 

Travis Aurednik, co-owner of the shop, was kind enough to share with us his family history. He attributes his Slavic roots and ancestral belief system to his increased ability to attract and experience paranormal activity. Brian and I sat down with Travis before the investigation and conducted a rather lengthy pre-investigation interview about the activity in the shop and the history of the location. What didn't come up was that the shop was home to a little creature---one not associated with the property itself or even with any of the antique items.  Rather, this little creature was attached to Travis himself and ties in with his Slavic ancestry!

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I had just come into the main building of the shop after spending some time in one of the old motel rooms, which was currently being used as storage, when one of our members pulled me aside and told me I had to check out this area of the shop because he and several other members had seen this little black creature! While some of the members had been in this particular area, a small black being was seen in the reflection of a mirror, peering over the shoulder of one of our guys. The investigator who saw the creature then saw it jump off a shelf, and described it almost like a small monkey.

But this wasn't a monkey.  It was an Ovinnik! 

Different sources all say something a little different about the Ovinnik, but the basic idea is that it is a Slavic cat spirit (or demon) with either green glowing or fiery red eyes, and a bark like a dog. These creatures would take up residence in a family's barn (called an ovin) and if they weren't appeased with gifts of food, such as roosters and blini (a Russian pancake/crepe) would either eat all the stored grain, or even burn down the barn/granary! 

Mythology doesn't paint the most flattering picture of the Ovinnik, but luckily the Ovinnik inhabiting The Deep End Antiques doesn't seem to display the same malevolence. This little cat spirit is more of a protective, familial spirit that has been with Travis his entire life, and I believe now protects both him and the shop. So of course, I wanted to see it for myself!

I sat alone in the room where the initial sightings had taken place, but unfortunately, didn't have a sighting. I THOUGHT, as I sat on a vintage couch, that I felt the very light 'pounce' of a cat jumping on the back behind me, but I couldn't swear by it. A little later, I thought I may have seen the shadow of what looked like a black cat (or monkey) curled up atop a clothes rack, but again, I couldn't swear by it. Finally, I just asked aloud for permission to see it. About that time, Travis came back and asked me if I had seen it yet. When I answered that I wasn't sure, he confidently stated that if I wanted to see it, it was in the office area. We went back there, and again, I couldn't swear by it, but holy cow! There was a storage tote with various items piled in it, and peeking out of the corner, it looked exactly like a little black cat with green eyes peering out. I could make out the eyes, which at one point BLINKED, the ears, and what looked like little white teeth. 

You know how people always ask UFO or Bigfoot witnesses why they didn't take a picture of what they saw? I now know the feeling. Travis asked me why I didn't take a picture of it, but that thought honestly didn't even cross my mind. My mind was too occupied with trying to make sense out of what I was seeing to even consider photographing it. My logical, scientific side is still at war with the side of me that really wants to have been lucky enough to be granted a glimpse of the Ovinnik. 

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My sighting wasn't the end of our Ovinnik encounter that night. Later on, Brian and I were talking in the area of the sightings, when we heard a disembodied 'voice' mimic a sound he had just made. We can't be sure, but Travis tends to believe that it was the Ovinnik, who is known to be able to mimic other animals. Not long after, we were getting some really weird spirit box communications that sounded like the other entities present were intimidated by the Ovinnik, which makes sense if you look at it as a protective spirit. These communications even went as far as asking us to give an offering of salt to the Ovinnik, which we did. Right after the salt was put in the corner where the creature was seen several times, we heard the cutest little squeak of delight. I'm not sure how appropriate it is to describe a cat 'demon' as cute, but it was a pretty adorable sound. 

I do feel blessed that the Ovinnik (maybe?) chose to let me view it, and apparently it's good luck! I feel an affinity for this little creature, possibly because I have my own living black cat, but before she came into my life, I've always had this weird connection with black cats. All my life, I have seen a shadowy cat that seems to follow me, showing up more often in times of personal hardship and depression. Hopefully the fact that several of our team members saw the Ovinnik and we had a positive experience with it overall means good luck for Spectral Research and Investigation! 

We are definitely going back to The Deep End Antiques in the near future and if you're in the Beckley area, I highly recommend making a stop at this unique location. Browse the selection of antique and vintage goodies (including lots of Blenko glass!) and keep your eyes open. You might just witness a ghost, but if you're REALLY lucky, you might just witness a little black cat spirit. 

SRI Blog: The Deep End of the Paranormal

WVPI Forgotten Relics: The Deep End Antiques

Brenden Noble's Article on the Ovinnik