Obviously, I LOVE to tell the ghost stories and explore the folkloric history of West Virginia's many spooky sites. However, as part of my on-going commitment to really, REALLY deep diving into some of these locations, I've wanted to share some of my 'behind-the-scenes' research publicly. I've already begun this with some of West Virginia's larger locations, such as my collection of tales from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and the West Virginia State Penitentiary, but now I think it's the OHOCH's turn!
These aren't the well-known ghost stories. These are just tales of the everyday people who passed through these halls...and unfortunately, the stories of some who never made it out alive. I think it's important that we take the time to document and remember these stories, as we never know if or when one of them will try to reach out. I think it's also important as researchers to just really get a feel for what life was like for the patients and the medical staff that took care of them during the hospital's many years of operation in a rather small, but violent area of southern West Virginia.
Kicking this new 'series' off is a really sad tale that I ran across on Facebook recently. The Wayne Public Library has acquired bound copies of the Wayne County News on permanent loan, which can be accessed in person. But, they've created a Facebook page called Wayne County News Archives at the Wayne Public Library and MORE where they are graciously uploading as much of the material as possible, and there are quite a few news articles dealing with the Williamson Hospital.
In an article from September 1934, the tragic fate of the Damron family is shared. M.C. (McCloister) Damron was a 31 year old coal miner living in the Red Jacket area of Mingo County with his 33 year old wife, Hessie and their seven children---Mack, 11; Lloyd, 9; Atlas, 8; Wayne, 6; Billie Lee, 5; Dannie Rayburn, 2; and four month old Bobby Jean.
On August 13, 1934, M.C. was admitted to the Williamson Hospital where he underwent an appendectomy. However, there were complications with the ether that was used as anesthesia. M.C. would survive the operation, but would pass on September 3rd. His official cause of death was lobar pneumonia, caused by the ether from the appendectomy on August 13th.
While all this was going on, his wife, Hessie, was battling liver cancer. Between May 26, 1934 and her death on August 26, 1934, she had undergone at least four different operations in an attempt to save her life.
One week. This young couple died one week apart from each other in the same hospital. It isn't clear from this one newspaper article and the death certificates whether or not Mrs. Damron spent the entire time, or even the majority of those tragic three months admitted to the hospital, but if she underwent that many operations, she probably did. Again, there's no mention whether or not Mr. Damron was discharged after his initial operation and readmitted following complications, but there's a good chance that he also never went home after that initial surgery. Both of their death certificates state that the attending physicians attended them for the entire length of time listed, so I'm inclined to say that both were admitted for the long haul. And that is horribly, horribly tragic to me.
At any given time between August 13th and August 26th, they were both lying in the same hospital, the hospital that they would both die in a week a part. And unfortunately, the tragedy does not end there.
Mrs. Damron was laid to rest on August 28th, followed by her husband on September 4th. The children were staying with their maternal grandparents in Kentucky, no doubt reeling from the grief of losing both parents within a week's time, when tragedy would strike again. On September 9th, the youngest son, little 4 month old Bobby Jean (listed as Bobby G on Find-a-Grave), passed away from unknown causes. He was laid to rest the same day, alongside his parents in the Damron Family Cemetery near Glenhayes in Mingo County.
Want MORE Old Hospital on College Hill Content? Check out my other blog posts!
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