Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State: Carnegie Hall Haunts

Source: Budget Travel

Lewisburg, West Virginia was once voted 'The Coolest Small Town in America' by Budget Travel Magazine. I would absolutely agree with that---but I would also like to nominate Lewisburg for MOST HAUNTED Small Town in America! With locations such as the General Lewis Inn, the John North House, and the Confederate Cemetery, plus legends such as the Angel of Death statue, the town of Lewisburg is steeped in haunted history. Another site to add to this list is the Carnegie Hall Building, located directly across from the Old Stone Presbyterian Church and burial yard!

Dating back before the War Between the States, the Lewisburg Female Institute was a top tier institution of learning for the young ladies of not only the surrounding areas, but from places as far away as Canada. Unfortunately, tragedy would strike the L.F.I. on December 16, 1901. A fire started in one of the academy's two main buildings. Believed to be caused by overheated furnace pipes, the building burned for hours and was a total and complete loss. Luckily none of the staff, nor any of the 115 students were killed in the blaze, but it left the school in a tough spot.

Other buildings in the area lent space for students to continue their studies, and by March of 1902, a newer and more elaborate building was in the works! Pleas for funding were answered by both the infamous philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who donated $26,750, and the townsfolk, who contributed another $10,000. The building was fully completed in time for the 1903 graduation ceremonies, with an official dedication ceremony occurring on Monday, June 8, 1903.

The four-story building offered a gymnasium in the basement, ample auditorium space, and classrooms, toilets, an art room, and many other amenities. It was heated by steam, fully plumbed, and boasted electrical lighting. The new Carnegie Hall was a showplace for the entire town and served the L.F.I. (later the Greenbrier College for Women and then Greenbrier College) for many years, up until it closed in 1972. The following year, the property was bought by the state for use as the Greenbrier Center, a learning space for those with special needs.

In the early 1980's, however, the building was at risk of being torn down. Luckily, a local non-profit was formed called Carnegie Hall, Inc. Carnegie Hall, Inc. purchased the building and restored it to its original purpose---a showplace of education and the arts. Today, you can visit Carnegie Hall to take a class or workshop, see a variety of different types of performances, or peruse the gallery space.

You should also keep your eyes and ears open for any potential paranormal activity! Over the years, visitors and staff have reported numerous incidents of ghostly goings-on. "Unexplained footsteps, flickering lights, and spectral whispers" are commonly reported, and earned Carnegie Hall a spot on West Virginia's 2025 Paranormal Trail---a fun project ran by WV Tourism that takes visitors to haunted locations throughout the state and lets them earn prizes for checking in to these locations.

View of Carnegie Hall to the Left and
Old Stone Presbyterian Church to the Right
Photo by Theresa (October 2025)

Further spooky sightings that have been reported are seeing the full-bodied apparition of a woman in white. This phantom lady simply disappears before the stunned eyes of those who see her. The rattling of doorknobs may also be observed, only to realize there is no living person on the other side.

But what makes Carnegie Hall so haunted? And who is the Woman in White? I can't answer that with any certainty, but I'd imagine that the buildings many years serving young women has a lot to do with the paranormal activity. When you have a large number of young people all in one place, that tends to create quite a bit of energy, which can leave behind an imprint that many people can pick up on. You have a large group of students who are transitioning from adolescence into adulthood, many of whom are away from their parents and their homes for the first time. There are friendships being made, hearts being broken, and just a whole host of emotions getting stirred around, creating a psychic soup that is just right for fostering a haunting.

And obviously, when you have an institution that has run for that long, especially during the time period that L.F.I. and the Greenbrier College did, you're going to have students who pass away, either due to illness or accident, or occasionally by their own hand. Sometimes that death comes at the hand of another...

When researching this location, I came upon a frustrating lack of information regarding an incident that happened in 1904. A young Dr. Sandy Arbuckle was the on-site physician for the girls at L.F.I. and in the early part of the year, a few girls had taken ill with what seemed like a very treatable cough. The girls were given a codeine cough medicine and apparently became extremely ill. In the very few articles I found, the reports varied about how many girls actually took sick, and how many actually died. Only one name was ever given for a girl who passed away, and that was 21-year-old Maud Telford, who passed away on March 1, 1904, from what originally was listed as Angina Pectoris, or a reduced blood flow to the heart.

Dr. Arbuckle was accused of mixing up the cough medicine with strychnine that sources hotly debated whether or not he stored on the same shelf. The blame shifted to the local pharmacy with the same accusations---they had accidentally sold Dr. Arbuckle strychnine instead of codeine tablets. I never did find a conclusion to these accusations, nor found the names of any additional victims, so I'll continue to look into this case. But could the Lady in White be Maud, or another student who suffered a tragic end? Hopefully, one day we'll have an answer.

Sources and Further Reading:

Carnegie Hall Official Website and Facebook Page

Lewisburg Living History

Carnegie Hall, Inc Wikipedia

WV Paranormal Trail

Weird and Wonderful YouTube Channel: A Ghost Followed Us at a Cemetery!