The Spirit at the Stump

Photo by Theresa

On November 1, 1936, the people of the Bluefield and Princeton area weren't quite ready to let go of spooky season! That day, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph ran a ghost story submitted by Mrs. Cecil Smith, a reader from near Princeton. 

Mrs. Smith told the story of a colored man named Foot who was accused of an unknown crime many years before. He was hanged at an old oak tree near Princeton, despite the fact that many believed he was innocent. The tree was eventually chopped down, leaving nothing but a stump. However, the spirit of Foot remained.

People passing the stump any time, day or night, could summon Foot's spirit by saying, "Foot, what were you hanged for?" The spirit would answer, "nothing."

Unfortunately, as of this writing, I haven't found any proof that a man named Foot ever existed, let alone was hung (or lynched?) for a crime he didn't commit. But, whether or not this story is based in fact doesn't change the idea that it's an interesting little ghost tale that at one time was a part of Princeton's folklore. Surely, numerous school children heard the story and dared each other to walk by the haunted stump, trying to summon the spirit of ol' Foot, who just wanted to make his innocence known. 

Theresa's Note: this story is also a part of a series that the Bluefield Daily Telegraph ran in the mid-1930s featuring ghost stories submitted by readers from around the area. There are some really fun little stories that showed up in this series, many of which you'll find here on Theresa's Haunted History!

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
01 November 1936