The Spirit Who Made a Man Give up Spirits

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What would it take for you to give up one of your biggest vices...or even addictions? For some, giving up such indulgences is no easy feat. However, for one man in Mercer County, WV all it would take is some strong encouragement from a ghost. 

Back in 1937, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph delighted its readers with regular ghost stories, submitted by locals and often featuring local haunts. In one such article, a woman from Nemours confirmed a previous story that happened to a man who lived out on what is now known as Brush Fork. 

This man had a bad habit. Despite having a family and not enough money to support them properly, he made it a regular occurrence to go out to Flat Top yard where there was a still. The man would purchase a jug of whisky, or sometimes even some good ol' 'shine...and place it in a sack for the walk back home.

On one particularly clear night, the man was walking back home with his sack of whisky when he heard what he described as a woman's voice coming from the clouds. Curious, he stopped to listen. Suddenly, from right over his head he heard the voice say, 'Drop that liquor!' At the same time, a loud thud, almost like a lightning bolt, hit the ground near him. 

The man dropped his sack of whisky and ran home. He got down on his knees and told his wife the whole story before swearing off liquor for good. And, according to the source telling this tale, that promise was kept and the man stayed sober for the rest of his days. 

Whether or not it was really a ghost, a drunken hallucination, or someone using the opportunity to teach this man a lesson...it doesn't really matter. What matters is that a man was able to give up a particular vice that was detrimental not only to himself, but his family. And, if it turns out that it WAS a spirit that led to him giving up the spirits, then that's just icing on the cake! 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
21 February 1937

1950 UFO Flap Continues

 

Last night, I posted a new blog on Theresa's Haunted History about three strange, unidentified objects seen flying over Fairmont, West Virginia. The objects were seen about 300 feet up in the air on March 14, 1950. There wasn't a whole lot of information provided in the Hinton Daily News article about the sighting, so I thought that it was somewhat of an isolated incident...until I found ANOTHER article from the same paper, dated just a day after the original article was published.

In the March 18, 1950 edition, the above-seen story was published. This time, the unidentified objects have moved significantly south, as three witnesses in Bluefield, WV came forward to say they had seen something flying through the sky. Although it is mentioned that there was a slight buzzing sound, and that the objects left vapor trails, the article doesn't mention exactly WHAT was seen. Was it the same glass balls filled with light as seen in Fairmont a few days earlier?  Was it some sort of saucer shaped craft? What exactly did they see? 

As alluded to in this article, it does seem that there was a UFO flap of sorts happening in the area, and possibly throughout the state. Another UFO flap would hit West Virginia in 1952, and again in 1967 and in 1973. Over the years, West Virginia would become a hotbed of UFO, paranormal, and cryptozoological activity. These short little newspaper blurbs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to uncovering the strange and unusual history of the Mountain State. 

Stay Spooky. 

Wade School

Recent Photo from the Wade Center

Today's blog is more of a fright bite--I haven't yet found all the information I want, but I still want to share this wonderful location with you all.  Perhaps someone out there will have more answers!

Anyway, the Wade School in Bluefield is one of those locations that keeps popping up on sites listing Haunted Places in West Virginia, so I decided to look into the legends for myself.  What I found is that the Wade School in Bluefield was built in 1921.  It was designed and built by William Thomas Owen, Jr., who had arrived in Bluefield with his family in 1909 and is responsible for building several opulent homes and other structures in town, including the Peery Building.  Owen passed away a mere three years after the completion of the school (on Halloween!), and is buried in a local cemetery.

The Wade School was originally built to house the junior high students, and featured a popular football field out front where many local games were played.  In 1957, the school switched from housing the junior high students to the elementary students.  It remained in operation as a school until June 2000 when the county began a massive school consolidation project.

Wade School's fate was uncertain at this point.  Bluefield State College was not interested in the building as it was originally thought they would be...so it sat empty for several years until 2005 when a non-profit organization was developed in order to convert the former school into a community resource center. 

Today, the Wade School is now the Wade Center, an outreach ministry that caters to the needs of at-risk children in the community.  The former classrooms were turned into computer labs, tutoring rooms, and places to teach art classes.  Recently, the Wade Center went through another round of renovations, and reopened in December of 2012.  There's no word yet as to whether anyone associated with the Wade Center has experienced these ghostly manifestations, but we in the paranormal community know that renovations tend to stir up any latent energies that might be present.  Combine that with the energy of many school-aged children, and you've got a recipe for a haunting....

Ghost stories that are being quoted online are very short and nondescript, and presumably come from a time when the school was operating as a school.  It seems as if the sounds of children running up and down the halls when no one is around are observed, as well as the apparitions of these ethereal children.  It is also included in these entries that a female teacher of the school was decapitated...and that three students apparently fell over dead for no reason.

And that's where I need YOU readers!  I've started pouring over the Mercer County death certificates for 1921 until 1969 (when online records cease).  I haven't gotten very far yet, as its a slow and tedious process.  If you have a name or date that one of these deaths may have occurred...or if you've had your own ghostly experience at the Wade School, I'd love to hear from you!  Feel free to comment below, or reach me by email at theresarhps@yahoo.com  Interestingly, I found an African American teacher who died, but not by decapitation...and several junior high aged students who died...but apparently not at the school.  One girl was shot, and the other's cause of death was listed as diabetes.  I'll keep looking and update if I find anything!

Like this entry?  You might also like:
     *Mercer County Airport
     *Bluefield State College