Theresa Travels: To the Greenbrier Valley

It's French!
(Click HERE for my Alderson Lion Blog)

Last Saturday, I made the trek down to Alderson, WV to help represent Appalachian Ghost Tours at the annual Alderson Fall Festival! Alderson is such a cool little town; once home to both Martha Stewart (during her incarceration in a federal prison facility) AND a pet lion named French, the town boasts a thriving little downtown historic district and a population that is proud of its unique history.

During the festival, we were set up near the old train station, and over the course of the day, met so many great people! We got a few leads for upcoming investigations and events, and chatted with our fellow vendors, making some new friends and some new contacts. And, we had so much fun sharing information about our organization with those who were just as excited about the paranormal as we are. We had some great conversations and heard some wild personal experiences and stories. A huge thank you to everyone who attended the festival and who made the festival possible in the first place is in order. It really was a fun, productive day.

I didn't get many photos from Alderson, unfortunately. After a really hard week, I was already exhausted before the event even started and was having a really high pain and brain fog day. However, that didn't stop me from heading straight home after event ended! Since I don't make it down to that part of the state very often, and it was still early, I decided that I was going to make the most of the trip and take a little side journey into nearby Lewisburg. 

My goal for visiting Lewisburg was to mark off a few locations on the 2025 West Virginia Paranormal Trail, a fun challenge issued by the WV Tourism office. The WV Paranormal Trail consists of 21 spooky locations, spread throughout the state. There are haunted locations, paranormal-themed museums, ghost tours, and just any place that has ties to WV's haunted history. Participants can visit these locations, 'check in' at them on the app, and earn prizes for how many spots they visit. 

Lewisburg has two locations on the WV Paranormal Trail: 1. The Greenbrier Valley Theatre and 2. Carnegie Hall. 

Greenbrier Valley Theatre

After stopping for lunch and to charge my phone, I headed straight for the Greenbrier Valley Theatre. Located at 1038 Washington Street E., this is a somewhat unconventional spot on the trail. Although not publicly known to be haunted, the location instead is home to The Greenbrier Ghost musical production, penned by Cathy Crowell Sawyer and Joe Buttram. In this eerie stage performance, actors tell the story of Zona Heaster Shue, the Greenbrier Ghost, who was murdered by her husband. Zona's ghost came to her mother in a series of dreams to tell her of the murder, which was finally taken seriously by authorities. As part of the theater's lobby decor, the beautiful costumes worn by the actress portraying Zona's ghost are on display. 

The theater is a really beautiful little gem in downtown Lewisburg, and the box office employee was super sweet and helpful when I explained why I was there, poking around the lobby and not purchasing tickets to an upcoming show. I was able to sit for a few minutes in the comfortable, spacious lobby area, which also had bathrooms for anyone checking out the trail and needing to stop for those facilities! The Greenbrier Ghost is currently not being performed, but I'll definitely be watching for the next production date and buying tickets!

Greenbrier Ghost Costumes
Greenbrier Valley Theatre

My next stop led me to Carnegie Hall. Well kind of---I got as close to Carnegie Hall as I could. On the day of my visit, the local high school must have been celebrating homecoming, because there were no less than 50 students in formal attire, accompanied by their families, taking photographs and milling around the Carnegie Hall property. There was nowhere to even park anywhere on Church Street!

Luckily, I was able to find a spot a street down and cut through the graveyard of the Old Stone Presbyterian Church. I didn't really get a picture of Carnegie Hall because I didn't want any of the dozens of families thinking I was some graveyard creeper photographing their kids.... but I got close enough so that the app could pick up that I was in range. 

Partial View of Carnegie Hall and
Old Stone Presbyterian Church

Carnegie Hall was built in 1902 with funds from Andrew Carnegie and local citizens. It served for many years as the Greenbrier College for Women. Today, it hosts performances, classes, workshops, art shows, and much more. It is a centerpiece of art and culture for southern West Virginia and apparently, it's very haunted. Phantom footsteps, shadows lurking the halls, lights flickering, and ghostly whispers are all reported within the old building.  Hopefully, I'll get a chance to investigate this awesome location one day!

Anyway, since I was already in the graveyard I decided to visit a very special grave, and source of a local urban legend: The Angel of Death. The Angel of Death (click HERE for my blog post) is a marble statue adorning the final resting place of Maud Mathews, who died of pneumonia in 1888, and her little sister Florence, who passed a year later. Legend states that two sisters, cousins of Maud, visited the grave and each kissed a cheek of the angel statue. Within a year, both sisters were dead---one from illness, and one from an unfortunate carriage accident. It is said that anyone foolish enough to kiss the angel's cheek would meet their own demise within the year. 

"Angel of Death"

The first time I visited the grave, the statue was always covered with lipstick marks. However, a few years ago, the tombstone was moved slightly and put behind a locked fence. You can still see and photograph the grave, but you can't get close enough to touch it.... preserving the integrity of the stone and perhaps, even saving a few lives. I sat for a bit and chatted with the girls, but again, there were a lot of people milling about nearby, and I didn't want to seem TOO creepy, so I stayed just a short while and left. 

I had all intentions of making one final stop on my trip, but I just didn't have the energy. The grave of Zona Heaster Shue, the Greenbrier Ghost is located just a short distance off the interstate at the Sam Black Church exit. I try to visit her once every few years, but I wanted to make it home to Charleston before. So, I put off a visit to her for now, but hopefully, our contacts with several locations in Alderson will play out and I'll soon get the opportunity to head back down that way. 

Overall, it was a really fun day and a perfect way to kick off October! We had a lot of networking success in Alderson, so absolutely follow Appalachian Ghost Tours on social media to keep track of upcoming events in the area, as well as throughout southern West Virginia. Also, continue to follow Theresa's Haunted History on Facebook for more spooky history, ghost hunting adventures, and much, much more! Stay spooky and have a safe and happy Haunt Season!

The Greenbrier Ghost: Mary Heaster's Testimony

Zona Heaster Shue
The Greenbrier Ghost

Since many already know the basic story of Zona Heaster Shue, the Greenbrier Ghost, I'll only give a brief introduction.  On January 23, 1897 the body of Zona Heaster Shue was found lying on the floor of the home she shared with her husband, Edward/Erasmus 'Trout' Shue. After a hasty medical examination and burial, and the odd behavior of Trout, the small WV community had its suspicions...especially Mary Heaster, Zona's mother. Mary prayed to God to show her what had really happened to her daughter. Zona's ghost came to her mother in a series of dreams, finally revealing that Trout had attacked her after she failed to cook meat for dinner. 

The body was exhumed, spurred largely on the fact that even the medical examiner admitted that Trout did not permit him to get close enough to Zona to do a thorough exam, but had noticed some bruising around her neck. A new exam revealed that Zona's neck had been broken and her windpipe crushed. Trout was charged with the murder and brought to trial that summer. The following is an excerpt of Mary's testimony, as published in the Greenbrier Independent on July 1, 1897: 

Mary Robinson Heaster
Zona's Mother

Mrs. Mary J. Heaster, Mother of Mrs. Shue, Sees Her Daughter in Visions

The following very remarkable testimony was given by Mrs. Heaster on the pending trial of E.S. Shue for the murder of his wife, her daughter, and led to the inquest and postmortem examination, which resulted in Shue's arrest and trial. It was brought out by counsel for the accused:

Question--I have heard that you had some dream or vision which led to this postmortem examination?

Answer--They saw enough theirselves [sic] without me telling them. It was no dream-she came back and told me that he was mad that she didn't have no meat cooked for supper. But she said she had plenty, and said that she had butter and apple-butter, apples and named over two or three kinds of jellies, pears and cherries and raspberry jelly, and she says I had plenty; and she says don't you think that he was mad and just took down all my nice things and packed them away and just ruined them. And she told me where I could look down back of Aunt Martha Jones', in the meadow, in a rocky place; that I could look in a cellar behind some loose plank and see. It was a square log house, and it was hewed up to the square, and she said for me to look right at the right-hand side of the door as you go in. Well, I saw the place just exactly as she told me, and I saw blood right there where she told me; and she told me something about that meat every night she came, just as she did the first night. She cames [sic] four times and four nights; but the second night she told me that her neck was squeezed off at the first joint and it was just as she told me.

Q--Now, Mrs. Heaster, this sad affair was very particularly impressed upon your mind, and there was not a moment during your waking hours that you did not dwell upon it?

A--No, sir; and there is not yet, either. 

Q--And was this not a dream founded upon your distressed condition of mind?

A--No, Sir. It was no dream, for I was as wide awake as I ever was.

Q--Then if not a dream or dreams, what do you call it?

A--I prayed to the Lord that she might come back and tell me what had happened; and I prayed that she might come herself and tell on him.

Q--Do you think that you actually saw her in flesh and blood?

A--Yes, sir, I do. I told them the very dress that she was killed in, and when she went to leave me she turned her head completely around and looked at me like she wanted me to know all about it. And the very next time she came back to me she told me all about it. The first time she came, she seemed that she did not want to tell me as much about it as she did afterwards. The last night she was there she told me that she did everything she could do, and I am satisfied that she did do all that, too.

Q--Now, Mrs. Heaster, don't you know that these visions, as you term them or describe them, were nothing more or less than four dreams founded upon your distress?

A--No, I don't know it. The Lord sent her to me to tell it. I was the only friend that she knew she could tell and and put any confidence in; I was the nearest one to her. He gave me a ring that he pretended she wanted me to have; but I don't know what dead woman he might have taken it off of. I wanted her own ring and he would not let me have it.

Q--Mrs. Heaster, are you positively sure that these are not four dreams?

A--Yes, sir. It was not a dream. I don't dream when I am wide awake, to be sure; and I know I saw her right there with me. 

Q--Are you not considerably superstitious?

A--No, sir, I'm not. I was never that way before and am not now.

Q--Do you believe the scriptures?

A--Yes, sir. I have no reason not to believe it.

Q--And do you believe the scriptures contain the words of God and his Son?

A--Yes, sir I do. Don't you believe it?

Q--Now, I would like if I could, to get you to say these were four dreams and not four visions or appearances of your daughter in flesh and blood.

A--I am not going to say that; for I am not going to lie.

Q--Then you insist that she actually appeared in flesh and blood to you upon four different occasions?

A--Yes, sir.

Q--Did she not have any other conversation with you other than upon the matter of her death?

A--Yes, sir, some other little things. Some things I have forgotten--just a few words. I just wanted the particulars about her death, and I got them.

Q--When she came, did you touch her?

A--Yes, sir. I got up on my elbows and reached out a little further, as I wanted to see if people came in their coffins, and I sat up and leaned on my elbows and there was a light in the house. It was not a lamp light. I wanted to see if there was a coffin, but there was not. She was just like she was when she left this world. It was just after I went to bed, and I wanted her to come and talk to me, and she did. This was before the inquest and I told my neighbors. They said she was exactly as I told them she was. 

Q--Have you ever seen the premises where your daughter lived?

A--No, sir, I had not; but I found them just exactly as she told me it was, and I never laid eyes on that house until since her death. She told me this before I knew anything of the buildings at all.

Q--How long was it after this when you had these interviews with your daughter until you did see buildings?

A--It was a month or more after the examination. It has been a little over a month since I saw her. 

Spooky Tunes

The tri-state area of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio is absolutely full of ghost stories and other legends that have found firm roots in our local culture.  Often, these iconic tales become the inspiration and basis for local musicians.  These songs help to preserve and share the stories behind our favorite spooky citizens.  For today's blog, I've compiled a very short list of ghostly-inspired music---three songs from my home state of West Virginia, and one each for Kentucky and Ohio.  Take a few moments to listen...and then hop on over to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page to let me know any of your suggestions for songs inspired by true events.

1. Behind Red Eyes--A Tribute to Mothman by StellaRising:  West Virginia's favorite cryptid has a number of songs written about and inspired by him, but Behind Red Eyes is probably my favorite.

2. The Being:  The Being, by Argyle Goolsby is an awesome tribute to The Braxton County Monster, which has for years, been lost in the shadows behind Mothman.  However, I think as the local community of Flatwoods and surrounding areas continues to embrace their weird history, we'll be seeing a lot more from this mysterious creature.

3. Johanna:  Bobby Mackey, musician and owner of the super-haunted Bobby Mackey's Music World in Wilder, Kentucky, has written a couple of songs about his bar's resident ghosts.  Johanna is a tribute to a young pregnant woman who worked at the location in the 1930s.  Johanna is believed to have committed suicide after her father had the father of her unborn child killed.

4. The Greenbrier Ghost:  Johanna isn't the only ghostly girl to have a song written to her memory.  The Greenbrier Ghost, by Steve Schroeder tells the story of Zona Heaster Shue and her untimely end at the hands of her husband.

5. Ghosts of the Moonville Tunnel: This song, by Ron Mash, tells of Ohio's Moonville Tunnel and the ghosts that roam the former train tunnel, taken too early by railroad accidents in/near the tunnel.

Theresa Travels to Lewisburg, WV

Angel of Death?

When Aaron asked me if I wanted to come with him to Lewisburg  over Labor Day weekend to pick up some computer/vintage gaming stuff he had bought, of course I said YES! I love Lewisburg. Named the Coolest Small Town in America in 2011, Lewisburg is one of West Virginia's most historic (and HAUNTED!) places. We packed Luke up, made the 2 hour drive, and made a day of it.

Close-up

After picking up Aaron's purchase, we started our tour of the town. We began with a trip to the Old Stone Church Cemetery. The entire cemetery is so full of history and stories, and its a beautiful memorial to the citizens of Lewisburg who have long been gone. However, we were there to see one stone in particular---that of the Lewisburg Angel of Death.

As the story goes, shortly after young Maud Matthews passed away, a beautiful stone angel statue was erected over her grave. Two of Maud's young female relations kissed the angel's cheeks in memory of their fallen friend...and then quickly died themselves afterward. Legend states that the statue is cursed and that anyone foolish enough to kiss the cheek of the angel will meet a similar fate as the two girls and will be dead within a year.

I'm a little superstitious, so I decided not to test fate. Others had, though! Upon closer look at the statue, both cheeks are very smooth and worn down. There also appeared to be a little hint of lipstick still visible!

After visiting the Old Stone Church Cemetery, we took the short drive up the hill to visit the Confederate Cemetery. This is another beautiful location, and a very unique one. Confederate dead from the Battle of Lewisburg and Droop Mountain are interred here in a mass earthen grave in the shape of a giant cross. We were sad to see that a historical sign had been defaced, but the site was otherwise pretty well taken care of. I was surprised at how interested my then 7-year-old son was in this location. He even requested that my boyfriend film him giving a small historical talk for his YouTube channel.

Confederate Cemetery

To round out our trip, we also made a quick stop at the haunted General Lewis Inn. We were hoping to grab some lunch there, but we were too late for lunch and too early for the dinner service, so we had to settle for some outside photos. After that, we decided to drive down to the Greenbrier to take a look around....but we got a little distracted by a side trip! We made an unplanned stop in at Organ Cave and took their awesome Civil War tour. I did ask our tour guide if there were any hauntings associated with the cave, especially given its use during the war, but he denied it. The family that owns the cave is extremely religious, so I'm not sure they would have admitted to any paranormal activity even if there had been reports. Still, we had a great time and learned a lot. We eventually did make it to the Greenbrier, but unfortunately we ran into ANOTHER food situation. We were going to eat at the Greenbrier, but the only restaurants that were open at that time had a dress code----and after that extensive cave tour, I had mud and dirt smeared down my side and nothing to change into. Luke and Aaron weren't much cleaner...so we had to settle for a few outside photographs and dinner at Applebee's.

Summer 2009

By this point, we were all pretty tired, but we needed to make one more stop. Since we were in the area, we HAD to pay our respects to West Virginia's most famous ghost girl, Zona Hester Shue, otherwise known as the Greenbrier Ghost.

Summer 2017

Zona is buried in the Soule Baptist Church Cemetery in the nearby town of Sam Black Church. This was the first time I had been to visit Zona since I was pregnant with Luke. He and I 'recreated' the photo I had taken eight years earlier when I stood behind Zona's grave to conceal my very large pregnant belly! It was a really cool experience to share with my son, and I'm glad Aaron got to be there as well. I've never really written much about Zona on here since her story has been covered so extensively elsewhere, but she's always held a special place in my heart. Seeing her final resting place being well cared for and still receiving visitors was a great end to a great day.

*If you'd like to see more photos from our Lewisburg trip, please join me over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page and look for the Lewisburg album under Photos. And if you'd like to hear more of Theresa's adventures, subscribe to the blog! Thanks!*

Motherhood and the Grave of Zona Heaster Shue

Happy Mother's Day from Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State!

If you follow my Facebook page, you've definitely seen this photo. It's been my banner photo for just about the entire time I've maintained this page. And, if you're familiar with West Virginia ghost lore, you probably know a little about the grave pictured. But...how is that all related to motherhood and why did I choose it as the focus of my Mother's Day post? For a few reasons...

Firstly, the story of the Greenbrier Ghost, while tragic, tells a beautiful tale between the bond between a mother and daughter that couldn't be broken, even in death. The story has been shared so many times, that I could never do it justice. However, the basic story goes as follows:  When young bride, Zona Heaster Shue, was found dead under mysterious circumstances, most people suspected her husband. However, it would take the convincing of her mother, who received several signs and then later dreamed that Zona came to her and told her that she was murdered, to bring a conviction.

Whether or not the mother actually received psychic messages or had her daughter come to her in dreams, the fact remains that she was astute enough to take her suspicions and make someone listen to her. You can read the whole story here: The Greenbrier Ghost

You can also read my blog post where I've transcribed the court testimony of Mary Heaster, as she stands firm on her belief that her daughter was murdered, and her ghost came to her in a dream. ARTICLE HERE

Secondly, this photo means 'motherhood' to me on a very personal level. It was taken during the summer of 2009. My mother, who has always supported my love of all things paranormal, and I went in search of the elusive grave of Zona, the Greenbrier Ghost. We had easily found the highway marker, but could NOT find the cemetery anywhere, lol. We drove around for a couple of hours down the creepiest, most desolate country roads, desperately trying to follow the flimsy directions I had found. It was actually a lot of fun, and gave me and my mom an excellent opportunity to spend the whole day together.

Further...you can't tell since I'm crouching down behind the stone...but this photo also shows my own journey into motherhood. I am about six months pregnant with my one and only son, Luke!

Luke and I went back during the summer of 2017 to recreate that photo with him on the outside! We had a much easier time finding the cemetery that time around! It was a nice little way to come full circle and pay our respects to WV's most famous ghost...and to remember her mother who wouldn't stop until justice was served for her child.