Wild Goose Farm (Shepherdstown)

 

Wild Goose Farm (1918)
Source: WV History on View

Shepherdstown is a historic town. Shepherdstown is a haunted town. Located in West Virginia's haunted and historic Eastern Panhandle, the town is so well-known for its haunted history that it even garnered its own television show, Ghosts of Shepherdstown, on Discovery+. The national attention that resulted from the show led me to discover quite a few new-to-me haunted locations in the area, including the Wild Goose Farm. 

On October 30, 2017, the local newspaper, The Journal, ran an article written by Emily Daniels. The article focused on the spooky experiences of resident Michelle Shultz, who lived in a couple of different haunted houses in the Panhandle, including a large property known as Wild Goose Farm. 

Today, Wild Goose Farm encompasses quite a few acres of land, many smaller buildings and barns, and of course, a beautiful mansion house at the center of it all. This mansion house is also where the ghostly activity seems most concentrated. And, with 200 years of history, give or take, there has been plenty of time for it to acquire a haunted reputation. 

It is believed that the base of the current mansion house was built around 1810 by the Stipp family, prior to selling the property to the Shepherd family. In some form or another, the Shepherd family owned and maintained the home, along with quite a bit of the surrounding property, from 1838 to 1911. During this time, major renovations to the home were undertaken by Rezin Shepherd. Rezin, who was a merchant in New Orleans, obviously incorporated that New Orleans/southern plantation influence into the style of the home. However, in 1911 when Edwin Jarrett purchased the property, HE made additions and changes, incorporating a more Greek Revival influence. 

According to the article in The Journal, Wild Goose Farm was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and also as a makeshift hospital during the Civil War. After a brief look into the history of the home, I can't confirm nor deny either claim, but just as a note: many large homes were used as makeshift 'hospitals' during the Civil War, especially in areas where fighting was occurring, or where troops were stationed for any amount of time. However, if it WAS used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, that came after Rezin's death; he was a slave owner and relied on slave labor in the south. I don't necessarily see him being a big abolitionist...

Anyway, the house has enough ghosts without worrying about exactly where they may have come from based on reported history! Michelle Shultz believes that there were at least three main ghosts that made their presence known while she lived there with her husband and son. 

While doing some repair work on the home, the Shultz family hired a stonemason. This stonemason's wife stopped by the work site one day and saw ghosts staring out the windows of the home at her. She claimed these ghosts included Mary, a little girl who haunted the third floor. Mary wasn't a fan of new people staying at the home and would express her displeasure by causing a thick, honey-like yellow goo to ooze out from a light fixture. Workmen were brought in to try to find the source of this goo, but no explanation was ever found, and it only happened when a new person was staying the night.

The second ghost was a slave named Joseph who lived in the basement. It may have been Joseph who was spotted by Shultz's husband one day. He had seen a Black man and two children just walking through the yard. When they noticed he saw them, the man waved. 

The last named ghost is an older woman called the 'memaw ghost.' Memaw may be the last of the apparitions seen, but the paranormal activity doesn't stop there. Michelle also noted a helpful ghost who woke her up every morning at 3:14am with the scent of fresh-brewed coffee! On the second floor, an alarm clock kept going off in the middle of the night, even when unplugged. It seems like the ghosts of Wild Goose really didn't appreciate anyone, guests or family, sleeping in.

In another incident, Michelle and a friend watched as an old hutch used to store antique hats swung its doors open and the hats flew out. Shadows of people walking were often seen under the doors by the family.  Another time, Michelle's husband was out on the porch of the secluded home and kept hearing a woman's voice calling 'hello!' 

Perhaps the scariest incident to occur happened in what was known as the Red Room. When the Shultz's older son, Zachary would film in that room, an abundance of orbs would always show up. But, it wasn't until a friend of his spent the night in that room that the entities present would really make themselves known. This friend became locked in the closet and has no idea how he got in there in the first place!

The Shultz family no longer lives at Wild Goose Farm, but the property thrives as a beautiful and unique wedding venue. I just wonder if the ghosts are still around...

Sources and Further Information:

Wild Goose Farm Website AND Facebook Page

"Living with Spirits: Michelle Shultz Sees, Hears, and Smells Ghosts", by Emily Daniels. The Joural. October 30, 2017.

National Register of Historic Places Application 

Thompson, Kathleen. "Wild Goose Farm." Clio: Your Guide to History. November 24, 2020.

        

Happy Retreat...Haunted?

 

Happy Retreat
Source: Wikipedia

West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle is arguably the most haunted area of the whole state, and for good reason. The area is filled with historic structures that are still being occupied today, and very few other places in the state was Civil War activity more prevalent. However, despite the numerous historic haunts that dot the landscape, there's one 18th century property that you really never hear about when it comes to ghost stories. In fact, if you do a search for this location and 'haunted' or 'ghosts,' you come up pretty empty handed.

That location is Happy Retreat, located just outside of Charles Town. Happy Retreat was the happy retreat for Charles Washington (George's youngest brother), his wife Mildred, and their children. When Charles was just 14, he inherited the land from his older brother Lawrence upon Lawrence's death. This would have been about 1752. There's reason to believe that the property was being farmed as early as 1768, and Charles certainly did visit the property a few times before finally moving his family out there for good and starting construction on what would be known as Happy Retreat in 1780.  Six years later, Charles would take 80 acres of his inherited land and establish the city of Charles Town.

Upon his death in 1799, Happy Retreat was sold to Charles' son-in-law, Thomas Hammond and stayed in the family until 1837, when George Washington Hammond sold the property to Judge Isasc R. Douglass. Douglass was responsible for extensive renovations to the house, and decided to rename it Mordington after his ancestral estate back in Scotland. 

You would think that a home with such a long history involving such historic personages would be haunted, right? But, there was never anything in any of the paranormal literature that I've come across suggesting that the Washington (or any other) family stuck around after death. In fact, in Rosemary Guiley's Big Book of West Virginia Ghost Stories, she explicitly states on page 23 when introducing the chapter about that region, that Happy Retreat does not have any reported ghosts. And, so that was the accepted answer; Happy Retreat was NOT haunted. Or was it? 

I just recently came across an article from the Shepherdstown Register, dated June 17, 1920. I ALMOST missed the connection because in the article, it talks of a house where Charles Washington lived, but it doesn't call the house Happy Retreat. Instead, in 1920, the home is still being referred to as Mordington. Whether you choose to refer to the home as Mordington or Happy Retreat is a moot point, though. What's important is that this article clearly states that the home has had a long reputation for being haunted by ghosts who enjoy opening doors, even ones that are locked! And, despite the family having no problems with their alleged poltergeists, certain residents in the area have been known to avoid the property when possible. 

June 17th 1920
Shepherdstown Register

Further Reading:

Happy Retreat Website

National Register of Historic Places Application 

Haunts of High Street: Harpers Ferry

Photo courtesy of True Treats Facebook

Harpers Ferry is arguably one of the most haunted towns in West Virginia. It's also (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful and picturesque little towns in the Mountain State.  Walking down its narrow roadways, it's easy to imagine yourself walking those same streets over 150 years ago.  Not much has changed since Harpers Ferry experienced the 1859 armory raid by abolitionist, John Brown, or since it became a strategic location for both sides during the American Civil War.

But, a lot has changed since Harpers Ferry's earlier years! 

Robert Harper was the first white man to own land in what is now known as Harpers Ferry, having come to the area in the 1750's.  After George Washington visited the area in the late 1700's, he decided that the area would be the perfect place to construct a new federal armory, and the town grew from there.  However, it wasn't until 1852 that the town was finally incorporated and town officials were elected. After the Civil War devastated area factories, mills, and shut down the federal armory, the population of Harpers Ferry fell, and time seemed to come to a halt.

Today, the quiet little gem, located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, is the location of a National Historic Park, established in 1944.  As far as national parks go, Harpers Ferry is a tiny one, but I'm convinced that every square inch is packed with ghosts from the town's bloodied history.

High Street is the main thoroughfare through Harpers Ferry's historic district.  Many of the buildings located in this section of town pre-date the Civil War, having been built in the 1830's and 1840's to serve as housing for armory employees and to serve in various other capacities related to the armory. 

The 3-story red brick building located at 144 High Street was built around 1843 and houses the Village Shop, and also the most awesome candy store in the state:  True Treats Historic Candy. 

True Treats is owned and operated by Susan Benjamin who opened up the High Street shop in 2010.  The store features a variety of candies for sale, showcasing the history of candy from its earliest days through the early 1900's. The shop is part store, part museum, as Susan uses academic research to ensure historical accuracy in the selections she offers, as well as with the educational material she puts out relating to the history of candy.  You can tell from her videos on True Treat's Facebook page that she truly is a knowledgeable individual who absolutely LOVES talking about candy!

But it's another employee at the shop who has a slightly different passion.  Manager Tara Dockman has earned the nickname of 'Ghost Lady,' thanks to her sensitivity to paranormal activity.  Tara claims that True Treats is home to not one, but TWO ghostly residents.  The first ghost who calls True Treats home is a female who wears a white, flowy gown.  This particular ghost is the shyer of the two, and prefers to hang out in the upper levels of the building, away from guests.  However, she has been blamed for throwing candy around and slamming doors customers' faces.

The second ghost at the location is a male whom the staff call Colby.  Colby also likes to throw candy and slam doors and seems to be a bit more aggressive than our lady in white.  He's been known to push people, but has calmed down after being reprimanded for the behavior.  The strange thing about Colby, though, is that he never seems to materialize in full form.  Rather, he shows up in...for a lack of a better phrase...pieces.  Witnesses will see a pant leg disappear around a corner, or a man's shoulder glide past them, but never a full-body apparition. Former employee, Christine, has noted that on one particular night during her employment at True Treats, things got super crazy, with cups spinning and a plaque falling off the wall.  Was it Jacob the Troublemaker, or the Lady in White?  And just who ARE these two phantom inhabitants of this world-renowned sweets shop? Are they connected to the land or to the building?  Or, are they just drawn in by all the old-time treats that fill the lower level of the red brick building on High Street?

True Treats Google Streetview.  That's Hog Alley on the right! 

Speaking of red brick buildings on High Street...

While researching the ghosts of True Treats, I began perusing some of my books on West Virginia hauntings and ghost stories. In A Ghostly Tour of Harpers Ferry, by Shirley Dougherty (1989), I rediscovered the tale of Jacob.

According to Dougherty, a red brick building on lower High Street, just a couple of stores away from Hog Alley, was used during the Civil War as a Confederate prison.  The prisoners were housed on the third floor, while guards and other staff, including a young prison guard named Jacob, were housed on the lower two floors.

One night, Jacob went out with a lady friend, and asked his fellow guards to cover for him.  However, that same night, there was a surprise inspection. Jacob's friends tried to cover for him, but they ended up getting in even MORE trouble for doing so.  Needless to say, they weren't too happy with Jacob and planned on teaching him a lesson.  So, they tied his hands and feet together, stuffed feathers into his mouth and nose, and beat the crap out of him.  However, after they decided he had had enough, the young men were horrified to find Jacob not breathing. They had inadvertently suffocated him to death.

Panicked, the guards quickly constructed a crude wooden coffin and shoved Jacob's body in it with the intent to bury it out back and claim that Jacob had deserted his post.  But, as the group tried to walk down the stairs carrying the coffin, one of them slipped and lost his grip.  The coffin crashed down the stairs and out the back door, spilling Jacob's body out right in plain view of the neighbors who had rushed out to see what the noise was all about. Although the group was punished, it seems as if Jacob was still buried in the backyard as planned.

His body and his spirit never left the property where he spent his last moments.  People who lived in the building after the war ended claimed that they could hear the phantom sounds of a struggle and crashing noises going down the stairs.  Objects would be thrown about, locked doors would open by themselves,  and once, a pair of pewter candlesticks were found bent with a man's fingerprints embedded into the metal.  The letter 'J' was also found carved inside a window pane.

I've taken a look at maps and the National Register of Historic places application for the area, and I don't THINK the house where Jacob died is the same that houses True Treats, but I'm not 100% sure.  Could 'Colby,' really be 'Jacob'?  Their behavior does sound similar and both locations are described as being in close proximity to Hog Alley, which is home to its own ghost story! 



Sources and Additional Reading:
Haunted Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: A Modern Witch's Guide.  MoodyMoons 4-9-2019

True Treats Named No.1 Candy Store in West Virginia.  The Journal article, by Mary Stortstrom 10-07-2015

Ghostly Things are Happening in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. By Deborah Block 10-30-2017

Harpers Ferry Wikipedia

True Treats Website

Harpers Ferry NPS Website

Harpers Ferry Historic District National Register application