The Headless Ghost of Centralia

Centralia Station ca 1905
Source: WV History on View

Located in Braxton County, West Virginia, close to the Webster County line, sits the nearly abandoned ghost town of Centralia. Once a thriving lumber company town, Centralia was created around 1890 to be the main shipping point for all lumber above the Elk River going towards the iron fields of Virginia. Through the town ran the West Virginia and Pittsburgh Railroad, later becoming the B&O. With the construction of the railway, men from all over came to find employment.

One such man who sought his fortune in the construction of the railway was Jacob Beamer. Beamer was known as a hard worker, but when the workday was done, Beamer loved nothing more than to entertain his colleagues with wild and fantastic tales. However, one story Beamer told over and over again, was one he swore was actually true. 

Jacob Beamer claimed that his ancestors were a race of people who were citizens of the moon and had the ability to teleport between the planets. They were guided in these travels by a special guardian moon spirit. On one trip to visit planet Earth, tragedy struck. A meteor hit the moon, knocking it off its normal orbit, killing those who lived there. The moon became uninhabitable, and Beamer's family was forced to forge a life for themselves here on Earth. 

His insistence of the truthfulness of this story earned him the nickname "Moon Man." And, to further the mythos of this strange man, Beamer was prone to taking long walks along the tracks during moonlit nights. Some say he could be seen gazing wistfully up at the moon. Others claimed that he was often accompanied on these walks by a shadowy gray ghostly figure.

Unfortunately, it was during one of these moonlit walks that Jacob Beamer would lose his life. He was struck and killed by a fast-moving train while taking his stroll along the tracks. His body was discovered the next morning, but his head was never found.  

Shortly after this grisly tragedy, Jacob Beamer's former co-workers and other witnesses around town began to report an eerie sight. On moonlit nights, a pair of ghosts could be seen, walking the tracks of Centralia. One apparition was obviously missing its head. The other apparition, a large, hulking gray entity, was seen guiding the headless apparition by the arm. Both appeared to be searching for something alongside the tracks. 

One day, the pair may have found what they were looking for. One day around 1930, a deer hunter from Pittsburgh was hunting in the area when he saw the ghostly duo making their way down the tracks. However, this time, the smaller apparition was carrying something in the crook of his arm. Upon closer inspection, the hunter could see that the object he was carrying was a human skull. 

For many years following this incident, Jacob Beamer and his moon spirit were not seen, prompting the townspeople to believe that he had finally found his head....and as a result, had finally found peace. Sightings of the ghosts remained a thing of the past until the original tracks were removed to make way for the creation of Sutton Lake. Following this event, the apparitions have allegedly returned. Some say the ghosts of Beamer and the moon spirit walk along the fields where the former tracks once laid, while others say they have moved to the newer tracks nearby.

Today, the location where the horrible tragedy took place, and where the ghosts may or may not still roam, is part of the Baker's Run Campground, just north of Sutton. Jeff Mace, who owns Jeff's Grocery, a store that specializes in selling firewood and other necessities to campers, believes that the exact location where Beamer's body was found sits near his store, and is happy to tell visitors about the story. 

Baker's Run Campground has 77 campsites, many with both water and electrical hookups, or just electrical. Shower facilities, picnic tables, and fire rings are available, making this spot an excellent location for those in the area wanting to fish or simply to experience a possible headless ghost!

Sources and Further Reading:

Remote Campground in Central West Virginia Includes Its Own Ghost. By David Sibray 13 October 2024. WVExplorer Magazine

Bizarre Tale of Moon Man Lives on in Remote Braxton County Valley. By David Sibray 11 March 2024. WVExplorer Magazine

Headless Ghost of Centralia Braxton County. 27 July 2025. Hur Herald. 

The Legend of Jacob Beamer: The Headless Moon Man of Centralia.  Dixie After Dark YouTube.

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer
21 September 1891

The Murdered Merchant's Ghost

Ruth Ann Musick, Queen of WV Folklore
Source: WV Encyclopedia

Today's vintage ghost tale comes from March 12, 1951 edition of the Hinton Daily News, a newspaper based in Hinton (Summers County), West Virginia! The story published in the paper was originally collected by Dr. Ruth Ann Musick of Fairmont State College and included in an edition of "The Old Folks Say." 

According to the article, some time prior to the Civil War, a merchant was returning home after a trip selling his wares. While traveling through a rural section of Wirt County (modern maps say its actually in neighboring Ritchie County) known as Low Gap, he was robbed and killed by a shotgun blast at close range that entirely severed his head from his body! It wouldn't take long before the area where the incident occurred would gain a reputation for being haunted. Those who passed through Low Gap at night reported the ghost of the murdered traveler, who was known to manifest in different forms.

One traveler reported seeing a very large dog-like creature in the road. When he tried to scare it away by throwing a stone at it, it FLOATED up through the air and down over Low Gap. Two other men reported seeing a large, hissing ball of fire come down over the treetops, cross the road, and again, disappear over Low Gap. A third encounter involved a traveler seeing a man's form carrying a lantern. As he approached the figure, the lantern light went out, so the traveler asked the figure "What's the matter, did your light go out?" The figure answered in a rather spooky voice, "No, my LIFE went out." A ghost like form was then seen rising up and vanishing over the gap.

Not believing the ghostly stories, a local jeweler went to the location to prove that it was all bunk. When he returned, rather pale, at first he refused to talk about his experiences. Later on, he admitted that he had seen the ghostly figure of a headless man cross the road and vanish. As if seeing a headless figure vanishing in front of your eyes wasn't the spookiest thing ever, another encounter with the murdered merchant involves a lone traveler hearing screaming. As he shone his lantern in the direction of the screams, a nude man with blood pouring down his face ran across the road, and once again, vanished, taking the eerie screams with it, over the area of the gap. 

Hinton Daily News
12 March 1951

Tucker County's Headless Apparition

Lumber Camp Near Cheat River.
Source: WV History on View

Today's vintage Throwback Thursday ghost story can be found in the January 20, 1887, edition of the West Virginia Argus, which can be accessed for FREE over at Chronicling America! That winter, the 'big slide' in one of the lumber camps located along the Cheat River became ground zero for sightings of a terrible apparition. A large, headless man with an axe on his shoulder frightened even some of the bravest of the lumber crew so bad that they quit. This apparition would show itself both day and night and was generally believed to be a real spook by those who saw it. However, almost tongue-in-cheekly, the article's author notes that quite a few people were 'losing their heads' in that day,' so it wasn't a surprise to hear that Tucker County was home to one of them.  I'll let you interpret that how you will!  Special thanks to WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters, who posted this story on Facebook back in November 2021. 

The West Virginia Argus
20 January 1887

Update June 2025: While researching another story, I came across a different newspaper article with a little more information. The Ceredo (WV) Advance reported on Thursday, January 13th, 1887, that every single worker, including the camp cook, had fled the camp due to this headless horseman wielding an axe. It was this cook who first saw the apparition early one morning before sunrise, while preparing breakfast. It "fled through the woods making no noise." The cook was ridiculed for this superstitious claim, until a party of choppers saw the same thing. After that, the apparition was a regular occurrence, day or night. Bullets fired at the apparition had no effect on it. The owners of the firm, Henry G. Davis & Bro of Keyser sent men out to find the cause of all the ruckus but could not explain away the horrifying creature that plagued the camp. As a result, they were desperately trying to find men to come work. 

Ceredo Advance
13 January 1887

I love a good headless ghost tale! If you do as well, please check out my PERSONAL experience seeing a headless shadow being along Rt. 50 between Bridgeport and Grafton! 

HEADLESS SHADOW BEING OF RT. 50