Spook Hollow Farm

West Virginia folklore is FULL of ghost stories involving murdered peddlers, killed for the money they carried on them as they traveled the state, selling their wares to every holler and village they came across. Ruth Ann Musick, popular folklorist and author, collected tons of these tales, which she published in books such as The Tale-Tell Lilac Bush and Coffin Hollow. But, in most cases the hauntings associated with these violent crimes involves people seeing the ghost of the murdered peddler himself. I recently came across a story where the peddler surprisingly seems to be resting in peace---and those accused of the murder are the ones haunting the area!

On February 11, 1975, The Charleston Daily Mail ran an interesting piece by columnist, Adrian Gwin. The title of the piece was "Farming's Good, But...It's SPOOOOOKY at Spook Hollow!"

That winter, Mr. Gwin visited the W.D. Brannan family at their farm, located on Pigeon Run in Amma, WV. Mr. Brannan, along with his wife Deloris and 13 year old son, Jerry, welcomed Mr. Gwin to the modern, working farm known as Spook Hollow Farm. According to the article, W.D. Brannan spent 35 years working at Columbia Gas in Charleston, WV. Around 1955, he bought the farm in Amma and when he retired, made it his family's home base. While traveling extensively in their RV, the Brannans always returned to Spook Hollow where they worked diligently, growing and canning produce and raising Angus cattle. 

The family claims that they've had no run-ins with ghosts, spooks, or haints at the farm, so just how exactly did Spook Hollow become Spook Hollow??

According to legend, back in the days of the early pioneers to the area, a French peddler was robbed and murdered. Although it was later revealed that two white guys were the culprits, that didn't stop the residents from accusing two young Native Americans. They caught the two, and brought them to an old white oak tree to be hanged.  As the ghost story goes, when the rain falls gently, and the wind blows through the trees, you can stand beside the stump of that former grand oak tree and hear the two hanged Native Americas moaning, "Don't doooo it!"

Interestingly, although the family has never encountered the ghosts of the murdered Indians, upon leaving the family for the evening and stopping to get a closer look at the stump in the gentle rain, got quite the shock! Feeling a noose slide around his neck, he panicked...but only for a moment. It was then he realized it was nothing more than an errant tree branch that had gotten caught under his chin. A simple enough explanation...but perhaps a friendly little reminder from the spirits to remember their story. 

Public Art: Mothman in Charleston

In addition to my passion for all things paranormal, I'm also a huge fan of local art and artists...especially when their subject matter is ABOUT the paranormal! Luckily, I live in the Charleston area, which is a wonderful location to see a variety of public art installations from a variety of different artists. 

One such place to take in the colorful paintings from around the area is right under the Interstate 64 bridge, between downtown Charleston and the West Side. Thanks to an awesome project now known as Gallery 64 (formerly Peer to Pier), the otherwise mundane concrete pillars supporting the interstate have been transformed into works of art! Driving under the bridge, there's a ton of really cool murals gracing many of the pillars, but one in particular is MY absolute favorite!

In 2016, another phase of the project kicked off, and among the murals added was The Mothman by Kelly Bryant! Featuring WV's famous red-eyed monster flying over the Silver Bridge through a gray sky, this pillar is hands-down the coolest one of the bunch (okay, they're ALL really, really awesome, but come on...MOTHMAN). 

Anyway, I've driven past this so many times, but until I decided to feature it here on Theresa's Haunted History, I wasn't sure who the artist was. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was actually somewhat familiar with the artist and her work! Kelly Bryant was born in Gallipolis, OH and grew up in the Pliny area of Putnam County, WV, so she was right in the heart of Mothman Country. As a result, much of her artwork is inspired by West Virginia folklore, especially Appalachian music and of course, Appalachian ghost and monster tales. 

She is a staple at the annual Mothman Festival and related events, where she sells her art. I actually own THREE of her spooky stained glass pieces, and will hopefully be adding a print or two of some of her pastel or acrylic pieces. She's an awesome artist who deals in different mediums as well as different subject matter. I'm still partial to her spooky pieces, though! 

If you see her out and about at different festivals, definitely check out her booth. Her prices are extremely reasonable, and if you can't make it to her in person, please see her ETSY SHOP.  And, if you're in the Charleston area, take a drive under the interstate and check out The Mothman, located on the corner of Lee Street West and Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Learn More About Gallery 64

Article About Kelly Bryant from In Focus

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