Mercer School Spirits

Mercer School ca 1914
Source: WV History on View

Charleston's first Mercer School building was constructed around 1888 at the corner of Washington Street East and Brooks Street. Just before it was torn down in 1925 to make room for the new (the third and last) Charleston High School, the Charleston Daily Mail ran a short, light-hearted piece about the 'spasmodic' return of the school's ghosts. It seems that several years prior, the city was on high alert, both from being just a short time post-WWI and also because Charleston had been experiencing a rash of 'firebugs,' who had been responsible for several area fires. 

So, when strange, flickering lights were observed in Mercer Hall, and then sporadically throughout the building in the late hours of the night, it was believed to be intruders. Later, the assumption would turn to it being the fault of some ghosts, or 'hants.' 

The article notes that the flickering lights were again being seen and could be the ghosts' way of saying goodbye to the building before being torn down. However, it's pretty obvious that to the author at least, there was no real paranormal activity at play. The ghostly phenomenon had a tendency to cease whenever investigated and not show up for long intervals in between 'hauntings.'  And while there's probably a lot of truth in that belief, I personally would like to think that the creepy old castle-like building, covered in ivy, WAS haunted, like so many other schools tend to be. 

The land where the Mercer School once stood is now located behind the Clay Center, across from CAMC General. It is unknown whether or not the spooky light show continued with the new high school, or if paranormal activity is still present within the halls of the current on-site buildings. 

*The website, My WV Home, has a great collection of photographs, articles, and other information regarding the first Mercer School. Check it out HERE.*

The Charleston Daily Mail
10 January 1925

 

1912 Sanborn Fire Map
Mercer School Circled in Red

Current Map
Approximate Location of Mercer School Circled in Red

The Ghostly Nun of St. Frances of Rome

Source

Being that this blog is called Theresa's Haunted History of the TRI-STATE, it has always been my intention to fully integrate Ohio and Kentucky into my work...but I just can't help always coming back to my home state of West Virginia! Here in the Mountain State, we're wild, we're weird, we're just plain spooky! However, there are plenty of wonderful stories out there from other locations as well, and today, I'm finally gonna dive into one of those places I came across while reading an article on hauntings in Louisville.  There's actually a West Virginia connection...but the actual haunted location IS in Kentucky!

That place is the St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church, located at 2119 Payne Street in Louisville, KY. More specifically, the haunting itself seems to take place in the part of the church used as a school, as the ghostly apparition seen is none other than a former teacher. 

When Steve Wiser was doing some research for an upcoming book on the history of the church, he interviewed quite a few parishioners of St. Frances, many of them having a similar story to tell. It seems as if the apparition of a ghostly nun, pushing a broom around the inside of the school area had been frequently seen. It was believed that she could possible be none other than St. Frances herself. 

Steve, though, had another theory. He believed that the ghost was actually that of former nun/school teacher, Sister Frances Eccles. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find out much about Sister Frances, but I believe she was the daughter of George and Christina Eccles. She had a sister, Mary, and three brothers: George, Gerald, and John. According to the Find-a-Grave listing for her burial, she was born on January 20, 1935 in England. At some point, she joined the Sisters of Charity in Nazareth, KY.

Sadly, her life ended too soon when she boarded a Piedmont Airlines flight on August 10, 1968. The Fairchild-Hiller 227 had left Louisville that morning, en route to Roanoke, Virginia. It had already stopped in Cincinnati, with another scheduled stop in Charleston, WV at the Kanawha Airport (now Yeager). But, at 8:56am, the plane, hindered by fog, came up short of the mountainous runway, clipped some trees, and burst into flames. 35 of the 37 people on board perished, including Sister Frances, or Sister Francesca as she was listed on the passenger manifest.  She was brought home and buried in the Sisters of Charity Nazareth Cemetery.

After that, the mysterious ghostly image of the sweeping nun was reported at the school and throughout the church. It seems as if even if death, the Sister was not ready to leave her work here on Earth. According to the historical marker database, the school closed in 1975. Hopefully with the students now gone, she has since found peace and has moved on to her greatest reward. 

Sources and Further Reading:

8 Louisville-Area Ghost Stories and Urban Legends That Keep Us Up At Night, by Carolyn Brown

My WV Home: Info and Photos on the Piedmont Crash

George Eccles Obituary

Sister Frances/Francesca Find-a-Grave

School Spirit at Shady Spring

Back in December of 1953, the Beckley Post-Herald ran a rather interesting article, written by Bill Childress of the Shady Spring High School newspaper, the Panorama. In what they called a 'publicity stunt,' Bill, accompanied by two other members of the school newspaper (editor Jack Wills and sports editor Robert Cole) spent an entire night, locked in the dark and empty school. Their mission---to record evidence of the Shady Spring school spirit.

Built in 1924, the original Shady Spring High School was referred to as 'the Shoe Box on the Hill.' Over the years, the school would go through various enlargement and improvement projects. It would also pick up a reputation for being haunted. It was noted that visitors to the school after dark would hear strange noises. 'Several reputable persons,' as quoted in the article, reported hearing both phantom whistling and footsteps within the hallowed halls. 

On a windy, rainy night in December, the three young men went spook-hunting, armed with nothing more than a tape cassette recorder, intent on capturing these ghostly sounds. After several unsuccessful attempts at capturing anything paranormal on tape, by midnight, the three decided to go ahead and make their efforts thrilling to their fellow students by creating some ghostly sounds of their own to be played back later. Interestingly enough, shortly after they faked their own phantom sounds, the boys DID experience a tapping sound that they could not debunk. 

A full night's effort was put into the investigation, lasting until classes began the next morning. Unfortunately, aside from the unexplained tapping sound, no other ghostly experiences were reported or recorded. The article doesn't state the opinion of the school principal, John Saunders, concerning this little foray into ghost hunting, but he must have been an awfully cool guy. I can't think of too many school principals who would approve of such an adventure! As a side note, I found an article from March 1953 stating that money would no longer be kept overnight in the school safe, as the school had been robbed 5 times in the last three years, the safe being targeted each time! I wonder if that had anything to do with the phantom noises heard at night...or the decision to let these boys come in and investigate.  Anyway....

School of Harmony

The Shoe Box on the Hill would serve as Shady Spring High until the 1966-67 school year, when a new school would be built. The Shoe Box would serve as an area junior high for several decades, before finally becoming home to The School of Harmony, teaching music to young children. No word on whether or not those ghostly footsteps and whistling are still heard to this day...but at least a whistling ghost would fit right in at a music school, right?  

Information for today's blog came from the 17 December 1953 Beckley Post-Herald article, written by Bill Childress. Additional information and photos came from the wonderful Facebook group, Our Southern WV Roots, posted by Joe Green. Stay spooky, y'all! 

The Ghost of Floyd Collins Comes to Marshall College

View of the Ladies' Hall, pre-1905
Source

The following newspaper article comes from a February 24, 1925 edition of the Hinton Daily News, a newspaper based in Hinton, WV (Summers County). It immediately caught my attention because not only was it about a ghost---but a ghost that was seen in Huntington, WV at Marshall College, now Marshall University!

As the tale goes, Dean Beaumont, along with about 50 female students living in the girls' dormitory heard an eerie, disembodied voice. The voice was praying for his life and freedom, with special mention of freeing his leg. And, as stated in the headline of the article, the ghost was believed to be none other than Floyd Collins. And even if you don't recognize the name, you've probably come across the tragic death of Mr. Collins. 

Earlier that month, Floyd was exploring a new section of Kentucky's Mammoth Cave when he became wedged into a narrow crevice. Valiant efforts were made to free him, but the very few who were even brave enough to attempt reaching him could not quite get to him. His official date of death is recorded as February 13, 1925 and his body was left where he took his last breath. Newspapers across the nation carried daily updates on the rescue mission and surely, the young ladies of Marshall College were well aware of the situation.

Ladies' Dormitory Room
Source

In addition to the prayers, the ladies also reported hearing other strange sounds, including sobs and wails. The college president ordered an investigation into finding an explanation for the ghostly noises, but none was ever found, despite the fact that floorboards were ripped up and walls thoroughly examined.  

I thought surely the dormitory where these strange events took place nearly 100 years ago would have been long ago torn down, but thanks to a helpful archive of 1920's era school catalogs digitized on the university's webpage, I was able to discern that in February of 1925, the ladies' dormitories were located in a space called College Hall, formerly Ladies' Hall. College Hall survives today as the back section of the main administrative building known as Old Main!

So, if you ever find yourself walking the hallowed halls of the oldest building on campus, make sure you take a moment to stop and listen. You just might hear the cries of cave explorer Floyd Collins, still crying out for his life a century later. 

Students "Aroused" By The Ghost of Floyd Collins

Huntington, W.Va., Feb. 24th--"The ghost of Floyd Collins" is haunting a girls' dormitory at Marshall College here and has so frightened the 400 co-eds that school work is virtually paralysed, it was reported when the faculty of the institution called a meeting to investigate the mystery. 

Numerous students said they heard Collins praying between midnight and 3a.m. Wierd noises accompanied the prayers.

"Spare my life, O Lord! Loosen my leg; allow me my freedom, I beseech Thee," the praying voice said.

Dean Beaumont and half a hundred co-eds were aroused by the noise.

The prayer was followed by a series of wails and sobs.

President M.P. Shawkey was notified of the mystery and ordered an investigation.

Floors were taken up and walls were tapped without finding a trace of the "ghost."

The Ghostly Clarinetist of Centennial Hall

 

Source: Cherry County Tourism Board

I'm fascinated with the hauntings of Centennial Hall, located in Valentine, Nebraska. Unfortunately, the internet hasn't provided the casual reader with too much information on this spooky location. So, today's blog will just be a little short Fright Bite! Here's what we do know:

Today, Centennial Hall houses a 12 room museum, each with a different theme. You can see military antiques, the Hallock Bell collection of over 1700 bells, and if you listen closely, you might even experience a ghost.

The building dates back to 1897 when it was built as a high school for the area. Tragedy stuck, however in 1947 when a young female student was murdered. It is believed that the girl's friend poisoned the girl's clarinet reed. When she went into the music room to practice, she came in contact with the poison reed, and passed away.

The hauntings began shortly after, while the building was still used as a school. Teachers would see the apparition of a small girl, which came with an accompanying feeling of dread. After the building converted into a museum, all the instruments were removed from the former music room, but visitors and staff alike still have reported hearing eerie clarinet music being played. A rocking chair has also been spotted rocking on its own. 

Centennial Hall seems like a fascinating museum to visit, with lots to see, an on-site thrift shop to browse, and the ghost of a murdered student to provide some background music for your stay. 

More Info:

This Former School is Haunted by the Ghost of a Clarinetist, by Jenny Maclay. 20 October 20202

The Haunted Las Vegas Academy

Source

Las Vegas Academy, located at South Seventh Street in Las Vegas, is a premier performing and visual arts school, graduating students since the early 1990s. However, before the art deco building was used as the academy, it was built as the first Las Vegas High School.

Back in 1930, workers building the nearby Hoover Dam (then called the Boulder Dam) largely lived in the Boulder City area. However, many found the rules and regulations of the city too restrictive, and families began settling in the Las Vegas area. This influx of residents resulted in the need for a local high school. Construction began that year and by the 1931 the school opened as Las Vegas High School.

The main building of the high school was built on land deeded to the city by the Union Pacific Railroad, but in the 1950s, a separate performing arts center was added. It would be this building that would gain a reputation for being haunted, long before Las Vegas High graduated its last student and was taken over by Las Vegas Academy.

Students and staff have affectionately named the ghost that haunts the performing arts center (PAC) "Mr. Petrie." Mr. Petrie has been seen in the PAC as an older man wearing a suit and tie. He is blamed for such things as flickering lights, icy cold drafts, misplaced items, and slamming doors that interrupt performances. It is even rumored that there is a picture of Mr. Petrie in the school's 1968 yearbook!

But who WAS Mr. Petrie? No one can quite agree on who Mr. Petrie was and how he came to haunt the school's PAC. Some believe he was a former teacher. One lady in particular who had witnessed the apparition while a student strongly believes this to be the case. As she and her friends were talking and laughing loudly, they were approached by the apparition of the older man in a suit and tie who looked at them sternly, and even put his finger to his lips as if to shush them.

Others believe Mr. Petrie was an elderly man who died in a house fire on or around the property where the school was built. Believers do like to point out that there WAS a man with a similar name associated with the property. In 1933 a Frank Partie and his wife, Sylvia sold a plot of land to E.A. Clark. This land would later be the land that the PAC was built upon.

Frank died in 1964 at the age of 77, but I cannot confirm nor deny that it was due to a house fire---but instinct tells me it wasn't. For years, he was the city electrician for Las Vegas, and you can find several newspaper articles mentioning his work in this capacity, especially during the Christmas season when he supervised the stringing of the city's Christmas lights. He is buried at Palm Desert Memorial in Las Vegas.

Whether or not Frank is the "Mr. Petrie" who haunts the Las Vegas Academy is unknown, but to scores of students and staff, SOMEONE OR SOMETHING otherworldly is keeping an eye on the old school!

Sources:
Haunted Las Vegas: Famous Phantoms, Creepy Casinos, and Gambling Ghosts by Paul W. Papa
The Haunting of Las Vegas by Janice Oberding
Find-a-Grave
Wikipedia

South Eugene High School

South Eugene High School, in Eugene, Oregon, was built in 1953. At the time, it was simply known as Eugene High School. It wouldn't be until 1957 that it would be renamed South Eugene High School in response to the new North Eugene High being completed across town. The following year, however, the school would experience a deep and lasting tragedy.

Robert Grankey

Robert 'Bob' Turnbull Grankey was a sophomore student working in the theater department. On March 11, 1958 he was either installing or changing some lights between the school auditorium's ceiling and the roof of the building. As Robert attempted to cross from one catwalk to another six feet away, 30 students in the auditorium watched in horror as Robert came crashing down through the ceiling, landing on a pair of unoccupied auditorium seats. Those seats, Row G Seats 10 and 11, are said to have remained dented from his fall until they were removed in 1994. It is believed he had slipped trying to get from one catwalk to another, located six feet away. The 50 foot fall killed Robert Grankey instantly, causing a broken neck and major head trauma. He was 16 years old. In his honor, a theater award was set up in his honor, which lasted until at least 1965. Something else lasted even longer....

To this day, one of the most prolific and well-known haunts in the Eugene area is that of South Eugene High School and Robert. The hauntings seemingly did not begin until the 1970s when lights started to mysteriously switch themselves on and off throughout the auditorium. Laughter and footsteps, as well as piano music, have been heard coming from the catwalk area. A brochure photo taken by several students is believed to actually SHOW the ghost of Robert and several other people have claimed to see a shadowy figure sitting in the theater's balcony.

Ghost or Processing Error?

In one particularly strange incident, during the 1994 remodel when the dented seats were removed, a worker allegedly fell from the ceiling...and onto the exact same seats. He survived with only an injury to his foot. Did the ghost of Robert Grankey cause the accident...or did he play a part in saving the workman from suffering the exact same fate as he did, so many years before?




Sources:
Ghost May Haunt South Eugene High School, by Kristen Sheley. Oregon Daily Emerald (28 October 1997)
Robert Turnbull Grankey Find-a-Grave Entry
The Victoria Advocate (March 12, 1958)
Wikipedia

New Orleans' Haunted Middle School: Sophie B. Wright

Sophie B. Wright 1930s

Nearly a decade later, the horrors of Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath are still difficult for many to talk about.  Yet, as the years go by, we in the paranormal community are hearing more and more about how the already super-haunted city of New Orleans had its ghostly population affected by those events.  One of those stories emerged as early as September of 2005!

Sophie B. Wright was born in 1866 and even at a young age, was dedicated to philanthropy and education.  She opened a school for girls in her own home, quickly followed by a free night school for men and boys who had to work during the day.  By 1912, she became the first woman and the first living New Orleans resident to have a school named after her...the Sophie B. Wright High School, which was the first public high school for girls in the city. Eventually, the school would become a middle school.

During Hurricane Katrina, the Sophie B. Wright Middle School was evacuated of students and educational staff, but it served as a staging area and living quarters for National Guard personnel who were called in to assist in the clean up and rescue.  The men and women of the Guard soon realized that the horrors weren't just limited to what they would find outside the school walls.

Sgt. Robin Hairston is reported as having seen the apparition of a little girl standing in a doorway.  Spc. Rosales Leanor saw a shadow in the size and shape of a young girl while in the ladies' restroom.  Another un-named member of the guard opened a closet containing cleaning supplies and was shocked to both see the little girl AND hear her giggling.

The amount of activity in the middle school prompted a chaplain to perform a mini-exorcism of sorts.  "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you Satan to leave the dark areas of this building," were the words that rang throughout the halls.

Today, the middle school, which was once one of the worst performing in the district, is now a charter school serving middle and high school grades.  And while its academic standing has drastically improved, there is no word as to whether or not the little ghost girl is still making an appearance in the halls of Sophie B. Wright.  Did the impromptu exorcism actually work...or was the whole thing a figment of the imaginations of overworked military personnel dealing with horrors of their work?

Sources
School Website
History of the Sophie B. Wright School by Old New Orleans
Article by Janet Yee (CBS5) via Southern Ghosts

KY's Benham Schoolhouse Inn

Looking for a really unique place to stay the night in Kentucky?  Bonus points if its haunted?  Look no further than the Benham Schoolhouse Inn, in Harlan County.

From Yelp user, Dave H.

Benham is a small community, once a coal camp town under the direction of the Wisconsin Steel Corporation (later International Harvester).  In 1926, Wisconsin Steel built a state of the art all-grades school for the children of the camp.  In 1961, the last high school class was graduated from the school, which continued to serve as the local elementary until 1992.  A year later, renovations were underway to turn the former school into a premier inn, encouraging tourism in the Kentucky coalfields.

Today, the Benham Schoolhouse Inn is under the direction of the Southeastern Kentucky Community and Technical College, which runs a Hospitality Management program, allowing students to work as interns at the inn.  Original hardwood floors, historic school photos, painted lockers, and other little touches remind those who stay overnight or visit for any number of special events and functions hosted by the inn, that the school spirit is still alive at the Benham Schoolhouse.  That might be true figuratively as well as literally...

The web is full of stories about the inn being haunted, and while the activity varies, almost all reported events involve the spirits of former students.  The sounds of children laughing, playing, and talking are heard at all hours throughout the former school.  Even the apparitions of children, dressed in the style of the 1920s, have been seen by the more sensitive visitors.  Other reported incidents involve an apparition of a man carrying a suitcase, lights that dim by themselves, and a shower that turned on and soaked a guest.  One theory presented as to why the school might be haunted came from a Harlan County local on a Topix post.  This contributor, who went to school at the Benham School, claims that the building was erected over a cemetery where not all the bodies were removed.  In fact, this contributor claims that an intact skeleton was unearthed and used in the school's anatomy classes to teach the skeletal system!

Benham Schoolhouse Inn Facebook Page

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