East Wheeling Babies Bewitched

East Wheeling
Source: WikiPedia

In October of 1874, tragedy struck the East Wheeling, WV neighborhood along Alley 16. Seven babies from seven different families took ill with an unknown malady, resulting in the death of one of them. It was feared that the remaining six would also not survive, but instead of calling in a medical doctor to treat the children, the superstitious families turned to a different route.

Believing the babies were bewitched, a woman "known to possess much influence with superstitious persons" was called in to drive out the evil spirits that were making the babies sick. Among the 'treatment' was turning the children's left stocking inside out, and advising the families to keep their doors locked, their keyholes blocked, and to avoid loaning anything to each other for fear that it could contain an attached evil spirit. 

The author of the article, which appeared in the 30 October 1874 edition of the Wheeling Daily Intelligencer  did not hold back, saying how absurd and humiliating this belief in witchcraft is, and that these poor babies are surely to suffer because of their parents' ignorance.  To add further insult to injury, in the month following, this story got picked up by newspapers around the country, all of which were eager to share how ignorant and superstitious those West Virginia mountain-folk are. 

30 October 1874
Wheeling Daily Intelligencer

Thirteen Club Comes to Morgantown

I absolutely LOVE this photo! I first shared it a couple of years ago on my Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page, and then shared it again last October. I felt, however, that it needed a more permanent spot here on the blog!

The photo comes from one of my favorite websites, WV History on View. It is labeled: "Friday the Thirteenth Group Dinner, Morgantown, W. Va". However, I THINK we can take it a step further and assume that this is an example of a local 13 Club! 

In the 1880s, the Thirteen Club was created to debunk the superstition of "13 at a table" being unlucky. This belief states that when 13 people are seated together at a table, one will die within a year, usually the first one to get up and leave. They met on the 13th of the month for a dinner served to 13 people at each table.

Now, I don't like to think of myself as a superstitious person, but if I were invited to one of these dinners, I'm going to be taking my good, sweet time in finishing it! 

For more information on 13 Clubs, check out this article in the Paris Review. 

Happy Birthday, Luke!

Luke and Mothman's Butt

Today, my sweet little Luke turns 7 years old.  He was conceived in a haunted hotel, born in a haunted hospital, has lived in a haunted house, and has been dragged around the tri-state to visit various haunted locations. His due date was supposed to be on Halloween, but being eager about getting an earlier start, he decided to come in September, the same weekend as the annual Mothman Festival. He's led a spookier life than many adult paranormal enthusiast I know, yet he has already told me that he will NOT be following in mommy's investigative footsteps! Maybe he'll change his mind as he gets older, but if not, I'll still be proud of him, no matter what.

In honor of Luke's special day, here's a quick sampling of some birthday superstitions!

*In Germany, it is considered both bad luck and poor manners to tell someone 'Happy Birthday' before the day of their actual birthday. The birthday should be celebrated ON the birthday or to be safe, even AFTER the date of birth.

*Children born on Halloween are said to have the gift of second-sight. They can foretell the future, communicate with the spirit world, and even ward off the bad ghosties.

*In Argentina, the seventh son born into a family is said to be a Lobison, and will turn into a werewolf. Since so many seventh sons were being abandoned (or worse) in the early 1900s, it became a tradition that all seventh sons would receive the godfathership of the Argentinian president, and be presented with a gold medal upon baptism.

*Those born on Christmas are said to be protected for life against drowning or hanging, leading many Christmas babies to take on the life of a sailor (or in some cases, a pirate, lol). Christmas babies have tons of superstitions involving their birth, including an ability to talk to animals, turn into 'ghosts' on Christmas Day/Eve, and generally enjoy a life of luck, to name a few.

*A southern US tradition states that if you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake, you'll be married within a year!

Supernatural Superstitions!

As a paranormal investigator, I like to think of myself as being scientifically-minded. I strive to maintain a logical, objective stance on all things paranormal.  But, I'm also a West Virginia mountain girl! My family, who settled in the Irish Mountain area of Hinton, WV, came from a long-line of Scot-Irish, German, and Cherokee heritage. Ghost stories and superstitions made up a huge part of their lives and a huge part of their belief system. As the years go by, I'm trying to document as many of the old ghost stories and spooky superstitions that have been passed down to me since I was a small child. Here are a few of my favorite superstitions related to spooks and spirits.

*A person born with a caul over his face will have the gift of second sight, and be able to see and converse with spirits and ghosts.  My maternal grandfather was born with such a caul.

*The seventh son of a seventh son will also have increased psychic abilities and be able to converse with spirits.

*A person who never meets their twin will have psychic abilities.  My father, while not claiming to be psychic in any sense, had a twin sister who died as a baby.

*When a candle starts to flicker and there is no breeze or draft present, a spirit is near.  If the flame should turn blue or abruptly flare up, the spirit is strong...and very near.  If a candle lit during a religious ceremony unexpectedly blows out, an evil spirit is near.

*Never rock an empty rocking chair; you're inviting ghosts in.

*If you WOULD happen to encounter a ghost or spirit, ask the spirit "In the name of the Lord, what is it that you want?"  They have to tell you why they are there.

*Since animals can see ghosts and spirits, removing the inner eyelid from a dog and wearing it like a contact lens will give the wearer this ability as well.  For a more humane (and less disgusting) method, simply crouch down behind a dog, and look between its ears to see what it sees.

*If you hear your name being called and no living person is around, DO NOT answer!  It's a spirit with bad intentions.

*However, if you hear your name being called while you're asleep, it means you slipped too far into unconsciousness and too close to death.  The angels were calling you back.

*When someone dies, all mirrors and reflective surfaces must be covered with black cloth so that the person's spirit does not become trapped in those items.

*The funeral procession must take a different route home from the one they took to the cemetery so that the ghost of the deceased cannot follow them. 

*A bird in the house is an omen of an upcoming death. And speaking of death omens, West Virginia has a very strange story of a death omen foretelling the assassination of President McKinley.

So that's a VERY short list of superstitions that can be found throughout West Virginia and Appalachia! If you know of any others that deserve to be on this list, hop on over to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook and let me know!

*Updated January 2018*