Forest Dale Cemetery's Not-So-Ghostly Ghost

Entrance to Forest Dale Cemetery
Malden, Mass
Photo by Find-a-Grave user (LMJ)

The Forest Dale or Forestdale Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts is picturesque tribute to the city's former residents. Laid out in 1884 by Boston surveyor, F.R. Page, the cemetery was formally dedicated on Memorial Day of 1885. For many years, the cemetery was also adjacent to property operated by the county alms house and 'Contagious Hospital'. It was one of the patients at this hospital that gave one passerby quite a fright back in 1915!

It was early in the morning when milk dealer, Isaac Cohen, passed by the cemetery on his route. What he saw, however, shocked him awake. Rushing through the cemetery at break-neck speed was a white figure. After rubbing his eyes and assuring himself that he wasn't just seeing things, Cohen made a hasty decision to follow the fleeing figure. 

As he caught up to the figure, he was probably pretty relieved to see that he hadn't been chasing a ghost at all. Rather, he had caught up with 14 year old Ivan Clark. Clark was a patient at the nearby Contagious Hospital and had escaped out a second-story window around 3 am when a nurse woke him up to give him some medicine. Cohen turned the kid over to authorities, and he was returned to the hospital to continue treatment for his diphtheria. 

Clark has to be commended for his extreme elusive action as he definitely didn't want to be confined any longer to the hospital, which is completely understandable. However, I think if I was Cohen, I'd have much rather had a run-in with a ghost than a living person with a presumed highly contagious and potentially fatal disease! 

The Sunday Telegram (Clarksburg, WV)
4 July 1915

Terror in Talcott---Poltergeists and Klan Rallies at the Old Manning Home

M.A. Manning
From History of Summers County, by James Miller
Accessed via Internet Archive

Back in April of 1925, the Hinton Daily News ran an interesting story about a haunted house in nearby Talcott, WV. The house in question was being rented to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chattin, a young couple who had been married a little over a year. Shortly after moving in, the couple noticed an alarming display of poltergeist activity when their (presumably) heavy dresser turned itself completely around without the aid of human (living human, anyways) hands. At first, they sort of played the incident off and replaced the dresser to its normal position.

But it happened again.

The second time the dresser spun around on its own was the catalyst the Chattins needed. This time, they arose and fled in fear. At first, Paul had the upper hand and was in the lead toward the door. However, his wife Mabel, described as being fleet-footed, quickly flew past her husband. In the confusion, Paul saw a white-clad figure zoom past him and assumed it was the ghost, causing a second burst of panic. 

Needless to say, the Chattins moved out and did not return to their haunted home. The home in question, located at the upper edge of Talcott, was known locally as the Manning House. It once belonged to Matthew A. Manning and his family. 

Manning was born on May 4, 1848, in Ireland, but came to the United States at four years old. His family lived in Monroe County before moving to Nicholas County before the start of the Civil War. While living in Nicholas, Manning joined the Confederate Army. By 1871, he had moved to Talcott. Although he was a lawyer by profession, he took advantage of the population boom occurring as a result of the building of the C&O Railroad line and opened up a mercantile business with a man named Park. In 1876 he married Miss Mary Campbell. Together they had two surviving children, Frank and Faye. Sometime along the way, he built what would be known for years as the Manning House.

Manning was a prominent and (mostly) well-liked citizen. He was a Mason, a Catholic, and a politician. As a Democrat, he served multiple offices and even served on the Board of Education, as well as a stint as postmaster. Manning passed away in his home on December 13, 1900, from heart disease. 

Mary would live until 1926, but at some point had moved out of the home. She passed away at her daughter's home in St. Albans, but her remains were said to have been brought home to the old Manning home and buried in Talcott Cemetery #2 alongside her husband. 

View of Talcott from Big Bend Mountain
Source: WV History on View

For much of the early 1920's, the Manning home was used as a rental property. After the Chattins fled in April of 1925, a Hinton newspaper noted that in May, Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Dodd were moving into the house for the summer. I'm not entirely sure they stayed long, however. While I couldn't find any news articles about the Dodds fleeing in terror from the haunted house, I'm not sure they would have wanted to stay around for what happened at the house in June. 

On June 12, 1925, Talcott Unit A of the Summers County Klan no. 90 held a huge event. Klan members were to meet at the nearby school and parade to a stage area set up near the Manning home for "patriotic speaking and drill performance." The public was invited to witness the spectacle and were to assemble on the grounds of the Manning property. An estimated 2500 people showed up! Whether the Dodds were Klan supporters or not, I don't think they'd have been too happy with 2500 people plus an actual cross burning on their lawn, which makes me think the house was once again abandoned. Unfortunately, Mrs. Chattin wasn't the only white-clad figure causing terror in Talcott that Spring. However, give me a furniture spinning ghost over the Klan any day. 

The two-story frame home wouldn't last forever. On December 14, 1951, the house was entirely destroyed by fire. At the time, it was owned by W.D. Lowry. Ashby Lowry was living on the second floor, while the first floor was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. L.B. Rogers. Despite the Lowry ownership, the home was still being referred to as the Manning property. 

The fire started in the second-floor kitchen and quickly spread, causing considerable insurance damage, thanks to Mr. Lowry having recently bought all new furniture and clothing. It is said that hundreds of people blocked traffic for miles on Rt. 3 to watch the old landmark burn. 

So, who was the dresser-turning ghost? The article states that several people had died in the home, and that's certainly true of most houses of that period. M.A. Manning was probably the most well-known death to have happened in the home prior to the haunting. Was HE the resident ghost, looking after the interior design choices of his former residence? And did the haunting stop with the Chattins, or did other families experience furniture moving around on its own? Since the only activity that was reported was the moving of furniture, it's possible that this truly was a poltergeist of the recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSKP) variety. Perhaps a young bride, adjusting to married life and the prospects of starting a family made Mabel Chattin the perfect agent for poltergeist activity.

Whatever the cause or whomever the culprit, parallels between this case and another are evident. In February of 1925, the Stokes family was run out of a haunted house in Hinton when doors flew open and beds shook in the night. You can read about that story on my post Terror on Temple Street! 

The Hinton Daily News
11 April 1925

The Hinton Daily News
13 June 1925

Beckley Post-Herald
15 December 1951

The Spirit Who Made a Man Give up Spirits

ChatGPT Image

What would it take for you to give up one of your biggest vices...or even addictions? For some, giving up such indulgences is no easy feat. However, for one man in Mercer County, WV all it would take is some strong encouragement from a ghost. 

Back in 1937, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph delighted its readers with regular ghost stories, submitted by locals and often featuring local haunts. In one such article, a woman from Nemours confirmed a previous story that happened to a man who lived out on what is now known as Brush Fork. 

This man had a bad habit. Despite having a family and not enough money to support them properly, he made it a regular occurrence to go out to Flat Top yard where there was a still. The man would purchase a jug of whisky, or sometimes even some good ol' 'shine...and place it in a sack for the walk back home.

On one particularly clear night, the man was walking back home with his sack of whisky when he heard what he described as a woman's voice coming from the clouds. Curious, he stopped to listen. Suddenly, from right over his head he heard the voice say, 'Drop that liquor!' At the same time, a loud thud, almost like a lightning bolt, hit the ground near him. 

The man dropped his sack of whisky and ran home. He got down on his knees and told his wife the whole story before swearing off liquor for good. And, according to the source telling this tale, that promise was kept and the man stayed sober for the rest of his days. 

Whether or not it was really a ghost, a drunken hallucination, or someone using the opportunity to teach this man a lesson...it doesn't really matter. What matters is that a man was able to give up a particular vice that was detrimental not only to himself, but his family. And, if it turns out that it WAS a spirit that led to him giving up the spirits, then that's just icing on the cake! 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
21 February 1937

Ada's Apparitions: Railroad Ghosts in Mercer County

 

Ada, WV
Photo by JP Mueller: Source

Ada, WV is a small town located in Mercer County...but it's a small town with a BIG ghost story. Well, BIG might not be the right word, but it is an extremely weird tale of the supernatural. According to an article in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, this ghostly encounter happened some years before it was published in the August 22, 1937 edition. 

The exact date is not mentioned, but it was a crisp and clear night. Well after dark, Reverend G.W. Lucado was taking a stroll along the railroad tracks (now part of the Norfolk Southern Railway Christianburg District line) between the towns of Pembroke and Ripplemead. Along the way, Rev. Lucado ran into two men, one of whom he didn't know, and another by the name of Bal Thompson. 

Rev. Lucado struck up a conversation with the two men, and as he was speaking, the two men literally vanished right before his eyes. They didn't wander off into the darkness or disappear around the bend while walking ahead. They simply poofed out of existence right in front of the reverend. 

What's interesting is that at least one of these men wasn't your average spirit from beyond the grave. At the time of the encounter, Bal Thompson was alive and well and claimed that he had been nowhere near that area on the night in question and he certainly didn't stop to have a conversation with Rev. Lucado. 

In ghost lore, apparitions of the living are not uncommon. In many cases, however, the apparition of a living person is seen as bad luck, or even as a death omen. So, being the curious person I am, I wondered if Bal Thompson had come to an early demise shortly after his apparition was seen. The problem with this quest was a lack of information in the original article, lol. 

Doing a simple search for "Bal Thompson" in the newspaper archives, the WV State Vital Statistics website, and Find-a-Grave, I found some interesting stuff on at least two different men named Bal Thompson...the Bal being short for Ballard. I have no idea whether or not any of these men mentioned are the Bal Thompson of Rev. Lucado's story, but I thought I'd include them here, just in case. 

The first mention of a Bal Thompson I found was from a Bluefield Daily Telegraph article dated March 15, 1912. This article states that a B.P. (Bal) Thompson, a merchant policeman and former police chief, had shot and killed Edward Young near Charleston. Young was the superintendent of the Kanawha County Infirmary and it is said that Thompson, who had previously worked at the infirmary, had 'differences' with Young. To take a tragic tale even further, Thompson committed suicide and passed on April 30th. His Find-a-Grave entry has further information on his suicide. 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
15 March 1912

There was another Bal Thompson mentioned in a 1921 article of the Hinton Daily News. This Thompson, a constable at Cedar Grove, was suspected of killing Edward Dawes, a watchman for the Paint Creek Collier Company. Obviously, this cannot be the same Bal Thompson who killed Edward Young, but we do have a bit of synchronicity happening here. Two men named 'Bal' Thompson, both members of law enforcement, unlawfully murdered men named Edward. There's also a Find-a-Grave entry for a Ballard P. Thompson, buried in Kanawha County, who died in August of 1921, a month after Dawes' death. Was this another case where a Bal Thompson took the life of another...and then his own?

Hinton Daily News
21 July 1921

There's also a Bal Thompson who was killed in a mine accident in Stotesbury in 1925. His death certificate is available on the WV Vital Statistics website.

So that's 2-3 Bal Thompsons making the news prior to the ghost story article being published. I honestly wasn't aware that Bal was such a popular name/nickname. But, even if it was popular, it doesn't seem to be a very LUCKY name, as at least two Bal Thompsons made the news for murder. Given this scenario, is it possible that Reverend Lucado ran into the living apparition of Bal Thompson, doomed to walk the tracks with his future victim? Is it even imaginable that the unidentified man was one of the murdered Edwards, 'haunting' his murderer even before the act even occurred? Stranger things have happened out on the railways of West Virginia and beyond...

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
22 August 1937

Harvey Fairman's Ghost Seeks Justice

One of my favorite themes in ghostlore is the idea of a spirit coming back to seek justice and/or revenge on the person who was responsible for their death. This is a trope that comes up time and time again, especially in some of West Virginia's older ghost stories, including this little gem from 1884. That year, the (Wheeling) Daily Register ran an article about a ghost sighting from Wayne County, WV that "silences the Wheeling [ghost] stories with its superior horrors." It is the tale of Harvey Fairman.

One summer evening, Alexander Moore was out hunting in an area near Bartrum Fork in the Big Lynn area of Wayne County (today, in the area of Genoa). Around dusk, he encountered a rather large, and rather strange goose-like creature, which was behaving oddly. He followed the goose, yet it disappeared into some bushes. Suddenly, Moore found himself face to face with a ghost...not a goose. 

He immediately recognized the ghost as Harvey Fairman, a farmer who had disappeared five years earlier. One winter night in 1879, he was out getting firewood but never returned home. Some thought he simply abandoned his family, while others claimed that the devoted husband and father would never do that. A search party was organized but was unsuccessful in locating Fairman. So, without any sort of evidence, it was largely concluded that he must have been murdered, and his body hidden. His family moved to another county and nothing more was ever said about ol' Harvey...until July of 1884.

Staring at this ghostly apparition, Moore was frozen in fear as Fairman gestured at his own neck. His throat had been slit ear to ear. Luckily, the paranormal doesn't follow our earthly laws of physics and despite such an injury, Fairman was able to speak to Moore. He told him that he had been murdered. For two days, his body had been hidden under his own granary but was later moved and hidden in a hollow tree nearby. Having given this statement, the ghost 'melted away,' leaving Moore to 'drag himself home.' 

Moore went before a Wayne County Justice of the Peace to give his version of events, and it was decided that an investigation should be opened to both look for the hollow tree presumably concealing Harvey's skeletal remains, as well as to inspect the granary for signs of a murder. 

Harvey failed to mention WHO killed him and WHY. And, unfortunately, the anticipated follow-up with a local correspondent either never came, was never published, or I simply haven't found it yet. In any event, it doesn't appear that Harvey Fairman ever truly received justice. Yet, no additional stories have surfaced of him reaching out from beyond the grave to anyone else unlucky enough to encounter a strange goose in the woods. 

The Daily Register
28 July 1884

St. Albans Lady in Black

 

Bridge over the Coal River
St. Albans, WV 1870

During the summer of 1871, the little river town recently renamed 'St. Albans,' located in what is now Kanawha County, WV was plagued by a ghost. This wasn't just any ghost; it was an infamous Lady in Black. An anonymous correspondent was quoted in a Wheeling Daily Intelligencer column from July 7th that a mysteriously lady in black had been spotted around town beginning in late June.

The first witness was a St. Albans resident named Mr. S-----. Mr. S----- was returning home late one evening from 'business' when he encountered the apparition. However, it didn't occur to him that she was anything other than a flesh and blood woman, except for maybe the fact that when he approached her, she disappeared into the bushes. 

He saw her several times over the next week, always between the hours of 11pm and midnight. He mentioned the weird behavior of this strange woman and shortly after a group of gentlemen out for a nightly stroll encountered her for themselves. One of the men was determined to discover who the mysterious woman was and began to go after her. However, the faster he went, she went, until both were at a run. He never did catch up with her. 

Others came forward and claimed that they, too, had seen the mysterious woman between 11pm and 12am, always on the same path. She was seen as if coming from the home of Colonel Cunningham and heading towards the old bridge. No one ever claimed to have known her true identity. 

Theresa's Note: Over the years, I've come across quite a few 'woman in black' tales from various towns across West Virginia and beyond. These tales all seem to have very similar elements; an unknown woman in black is seen very late at night by gentleman out doing, well, whatever. When she is approached, she speeds up and cannot be caught. These tales tend to be morality tales, or warnings to the men of town that they shouldn't be out and about so late at night. But I wonder if this ghostly woman was in fact, a real woman who perhaps was up to no good herself. It's odd that the correspondent made sure to note that she was seen coming from the area of Colonel Cunningham's residence (a Union soldier who had acquired much of Philip Thompson's land after the Civil War) but failed to give the full name of the main witness. Personally, I'd like to believe that the mysterious woman was simply a ghost, perhaps mourning the loss of a lover or son lost in the War, making her evening stroll down to the Coal River. If you're in the area, keep your eyes open. Even if you don't see the Woman in Black, chances are that in THAT area, you're bound to see something strange and unusual!

Guyandotte's Lady in Black

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer
07 July 1871

Pocahontas Ghost Causes Man to Faint

 

Today, Appalachian Ghost Tours, aided by members of WV Unseen, will return to the Pocahontas Fuel Company's office building in downtown Pocahontas, Virginia for a public investigation. I'm going to wait until after that investigation to publish a blog post on that particular location, but while we're waiting, I thought I'd share one of the town's historic ghost stories I found in the newspaper archives.  The following tale, transcribed below, comes from the Clinch Valley News and Richlands Press out of Bristol, Virginia, and is dated February 8, 1901. I honestly have no idea what the heck is going on in this story. Is it a true account, and if so did the gentleman actually see a ghost, or just a misidentification of a lady in a giant hat? Is it a bit of fanciful fiction, or even some sort of social and/or political commentary? I'll let you decide...

A POCAHONTAS GHOST

On Saturday evening a friend came in about 10 o'clock, just as all were leaving for a stroll down town. "Don't let me detain you," was his remark, "as I will go up stairs and take a sleep." In a short time he heard some noise below, slipped down in his stocking feet to the bottom of the stairs, stopping concluded that he had been dreaming. Started back, when he heard another noise, pushed the room door and standing in the middle of the room was a ghost with a horse collar extending over the forehead, about the size of a small stove pipe. He fainted. Just at time a lady entered the front door, and finding him in this condition, gathered a pitcher of water, the only water on the place, it being a dry day in Pocahontas, dashed it in his face, which revived him. He thought he had fallen in Bluestone. When he revived he found a beautiful young lady dressed in a splendid dotted white dress, with a very fashionable pompadoure hat. Not being satisfied with her looking glass she had come over to consult her young friend as to her make up. My young friend is only seventy years old, and I doubt if he gets another horse collar scare whether he will ask any of the young ladies to marry him or not. The young lady being one of the most beautiful and popular in the town, and her magnificent appearance on this occasion would have made an older man than my young friend faint. 

Clinch Valley News and Richlands Press
08 February 1901

Wheeling's Eighth Ward Weirdness

The Daily Register (Wheeling, WV)
30 July 1886

Happy Ghostober! Today's story is a vintage one from Wheeling, WV. In the summer of 1886, the Eighth Ward section of the city was being visited by a ghost in "rather abbreviated garb." Said to show itself in nothing more than a cap and a shirt, and being rather large in shape, it first showed itself to a police officer standing near the corner of Eoff and 33rd Streets. 

Not even gonna lie---the mental image of a ghost floating around with no pants on, chasing down police officers kinda cracks me up. I can't help but wonder if this is your classic sheeted, cartoony ghost wearing a hat...or a humanoid apparition, naked from the waist down. But, I'm sure the officer wasn't laughing as he witnessed this thing float over a fence and then vanish completely. It didn't help that when he told his story, instead of people being frightened, or even intrigued, they laughed at him.

Well, they laughed until the ghost was seen again several nights later by even more people. The women who witnessed this apparition nearly went into hysterics at the sight (again, was it because it was a ghost in general, or because it was a half-naked ghost?). One man saw the ghost walk right into a B&O train that was passing by. When all the railcars had passed, there it stood, still on the tracks, unscathed. 

To my knowledge, there have been no recent sightings of this Eighth Ward Specter. We can only hope that if this unfortunate soul has found a way to move on, somewhere along the way he managed to find his trousers. 

1916 Map of Wheeling's
Eighth Ward

Ghost Is a Crazy Man

I don't often share too many old articles about ghost sightings outside of West Virginia, but I came across this interesting piece from Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania in the May 16, 1915 edition of the Sunday Telegram (Clarksburg, WV) and just had to share it. It is one of the most absurd things I've read in quite awhile...and I read some weird stuff.

So, apparently, a musician/hypnotist named Joseph Androlavage suffered some type of mental breakdown. As a result, he donned a white sheet and terrorized Georgetown citizens with a gun. Yeah. A GUN. This 'ghost' was armed with a pistol. 

In one incident, Androlavage stalked a man named John Daley, and gave him a letter about how his time was soon to come. The letter was signed 'Black Hand.' Four shots of a pistol into the ground were part of this exchange between Androlavage and Daley, and smartly, Daley got the heck out of there. Luckily, some young men from the area were able to safely apprehend Androlavage. 

But, was Androlavage really the "ghost??" 

Although it didn't make it into this West Virginia newspaper until May, the incident with Mr. John Daley actually occurred back in March of 1915 and was written about in the local papers. But, a follow-up story appeared in the March 31, 1915 edition of the Times Leader (Wilkesbarre, PA).  This article, found below, states that Mr. Androlavage claims that he was NOT the ghost, nor did he even own a gun. His friends attested to his character, and believe that the false claims against him were the work of practical jokers. The author of the article seemed to agree that Mr. Androlavage was too sensible for such behavior, and since no other follow-ups can be found at this time, I guess the mystery of Black Hand remains just that: a mystery. 

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 

Dead Soldiers Haunt Martinsburg Lumberyard

Example of WV Saw Mill, ca 1900
Source: WV History on View

Today's vintage ghost story comes from the June 30, 1900 edition of the Martinsburg Herald and, much like with the tale from the Littleton Quarry I posted about earlier this month, involves a work crew being haunted by phantom sounds. But, unlike the Littleton Quarry story, the cause of the ghostly disturbances aren't due to the violent, accidental death of a co-worker. Rather, it is believed the land that the men were clearing for the Bessimer/Bessemer Limestone Company was haunted by the spirits of Civil War era soldiers who were buried in a trench on the property. 

Ghosts in Lumber Camp

The lumbermen who have been encamped in the fields to the north of town, which are being cleared of the timber by the Bessimer Limestone Company for the purpose of making crossties for the new railroad switch to the limestone and iron ore fields, have become so alarmed at the uncanny surroundings and the ghostly noises that they have positively refused to remain at the place after dark.

When Mr. W.C. Leonard, the manager of the business for the company, went to the saw mill at ten o clock Saturday morning he found the half dozen lumbermen sitting around talking with frightened expressions upon their faces. Mr. Leonard was at first somewhat angry at seeing that no work had been done that morning, but when he learned the cause of the cessation of work he could not help but give way to his anger to other feelings.

The truth of the matter is the men were really scared. Among the crowd of lumbermen, is the well known sawyer, James Moran, were too scared to work, so frightened that they could do nothing but sit around and chat and wonder at what had taken place the night before.

It was in the J.V. Kearney field, now owned by Mrs. Brister, where the strange occurrences took place. The company has purchased the timber on it for the purpose of making crossties and lumber for the new buildings they are soon to erect. In the field near the place where the saw mill stands are several trenches in which dead soldiers are buried. This is what gave rise to the uncanny feelings in the breasts of the lumbermen in the camp.

Every night since they have been there they claim they have heard ghostly noises of every description, beginning at ten o'clock and ending at midnight. They said they were with difficulty able to stand it until Friday night, when the climax was reached. That night beginning at about ten o'clock they could hear axes chopping, trees falling, the saw mill going at full speed and the engine door opening and shutting at intervals. They looked outside the tent, but could see nothing, no ghosts nor falling trees nor the saw mill in operation. This noise continued, however.

The lumbermen said it was about all they could stand and they huddled about in the tent and prepared for the worst. Thoughts of the dead soldiers buried at their feet added to the uneasiness of the situation. At midnight the noise ceased and the men managed to hold out until morning. 

At daylight they went to investigate, but they could see no signs of fallen trees or where the mill had been in operation at night. Right there the men decided not to do another stroke of work in that field and it was in that mood they were in when Mr. Leonard found them. He finally prevailed upon them to finish out the few trees that were left and they are now working there during the day and spending the night somewhere else. 

Mr. Leonard and Mr. L.W. Robinson approached the men again about the ghosts and they still cling to their statement that the place is haunted and declare they will not go near it after dark. The men are all good, steady men, but they all told the same story in all seriousness.

Since this has come to light, other people living in that vicinity, who have held back for fear that their listeners would laugh at them, are coming forward and telling what strange things they have heard and the whole neighborhood is becoming alarmed.

Theresa's Note: The above article was posted on Page 2 of the June 30th edition. However, there would be some more information regarding this tale on Page 5. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any further updates as to how the ghost hunt went, which apparently had the potential for being pretty wild if real guns were planned: 

A Ghostly Expedition

Mr. Jas. Moran was in town Thursday morning and repeated the tales about the actions of the spooks at the saw mill north of town. He was confronted and questioned closely by a number of prominent men and he repeated the tales of his experiences many times this morning.

C.H. Sprinkle, the noted spiritualist, living about a mile from the spooks infested woods, called at The Evening World office Thursday morning to get the story of the strange occurrences. He said that the people in that neighborhood were becoming alarmed, but that he was at home with spirits.

Mr. Sprinkle said he would like to stop the young men who were going out on the ghost hunting expedition. He said it was a mistake to call them ghosts as they were the spirits of the departed returned earth. He said he held consultations with them every day and that if the young men went to shooting at them with guns they would disturb them and there would be trouble. The young men are determined to solve the mystery, however, and are going on the expedition prepared for the worst. 

Ellis McDonald's Message

Rail Yard at Keyser
Source: WV History on View

The following 'remarkable ghost story' was published in the July 23, 1881 edition of the Martinsburg Independent, although as stated in the story, it originally came from the Keyser Tribune a week earlier. If true, it IS a remarkable tale of a young man who was killed in a train accident coming back two years later to pass on a message to someone living on this side. He didn't appear as a wispy, ethereal form, or communicate in moans and whispers; rather, he looked as solid as any living person, and spoke normally. The only problem was, he was recognized as being, well...dead. But, this story has an interesting post script, as you'll see below. 

A Remarkable Ghost Story

We take the following from the Keyser Tribune of last week. It reads a little like a Western story.

The following ghost story created a sensation among the superstitious, and from the straightforward story given by the party to whom it appeared and connections with it generally give a rather mysterious significance. The fireman on 434, a 2nd division engine, was sitting in the cab while the engine was standing in the round house in Keyser, one night last week, when he beheld a man approaching. The fireman took no particular notice of the approaching figure, as it was a common occurrence to see men in the round house after night, attending to their work. It came nearer and nearer, mounted the cab and spoke to the fireman. He looked up at the intruder, then turned pale as death, and trembled as though the ague had seized him in every limb. Oh! horrors! He tried to speak but his voice failed; he tried to move, but he was as if paralyzed, and the cold sweat stood in large drops on his forehead, as he recognized, standing before him as if alive, Ellis McDonald a man who was killed in a collision at Black Oak about two years since. The phantom spoke to him in a steady, natural voice, and requested that he deliver a message to a man in Martinsburg, whose name it gave, also giving him the message, and warned him to intimate it to no living soul except the one for whom it was intended. The fireman consented and the ghost vanished. At the disappearance of the visitor the fireman leaped from the cab and made his way to a caboose in the yard, in which some men were sitting, to whom he related his experience. Next day he went to Martinsburg, and went into a saloon where he found the man to whom the message was sent. Calling the man aside he delivered the message. "My God!" he exclaimed, and sank into a chair, quivering all over; "that affair was known to only one man on earth besides myself, and he has been dead two years!" "Where did you hear it?" "McDonald came and told me while I was sitting on my engine in Keyser," said the fireman. 

We failed to learn the names of the principals of this story, but it came from good authority, and no doubt has a good foundation.  

Theresa's Note: It's too bad that they failed to learn the names of the principals of the story. That omission really doesn't help to authenticate this case. There is one name that is given, however, and that is the name of our ghost--Ellis McDonald. I can confirm that an Ellis McDonald, aged 30, DID die in Martinsburg on 17 August 1879, two years before this story was published. His cause of death is listed as a railroad accident.

Could the writers simply have exploited a known death in the area to sensationalize into an entertaining ghost story to sell papers? That seems to be the opinion of one woman who wasn't shy about writing into the paper to share her disgust about what she felt was a false story being published.Spoiler alert--the woman was the deceased man's WIFE!!  I completely empathize with her and as someone who documents ghost stories, the reactions of living family members and friends is always something that I struggle with. I plan on blogging about it more thoroughly in the near future, but until then, let's just say that a little tact and empathy can go a long way. Anyway, here is Mrs. McDonald's response, as published in the July 30, 1881 edition of the Martinsburg Independent: 

That Ghost Story

Eds. Independent:

The pretended "Ghost Story" which appeared in the Keyser Tribune, and was copied into the INDEPENDENT, is a purely sensational fabrication, having no foundation in fact, else why did not the Tribune give the name of its informant, or the "fireman of 434" give the story over his own signature.

The publication in the Tribune, unbacked by any reliable evidence, was uncalled for, and could have no other effect than to wound the feelings of the relatives and friends of the deceased, whose name is mentioned in the article. 

The use of his name in that connection was entirely unwarranted, and in respect to his memory, and out of consideration for my own feelings and that of his other relatives and friends, I protest against it, and warn all persons against a like repetition of the matter complained of.  -MRS. ELLIS MCDONALD 

Winged Human Forms Over Mason County Grave

Before there was Mothman, Mason County, West Virginia was the site of three other winged humans. Some have speculated that the strange creature that would become the state's most famous and beloved cryptid WAS some type of angelic being. Would that mean that these three angelic forms seen in a small graveyard are related in some way to Mothman? Eh, probably not, but it's fun to think about how our personal perceptions and societal norms influence our beliefs and how we try to explain what simply cannot be explained. This story comes from the January 4th, 1905 edition of the Weekly Register, a newspaper based in Point Pleasant, WV. It can be found on the Chronicling America website.  

Without an exact date of the incident, or the name/location of the cemetery in question, or the name of the deceased woman, this is nothing more than just an interesting little story from an area of the state filled with interesting little stories. But, readers to Theresa's Haunted History probably know that I couldn't just leave it at that; I had to do SOME digging. From additional newspaper articles, I found that there was a Reverend JB McKibben who lived in an area of Mason County called Siloam. Siloam doesn't really exist today, but is located close to the Mason/Putnam County line, around Frazier's Bottom. What does still exist is the Siloam Baptist Church on Black Oak Road, located off Route 817 (old route 35). JB (Joseph Benson) McKibben, his wife, and quite a few family members make this church their final resting place. JB lived a long life. According to to the WV Cemetery Preservation site, he was born in 1851 and died on April 12, 1941. 

The distance between Siloam and Pt. Pleasant isn't exactly short, and there were probably numerous small burial yards where the incident took place. What we can rule out is that it didn't happen at Siloam Baptist. Although the church itself was established in 1880, the first burial didn't occur until 1913, when an 8 year old little girl named Gladys Wallace passed away. Her mother was heavily pregnant at the time and the winter weather was especially harsh at the time, making it impossible for her to get up to the burial site at the top of the hill. The father approached the land owner about burying the child on the property, and ever since, the site was used as a graveyard. 

Littleton's Quarry Ghost

Stone Quarry Near Littleton
Photo from the collection of Bill Cunningham
Source: WV GenWeb-Wetzel County

This vintage ghost story comes from Wetzel County, WV and was published in the October 27th, 1892 edition of the Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. You can read the tale as it originally appeared, for free, courtesy of the Chronicling America website! As of this writing the WV Culture website's database of death certificates isn't working, but from the master list, I'm hopeful that maybe I can find a name for the gentleman who was killed and offer some validation of this story from a historical viewpoint. So, check back later for updates...

A GENUINE GHOST

Causing Considerable Consternation out about Littleton

A gentleman who was out at Littleton recently tells a story of a ghost visitant, which is a little out of the usual run of ghost stories, and so far as has been heard has not yet been explained. Several weeks ago a man who was employed in the large stone quarries near that place was killed, being crushed under a mass of falling stone. His body was made as presentable as possible, and the other workmen quit work to attend the funeral.

When the burial was over the men returned to their labors in the quarries. A number of them had heard the crash of the falling stone which killed their fellow workman, and they had not been at work long until all were startled by the same splitting sound in the rock. They instantly ran away from the face of the stone, but though the warning sound was followed by a crash, as of a huge mass of rock falling, no rock did fall.

This peculiar phenomenon awed the men, but they returned to work. Soon the sound was repeated. Then the men, thoroughly mystified, worked on with a good deal of reluctance.

The climax was reached when after one of those crashing sounds shrieks of distress were heard. The men were now thoroughly dismayed. After that the cracking in the rocks above drove all the men away, for after the seeming fall of rocks the horrifying shrieks were always heard. 

Work was continued in a desultory fashion, however, until one night the shadowy form of the man who was killed beneath the rocks was seen by one of the men. He called the attention of others to this, and all saw the form plainly. Since that experience, up to the time the INTELLIGENCER'S informant visited the quarry, the night shift had been abandoned. Two or three times the men consented to return to work, but each time the cracking sound and the thunderous crash was followed by the shrieking, and then the form of the dead man was seen. At last nobody could be induced to go near the place at night, and only the boldest of the quarrymen would work there by day. 

The gentleman who tells the story is not superstitious, but when asked by the reporter how he explained the phenomenon, he said he gave it up. 

 

Ghost Play Causes Death

 

When it comes to the business of ghosts, you'll often hear the old saying that there is far more to fear from the living than there is from the dead...and sometimes, that fear is simply within our own minds. Today's blog deals with a tragic story that happened back in 1907, near Ashland, Kentucky.

According to the November 16, 1907 edition of the Superior Times (a Wisconsin-based newspaper, which can be found on the Chronicling America website for free), a young girl named Clara Osgood leaped from a second story window of her home, fatally breaking her neck in the fall. Clara and her sister had been arguing about ghosts. Clara claimed that no apparition could frighten HER, and even bet her new silk petticoat that she was right. 

Her older sister, Annie, intent on proving her wrong, dropped the matter for the time being. Then, sometime later, she wrapped herself in a sheet, and entered Clara's room late at night, making weird moaning sounds. Overcome with fright, Clara ran to the bedroom window and leaped to her death. 

What was supposed to be a simple prank between two sisters quickly turned deadly. A fun little joke, proving that her sister wasn't as brave as she boasted, left a young woman deceased, and left a reminder to us all to just be careful when it comes to the ghosty stuff. Be careful who you try to scare, and if you see something scary, try to calm down and look at the situation rationally. More times than not, things are NOT what they seem. 

While this prank had a tragic end, the art of scaring each other silly with the paranormal is nothing new! Here's another newspaper article about a different ghostly prank---when a pair of lovers chose a local cemetery for their romantic meetups, the sexton decided scaring them away would be the best way to stop their behavior!  LOVERS FRIGHTENED AS CORPSE AWOKE. 

The Mysterious (and Murderous?) England Family

On Tuesday, I posted a very tragic story of a young girl who was killed during a ghost hunt in Doddridge County. As I was trying to find just what legend from West Virginia folklore she was trying to track down, I ran across the story of the John England Family who lived in the area known as Smithsburg. The England house, built by John and his sons prior to 1800, stood at the mouth of England's Run, which of course, takes its name from the family. But, the story wasn't recorded until 100 years later.

In 1901, a man named Lewis Edwin (Ned) Jones published a book called The History of Smithsburg. Ned was the son of Thomas A. and Catherine Luella Jones. Thomas was a failed businessman from Baltimore. He came to present-day Doddridge County with his wife and kids in 1824, originally settling in an area known as Buckeye Bottom. However, he had to sell that property to pay off an old debt from his Baltimore days, and thus needed to find a place to live...cheap.

The solution was to move to the "Old England Place," that homestead built by John England. But why was this property available for such an affordable price? Well, the England family MIGHT have been haunted by a peddler they murdered...and after they each died in their own uniquely tragic way, they too might still be left to wander the land. In his book, Jones tells the story as told to him by his father. Here's an excerpt:

Arrival of John England

"But for the present, I must write of another house more ancient and of equal importance which stood at the mouth of England's Run, built by a man by the name of England and his sons. This house and outbuildings was a departure in design and magnitude from all the buildings in the settlement, and at the time of which I write was not occupied because of its having gotten a bad name by the wicked deeds said to have been committed by the Englands, who were undoubtedly a dark, mysterious people. The crimes alleged to have been committed, or rather the allegation, was not without foundation, but the evidence that they were committed was circumstantial rather than positive.

 

Foul Play

"It will be borne in mind, this house, when first built, stood in the midst of a dense forest without a break for miles around on every side, and that these people were as much alone as if they had lived on some desolate island in the middle of the sea. Remember that at that time there was no highway except the Indian trail which connected their camping ground, which was just below the mouth of England's Run, with the Ohio River, and you will understand that any crime, however bad, might have been committed here with impunity and with almost perfect safety. The crime charged was the murder of a peddler who was making his way from the trading post through the forest to the Ohio River, putting up for the night at the Englands and never was heard of afterwards. It was alleged that his horse was found many days after wandering in the forest by some hunters who happened that way, and suspecting foul play, they went to England’s and found conclusive evidence that the man had been robbed and murdered and from something they saw concluded that he had been buried under the barn floor. The tradition goes on to say that the Englands became morose and demented because of being haunted by the spirit of the murdered peddler.

 

Mysterious Deaths

"Be that as it may, they were a fated people and died in singular ways. One of them at shearing time threw himself up on the shears and died; another one fell from an upper porch and broke his neck; and another was thrown from a horse and killed. His grave is just at the top of the hill east of S. 0. Jones’ house just beside the road. This grave was plain to be seen forty years afterwards, and thus they perished one by one till all were dead, and for these reasons the house was supposed to be haunted, and as the people of those days were a little superstitious, the house was left without an occupant for many years, or in other words, the people shunned it on account of the ghost of the Englands which were said to hold high carnival nightly. I am only telling the truth, for I have heard men of sense

and education say that there were so many strange noises and midnight rackets that one could not live in the house. I do not mean to have it understood that the stories about the ghosts were but simply to carry the idea that the settlers were a little superstitious as learned people are today."

Information for today's blog comes from an article by Jennifer Wilt, for the Doddridge Independent. 

The Mysterious Settlers of England's Run

An Industrious Spook

Huntersville Confederate Cemetery
Photo by Find-a-Grave user, Dixon in Dixie

An Industrious Spook...that was the title bestowed upon this article, found in the January 18, 1894 edition of the Shepherdstown Register, describing a ghostly wagon driver seen outside of Marlington, West Virginia. Originally appearing in the Pocahontas Times, the story goes as follows:

"A ghost was undoubtedly seen in Marlington last week.  A citizen of the suburbs of the place was awakened after the turn of the night by his dogs, which were in the house with him; one of these dogs is large and most ferocious and was giving blood-curdling growls as he endeavored to get out of the house. On hearing the noise of a wagon slowly passing, he he looked out and saw a man drawing a light wagon, without apparent effort, up hill and through the mud. Passing the house he ascended the hill and was gone long enough, probably, to have reached the Soldiers' Grave Yard, on top of the hill, when he was seen to return and pass the house in the same mysterious manner.  The contents of the wagon could not be distinguished. The night was bright and starlight, but on the "bottoms" the mist was lying low and heavy. He was seen to enter one of those clouds and so disappeared. There is no residence on this road for five miles after passing the gentleman's place referred to. All in that house saw and marked the strange appearance well. --Pocahontas Times"

It seems as if the author of this article is trying to imply that the mysterious contents of the wagon were possibly a deceased soldier, being taken to the burial ground to be interred by a phantom wagon driver, who then mysteriously disappeared into a cloud of mist. After a bit of frustrated searching, I BELIEVE this Soldiers' Grave Yard mentioned in the article is the Huntersville Confederate Cemetery, located about five miles away from downtown Marlington in Huntersville, WV. The Find-a-Grave page for the Huntersville Cemetery provides an excellent historical write-up, which I definitely encourage you to go read in full.

In short, however, during the early part of the War Between the States, several Confederate soldiers stationed in the area passed away from illness---most likely, typhoid fever---and were buried on this hill top. After the war, the cemetery was largely forgotten and abandoned, with only a few local citizens in the area even knowing exactly how to find it. In the 1990s, a group, led by Civil War re-enactor Mike Sheets, cleaned the area up, but it was soon reclaimed by the surrounding forest land. But, with the new millennium, came a renewed interest in the old burial ground, when a descendant from out of state was researching her Confederate ancestors.  The cemetery is now accessible to the public, with monuments and interpretative signage.

Because of the efforts of so many in the community and elsewhere, namely Mary Jo Fisher who did a ton of research, we now know the names of quite a few soldiers buried in this cemetery. But, what we DON'T know is who our phantom wagon driver may be...and which unfortunate soul he was seen carrying to his final resting place, OVER 30 YEARS LATER. 

For more information, also check out THIS AWESOME ARTICLE, by Suzanne Stewart for the Pochontas Times. It's about one of the dedication ceremonies held at the cemetery, and mentions some background on some of the soldiers buried there.