John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads is an all-time classic song, and it’s all about West Virginia, but you’re not here to talk music. Yes, West Virginia has many great ghost stories and legends within its borders, and we’re going to look at five.
Incidentally, if you’re interested in the Trans-Allegheny Asylum, you can click on the link at the top of the video to learn more about that creepy place. But for now, let’s dive in.
General Lewis Inn
Built in the early 1800s, the General Lewis Inn in Lewisburg spent much of its first century as a residence before becoming a hotel in 1929. With so much humanity moving through the General Lewis’ doors, it’s small wonder that ghost stories have arisen through the years.
One of the alleged spirits, a slave who has come to be known as Reuben, is a reminder of the troubled past of the area. It is believed that Reuben was lynched from a tree that grew where the inn’s dining room is today. Violent death seems to sometimes leave traces that endure long after the event, and Reuben’s apparition is a reminder of a grave injustice perpetrated against an innocent man so many years ago.
A number of other spirits are said to walk the General Lewis’ halls. There is a Lady in White, because there’s always a Lady in White, who haunts room 208. No one seems to know who she is or why she remains tied to the General Lewis. Ghosts seem to endure in places that held intense emotion for them in life, whether that emotion is positive or negative. Perhaps the Lady in White extends her stay at the inn because of a tragedy, or perhaps she stays because she loved the place. We will probably never know for sure.
A third ghost, that of a little girl seen and heard on the inn’s second floor, might have some tie to the Lady in White, but again her identity and why she haunts the inn is a mystery. Guests have reported hearing a little girl cry, but no source of the sound is ever discovered.
Harper’s Ferry
The small town of Harper’s Ferry is full of reported hauntings and ghost stories. A place which saw both Confederate and Union occupation during the Civil War, the town certainly has enough history to explain why people would believe the supernatural is prevalent there.
One story tells of a family that moved into an apartment that was built on the spot of a much older residence. Soon after their arrival, the family began to hear the crying of a newborn echo through their new home, yet they didn’t have a baby and there wasn’t one living in the building.
While investigating the history of the building, it was discovered that a young mother and her child lived there during the Civil War Battle of Harper’s Ferry in 1862. Accounts tell of Confederate shelling devastating parts of the town, with one cannonball exploding through the wall and hitting this young mother and her child. Such a quick and violent end to a life may explain why a child’s spirit lingers, perhaps searching for its mother.
Yet the spirits of Harper’s Ferry don’t seem to be confined to buildings. Just walking down the historic streets might put you face-to-face with an apparition. One such ghost is that of a finely-dressed man who glares at those who see him before vanishing into thin air. Interestingly, the spirits of a woman and child are also seen in the same area. Speculation says that the man is husband and father to the woman and child, though his dark expression raises questions. Is he distraught that he can’t find his loved ones? Or are the woman and child trying to escape him and he seeks them out for nefarious reasons?
If you’re interested in seeing these haunted sites and hearing the stories firsthand, consider taking one of the Ghost Tours of Harper’s Ferry.
Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
Some places are doomed from the start, and Lake Shawnee Amusement Park never had a chance of being anything other than haunted. The trouble began long before any amusement park was planned. In 1783, the Clay family called the Lake Shawnee area home, then called Clover Bottom. One tragic day, the Clay children were out taking care of their chores when they were attacked by a group of Shawnee. When all was said and done, three of the children were dead.
When the massacre came to light, a posse of men was formed and pursued the Shawnee. When they caught up with the attackers, the ensuing battle left several Shawnee dead.
Just over 130 years later, the decision was made to develop the land into the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. Unfortunately, the legacy of tragedy continued. One day a delivery truck parked too close to the swing ride. A young girl on the ride slammed into the truck, killing her. Some time later, a young boy drowned in the swimming pool. Eventually, the park was shut down.
Plans were made to develop the land into something else, but work on the site uncovered a Native American burial ground. Given all the history that permeates the ground of Lake Shawnee, the decision was made to simply abandon the site and leave it be. Probably a good idea…
Trail Tunnel #19
If you’re in Richie County and you like to hike, you might find yourself on the North Bend Trail. It’s a lovely place to enjoy the outdoors, but locals say you should be careful when approaching Train Tunnel #19, for a lady in white is said to haunt the area.
Train conductors through the years have reported seeing a young woman in a flowing white dress standing on the tracks. They try to slam on their brakes, but stopping a loaded train is no simple feat, and the woman appears to be hit. When the rattled conductors do finally get their train stopped and race to search the tracks for the woman, she’s simply vanished.
Who the lady in white was, no one seems to know. Perhaps the woman was killed by a train, either by accident or on purpose. Perhaps she met an untimely end in the area and can’t escape. We will probably never know for sure.
The Mothman
One of the most famous supernatural tales from West Virginia has to be the Mothman of Point Pleasant. In the 1960s, residents of the area claimed to see a tall figure with wings and glowing red eyes. No one knew quite what to make of it, with some saying the Mothman was an alien, while others say he’s a demon or an angel.
When the Silver Bridge collapsed in 1967, 46 people lost their lives. It was said that the Mothman was seen near the bridge just before the collapse, leading some to believe the creature’s appearance foretells imminent disaster.
If you’re interested, you can visit Point Pleasant during the Mothman Festival in September and gaze upon the giant Mothman statue. It sounds like fun, unless the real Mothman shows up. In that case, I’d probably just move on.