West Virginia is an isolated state, surrounded by deep
forests, mountains, and miles of uninhabited land. Known for its grittiness
and, sadly, for its poverty, creepy stories from West Virginia are all inspired
by the feeling of what could have been. The poor Appalachian people who
populate the state play an important part in these West Virginia urban legends.
West Virginia has an odd assortment of cryptids, possible
alien sightings, and a lot of Civil War ghosts. These creepy stories from West
Virginia are exactly what you want to hear late at night as you drive through
its desolate highways.
The Mothman Does West
Virginia
The Mothman is a cryptid that was spotted up and down the
East Coast throughout the '60s, and was said to be a harbinger of death where
ever it appeared. But the first appearance of the Mothman dates to 1966 in
Clendenin, WV. First it appeared to two young married couples outside of a TNT
plant, and was described as being "shaped like a man, but bigger, maybe
six or seven feet tall. And it had big wings folded against its back." The
Mothman was allegedly seen later that evening by a building contractor who
described the creature as having eyes like "bicycle reflectors."
Between 1966 and 1967 more than 100 people had Mothman
sightings, many of which began to tie into run ins with men in black, and
people who were believed to be government spooks. In 1967 the Silver Bridge
that connected Point Pleasant, WV, and Gallipolis, OH, collapsed during rush
hour traffic, killing 46 people. Author John Keel wrote in his book The Mothman
Prophecies (which was later made into a movie of the same name) that the
collapse of the bridge was caused by Mothman.
The Greenbrier Ghost
How many ghosts do you know that helped solve a murder case?
Elva Zona Heaster's alleged ghost did just that, reportedly helping to solve
her own murder in 1897. Heaster married Erasmus Stribbling Trout Shue in 1896,
and after a year of wedded bliss, she mysteriously died. Despite the local
custom in Greenbrier County, WV, of letting the ladies of the town clean and
dress Heaster's corpse, Shue handled all of it. Rumors began to spread that he
probably killed Heaster, but no one could prove it. No one except Heaster, who
began to appear nightly at the side of her mother's bed to explain how she'd
been murdered by her husband. Heaster's mother took some of the information to
the local prosecutor, who then helped dig up the body and prove Heaster had
indeed been murdered by her husband.
The Grey Flats Ghost
While walking along the Grey Flats Trail near Beckley, WV, a
group of friends encountered what can only be referred to as a shadow person.
The figure appeared to be wearing the long coat and a wide brimmed hat combo
that so many shadow people seem to find fashionable, and when the group
encountered the figure it rose up out of their view. One of the friends had an
allergic reaction to the creature so the friends got out of there as quickly as
they could.
The Bowyer House of
Winfield
Paranormal investigators who are local to Winfield, WV, have
many stories about the Bowyer House, built by Captain John Bowyer in 1841.
Shortly after he passed away the house sat empty for multiple generations. The
house is now being turned into a B&B, but everyone who has been inside
reports a general feeling of unease, and some people have even reported seeing
a headless horseman roaming the premises.
The Flatwoods Monster
The Flatwoods Monster is an entity that haunts the area near
Braxton County, WV. Those who come into contact with it report supernatural and
ghostly encounters. It's known to roam the Flatwoods with its long, stringy
arms and making everyone it comes in contact with as sick as a dog. In 1952, a
group of investigators went out searching for bright lights in the sky thought
to be from UFOs. All together, about four people explored the Flatwoods and
came into contact with the monster. All four said they felt sick to the
stomach, experienced swelling in their throat and nose, and could not stop
vomiting after seeing the creature.
Some people believe that the monster is an extra-terrestrial,
others think that it's some kind of owl, shadow being hybrid.
The Legend of Wizard
Clip
According to legend, in 1794 a traveling stranger was
boarding at a house in Middleway, WV, when he became ill and asked for a
Catholic priest to perform his last rights. The man who owned the boarding
house, Adam Livingston, reportedly told the stranger that he was a Lutheran who
did not like priests and that no Catholic churches were near the family home.
The stranger died without receiving his last rights and began haunting the
house.
From then on people began to hear the sound of footsteps
around the boarding house, and they would find their possessions with large
half-moons and other shapes clipped into them. Scared, Livingston sent for a
Catholic priest to cleanse the house. Suddenly the hauntings stopped and
Livingston dedicated his 35 acre property to the Catholic Church. To this day
the Priest Field Pastoral Center sits upon the site.
Screaming Jenny
After the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was constructed in the
early 1820s, a legion of poor people moved into a series of abandoned storage
sheds situated near the tracks. One local legend tells the story of a woman
named Jenny who caught fire one evening while eating dinner, and in an attempt
to put herself out ran towards the tracks and was hit by a passing train. She
died on impact and was buried in an unmarked grave. To this very day engineers
are said to see Jenny's burning body running onto the tracks on the anniversary
of her death.
The White Things
Sometimes called "Sheepsquatch," the White Things
are a mythical animal that roams the hills of West Virginia. This animal-like
beast is known by many names, including the White Devils or the Devil Dogs.
Lore says these creatures are a death omen, and resemble everything from bears,
to cows, and even "huge badgers." The creatures are allegedly very
fast and are known to have "too many legs."
Edith Miller, Helpful
Ghost
According to the folks at River Park Hospital in Huntington,
WV, if you want to work with the folks at River Park you should prepare for a few
run ins with their resident faculty ghost. Edith Miller, a registered nurse,
helped start the hospital in 1923, and employees at the hospital believe that
she's still walking the halls and making sure that everything is running
smoothly.
Huntington West
Virginia's Disappearing Woman
You don't have to look far to find urban legends about
disappearing hitchhikers and women in white who walk along the rural roads of
America, but Huntington, WV, legends might have some basis in fact. Prior to
1942 (the first recorded instance of the hitchhiking woman in white,) a family
from Huntington was driving their daughter and her fiance to be married. Tragically,
they were involved in an accident that killed the bride-to-be and launched a
classic West Virginia ghost story.
Too scared to visit West Virginia, or is West Virginia the
place for you?
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