CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Which are the five most haunted towns in West Virginia? That's hard to say, such things being difficult to pin down. (We encourage readers to add their favorite haunted towns in the comments at the end of the article.)
By and large, West Virginians love ghost stories, and as a result of their affinity for storytelling and their relationship with nature and the mountains, they are likely to see ghosts or claim to see ghosts when the mood strikes.
Noted West Virginia storyteller Susanna Connelly Holstein says there are at least two reasons they may be so apt to tell ghost stories. They're culturally attuned to stories and nature. She reflects on the collection of late West Virginia folklorist Ruth Ann Musick, author of the book Green Hills of Magic.
"West Virginians live close to nature," she says. "Even if one lives in downtown Charleston, nature is just minutes away, and then there is the mighty Kanawha River and all its history and lore right there in the middle of the city."
"And of course, there's our heritage," she says. "Many of our forebears brought the old tales and beliefs with them, and those, like the old ballads, were absorbed into our culture too.
Below are the ten West Virginia towns most commonly named in histories, ghost tours, and folklore as the state’s most haunted.
1. Harpers Ferry, where the Civil War won’t end
Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1785 that a visit to Harpers Ferry was "worth the trip across the Atlantic." Here, the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers burst through a rocky pass in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Historically maintained, much of the town is preserved as the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
More than a hundred people died in military action at Harpers Ferry during John Brown's Raid in 1859 and the Battle of Harpers Ferry in 1862, imbuing the region with phantoms of soldiers who reenact their time there, according to local lore. Tour guides report phantom soldiers on Shenandoah Street and a ‘ghost lady’ seen near St. Peter’s Church.
2. Point Pleasant and the lair of Mothman
One of the most pleasant locales on the Ohio River, Point Pleasant is also an epicenter of lore for cryptid fans. More than 20,000 people attend the annual Mothman Festival in September, celebrating a creature said to be protective of the valley. The tale of the Mothman and the Men in Black who investigated it has spawned numerous books and movies.
Despite the beauty of the place, the town has been visited by tragedy. The collapse of the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant in 1967 killed 46, and the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774 killed 116. Cornstalk himself was murdered by American militiamen here. Some believe these events intertwine. The spiritual energy, however, is positive.
3. The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, with its dramatic central spire, dominates the town of Weston. Now one of the nation's largest medical museums, it allows visitors to tour what had once been considered an advanced facility for the treatment of "the insane."
The building is remarkable, massive and ornate, but the lives of many of its residents ended in grief. A tragic history of overcrowding and controversial treatments has made it fertile ground for tales of restless spirits—shadowy figures and disembodied voices. Tours and overnight experiences are provided for paranormal researchers.
4. Lewisburg and the Greenbrier Ghost
Quaint, historical Lewisburg is famously the site of a trial involving the Greenbrier Ghost, a phantom whose appearance contributed to the conviction of a murderer. According to court records, the ghost of Zona Heaster Shue appeared to her mother, who persuaded the court to exhume her corpse and check it for strangulation marks.
Some say many other ghosts walk the town's historic district. The Old Stone Church, the General Lewis Inn, and the cross-shaped Confederate mass grave on the hill above the town are all reportedly haunted. A ghost is said to watch over the town's spring, guarding a secret entrance to the network of caverns that underlie the town.
5. Morgantown and Campus Legends
Students at West Virginia University account for more than 70 percent of the population of Morgantown, West Virginia's third-largest city. Some say that the tension of so many students in one place has infused the city with spiritual energy that is often dark.
Among the most pervasive stories are those of Woodburn Hall, the Addams-family styled heart of the old campus. The Old Stone House and other historic downtown buildings are said to be haunted by shadowy figures and mysterious whispers, while Deckers Creek carries tales of spirits along its banks, linked to the 1759 Deckers Creek Massacre.
The most haunted towns in West Virginia
What ties these towns together isn’t a single specter but a pattern—concentrated tragedy or a sudden or violent death, and communities that have chosen to remember rather than erase.
In West Virginia, mining accidents, Civil War battles, epidemics, and frontier violence created pockets of intense loss and suffering. Decades later, those pockets are often the birthplaces of alleged hauntings that are as much about holding on to memory as they are about the supernatural.
N. Fadeke Castor, an ethnographer and assistant professor of religion and Africana studies at Northeastern University, says there's more to stories of the dead and of phantoms than the entities themselves.
“What a society calls a ghost is really reflective more of the society than it is necessarily the entity itself, depending upon your belief system,” Castor says.
Tour operators, historians, and local storytellers help keep the tales alive, turning haunted lore into a kind of living tourism. The state’s official Paranormal Trail even invites curious travelers to check in at spooky sites, documenting how commerce and folklore have intertwined.
What to expect, and how to be respectful
If you plan to chase a ghost or two, remember the practicalities. Many of these sites are on private land or protected parcels. The Trans-Allegheny Asylum and other popular spots run official tours that are both safer and more informative than trespassing.
Local guides know the best stories and the rules. Most importantly, treat cemeteries, memorials, and private properties with respect and courtesy. Research the state laws regarding cemeteries before your visit. Ghost hunting can be entertaining, but it can also reopen fresh wounds in communities where memory is sacred.
Between Lore and Truth
Ghost lore is often as useful as it is eerie. Stories help preserve town histories from being reduced to footnotes. They make people talk, gather, and remember. Whether you arrive expecting cold spots and EVP recordings or simply a good story and a brisk autumn walk, the so-called "most haunted towns in West Virginia" reward the curious with history served in a voice that sometimes sounds like a whisper. You may not bring one of the state’s famous specters home with you, but you will bring back a story, and in places like these, that’s often the point.
For those who wish to delve deeper, many of the most haunted towns in West Virginia listed above offer public ghost tours, historical societies, and written collections of local legends. The official West Virginia Paranormal Trail page is a practical starting point if you want to plan a lawful, informative, and safe trip into the state’s spectral side.
Sources & Further Reading
- Ghost Tours of Harpers Ferry
- Mothman Museum
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
- Lewisburg Ghost Tours
- Morgantown Paranormal
- West Virginia Ghost Tours
- West Virginia Paranormal Trail
Introducing the five most haunted places in W.Va.
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The Travel Channel ranks two West Virginia landmarks among the most haunted in the United States, but ghost hunters know there are many more. The following five, ranked in 2014, are favorites of Jason Burns and Jonathan Moore, among the state's best-known purveyors of the paranormal. READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
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