ATHENS, W.Va. — Farmers in the countryside near Concord University in West Virginia sometimes speak of a strange winter phenomenon. When conditions are just right, the sound of the school’s 48-bell carillon, often no more than a distant melody, swells to a thunderous intensity miles from its source. The effect can be haunting. Caused by air … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — In almost every respect, the coal camp at Fireco was the end of the line. It was as far up the hollow as you were likely to get in a car in the 1930s when word of a prowling monster began to make the rounds. Then, as now, the community was a … Read more
HEROLD, W.Va. — The mountains that tower above the Birch River bear the brunt of winter storms that sweep across central West Virginia, and it was here on a snowy night that a legendary battle between man and nature was fought. The legend has grown obscure, but there’s little dispute that Bill Barnett was a … Read more
WITCHER CREEK, W.Va. — It wasn’t long ago that country folk in West Virginia might tell tales of a turkey witch. Of all the forms a witch could take, that of a wild turkey was the most feared, especially among the farms at the edge of the deep forests where turkeys are most at home. … Read more
GILBERT, W.Va. — As the tale goes, folks in the neighborhood of Codger Town in Wyoming County were haunted by a thundering rumble, the origins of which were attributed to a ghost they called “Old Thump.” Reuben Mitchell heard it himself as a boy in the ’60s. “I’ll never forget it! One night, I was … Read more
MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — Tales of supernatural lights are not uncommon in the Appalachian Mountains. While science has dispelled some of these phenomena, the lore remains, and one example in West Virginia has yet to be studied and solved. In the case of the Brown Mountain Lights of western North Carolina, scientist George R. Mansfield in … Read more
GASSAWAY, W.Va.— Is West Virginia monster lore going corporate? A new commercial app that features the Mountain State’s most famous monsters suggests it could become big business. Long the subject of campfire stories, the monsters that allegedly haunt the West Virginia hills may have gone fully mainstream with a new rewards system instituted by GoMart, … Read more
The former West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville, West Virginia, in Marshall County, was a castellated gothic-style prison in operation from 1876 until 1995. It is now a tourist attraction popular with historians and paranormal enthusiasts. In 1863, West Virginia had only just seceded from Virginia and suffered a shortage of public institutions, including prisons. … Read more
Whether or not you believe in tales of “Mothman,” if you live in West Virginia, you’re likely to have heard them. The legend is almost inescapable in a state so renowned for its monsters and mountain mysteries. And while most folks associate the man-beast with the region around Point Pleasant on the Ohio River, there’s … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — While recent bigfoot sightings in southern West Virginia have gained national attention, one investigator says it’s no surprise, given the number of sightings he’s cataloged in the southern mountains. Investigator Les O’Dell says he’ll attest to the trustworthiness of a recent report of an encounter in October 2019 near the New River … Read more
