PAX, W.Va. — Of the many spirits said to haunt the hills of West Virginia, few stir as much unease as those believed to foretell death. Among them, one of the most chilling is the Horse Creek Hollow Ghost, a phantom whose legend has been whispered around campfires in the state’s southern mountains for generations.Most … Read more
HARTFORD CITY, W.Va. — Old-timers still tell of the ghosts that are said to haunt Sliding Hill in Mason County, though only the very oldest now recall it.But a historian who hopes to memorialize the tale says there’s reason to believe much of the legend is true.“I heard the story from my great-grandmother,” says Chris … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Driven by tourists’ fascination with the eerie and unexplained, West Virginia has developed a statewide paranormal trail, guiding thrill-seekers to its most haunted and spine-chilling destinations.Chelsea Ruby, director of the W.Va. Department of Tourism, says a trail system’s digital passport lets visitors check in at haunted sites, earn points, and unlock exciting … Read more
RICH MOUNTAIN, W.Va. — Every summer, thousands of Civil War buffs travel to the summit of Rich Mountain near Beverly, West Virginia, in Randolph County, to explore the remains of the small Rich Mountain Battlefield.Here in a mountain pass on July 11, 1861, George B. McClellan secured his reputation as a winning general and was … Read more
CENTRALIA, W.Va. — While there are many remote campgrounds in West Virginia, few are as remote as Baker’s Run Campground and boast their own ghost.Though only 30 minutes from Interstate 79, this forest campground near Sutton, West Virginia, may feel remote due to how it tucks into the hills on the Elk River at Sutton … Read more
PAX, W.Va. — Tales of roadside ghosts account for many of the most famous ghost stories in West Virginia, according to the publisher of the Mountain State’s popular website for the paranormal, West Virginia Ghosts.Jonathan Moore, who has been publishing first-hand tales of the supernatural submitted to the website by visitors since 1999, says four … Read more
GRANT TOWN, W.Va. — If you’ve had the opportunity to descend into a West Virginia coal mine, you might have come away with a new sense of the absolute darkness. The coal itself absorbs what little light might reach into the deep.Though the darkness can inspire dread, the nature of mining can lead the mind … Read more
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Nights in rural Calhoun County are counted among the darkest in West Virginia, so it’s little wonder that the tale of one of the state’s strangest hauntings comes out of its hills.The phantom, which supposedly manifested in the valley of the Little Kanawha River in the late 1800s, is still a subject … Read more
PAX, W.Va. — West Virginia is warm enough to welcome family camping at least six months out of the year, and there’s little more exciting about a night under the stars than campfire tales told over roasted marshmallows.As the embers dim, inexplicable sounds come out of the darkness. The crash of a falling branch! Was … Read more
ELKINS, W.Va. — Lilacs bloom in April and May in West Virginia, which may be a good time to recall one of its best-known ghost stories — that of the tell-tale lilac bush, a story that’s grown into legend, thanks to the late folklorist Ruth Ann Musick.In 1965, Dr. Musick, who taught folklore at Fairmont … Read more
