Spooky N.C.

One of our most popular posts over the past couple of years (according to FEEDJIT) is our post last Halloween regarding our favorite North Carolina ghost stories.

Some of the my favorite Old North State haunts include the Devil's Tramping Ground, the mysterious footprints in Bath, the Maco Light near Wilmington, the The Little Red Man at Old Salem and, of course, dear, poor Lydia trying to get back home.

Closer to (my) home, the State Capitol is supposedly haunted, as is the governor's mansion.

Now, Virtual Blue Ridge has a list of hauntings along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a good number of which are in North Carolina. Among the haunts are the Biltmore House, the Grove Park Inn (both in Asheville) and the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock. The site cautions that many "places listed here require special permission to visit or investigate. Many are patrolled by authorities and trespassers could be prosecuted."

I would also add the Lake Lure Inn to the list of Western N.C. haunts. I stayed there a couple of years ago and swear that there was a boy standing at the foot of my bed during the night who quickly vanished. (Of course knowing that the Inn is supposedly haunted BEFORE I went to sleep probably didn't help.)

Among the other western haunts are the Old Battery Park Hotel in Asheville ("It's said that in a private apartment building in downtown Asheville, which used to be known as the Battery Park Hotel in the early to mid 1900's, apparitions can be seen very early in the morning. Individuals who worked the morning shift in the pantry refused to go in alone because a man who was murdered there was known to reveal himself in spirit form to employees.); Appalachian State University in Boone ("East Hall is one of the dormitories for the college and is said to be haunted. Student assistants have reported being followed by unknown footsteps when on their rounds after midnight. People have also claimed that the lights will suddenly turn off in halls and you can feel someone brush against you."); and of course the Brown Mountain Lights in Linville ("At two different places on the Blue Ridge parkway you can see the brown mountain lights. There are three stories to this one. 1) It's said that there was a war between two different Native American tribes. At night when it was safe, the women would go out and look for their husbands with big bright torches, but they were killed too, so now they keep looking forever. 2) It was winter and a little girl had gone missing. Her father looked and looked for her but she died and he died as well. To this day, he continues the search. Scientist have tried to figure out what has been going on for hundreds of years and many people have seen these lights year after year. 3) The spirit of a faithful slave who is in search of his master who was accidentally wounded while hunting.... whatever they are, they appear nightly in the gorge, with no set pattern, they weave in and out of the trees until they reach the edge of the river, then they disappear only to reappear in another spot.")

Happy Halloween!

(Lake Lure Inn photo courtesy of its website)