N.C. is "First in FRIGHT!"

We are big fans of the spooky and the creepy that North Carolina has to offer. (We've documented that many times through the years.) So you can imagine our excitement when we got an alert that there's a new resource from the good folks at Visit North Carolina called "First in Fright." And just in time for Halloween, too!

"From historic hauntings to unexplained mysteries, find out why these North Carolina destinations will haunt you in the best way."

The site offers spooky trails for the coast, piedmont and mountains -- and haunted places where you can spend the night -- IF YOU DARE!

Oh, and there's a podcast. 

Check it out. Even though it's fright-tastic, the site also offers a list of family-friendly events available all over the state.

The mystery of Lydia "solved"

 

We LOVE N.C. ghost stories here at the Dare Society. Always have. Always will. As mentioned before, "Lydia" was one that enamored me as a young kid at the school library. Well, after decades, we may have an update on her.

From WRAL's Heather Leah:

Historians and paranormal experts alike have long tried to solve the mystery of Lydia, matching the folklore of the "vanishing hitchhiker" with old records of car crashes and deaths along the haunted route.

But how did the real history of Lydia get lost, and why is her real bridge now closed to traffic? Is it because too many people saw her spirit along the roadside?

As Leah reports, "Lydia" may very well have been one Annie L. Jackson, who died in a crash near Jamestown in June 1920. 

Born in 1885, Annie was around 35 years old, and she worked in a cigar factory. She had been living in a nearby hotel while working, and had only been there for a few months. Her parents also lived locally.

The authors of Looking for Lydia believe Annie's middle initial, which they report was 'L,' might be where the name Lydia originated.

Today, Annie is buried in Holts Chapel Cemetery in Greensboro.  ...

After the tragic death, people began claiming to see the ghostly hitchhiker appear beneath the bridge – which was still in use at the time. Years later, however, the road beneath the bridge would be re-routed to go beneath a new bridge – leaving the real Lydia's Bridge to disappear beneath the overgrowth.

Today, a new, modern bridge takes traffic away from "Lydia's Bridge." But the town of Jamestown still has designs on honoring her memory. However, Covid-19 pressed the pause button on that.

 

RELATED POSTS:

• Favorite N.C. ghost stories
• Roberts: N.C. ghost authority

 

Image courtesy of WFMY.

She's a witch!

North Carolina can hold its own when it comes to spooky stories of the supernatural and ghost variety. For better or worse, North Carolina doesn't seem to match, say Salem, Mass., when it comes to witch stories.

Over on our Facebook page, Hope Thompson shared this HIGHLY interesting link about a witch trial here in the Old North State. And Hope should know: she wrote the article!

{Also: if you aren't already, please follow our Facebook group. It has more timely N.C.-related content.}

This article involves the case of Thomas Bouthier vs. John & Susannah Evans. In the end, a panel of 15 men found "the accusation of a woman with bewitching powers to be stupid and a waste of the courts time." This case was the first witch trial in the state of North Carolina.

You really should take the time to enjoy the full article. Hope does a wonderful job describing the time this hearing took place, as well as the cultural, political and religious reasons why the verdict went the way it did.

 And while you're at it, check out the other offerings from Hope at Unmasked History Magazine. You won't regret it!

The Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn

Our family was in Asheville this past weekend for a lacrosse tournament, and though we didn't actually stay there, we visited the Grove Park Inn on Saturday night just to walk around a bit. The kids had never really been to it, so they just enjoyed the ambiance of the place. It is a majestic place; it feels like how the Titanic must have felt before, well, you know.

As we walked around and marveled at the giant fireplaces and stonework, I mentioned to the kids about infamous "Pink Lady," the ghost who is said to "live" in one of the rooms of the Grove Park Inn. Needless to say, they were intrigued --  and a little spooked.

Fast forward to Monday, when a fairly innocuous tweet about it led to a conversation with Jen (aka @Hattiechicken). Turns out, she was at the Grove Park last week ... and even stayed in room 545!  Here were her comments about her, uh, experiences in the room:

We had 3 weird things happen. I was alone the 1st 2 nights. Talking to @MBERaleigh on the phone, opened the very heavy blinds opened the windows. Walked around the room getting ready for my conference. Turn back to the windows. Blinds are completely closed. 

...

@MBERaleigh arrives Friday. Closes the windows. ... Locks them -- they have these thumb screws u have to turn to get them to stay open. We go out. Come back & windows are wide open. Thumb screws turned. Asked staff, they didn't do it.

...

The staff has all kinds of stories. I was told the window being open was a compliment bc I wanted them open, so she opened them.

Jen also said that at one point her room key went missing, they searched all over, and five minutes later it was sitting on the desk.

Discussing the Pink Lady reminded Charity and me about the time we stayed at the Lake Lure Inn about 14 or 15 years ago. It was off-season, so it was very quiet and desolate. At one point during the night, I woke up to see what looked like a small boy tip-toeing around the food of our bed. Then he was gone.

Now, to be completely honest, it could have had something to do with the news clippings at the hotel's front desk that chronicled the haunted inn that played with my minds. In addition, both the Grove Park and the Lake Lure Inn are from an era that makes them, well, "Shining-esque."

As mentioned before, I've long been intrigued by N.C.'s plethora of ghost stories. Just as varied the state is geographically, so is the variety in supernatural ... things. From the mountains to the coast and everywhere in between, there are creepies and spooks and things that go bump in the night. But, I gotta say that, to me, at least, the mountains have the best ghost stories. (Heck, according to this site, 5 of the 7 top haunted hotels in the state are in the mountains.) The Pink Lady and the Brown Mountain Lights alone may take the cake. (And not far from the Grove Park Inn is Biltmore Estate -- one can imagine that place has some stories, too!)  But there is also Helen's Bridge in Asheville, several spots at WCU, the demon dog of Vale Crucis, and many more.


And though not a ghost story per se, it's hard to be the mystery and intrigue of the Ferry Crosses of western N.C.

What are your favorite N.C. ghost stories?

Devilish North Carolina

We're on the cusp of Halloween, so this post (found via The Atlantic Cities) seemed appropriate: A Hellish Tour of America. The so-called United States Devil Map is referenced, which notes those places with names like "Hell's Kitchen" or "Devil's Swamp" or or "Hades Canyon" or "Lucifer Falls." You get the drift.

Our fair state has its fair share of ominous-sounding names -- even if the places themselves are anything but. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple that made the Devil Map:

• Kill Devil Hills
• Seven Devils (warning: blatant shilling)

I had not heard of Hell Gate Creek or Hell Swamp -- but I'm sure a glimpse into the North Carolina Gazetteer would pull up all sorts of devilish places.

One place that is blatantly missing from the Devil Map? Why, the Devil's Tramping Ground, of course.  I also imagine Nancy Roberts could find some others.

Any others that didn't make the map?

Battleship N.C. featured on 'Ghost Hunters Academy'

Tune into the SyFy channel tonight at 10 for "Ghost Hunters Academy," which will devote an episode to supposed hauntings on-board the USS North Carolina in Wilmington.

"Ten sailors died in action aboard the North Carolina during World War II. For decades, visitors have reported strange phenomena aboard the vessel, including hatches opening and closing and strange noises. Many of the tales were collected by longtime caretaker Danny Bradshaw in his book, 'Ghosts of the Battleship North Carolina,' available at the memorial's gift shop," according to the Star-News.

In addition, visitors (as well as Bradshaw) have "seen the figure of a blonde man in passageways. Another figure sometimes appears in portholes. Doors and hatches open and close without explanation, and paranormal research groups report recording electronic voice phenomena (EVPs)," according to MyReporter.com.

(Image from Military.cz)

More Carolina spookiness

Saw this in the Washington (N.C.) Daily News this morning ...

"Imagine a fierce storm blowing in off the Pamlico River, bringing with it wind, rain, thunder and lightening.

"Youngsters huddle on the porch of their family’s home, watching in awe as a mysterious ball of light bounces in the distant.

"Sound far-fetched? Maybe not.

"Just such a phenomenon has been reported for generations in the Beaufort County town of Bath, a place rich in history and in lore and legends.

"The so-called 'Blackbeard’s Lights' reportedly make their appearance during such storms, dancing between Plum Point, where the legendary pirate Blackbeard is said to have lived, and Archbell Point.

" 'Over time, people have said they’ve seen them, but I haven’t ever seen them,' said Bea Latham, interpreter and assistant site manager at Historic Bath. 'It’s interesting that the lights have been described as bouncing from one side to the other.' ..."

Click here for the rest of the story.

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)

Favorite N.C. ghost stories

I loved "library day" as a kid in elementary school. I would immediately rush for the section on ghosts -- particularly North Carolina ghosts. I was always amazed at the number of ghoulish stories in our fair state. (And I must say thank you to author Nancy Roberts for compiling all of these for little minds like mine to read.)

So, on this Halloween 2007, I've been reminiscing on some of these fantastic stories that fascinated me as a child. Here are some of my favorites (with links, if possible). Please feel free to share your own.

-Devil's Tramping Ground, Chatham County. Old Beelzebub himself apparently does his nightly planning here by walking in a circle. (A circle that never disappears!!!) I've never had the nerve to try to camp out there. (Good friend Chris Daniel has a vlog about it here.)
-The Bath footprints, Bath. A horse race between a brash young man and the Devil ended up deadly when the horse got spooked and threw the young rider. The horse hoof prints never disappear!!!
-Maco Light, near Wilmington. My mother swears she saw this as a child. I've heard of late that because of the re-routing of trains or somesuch that the light no longer exists.
-The Little Red Man, Salem. An old cobbler was killed a couple hundred years ago at Old Salem. He was known for wearing a red jacket, I believe, and he was seen over the years being mischievious.
-The ferry crosses, throughout Western North Carolina. I've seen these tiny, stone crosses as the county museum in Murphy has a nice display of them.
-Lydia trying to get back home, near Greensboro. A young girl hitches a ride home from the prom. Unfortunately, she's been dead for a long time, killed in a car wreck -- on PROM NIGHT!!!!
-The bloody rock of Peter Dromgoole (sp?), Chapel Hill. At Ghimghoul Castle is the rock upon which Peter died after dueling for his love. The blood will never wash away!!!!

And perhaps my favorite of all, the Brown Mountain Lights.

In the western hills of North Carolina stands a mountain that is not particularly striking, or even high, but it plays host to perhaps the strangest mystery in the state. The mountain is called Brown Mountain and it lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge and for many years, it has attracted the attention of people all over the nation and even the attention of the United States government as two separate investigations have been conducted by the US Geological survey into the strange anomalies of this mountain.

The strange events that are occur here have been called the Brown Mountain Lights for more years than most can remember. They appear along the ridges of this mountain on a regular basis and are faithful enough that in clear weather, you can see them just about any night that you care to.