During the 19th century, George Powell’s log cabin mysteriously burned to the ground. Mr. Powell blamed the fire on witches and the evil spirits that were said to be trapped inside. When he built his next residence on the grounds, he placed a keyhole near the roof to let the witches and spirits escape. The…
The Phantom Rider of the Confederacy
Calvary Episcopal Churchyard is home to even more legends than the “Headless Horseman of WNC.” The church is located in the town of Fletcher, North Carolina, and the tale dates back to Stoneman’s Raid in 1865, during the Civil War. The Phantom Rider of the Confederacy is a legend that may not be as well-known…
The White Horse of Death of Fletcher, North Carolina
The “White Horse of Death” is associated with Rugby Grange in Fletcher, and the Rugby Grange (built in 1860) ghost story appeared in a 1957 article in Life Magazine, but some things were changed to make it more appealing. Fletcher and Arden seem to be the spot if you’re looking for a headless horseman or…
The Shelton Laurel Massacre in North Carolina
In January 1863, during the height of the Civil War, thirteen men and boys were killed by Confederates when they were suspected of Unionism. The historical marker stands at NC 208, at NC 212, west of Shelton Laurel in Madison County, North Carolina. It constitutes one of the most tragic events in North Carolina history….
The Tybee Bomb
On February 5, 1958, a B-47 bomber dropped a 7,600-pound nuclear weapon of mass destruction into the waters off Tybee Island, Georgia, after a collision with an F-86 fighter jet. According to Armscontrolcenter.org, the Mark 15 hydrogen thermonuclear bomb has an explosive yield of up to 3.8 megatons, roughly 190 times more potent than the…
Was The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park Cursed
The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is now a defunct amusement park near Princeton, in Mercer County, West Virginia, but when it was operational, many accidental deaths occurred inside. Many believe the park was cursed because it was built on what is considered “cursed land.” The land on which the amusement park was built was the…
The Mothman of West Virginia
Sightings of The Mothman date back to at least 1966, when local gravediggers first encountered what they described as a “brown human being” soaring over their heads. On November 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant had seen a large black creature whose eyes “glowed red.” The witnesses sped away in their vehicle, but…
The Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876
On March 3, 1876, meat fell from the sky near Olympia Springs, Kentucky, sometime before noon. No one knows exactly the type of meat that hit the ground that day or even the origin. There are some explanations that the meat was lung tissue, but it remains a subject of speculation and mystery. Various reports…
The Legend of the Richmond Vampire
Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, is home to a famous urban legend. For years, people have traveled to the mausoleum of W.W. Pool, hoping the Richmond Vampire would make an appearance. The legend of the Richmond Vampire dates back to at least the 1920s, and there are different origins of why W.W. Pool was dubbed…
The Ghostly Ball of Fire
In the small rural settlement of Brantley’s Grove in Hertford County, North Carolina, sits the Jenkins Cemetery. According to the book North Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends, on page 36. A ghostly ball of fire rose from the ground of the cemetery, moving at a height of about ten feet above the ground. It floated…