Down Highway 88 in Ashe County, North Carolina, between West Jefferson and Warrensville, sits a place with a legend just as eerie as its name. This drive is a motorcyclist’s dream, offering beautiful views for some, but it is also reportedly haunted.
The “Devil’s Stairs” is a rock formation that has earned a reputation over the years due to the number of accidents that have occurred here. It was formed by dynamiting in the area to make way for the railroad in the early 1900s, around 1914 or 1915.
One person who is believed to have died during the blasts was a young African-American worker whose entire body was never recovered. Still, some of his parts were eventually found in the nearby mountain woods.
After this accident, many locals believed that Satan had come to town and was responsible for the death, hence earning this place the name of the “Devil’s Stairs.”
Shortly after the accident, other strange things began to happen, such as people allegedly hearing old hymns coming from the tracks and seeing the apparition of a headless man on the rocks.
Another tale says that approximately a year after the young man perished, a woman climbed a rock near the bridge and tossed her baby over the side into the waters below. Again, this is purely legend, with no names given.
Carolina’s Unknown told a story on May 3, 2017, that states a gentleman named Jim Pullman came through the area on horseback one evening. Still, his horse stopped abruptly after the pair discovered a casket was blocking the road. Mr. Pullman tried to get off his trusty horse to investigate, but was unable. Instead, Jim and his horse left to seek refuge at a friend’s home. The next day, Jim and his horse made the journey again, but could pass with no coffin spotted or an explanation for what he had seen the previous night.
Was this the coffin of the alleged gentleman who lost his life here years ago in the railroad accident?
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Source: Carolina’s Unknown and The Watauga Democrat
Image: Carolina’s Unknown Facebook Page
