I had the pleasure of visiting these grounds in late 2017. It is a beautiful place forever linked to tobacco tycoon R.J. Reynolds and his family. Unfortunately, Mr. Reynolds wouldn’t enjoy the scenic landscape for long. He succumbed to cancer the year after the gardens were built, in 1918. His beloved wife, Katharine, would pass…
The Ghost of Suzy Still Walks This Western North Carolina Road Looking For Help
We are staying in Western North Carolina for this next ghostly tale in the small community of Dillsboro, near Cherokee. The intersection heading to Dick’s Creek, approximately a mile or so from town, is the site of a deadly carriage accident in the early 1800s. Legend says that on a warm August evening, a school…
The Historic and Reportedly Haunted Brookstown Inn
For whatever reason, we don’t cover historic hotels enough. When we do, the articles don’t get shared, but today is a new day. One hotel in Winston Salem, North Carolina, near Old Winston, has a reputation for being…drumroll, please!…HAUNTED! The historic Brookstown Inn dates back to circa 1837 and has quite a storied past. Originally…
Is Korner’s Folly in Kernersville Haunted
One historic home that deserves more attention is the iconic Korner’s Folly in Kernersville, North Carolina. When I lived in the area a few years ago, I would walk past this beautiful structure daily on my way downtown for a beer and a bite to eat. Labeled as the “strangest house in America,” Korner’s Folly…
Old St. Paul’s Church and Graveyard
Old St. Paul’s Church and Graveyard in Newton, North Carolina, dates to the early 1800s and is considered one of the oldest churches west of the Catawba River. The cemetery predates the church, with grave markers dating to the 1700s. Local legend says that the grounds are believed to be haunted by the spirit of…
The Beast of Bladenboro
The Beast of Bladenboro began in the winter of 1953-1954 when an alarming number of dead livestock and animal mutilations surfaced in Bladenboro, North Carolina, putting residents on heightened alert. The animals were found with their jaws either broken or removed, with blood drained from their bodies, with witnesses describing the beast as a panther…
Blackbeard’s Treasure and First Landing State Park
In 1718, the shores of the Carolinas and Virginia were stomping grounds of some of the dastardliest pirates to sail. Like other spots in the Carolinas, the Virginia coastline was the perfect spot for keeping an eye out for merchant ships and Navy vessels. Legend says that the Chesapeake Bay area was Teach’s favorite lookout….
The Sunshine Woman: North Carolina Folklore and Haunt
One of the most intriguing North Carolina urban legends is the story of the Sunshine Woman. Leila Maud Hansell was a schoolteacher and the wife of a powerful judge, who developed terminal tuberculosis. She died at the age of 54 in 1915 with one request: not to be buried in darkness. Her husband ordered the…
The Devil is Looking for a Soul to Steal at this North Carolina Paranormal Hot Spot
Ten miles south of Siler City in western Chatham County, North Carolina, is a 40-foot clearing that forms a perfect circle. Why? Nobody knows. But inside this circle, life refuses to grow, leaving nothing but what appears to be evidence of a bonfire that went bad. The spot sits ironically on a road named after…
The Demon Dog of Valle Crucis
Legend has it that a hellhound visits the grounds of Saint John’s Episcopal Church off Highway 194 in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, when the sun goes down. Why? Nobody seems to know. Valle Crucis is Latin for Valley of the Cross because of the three mountain streams that come together, forming the shape of a…