Some may remember the unintentional tourist attraction, dubbed the Yogi Bear Graveyard, that was located off I-95 in North Carolina. When Yogi Bear Honey Fried Chicken locations began closing across the Southeast, the fiberglass statues that once occupied those restaurants were purchased by the Jellystone Park Campground in Halifax. The statues welcomed travelers to the…
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 Ghostly Horseman of Charlotte, NC
The Battle of Cowan’s Ford was fought on February 1, 1781, in present-day Mecklenburg County. American General William Lee Davidson was killed in combat as British forces under the leadership of Lord Cornwallis claimed victory. Davidson’s men snuck back across enemy lines to claim the body of Davidson. The old battlefield now rests under Lake…
The Ghostly Legend of Naomi Wise
Naomi Wise was a young orphan girl who lived with the Adams’ family, just north of Randleman, North Carolina, in the early 1800s. The young Wise became smitten with a handsome fellow named Jonathan Lewis, who happened to live just a few miles from where she was living at the time. Naomi was warned about…
The Deadly Loray Mill Strike of 1929
Demands for higher pay and a 40-hour workweek ignited the Loray Mill Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 1929. We often like to think that we have come a long way with better working conditions, higher wages, and even a work-life balance, but have we? Despite what is currently taught in our educational systems across…
The 1972 Durham family Triple Homicide
On February 3, 1972, on a cold, snowy night in Boone, North Carolina, the Durham family, who owned a nearby automotive dealership named Modern Buick, was murdered. The cause surrounding their mysterious slayings would haunt Western North Carolina for nearly fifty years. Weather conditions on that night were treacherous, with four inches of snow caked…
The Dorothea Dix Cemetery
The graveyard at Dorothea Dix Park is a cemetery located at 759-777 Dawkins Drive, serves as the final resting place for many patients who were treated at the Dorothea Dix Hospital, North Carolina’s first psychiatric hospital, situated on Dix Hill in Raleigh, North Carolina. The hospital was established sometime around 1856 and cared for thousands…
The Gray Lady at the Mordecai House
The Mordecai House was built around 1785, making it older than Raleigh, North Carolina, by seven years. Five generations of the Mordecai family lived in the home, and in the 1960s, the house was sold to the city. Legend has it that the grounds are home to more than one ghost. A piano from the…
The ghostly legend of the abandoned “High House” Part 2
Sometime around 1822, Jones Left North Carolina and William’s ancestors moved into the High House, where they began having dreams about a hidden treasure. One night, a voice appeared to Leander Williams in a dream, revealing a secret treasure hidden in the fireplace. Reportedly, the same voice also visited William’s mother. During the 1700s and…
The ghostly legend of the abandoned “High House”
Legend has it that a section of Land in Cary, North Carolina, along High House Road is reportedly the home of buried treasure, ghosts, and even haunted woods. This will be a two-part series- Please follow The Lantern website. The tale dates back to the 1800s, and many things have changed in this part of…