Ghostly Happenings in West Virginia

The Restless Ghost of Mamie Thurman

During the Prohibition era, Mamie Thurman led the life of a carefree flapper. Unfortunately, she was found dead on the desolate 22 Mine Road in Logan. Although a local handyman was accused of the murder, most people thought that Mamie was killed by a well-known banker with whom she had had an affair.

The strangest thing of all is that there are no records of a burial, and her remains appear to have just vanished. Now her ghostly restless spirit haunts this road seeking revenge.

Paranormal Activity

One of West Virginia’s most haunted hotels is the Biennerhassett Hotel near Parkersburg.

William Chancellor, who oversaw the construction of the building in the late 1800s, remains as a ghostly resident of the Queen-Anne-style hotel.

Some hotel guests have seen a man in a tuxedo reflected in the mirrors, and others have seen ghostly children playing in the hallways. The hotel staff has reported unexplained noises like odd disembodied knocking.

The hotel package Haunted Parksburg includes ghost excursions.

Ghostly Horses and Headless Soldiers

Hillsboro’s Droop Mountain Battlefield is now a memorial honoring the last major Civil War battle in the state. Brigadier General William Averell and his Union forces defeated the Confederates on November 6, 1863 pushing them south into what is now Virginia. In 1929, the location was designated as a national park remembering those who died here.

Visitors have seen a decapitated Confederate soldier and another ghostly soldier dozing off against a tree. There have been the sounds of galloping ghostly horses.

Haunted Abandoned Amusement Park

Michael Clay, a European pioneer, and the Shawnee Indians of the area in Rock, West Virginia, got into a violent fight in the late 1700s. Three of the Clay children and several Shawnee warriors perished as a result, and some say the bloodshed cursed this land.

In the 1920s a local businessman purchased the property and constructed the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. However, the park closed in 1966 after a number of individuals died in accidents during the years.

Many visitors to this area have seen the ghostly apparitions of a man and a young girl dressed in pink during paranormal tours.

The Haunted Town of Lewisburg

Visitors have said that late at night they’ve heard moaning and cries coming from the Old Stone Church, which served as a Civil War hospital and could be the ghostly spirits of soldiers.

The General Lewis Inn has up to three ghostly guests staying here, who are all mischievous.

Among all the ghosts haunting the town the most famous is known as the Greenbrier Ghost. This is the ghostly spirit of Zona Hester Shue, a woman who was murdered by her husband and whose ghost helped to convict him.

The Ghostly Lady in White

Hikers, bikers, and horseback riders love the 72-mile North Bend Trail. However, tunnel number 9, sometimes called the Silver Run Tunnel, is rumored to be haunted, and caution should be taken when going through it.

There are reports of a young woman standing on the tracks in a flowing white dress dating back to 1910. When an engineer saw her for the first time, he abruptly stopped the train, thinking he was going to hit her. When he went looking for her, she had disappeared.

Just remember to bring a good flashlight if you would like to look for this ghostly spirit because the tunnel is very dark even in daylight.

Spooky Lunatic Asylum

One of the most well-known asylums and the crown jewel of the haunted asylums in West Virginia is the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston.

Built to accommodate 250 patients when it opened in 1864, the asylum was overcrowded with almost 2,400 patients at its height. It closed in 1994.

Visitors have seen shadowy forms, heard disembodied sounds, and seen the ghostly spirits of former patients. In the enormous stone structure, Wards Two and Four are the most haunted.