Activists in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle are promoting local history. They hope it will encourage residents to support the preservation of a village they consider threatened by corporate development.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” ~ Hamlet
The ghost story.
We’ve all heard them, but do we believe?
Skeptics, like myself, find ourselves on the side of incredulity when we hear the old chestnut about the lady in white (archetypal to countless stories) who goes or glows by candlelight and haunts in historical places. Years ago, the Elk Hotel in Sutton had such an ethereal guest.
Yet, like Fox Mulder of TheX-Files, I want to believe.
Seeing a ghost is actually on my bucket list. Also on that list was seeing a UFO – now past-tense because in the late 90’s, in Charleston, I saw something one winter evening hovering silently in the sky – for which I have no logical explanation. That’s a tale for another time.
Earlier this year, I was visiting friends who have a summer home along the Elk River in Clay County. One clear night, under an immense spread of stars and planets, I heard myself asking:
“Have you ever seen a ghost?”
That question let me to ask for ghost tales from our West Virginia audience. Here are three of those tales for your enjoyment:
Dennis Hedrick, a friend of forty-five years, recounts the strange, inexplicable things had consistently happened while remodeling an office.
Courtney Buterbaugh shared this story, not of specter, but of a time slip.
Charleston playwright, Dan Kehde, submitted this tale of dark unrest.
WV Ghosts and Paranormal 10282020.mp3
Listen to three ghostly tales collected by Eclectopia host Jim Lange from his fellow West Virginians.
As for me, I believe, but await my own experience.
You can hear Eclectopia Fridays at 10 and Saturdays at 11 on WVPB.
Activists in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle are promoting local history. They hope it will encourage residents to support the preservation of a village they consider threatened by corporate development.
On this West Virginia Morning, months of anticipation will come to a head this week as the Jefferson County Planning Commission reviews revised plans for a water bottling site in the rural community of Middleway.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we visit a summer camp that’s part of the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan. Also, during the Great Depression, Osage, West Virginia was a raucous river town. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive. And, the author of an upcoming graphic novel about pipeline fighters has a message for people outside the region.
Student News Live, in partnership with the Carter G. Woodson Lyceum, will present a live-streamed Black History Month Town Hall with Rev. Al Sharpton from the Paley Center for Media in New York City. WVPB will share the live stream from 7:30 – 8:15 p.m. Feb. 7 on our YouTube channel.