Ghost Stories

Long ago, in the woods, there was a woman named Spearfinger. This Cherokee witch was feared among her people along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina. She was described as being forty feet tall with skin like rock that no weapon could penetrate. With one long razor sharp finger, she would sneak up behind you, stab it through your back and yank out your liver, eating it in one gulp. More than anything, she loved the flesh of young children. Spearfinger could transform herself in to anything or anyone. You never knew if your friend or neighbor was actually them or the witch until it was too late. One day, an indian village knew Spearfinger was fast approaching them. They developed a plan to dig a huge pit, surrounding the village, and cover it with branches and leaves. When she fell in, they would strike and kill her. The whole village came together, putting the plan in to action. One particular boy had trouble pulling his weight. His clumsy nature hinde...

Battery Park Hotel - 1880s The original Battery Park Hotel was built in 1886 by Colonel Frank Coxe in Ashville, NC. Named after Confederate soldiers using it as a site for batteries of artillery, it was the first hotel in the South with an electric elevator and lighting. Many visited for the clean Mountain air to combat illnesses like Tuberculosis and enjoyed its beautiful views. Famous families visited the hotel including Rockefeller and Lorillard. George Vanderbilt also stayed at Battery Park, viewing the land where he would soon build Biltmore Estate. The old building was torn down and a new was built in its place in 1924 tha nks to Edwin W. Grove It remained in operation until 1972. In the 1980s, it was converted in to apartments for senior citizens and today, businesses operate on the first floor. Battery Park Hotel is believed to be haunted by Helen Clevenger. She was in Ashville visiting her uncle W. L. Clevenger. On July 17, 1936, she was found brutally murdered in...

Phantom hitchhiker stories are not uncommon. Most entail someone driving on a road or highway when they come upon a person walking along side, flagging them down for a ride. A kind person might stop to lend a helping hand only to discover the hitchhiker has disappeared. The story of Lydia is no different. The legend begins in late December 1923 (the 23rd or 31st depending on who you talk to). Lydia was leaving a dance in Raleigh, North Carolina, some say with her date, on her way home. It was raining and she lost control of the car and hit the Southern Railroad Underpass Bridge. In one version, her date died instantly while Lydia attempted to get help and succumbed to her injuries on the side of the road. The other has her dying instantly in the car accident. Is there any truth to the story? It seems there might be. Back in the 1920s, car accidents weren’t an everyday occurrence as they are today. So, you would think finding records of a girl dying in such a manner would be easy to...

Long ago, in the woods, there was a woman named Spearfinger. This Cherokee witch was feared among her people along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina. She was described as being forty feet tall with skin like rock that no weapon could penetrate. With one long razor sharp finger, she would sneak up behind you, stab it through your back and yank out your liver, eating it in one gulp. More than anything, she loved the flesh of young children. Spearfinger could transform herself in to anything or anyone. You never knew if your friend or neighbor was actually them or the witch until it was too late. One day, an indian village knew Spearfinger was fast approaching them. They developed a plan to dig a huge pit, surrounding the village, and cover it with branches and leaves. When she fell in, they would strike and kill her. The whole village came together, putting the plan in to action. One particular boy had trouble pulling his weight. His clumsy nature hinde...

I received an email about a week ago about a new documentary available now. The documentary is called A Christmas Family Tragedy. The story about the Lawson Family I guess in some ways is similar to the Amityville murders. Charlie Lawson, a 43-year-old tobacco farmer, killed his wife, six of his seven children and then committed suicide on Christmas Day 1929 in Stokes County, North Carolina. Many people were quite baffled about how this man could do such a thing and possibly that question may have been answered by now or someone has come close to answering it. However, it has a continuing effect on the community 'til this day. Now, as tragic as this is, I'm sure you are wondering how it qualifies as a ghost story. Well, from what I was told, a house that is now The Squires Inn Bed & Breakfast is said to be haunted by members of the Lawson family. The owners claim they have seen seven year old Maybell and two year old Raymond Lawson peering into windows of the front door a...