Born of the strife of the Civil War, West Virginia is a state with more than its share of painful places that should make a good home to specters, ghouls and ghosts. From prisons to insane asylums, scenes of murders to places of terrible accidents, here are four places that you can visit to find a hauntingly good time. As a lifelong resident of various parts of West Virginia and a history major in college, these stories are well known to me and I have visited all of these locations. For more information on each follow the links.
A ghost hunt in West Virginia should start at the old State Penitentiary in Moundsville. (Visit http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/537097/visiting_the_old_west_virginia_state.html for my article on visiting the prison.) The prison was the site of riots and other disturbances. Perhaps the souls of some former inmates still haunt the cell blocks at this massive stone building. The original electric chair is still there and tourists can get their picture taken in it. Don’t worry, I’m sure it has been unplugged. (www.wvpentours.com)
Point Pleasant West Virginia is best known as the location of the Mothman. The winged creature made its appearance in town shortly before the collapse of the local bridge over the Ohio River plunged dozens of locals to their deaths in the cold murky water. Whether you are searching for ghosts or other supernatural phenomenon, Point Pleasant is a hot spot you won’t want to miss. (www.mothmanlives.com)
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum / Weston State Hospital is another huge stone building where thousands of tortured souls spent their days. Living in terrible conditions (by today’s standards) this is a place where it is logical for those to return after death. (http://www.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com)
Another location that a ghost hunter shouldn’t miss is in the lovely Babcock State Park. The working grist mill on a scenic mountain stream is one of the most widely used scenes in West Virginia travel brochures. But just down from the mill stands cabin #13. Cabin #13 was the site of a grizzly murder. A preacher and his wife stayed there in the 1990’s and the wife ended up dead. The husband was convicted of her murder. Apparently he needed her gone to be with his male lover. Hopefully the preacher has a good highlighter so he mark all the verses of the Bible that he missed that resulted in his imprisonment. In any case cabin #13 would be an eerie place to stay in a beautiful park. For more information on visiting Babcock State Park, visit Click www.associatedcontent.com/article/282882/visit_west_virginias_babcock_state.html. For more information on the murder, follow this link: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/102902/D7MVF0MO1.html. My information on this murder came from news coverage at the time and a conversation with a park employee during my stay.
Located in the center of West Virginia lies the small town of Flatwoods. In the 1950s it is rumored that a UFO crashed nearby and shortly thereafter some locals began seeing a monster. Thousands have come to this area over the years to search for the Flatwoods Monster as it is known locally. There is an outlet mall nearby for those not interested in monster hunting. This is a story I have heard numerous times from my Dad and Aunt who were young children when this happened and of big interest to them at the time. For more information follow this link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/Flatwoods.html.
Visit my Content Producer page for more articles on West Virginia travel and much more. Though not rumored to be haunted there are also mummies on display in the town of Philippi. Doesn’t get much creepier than that!
