In the early 1970's, two college students were hitchhiking for a ride back to their dorms on Evansdale Campus. Apparently, they were picked up in the downtown area and not found again for months. Their decapitated bodies were later discovered near the lake, but the heads were no where to be found. The murderer and the case still remain a mystery today. It is believed however, that the two girls roam the woods near the lake, searching for their heads. Many car accidents have been reported on Route 857 North because of blurry apparitions of two girls running back and forth through the woods, distracting late night traffic.
One mile south of Parkersburg, is a small farming community called Marrtown that was settled by Scottish Immigrants in the mid 1800s. They came from an area of Scotland that believed in many supernatural creatures, including witches, ghosts, elves, fairies and not the least of them, the Banshee. The Banshee is an Irish/Scottish death fairy who attaches herself to Scottish and Irish clans. She sometimes rides a white horse and hangs out at waterways washing out the grave clothes of her dead. She is dressed in a death shroud and other tattered rag and her eyes are blood red from crying for her Scottish dead. Thomas and Mary Marr survived the Civil War, but they lost a lot of property. Thomas went to work on the toll bridge in Parkersburg that went over the little Kanawha River. He would always see a figure on a white horse whenever he came home very early in the morning. On February 5th, 1873, Mary awakened with a feeling of dread. She got up and look out the window and saw someone very old riding a white horse who was coming up to her front stoop. She went outside and saw it was an old woman whose eyes had an eerie glow. Finally, the old woman screamed, "Mary Marr, Thomas Marr has just died. Say your prayers, Lady. I bid you will." Woman and horse instantly disappeared. Within the hour, a man who worked with Thomas came to deliver the dreaded news. In fact, Thomas Marr did die -- he died in the icy waters of the little Kanawha River. Some say it was an assailants bullet that brought him down, Others say it was the keening cry of his Scottish Banshee that wailed and startled him into falling and meeting his death in the river below. Many still claim the Scottish Banshee still rides her horse on clear night and she still brings death to those of Irish or Scottish blood. Even to this day, the Marr family is still visited by the Banshee's presence. It would be wise to stay away from Marrtown on cold, lonely, moonless nights. One of several old train tunnels that runs through North End. It is said that during one of the world wars, a woman was on her way to be married, dressed in her wedding gown. She fell off the platform as a train was coming and was killed. As you approach the entrance of the tunnel, there is a very distinct drop in temperature and gusts of wind. EFS reads 'Danger' as you reach the middle of the tunnel, and wind often tends to pick up. Also, throughout the tunnel, the small archways on either side appear to be illuminated, even when all flashlights, etc. are removed from their surface. This facility was once one of the most violent jails that ever existed. It was condemned and shut down in 1995, and now claims to be the most paranormal site on the East Coast. This place is haunted by former inmates, and in this place you can see lights going off, and sometimes you can hear laughing, and as well as iron doors shutting, by themselves. Witnesses have reported hearing footsteps walking up stairs in areas without stairs, the appearance of mysterious formations, and many other horrifying experiences. The spirits are believed to be those of past prisoners. The WV Turnpike between Princeton and Charleston is plagued with many ghostly happenings. Phantom hitchhikers, strange lights, and UFOs are just some of the things that have been reported since construction of the highway began in 1952 and when it was opened for business on November 8, 1954. The West Virginia Turnpike is a toll road in the US state of West Virginia. It is also signed as Interstate 77 for its entire length as well as Interstate 64 from Charleston to just south of Beckley. From Beckley, the road extends south to Princeton. The Turnpike contains the only tolled sections of either Interstates 64 or 77. Historically, the West Virginia Turnpike was a two-lane road with treacherous curves and a tunnel (which has since been decommissioned). Construction began in 1952, several years before the Eisenhower Interstate System was funded. It was only in 1986 that the entire length of the Turnpike was upgraded to Interstate standards. The road is often referred to simply as "the Turnpike" by locals, since there are no other toll roads in the state. Due to the difficulty and lives lost in construction, it has also been called "88 miles of miracle." Although the whole stretch of road is known for its haunts just as much as its known for its treacherous terrain, most of the activity seems concentrated on a 15 mile stretch between Beckley and Mossy. Along this area, there are numerous reports of activity, many coming from state troopers. In two separate incidents involving two different troopers, a phantom hitchhiker has been picked up, only to disappear in the back seat of the cruiser. One hitchhiker, a young man, was arrested and put into the back of the trooper's car. When the trooper turned around, the man was gone and his handcuffs were lying on the seat. The other hitchhiker was a little girl who also disappeared. She was found wandering the side of the road, not talking. Besides the actual road itself, the old Morton Truck Stop and Glass House restaurant (now torn down) were reported to be haunted, as well as a highway maintenance building and offices. Many old family cemeteries were paved over or moved in the building of the highway, and at least 5 workers died in its construction. The highway runs along the sites of several major floods and mine disasters, not to mention countless murders, so perhaps this has something to do with the activity. |
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September 2014
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