BERKELEY SPRINGS
BERKELEY CASTLE
(Berkeley Springs Castle)
276 Cacapon Road
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia 25411
Status: Former Residence; Former Summer Camp; Former Museum; Private Property (No Public Access)
By Jeanne Mozier from the Washington Heritage Trail - <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/photos/64759">http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/photos/64759</a>, Public Domain, Link
History
Samuel Taylor Suit built this castle for his third wife, Rosa, but never lived to see it’s completion. Rosa – 29 years younger than her husband – had the castle finished in 1891 and moved in.
Samuel began to pursue Rosa when she was just 17. She was daughter of a Senator from Alabama.
The castle was one of many “cottages” built by the wealthy of Washington DC trying to escape the sweltering summer heat in the city.
Samuel and Rosa actually met in Berkeley Springs.
They were married in 1883, the cottage was begun in 1885 and their “happy ending” ended prematurely in 1888 when Samuel died.
Rosa immediately moved into her new castle year round when it was completed and began to throw huge lavish parties – she even rented rail cars to bring her guests up from DC – that kept the dancing and debauchery up til dawn.
Rosa never married again as her late husband’s will stipulated she would lose everything if she remarried. She did, however, have a number of lovers.
Alas, with no money no longer coming in, with her former husband now deceased, Rosa had run out of funds by the turn of century. She attempted to recoup some of that money by renting out the castle and selling the surrounding land, but it too little too late, but the castle went up on the auction block in 1913.
Rosa – now destitute – ended up living out her days with her son in a small cabin in Idaho. One would wonder where all her wealthy friends went when she needed them most.
In 1938 the castle became a boys summer camp and remained that way until 1954.
From 1954 to 1999 the castle was open to the public as a museum. From 1999 to 2020 it was a private residence again before ending up on the auction block again.
In 2020 it was bought by a paranormal group in an attempt to use it as a paranormal research center. It is unclear exactly what happened but it was put up for sale again in June of that year and bought by a White Supremacist Nationalist Group – VDARE – and is closed to the public again.
Paranormal Activity
There are persistent rumors that Samuel Taylor died under mysterious circumstances – he passed soon after his will was changed to leave everything to Rosa – and many believe Rosa poisoned him.
Two of Rosa’s later lovers also died under strange circumstances in the castle; one was impaled on her parasol during a fight between them on a stairway and another somehow managed to fall off of the roof.
In 1993 in the office/drawing room several witnesses saw a quill pen rise up off of a table and twirl around before setting back down; all on it’s own with no interaction with anything visible.
The castle seemingly turns off it’s own power but is very particular about when it does it. Although the house is private property it does offer – as it has in past – booking for private events including weddings. The only time the power will suddenly fail is during actual wedding ceremonies; the castle does not seem to be a fan of marriage.
Furniture is often re-arranged in empty rooms.
Loud crashes are heard on the upper floors but when checked nothing has changed or been disturbed.
Other Reported Activity: disembodied voices; objects moving on their own; phantom footsteps; phantom laughter of children; light anomalies and feelings of not being alone and being watched.
CAIRO
SILVER RUN TUNNEL
(Tunnel 19)
North Bend Rail Trail
Status: Former Railroad Tunnel; Rail Trail
History
Previous to the Civil War this trail was an active railway track.
The railway was sold during the 1980’s and converted into the rail trail.
The North Bend Rail Trail is known as one of the best hiking trails in the Appalachian Mountains.
It is 72 miles long and includes 36 bridges and 10 tunnels and is part of the American Discovery Trail which travels the entire length of the Country.
One of the 10 tunnels (Tunnel 19) is said to be haunted. The tunnel is said to be 1,376 feet (419 metres) long and is described as constantly being cold, wet and filled with a light mist.
Paranormal Activity
Tales of the ghost of a woman in white date back to when trains were still running on this track.
Legend says a bride either fell or was pushed from a speeding train to her death in this tunnel.
The ghost appeared so frequently to engineers that many saw her so many times they wouldn’t even slow down entering the tunnel knowing she was a ghost and could not be hurt or killed. Of course, there are many more stories of trains coming to a halt and looking for the remains of the woman they think they just hit. Nothing was ever found.
There is one story of an engineer who noticed a lot more people following his train into the town closest to the tunnel. When he stopped, he asked why so many people were following the train while they, in turn, were asking him what happened to the lady in the white dress sitting on the cowcatcher of his engine.
Apparently, the ghost had hitched a ride when the train hadn’t slowed down at the tunnel before disappearing as it entered the town.
The woman in white is still frequently reported either inside or just outside of Tunnel 19 (Silver Run Tunnel) by hikers.
GAP MILLS
SWEET SPRINGS SANATORIUM
(Sweet Springs Resort)(Old Springs)
19540 Sweet Springs Valley Road
Status: Former Courthouse and Jail, Former Resort, Former Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Former Old Age Home, Private Property
Overnight Paranormal Investigations are Available
By Brian M. Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
History
The first European to own this property was William Lewis – a Revolutionary War veteran. He owned over 1000 acres in 1775 and had hopes of developing a town and resort.
In 1790 the State of Virginia – West Virginia did not exist previous to the Civil War – granted him a charter to create the town of Fontville. For 12 years the Virginia Circuit Court for 4 – and later 5 – Counties met here. There is still a jailhouse on the property from this time.
In the early 19th century, the bid was lost to become the County Seat and focus was reset on creating a resort. In 1830 construction was began – completed in 1833 – of a permanent brick hotel. This is the main building, many call this the Jefferson Building, on the grounds today.
The resort had many famous historical guests in the late 18th and 19th centuries including US Presidents George Washington, Millard Fillmore and James Monroe and Confederate General Robert E Lee.
The Lewis family owned the resort until 1852 when it was sold due to financial distress. The resort was restored and new structures were added by the new owners creating its historically most financially successful period until the Civil War.
Union forces occupied the site during the Civil War but there is no record of any damage being done. After the War tourists did return to the resort but visitor numbers began to dwindle as many people preferred to visit the resorts nearer to the railway lines.
The Lewis family bought the resort again in 1902 but by 1930 it was in bankruptcy and closed down. From 1942 to 1945 the resort was used as a tuberculosis sanatorium. After 1945 the State of West Virginia bought the property and converted it into the Andrew S Rowan Memorial Home for the Aged.
In 1991 the State closed the Old Age home and turned the site over to the County to create a rehabilitation center. That plan failed and the site was put up for private sale in 1996.
In 2005 the site was bought by an owner looking to renovate it back into the resort it once was. Unfortunately, the owner passed away in 2015 and the property was put up for auction in 2015 before being bought by the current owners.
Paranormal Activity
Legend says a high number of former owners have died unexpectedly creating stories of a curse.
For a place purported to be very active there is surprisingly very little information on this site.
The following is what we gathered from the few sources:
Apparitions of former guests, patients and staff including a woman who is seen watching out a window from the third floor; touches, tugs and pulls from unseen entities; phantom footsteps; electrical disturbances including all the lights turning on on their own; empathic feelings of sorrow; unexplained noises and disembodied voices; objects moving on their own and feelings of being watched and not being alone.
MOUNDSVILLE
WEST VIRGINIA PENITENTIARY
(Moundsville Penitentiary)
818 Jefferson Avenue
Status: Former Prison; Tourist Attraction
Public and Private Paranormal Investigations Available
By <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:VitaleBaby" class="extiw" title="en:User:VitaleBaby">VitaleBaby</a> at <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org">en.wikipedia</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span> Transferred from <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org">en.wikipedia</a>, Public Domain, Link
History
The land was bought in 1866 and construction was begun on the new prison; the location was chosen because of its proximity to the then state capitol, Wheeling. The prison opened in 1876 as one of the most fearsome looking prisons having being built in the Gothic style. The facility opened with 251 male prisoners and room for a total of 480 but by the 1930s its population was exceeding 2,400. At times 3 inmates occupied one 5 x 7 cell.
The first execution occurred in 1899 and in total of 94 men were put to death in the prison – 85 were hung and the remaining 9 died in the electric chair – the original electric chair is on display here.
At one point the prison was on the US Department of Justice’s 10 Most Violent Correctional Institutions list. 36 homicides were recorded inside the prison’s walls. The most infamous area was a recreational area called the “Sugar Shack” were fighting and rapes were common.
The prison was closed in 1995 due to the number of riots and escapes and a ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court that the cells were so small that they constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
This location is open to the public. It is open for many different tours both in the day and in the night. There are 2 ghost tours available, both for a 6-hour duration – a public one and a private one.
During October the prison is converted into a haunted house.
This location will be home to the 2021 West Virginia Paranormal Convention.
Paranormal Activity
The ghost of a maintenance man who was stabbed to death by prisoners in the basement for telling the guards on them.
The circular entrance gate still turns on its own eternally bringing in prisoners to the facility.
Areas where paranormal activity is most common include: The Sugar Shack – an indoor area used when the outdoor exercise yard could not be used, Death Row, the Shower Cages and the North Wagon Gate – where prisoners were held before execution in the days previous to the electric chair.
Other reported activity – phantom footsteps, disembodied voices, screams, crying, pleading, banging and other loud noises, light anomalies, extreme feeling of unease and being watched and disembodied laughing.
ROCK
LAKE SHAWNEE AMUSEMENT PARK
470 Matoaka Road
Status: Murder Site; Former Amusement Park; Heritage Property
Paranormal Tours Allowed
By <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/55229469@N07">Forsaken Fotos</a> from , Maryland - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/55229469@N07/10511866324/">Lake Shawnee Amusement Park</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link
History
Long before an amusement park sat on this land it belonged to Mitchell Clay. At that time this location would have been on the western edge of what was being colonized by Europeans.
Mitchell came into conflict with the surrounding indigenous population. In 1783 he went out hunting and came home to find 2 of his children had been murdered. A third was kidnapped and burned at the stake in what is now part of Ohio.
In 1926 Conley Snidow purchased the land with the idea of building an amusement park for the families of the coal miners now living in the area.
Between 1927 and 1966, when the park closed, 6 people died in the park. One girl on the swings hit the back of delivery truck that pulled too far back. Two kids drowned in the pond. We couldn’t find any details of the other 3 deaths.
The reason for closing the park officially is a failed health inspection. Although, many people think it was just one death too many for the park to stay open.
Twenty years later Chris White – whose father, Gaylord, was a former park employee – bought the park in hopes of opening it again. This plan came to an end when human remains were found in the ground indicating it had once been an Indigenous Burial Ground.
There 13 skeletons found – all indigenous people – the majority being children. The remains predated European colonization.
The park is now open for paranormal investigations. Every October a Haunted carnival is run on site for charity.
Before going to the property you need to call the owner, Chris White, at the number above to get permission.
Paranormal Activity
The apparition of a little girl playing on the swings.
Ghosts of other children are seen near the ferris wheel.
At least person has been locked in the abandoned ticket booth. The booth has no locks.
Gaylord was using a tractor on the property when suddenly a little girl appeared sitting on the fender.
One person was physically thrown out of the ticket booth by an unseen entity.
The swings have frequently been seen moving on their own.
Other Activity: apparitions of indigenous people; cold spots, electrical disturbances, light anomalies, feelings of being watched and not being alone, disembodied voices, screams and laughter.
WESTON
TRANS ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM
(Weston State Hospital)
71 Asylum Drive
Status: Former Asylum; Tourist Attraction
Public and Private Paranormal Investigations Available
By
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text"
href="https://www.flickr.com/people/10058483@N00">Richie
Diesterheft</a> from Chicago, IL, USA - <a rel="nofollow"
class="external text"
href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/puroticorico/5079657065/">Asylum
Standing Tall</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link
History
Yet another hospital built on Kirkbride design (see Danvers State Hospital) this structure was built between 1858 – 1881 and opened its doors to patients in 1864. Construction was halted by the outbreak of the Civil War when the money put aside for the construction was stolen when it was demanded by the State of Virginia after the West Virginia succession and an attempt was made to use it to finance a pro-Northern States government in Virginia. The money was eventually recovered and construction began again after West Virginia was officially recognized as a US State. The name of the hospital was changed to Weston State Hospital in 1913.
As well many of its contemporaries this hospital quickly became dangerously overcrowded. The original design had been for 250 patients but by 1880 it held over 700 patients, then 1,600 in 1938 and 1,800 in 1949. The population was made up mostly of epileptics, drug addicts and the mentally handicapped. Some parts of the hospital had limited lighting, heating and furniture while others (such a re-built wing after a patient set a fire) were almost luxurious.
Charles Manson was even a patient here for a short stay.
Again; like many of its contemporaries; when the 1980′s began to roll around and attitudes toward the mentally ill changed, the population began to decline. Eventually, it was decided to turn the hospital into a state prison and build a new hospital. The new hospital was built in Weston but in the end the old facility was simply closed. The doors were shut in May 1994.
Since its closure there have been many plans for the old hospital including turning it into a golf course. Two museums were built inside the main building but both were closed down due to fire code violations. In 2007 the building was bought by an asbestos contractor for almost 2 million dollars and the grounds are now used for events such as county fairs. Tours are also offered of the facility both in the daytime and nighttime. As well overnight stays can be booked for Saturday nights.
Paranormal Activity
A lot of places advertise themselves as the most haunted place in the USA or North America. This is the one location that doesn’t need to advertise apparently. This is the only location where we have found reports by actual investigators that make this claim.
Reported activity – shadow figures, partial and full body apparitions (many partially inside of walls) of both patients and staff, disembodied voices, screams, laughter, crying, calls for help, mysterious mists, light anomalies, phantom footsteps, feeling of being watched and not wanted, EVP warning people to go home or leave, response to knocks, response to Spirit Boxes, windows and doors opening and closing on their own, touches and pushes, sound of breathing, objects disappearing and moving on their own and so on and so on.
If you want to experience the paranormal personally this location should be high on your list.