a child growing up in North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s, I delighted in watching Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone television series and the great science-fiction films of that period. At the same time, I read with great interest the classic ghost stories of North Carolina, as documented by John Harden in The Devil’s Tramping Ground (1949) and Tar Heel Ghosts (1954) and by Nancy Roberts in An Illustrated Guide to Ghosts & Other Mysterious Occurrences in the Old North State (1959) and Ghosts of the Carolinas (1962).
Meanwhile, I was developing an abiding interest in the magnificent history of North Carolina. The history of the state—indeed, the history of British America—began on the soil of North Carolina with Sir Walter Raleigh’s colonization attempts, which resulted in the Lost Colony of Roanoke in the 15 80s. Ironically, our history as Tar Heels began with a haunting mystery that remains unresolved to this day.
When the European traditions of ghosts, witches, demons, and the like were brought to America, they landed on the shores of North Carolina. And it was on our soil that settlers documented some of the first encounters with the supernatural in America. But long before the arrival of European settlers, North Carolina was the domain of various Indian peoples. Theirs is a history replete with tales of the supernatural.
Because North Carolina has been a significant part of the American experience from the very beginning, it has emerged as one of the most historic places in the United States. And where there is history, ghosts and other elements of the supernatural can usually be found. As a longtime student of the Old North State, I can assure readers that North Carolina has a haunted heritage, one rich in the supernatural.
This book and its companion volumes offer a view of that ghostly history in a format never before presented. Here, for the first time, readers are offered a supernatural tale from each of the state’s one hundred counties. But the North Carolina’s Haunted Hundred series is not simply a collection of Tar Heel ghost stories from every county in the state. Rather, it is a sampler of the diverse supernatural history of North Carolina. The three volumes contain accounts of ghosts and apparitions (human, animal, and inanimate), witches, strange creatures, demons, spook lights, haunting mysteries, unidentified flying objects, unexplained phenomena, and more.
Instead of retelling the timeless ghost stories so well chronicled by Harden, Roberts, Fred T. Morgan, F. Roy Johnson, Judge Charles Harry Whedbee, and others, I have chosen to present many tales that have never been widely circulated in print. I include a few of the familiar tales of our ghostly lore in the mix, but with new information or a new twist.
Do you believe in ghosts and creatures of the night? Whether your answer is yes or no, almost everyone enjoys a ghost story or an inexplicable tale of the unusual. And when that narrative has as its basis real people, actual places, and recorded events, it becomes more enjoyable because it hints at credibility and believability.
All of the stories set forth in this three-volume series are based in fact. But over the years, these tales have been told and retold, and the details have in some cases become blurred. As with all folklore, whether you choose to believe any or all of the accounts in these pages is entirely up to you. A caveat that Mark Twain once offered his readers holds true here: “I will set down a tale.… It may be only a legend, a tradition. It may have happened, it may not have happened. But it could have happened.”
Should you develop a desire to visit some of the haunted places detailed in this series, be mindful that most are located on private property. Be sure to obtain permission from the owner before attempting to go upon any site.
Sprawling between the expansive coastal plain and the lofty peaks of the mountains is the populous North Carolina Piedmont. The majority of the state’s eight million-plus citizens call this region home. Lurking among this crowd of humanity is a sizable population of spirits and unknown entities that I have chosen to refer to collectively as Piedmont Phantoms. Their haunted realm now awaits you.
Acknowledgments
Writing a three-volume work with subject matter from each of the one hundred counties of North Carolina has given me a much deeper appreciation for the vastness of the state. To complete a project of this size and scope, I needed the assistance and kindly offices of innumerable people and many institutions. To all of them, I am truly grateful. There are, however, individuals who deserve special mention for their efforts on my behalf.
Extensive research was essential for the successful completion of this project. Librarians and their assistants at numerous county and municipal libraries throughout the state helped in that task by searching for materials, offering advice, and extending other courtesies to me. Pat Harden of the Norris Public Library in Rutherfordton; Chris Bates, the curator of the Carolina Room at the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County; and Fred Turner of the Olivia Raney Local History Library in Raleigh were particularly helpful. At the reference section in the State Library of North Carolina and in the search room of the North Carolina State Archives, I always received prompt and courteous attention and assistance. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bob Anthony and his staff at the North Carolina Collection and the staff at the Southern Historical Collection rendered the same outstanding assistance as they did on my prior books. At other academic libraries in the state, including those at Duke University, East Carolina University, and Appalachian State University, the special-collections personnel helped to point me in the right direction in my quest for information.
This project represents the fifth time around for me in working with Carolyn Sakowski and the excellent staff at John F. Blair, Publisher. Carolyn saw the merit in my proposal from the outset, and she was instrumental in its evolution into a three-book set. As in each of my past efforts, Steve Kirk has gone beyond the call of duty to provide his expertise as my editor. His patience, good and timely advice, keen insight, and knowledge of many subjects are deeply appreciated, and his hard work has added immeasurably to the quality of this book. Debbie Hampton, Anne Waters, Ed Southern, and all of the others at Blair are a pleasure to work with in production, publicity, and marketing.
When I issued a request for “good” ghost stories, my colleagues in the North Carolina General Assembly came to the aid of the person they refer to as their “resident historian.” Special assistance was provided by Representative Bill Hurley of Fayetteville, Representative Phil Haire of Sylva, Representative Wayne Goodwin of Hamlet, and Representative Leslie Cox of Sanford.
Friends from far and wide provided support for my efforts. At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, my friend and fellow author Dr. Chris Fonvielle offered advice and encouragement. In my hometown of Lincolnton, my friends often greeted me with a common question: “What are you writing now, Dan?” When I responded with details about North Carolina’s Haunted Hundred, they were universally enthusiastic about the series. My crosstown friend, George Fawcett, considered by many to be the foremost authority on unidentified flying objects in North Carolina, welcomed the opportunity to provide from his vast files materials on a credible UFO landing on Tar Heel soil. Darrell Harkey, the Lincoln County historical coordinator, provided words of encouragement and friendship when they were needed most.
For its unending assistance, support, and love, I owe my family an enormous debt of gratitude I can never repay. Because of my family roots, I hold a close kinship with each of the three geographic regions in the Haunted Hundred set. In the 1920s, my paternal grandparents left their home in Columbus County on the coast to settle in Gaston County. About the same time, my maternal grandparents left their home in western North Carolina to put down roots in Gaston. In that Piedmont county, east thus met west, and my parents married and reared a son there.
My late father introduced me to the intriguing world of ghosts and the supernatural by taking me to those now-campy horror films of the late fifties and early sixties. My mother taught me the love of reading and writing at an early
