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 age. Both parents instilled in me a love of my native state.
My sister remains an ardent supporter of my career as a writer and historian.
My daughter, Kristie, has literally grown up while I have written eight books over the past seven years. With forbearance and love, she has endured the travels and travails of a father who has attempted to balance a career in law, politics, and history with a normal family life. Now a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she has somehow found time in her extremely busy schedule to type portions of my handwritten manuscripts.
No one deserves more praise and credit for this book and all my others than my wife and best friend, Kay. It was Kay who encouraged me to combine my interests in North Carolina history and the supernatural heritage of our state to produce this book and its companion volumes. As with my previous books, Kay has meticulously read and reread every word and has acted as my sounding board for sentence structure and vocabulary. But more than that, her smiling face, her praise for me even when it’s not merited, her willingness to support my every endeavor and to proudly stand beside me, her genuine kindness and unique grace, and her boundless love and constant companionship for more than twenty-seven years have blessed my life with a measure of happiness that few men ever have the good fortune to enjoy.
PIEDMONT PHANTOMS
ALAMANCE COUNTY
Haunted by the Past
Ghosts must be all over the country, as thick as the sands of the sea.
Henrik Ibsen
From the Atlantic coast to the Blue Ridge Mountains, countless ghosts haunt the Tar Heel landscape. Many of these spectres are believed to be the spirits of persons who died tragic, violent deaths as a result of crime, accident, or suicide. Though North Carolina ghosts are found along highways and railroads, on bridges, in cemeteries, and at schools and businesses, their most frequent haunt is the home. Indeed, haunted houses are synonymous with ghosts.
Traditionally, haunted houses have been depicted as dark, forbidding, dilapidated structures devoid of human