Warren County: The Devil’s Footprint
Wilson County: The Roots of America’s Most Famous Haunting
Yadkin County: Haunts of a Tragic Past
Foreword
“I love North Carolina.”
A simple statement—and one Dan Barefoot didn’t have to tell me. I could tell it myself while propped in my favorite chair, Haints of the Hills in my hand, Piedmont Phantoms and Seaside Spectres on the table beside me. Ghost stories, sure, but the pages of all three are imbued with Dan’s love of the state. His fascination with it, too. And that’s a powerful combination: love and fascination. So powerful, in fact, I’m afraid I’ve dog-eared my three volumes and bent the corners of several pages—I’m not one for bookmarks anyway. It’s just that I’ve read and reread his accounts, and no, the supernatural tales haven’t kept me up at night, but they have reminded me why I, too, love the state. For it is rich with history, and history is also imbued on the pages of Dan’s books, on just about each and every page, which lends credibility to his ghostly stories. And how about that for a combination? Credibility and ghosts?
“Do you believe in them?” I ask Dan—I suppose I’m putting him on the spot. “Ghosts?”
“Well …” he begins.
I’m not sure how I’d answer, either. I’ve told dozens of ghost stories myself, not in print but on TV, and I’ve looked into the eyes of people who’ve told me of their encounters with the inexplicable. And not just run-of-the-mill inexplicable, not just weird head-scratchers, but experiences far more bizarre and otherworldly. And yet the people I interviewed seemed so genuine and down-to-earth; many were business professionals with nothing to gain by spinning some far-out, cockamamie story.
“I’m not sure about ghosts,” Dan finally admits, and I can’t say I blame him. I’d probably respond the same way—I’m a reporter, after all; for fairness sake, it’s always best to strike a middle-of-the road position. But Dan doesn’t leave it at “not sure.” He once again dives into the history of the state, and I nod in agreement. His tales are grounded in history, and there’s no getting around historical documentation. Thanks, Dan; reporters love hard facts. With history as foundation, the stories in his books ring … true? Well … maybe … could be … not sure. But aren’t they intriguing to consider?
Intriguing, in part, because these are little-known ghost stories, and everybody likes to learn something new—especially reporters. “I didn’t want to do stories that were beaten to death,” Dan tells me, and I admire his choice of words when talking about the ghoulish: beaten to death.
Mr. Barefoot has pricked my curiosity. How did Dan find these hidden stories? I wonder. How did he unearth them? I can only imagine. It must have been like searching for unmarked graves without a flashlight and exhuming the past without a shovel. But, no, turns out it’s nothing that shadowy—or sweaty. Dan tells me he visited libraries, and when their research was lacking, he did his own digging, talked to people, visited places, read accounts. “Just had to do the hard work,” he says. Although he was used to that—the hard work, that is.
In 2001, Dan was proudly serving in the NC General Assembly when lawmakers considered eliminating North Carolina history for eighth-grade students in public schools—it was taught only in fourth and eighth grades anyway, and this was going to slash North Carolina history in half. Representative Dan must have felt like a scheming demon had suddenly cast a wicked spell. How evil! The only way to break such a curse was to roll up the sleeves, dig down, author a bill. The legislation he drafted mandated that North Carolina history stay put in eighth grade. In the end, he stared the demon down, and his bill became law. (Dan, next time I see a ghost I’m calling you).
“I love North Carolina, and I did not want to leave any part of North Carolina out,” he says, referring to his three volumes, in which all one hundred counties are represented, a ghost story from each one. And history in each, too. “You can go to all one hundred counties and find something special,” he says. “From Dare County to the Tennessee line. I enjoy every part of it because of its history.”
I know what he means. I’ve traveled to all one hundred counties myself, and I’m always amazed at what I find: the memorable people, awe-inspiring sights, and great historical nuggets. There’s a pleasant surprise around every bend—well, except maybe when an apparition appears out of nowhere.
“I love the state because of its history,” Dan says again, and he seems rather passionate, and I like that—the passion. And yet, he pauses a moment, and I sense he’s gathering himself before ending the interview with a final flourish—I bet he was a great delegate and am sure he’s still a stellar lawyer; I’d like to see him in a courtroom sometime.
He clears his throat, and the end is short and sweet and to the point—with just enough drama, a bit of a cliffhanger.
“North Carolina …” he says. “It is history steeped in tradition. And mystery.”
Scott Mason
Scott Mason is the star and host of the Tar Heel Traveler feature series and specials for WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC and author of five books about his Tar Heel Traveler adventures across the state.
Preface
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us.
Scottish prayer
The Piedmont of North Carolina is a very special place for me: I was born here; I was educated here; I met my wife here; I was married here; our daughter was born here; and I have lived my entire life here. And the Piedmont’s fascinating folklore and supernatural history have intrigued me for as long as I can remember.
As 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