Once considered one of the most violent prisons in the US people believe that this prison’s violent past has left an indelible mark on the building. People believe it is haunted by both active ghosts, possibly men who were murdered there, and also residual hauntings that take the form of murmured conversations, overheard arguments when no people are present, cold spots, and strange noises.
West Virginia State Penitentiary
Monticello
People believe that Jefferson has never left his beloved Monticello and they claim to see Jefferson’s ghost wandering the grounds and also to hear whistling, something that Jefferson was prone to doing as he toured the property.
Littlefield House
Allegedly haunted by the original mistress of the house Alice Littlefield. She is variously reported to have been either insane or possibly agoraphobic, whatever the case, it appears that she rarely left the house in life and it is claimed that her ghost still haunts it to this day. People claim to see and hear her ghost restlessly roaming the upper stories and some claim that she will occasionally play the old piano that is there.
Blair House
Now a complex of four connected townhouses and the official state guest housing for the President of the United States, the historic Blair House was built in 1824 for Joseph Lovell, eighth Surgeon General of the United States Army. It is said that the ghost of President Woodrow Wilson has been seen in a bedroom rocking chair.
The Octagon House
Built by Colonel John Tahoe in 1799, the historic Octagon House was used as The White House during former president Madison’s term. One ghost here is the spirit of Colonel Tahoe’s pregnant daughter, who died when she threw herself from the top banister. She committed suicide after finding out her father had killed her soldier lover, whom he disapproved of. Other ghosts said to linger here include Colonel Tahoe himself and some slaves. The house is open to group tours by appointment.
Summerwind - Lamont Mansion
The mansion was once a summer house for the family of Robert Lamont. It is said that a ghost appeared to Lamont, and, thinking it was an intruder, he fired a bullet at it, evidence of which stayed for years in a wooden basement door. After he passed away and a new family moved in, they experienced noises, shadows, and other activity. It is said that they found a human corpse wedged behind a closet and simply left it there, but skeptics doubt this tale. After many bad times for the owners, the house was abandoned in the early 1980s, until investors decided to renovate it in 1986. But it was struck by lightning in 1988 and burned down, and now remains in ruins.
The Rave - Eagles Club
This music hall and club was originally built in the 1920s as an all-make athletic club. Inside, the ghost of a little girl laughing has been seen and heard, and things have been thrown off the roof by disembodied hands. It is said that in the basement folks experience a strong smell of bleach and an intense feeling that you need to get out of there. The building was once a shelter, and the man who ran it was said to be very abusive, and his spirit is said to be heard and felt in the pool area and the boiler room.
Old Ashe County Hospital
The 1939 building was a hospital until 1969 when it turned into a county office building. Reports say it is currently up for sale. Paranormal investigators have heard unexplained shouts and the elevator dinging, even though there was no electricity in the building.
Museum of Ashe County History
It is reported that in 2010 a summer intern here witnessed a ghost. Working alone on the first floor, the intern heard a phone ring on the floor above, and then heard footsteps walking across the floor toward the sound, presumably to answer it.
Welches Roadhouse - Old Welches Inn
The Welches Roadhouse was said to be haunted by a woman who killed herself when she jumped in despair from a second-story door used for snowdrifts. She had taken in an escaped convict and was bearing his child, but he had left her. The location later became the Old Welches Inn bed-and-breakfast, but is reportedly now closed.
