Preston County: A favourite hang-out of some stressed spirits?

KINGWOOD — Do you consider in ghosts?

If that’s the case, you might have an interest to know that different fellow believers have seen a couple of stressed spirits proper alongside Principal Avenue in Kingwood.

Kingwood library

The Kingwood Public Library is claimed to be house to a ghost. In accordance with some library staff, the ghost may be heard strolling down the steps to the basement. Should you occur to be within the basement, its footsteps may be heard coming down the steps, crossing the room and coming into the again room, the place the footsteps stop.

Hauntedplaces.org has this to say in regards to the library: “Witnesses report noises and footsteps, objects that transfer on their very own, doorways that open and shut by themselves, and books that soar off the cabinets. A jail that after stood on the location (the place the library was constructed) and is believed by some to be the supply of the haunting.”

Nobody has any concept who’s haunting the constructing, however the library does sit on the location of a former jail, which was torn down in 1968 to make room for the library.

The Preston County Inn

The library shouldn’t be the one constructing in Kingwood internet hosting a ghost, nonetheless. The Preston County Inn is claimed to have a feminine specter named Stephanie, whose rose fragrance can generally be smelled by prospects and the workers.

Jean Guillot, proprietor of The Inn, stated probably the most uncommon ghost story he’s heard about his enterprise got here from a retired colonel with 30 years of navy service who was staying at The Inn. When the visitor checked out at 3 a.m. one morning to catch a flight, he took time to name Guillot.

“When he got here downstairs, he stated it was darkish. He set his key down on the entrance desk. Then, he stated this form factor handed proper by way of him and gave him the chills. He stated it made his hair arise, and dropped his physique temperature and he might really feel it cross by way of him,” Guillot recalled. “He stated he ran out of right here, acquired in his automotive and sped off. He stated he’d by no means been so scared in his life.”

An electrician instructed Guillot a couple of time he had to enter the crawl area underneath the outdated a part of the constructing.

“He stated as quickly as he acquired to the place he was working, his mild went off,” Guillot stated. “He crawled again, and the flashlight got here on. He crawled ahead, and the sunshine went out on the similar spot. After three makes an attempt, he gave up.”

In 2019, ghost hunters Christina Lee and Clyde Callicott from Ghostly Getaways spent an evening at The Inn. Callicott stated they had been stunned at what they discovered.

“There was much more exercise than I believed there can be,” Lee stated. She stated she photographed a mist subsequent to the door of their room — however, Lee stated, she and Callicott don’t consider the ghost is dangerous.

“Once I requested for one thing, I acquired tapped. I heard motion behind the bar. A chilly breeze went throughout my shoulder and I smelled the fragrance for a second time,” Callicott stated.

Guillot is skeptical — however not above being spooked often himself.

“I simply don’t consider it,” Guillot stated of the haunting. “However each from time to time it’s virtually such as you see one thing out of the nook of your eye. It’s acquired to be outdated age, proper? And glasses?”

Kingwood jail

The jail cells within the Kingwood jail haven’t held a prisoner for extra than18 years. At the least, not residing ones.

The jail closed on the finish of July 2005 and prisoners are actually despatched to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.
Though not associated, an incident that occurred previous to the closing has led some county residents to consider the jail is perhaps haunted.

In 2005, two males dedicated suicide within the jail on the identical weekend. In accordance with an article in The Dominion Publish, the primary prisoner was awaiting transport to the state penitentiary on felony expenses after being sentenced to serve 15-35 years in jail. His physique was found by a corrections officer at about 4:45 p.m Saturday.

At 6:50 a.m. Sunday, the identical corrections officer discovered the physique of a person who had been arrested that Saturday night and charged with trespassing and destruction of property, each misdemeanors.

Following the incident, Sheriff Ron Crites stated the second man would have in all probability been launched as quickly as he was arraigned by a Justice of the Peace.

Each males hanged themselves with mattress sheets in separate incidents, State Police Sgt. R.L. Monroe, of the Kingwood detachment of the West Virginia State Police, stated following the incidents.

Haunted historical past

Sightings of ghosts will not be new to Prestonians. There have been reported ghost sightings for ages, and never all of them had been seen in buildings.

In his ebook, “Historical past of Preston County,” Oren Frederic Morton writes:

“A younger girl of the Massive Sandy Settlement was on her approach along with her oldest little one to her father-in-law’s. She noticed approaching what she supposed was a lady of her acquaintance sporting a sunbonnet. She shifted her little one to her different arm in order that she would possibly shake fingers, however the phantom rose two toes from the bottom and at that degree floated towards the woods. Considering the lady didn’t want to meet her, after which failing to see what might have turn out to be of the thing, she got here to the agency conclusion that she had seen a ghost.” Morton wrote.