1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,120 Due to the hunting nature at these haunted places, 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,760 listener discretion is advised. 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:07,160 I'm your host, Mark. 4 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:08,720 And I'm Courtney. 5 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:12,080 And this is Mountain State Mysteries, State Haunts. 6 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:40,800 Music 7 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:47,120 Today, we will be telling you ghost stories from the town of Beckley, West Virginia. 8 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,400 Beckley is a seat of Raleigh County. 9 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,720 It was founded in 1838. 10 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,960 It was named after John James Beckley, 11 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:03,600 the Librarian of Congress and the First Clerk in the U.S. House of Representatives, 12 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,000 and the father of Alfred Beckley. 13 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:13,080 In the early days of Beckley, it was known as Beckleyville and Raleigh Courthouse. 14 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:18,680 Beckley has some notable haunts in the town and the vicinity, 15 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,600 including one that made the news. 16 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:29,000 The Soldiers Memorial Theater at 200 South Canal Street is now a concert venue. 17 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:37,240 The latest of its incarnations since it was constructed in 1931 through 1932. 18 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:46,360 It was originally the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Theater built in honor of World War I veterans. 19 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:55,880 In its time, it served as the YMCA, a temporary courthouse, a county library, and a community center. 20 00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:02,280 The building was closed in the 1970s, but reopened in 1993. 21 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,440 It was presently owned by the Raleigh County Commissions 22 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,960 and operated by the theater West Virginia. 23 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,200 Some of the haunting activity has been traced to an incident 24 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,680 when the bleachers collapsed during the laying of the cornerstone 25 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,480 ceremony on November 15, 1931. 26 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:28,760 Fortunately, no one was killed, but some people were injured, 27 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:35,320 including a tuba player named Bob who suffered a severe neck injury 28 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:41,880 and later was given living space in the basement of the theater where he died. 29 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:47,960 People have reported seeing his ghost wearing gray clothing in the basement, 30 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,600 hearing footsteps, whispers, and knocks. 31 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:59,320 The ghost of a man dressed in clothing from the 1930s has been seen in the balcony 32 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,400 and throughout the building. 33 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,800 The sound of ghostly children can be heard throughout the building. 34 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:10,200 Once during a show, the sound of a saxophone was heard, 35 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,760 but no saxophone was in the building. 36 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:19,720 In 2011, an investigation was conducted by Eastern States Paranormal. 37 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:27,640 The group captured numerous EVPs, including a female's voice that said 38 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:28,920 balcony. 39 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:32,760 Could you have been trying to direct the attention to the ghostly gentleman who 40 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,200 haunts that area? 41 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:41,320 The investigators also captured sounds of phantom tap dancing, knocking, 42 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,120 and other unexplained noises. 43 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:56,440 When they asked Bob to walk across the stage, you could hear his footsteps. 44 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:08,440 You're listening to state haunts by mountain state mysteries. 45 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:19,080 When you're headed downtown to Main Street, you see a stunning ordeco courthouse 46 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:28,280 that was constructed in 1936 to 1937 around the original brick courthouse built in 1894. 47 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:32,440 Luckily, couried sandstone was used for the new building. 48 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:38,520 Courthouses are notorious for being haunted as a result of the emotionally charged dramas that 49 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:39,640 occur there. 50 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,160 The Riley County Courthouse has a few haunts of its own. 51 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:49,480 The most known is the lady in red, the ghost of a woman who wears a red dress 52 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,120 and is usually seen in the jury room. 53 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:57,400 Her identity is still unknown, but perhaps she served on a jury. 54 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:59,960 She is also seen in the May Court room. 55 00:04:59,960 --> 00:05:07,960 In September of 2000, a mysterious dark figure sat in the seat in the back row of the 56 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:11,000 circuit courtroom for several days. 57 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:15,800 And when the courtroom was dark, its features could not be distinguished. 58 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:21,400 County Circuit Court Judge John Hutchison told the Associated Press, 59 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:23,400 We have a ghost. 60 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:29,400 The ghost has been occupying the courtroom for a number of days and we don't know why. 61 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:43,400 You're listening to State Haunts, The Million State Mysteries. 62 00:05:43,400 --> 00:06:01,560 This again couple killed on their wedding night, Haunt the Road at Cherry Creek Dip. 63 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,720 Or is it the haunting of only a legend? 64 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:12,440 According to many people in the area, a couple was driving a white Pontiac Transam 65 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:18,840 through the Cherry Creek Dip area when their car was struck head on and killed them both instantly. 66 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:24,760 Some say the ghostly car appears on the road during the anniversary of the accident. 67 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:31,480 Showing up just after midnight and disappears as it goes down the road. 68 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:38,200 It's said that the accident took place in the summertime, but the exact date is unknown. 69 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:43,640 Some motorists driving through the area around midnight have seen a woman dressed in a wedding gown, 70 00:06:44,280 --> 00:06:46,280 standing on the side of the road. 71 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:50,200 When they stop and ask her if she needs help, she vanishes. 72 00:06:50,200 --> 00:07:02,200 You're listening to State Haunts by Mountain State Mysteries. 73 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:14,200 Cranberry is an unincorporated area about three miles north of Becley. 74 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:23,320 According to local legend, the area where there once was train tracks is haunted by a man named Frank Easter. 75 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,320 A strange story is told in the background. 76 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:32,280 The area where there once was train tracks is haunted by a man named Frank Easter. 77 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:40,280 A stranger who came to the area looking for work in the 1940s and met his tragic end. 78 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:45,320 Noah knew much about Easter, who kept to himself and lived like a hermit. 79 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,280 He got a job working for the coal mines. 80 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:55,160 One morning a fire was seen burning on the tracks and it was a burnt corpse of Frank Easter. 81 00:07:55,160 --> 00:08:00,120 He knew how or why he wound up burnt to death on the tracks. 82 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:09,160 Some speculated that he had walked to Becley to drink at a tavern and had sat down to rest on the tracks on the way home. 83 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,160 Or perhaps he was drunk and just couldn't make it home. 84 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:21,160 He smoked a pipe so he maybe pulled it out for a smoke, fell asleep and caught his clothing on fire. 85 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:29,160 Easter was buried in an old cemetery on top of a slight dump which is now behind some apartment buildings. 86 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:35,160 Legend said after his fiery death Easter walked the tracks. 87 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:41,160 And every morning around 4.30 am a fire started up at the spot where he died. 88 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:47,160 The outline of his body was said to be visible on the tracks which were hot to the touch. 89 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:53,160 If people walked along the tracks Easter pushed them away from his death site. 90 00:08:53,160 --> 00:09:03,160 His ghost looked like a pale man wearing miners clothing with a long crook neck pipe hanging from his mouth. 91 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:14,160 The tracks no longer exist and have been replaced by the rail to trail system of hiking and biking paths in the state. 92 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:24,160 However, it's said that the burn outline of Easter's body is still visible and the gravel is still warm to the touch. 93 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:32,160 And during the winter snow melts on his grave. 94 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:39,160 Thank you so much for listening to the first episode of Mountain State Mysteries State Haunts. 95 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:46,160 Stay tuned for our next episode as we tell you the Haunts of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. 96 00:09:46,160 --> 00:10:12,160 Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and wherever you listen to podcasts. 97 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:23,160 Thank you. 98 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:56,160 Thank you. 99 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:26,160 Thank you. 100 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:56,160 Thank you.