The Weekly Register (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]), May 9th 1883 Ghost. – The people living along the Clarksburg road, in the neighborhood of Hickory Chapel, are very much exercised by the re-appearance of a ghost in the shape of a big black dog. They all assert that it is a veritable ghost, and it…
Author: Appalachian Oddity
[3-11-1887]: “The Wild Man of Ohio” [OH]
The Midland Journal (Rising Sun, Md.), March 11th 1887 “The Wild Man of Ohio” A Curious Creature Seen Among The Hills of Holmes County. A party of hunters, who have just returned from a hunt in the hills of Holmes County, Ohio, say they encountered a curious creature on their trip. According to their description,…
[3-8-1919]: “Return of Wild Man Revives Old Terrors” [WV]
The Lakeland Evening telegram (Lakeland, Fla.), March 8th 1919 “Return of Wild Man Revives Old Terrors” Flatwoods, W. Va., March 6. – The belief that a wild man is still lurking in this vicinity, stealing and killing chickens and young pigs, is stronger than ever just now. A story related by Luther C. Douglas…
Are There Large Mystery Cats In West Virginia?
A Large Black Feline In The Backyard: One night in the Spring of 2025, a West Virginia resident who we will call “James W.” was going to feed the family dog, guided through the dark only by a headlamp. As he approached the metal-gated fence enclosure or “dog lot,” he suddenly saw a pair of…
Spooky Stories From Jimmy
On September 18th 2023, I interviewed Jimmy of the project “Spooky Appalachia.” We discussed Appalachian folklore monsters, rural living, folk practices, the recent 2023 Mothman Festival, and our respective video and website projects. The full interview is available on the Appalachian Oddity YouTube channel and is linked below. The part of the interview that I…
Some Stories And Practices From My Mawmaw
Disclaimer: The following article discusses Appalachian folk practices which are presented for anthropological interest in folklore. None of this is intended as medical advice and it should not be viewed as such or attempted by anyone. Thank you. Enjoy. On December 26th 2022, I interviewed my Mawmaw (or grandmother) about Appalachian folk practices. We discussed…
The Spirits of Lockdown 2020
In 2020, with a global health crisis, the world went into lockdown. Even in times like this however, the human spirit persists and so do our stories, folktales and modern mythologies. Though many of the churches were rightfully closing their doors, those who had never had altars at home promptly began table shopping online. Prayers…
The Rise of The Not-Deer
On August 21st 2019, Madison of the will-o-the-witch blog made a post that would soon grab the internet’s attention. Madison was a self-described Jewish Witch with a blog about magic and witchcraft, but this post wasn’t about that, it was about a piece of local lore from their time living in North Carolina. The author…
WV Woman Claims ALIEN Encounter
On October 26th 2021, I interviewed a West Virginia woman via phone after learning that she had reportedly had an alien encounter. Through the phone interview, which she allowed me to record, I was able to get details on her supposed experience. She claimed that one night, in about 2013, she awoke at 4AM in…
That Time I Saw A UFO
When I was a kid, my family and I went to visit a relative’s home on Christmas Eve to open presents. This was in West Virginia, in the late 2000’s I think, and I remember it being dark at the time. On the way to our destination we were driving past what looked like a…