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The Haunted Librarian

~ Researching, investigating, and writing about the paranormal.

The Haunted Librarian

Tag Archives: west virginia

Historic Dun Glen Hotel Site Soon Accessible

02 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Famous Locations, Historic Places, In the News, Paranormal, Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Historic Dun Glen Hotel Site Soon Accessible

Tags

Dunglen Hotel, Fayette County, New River Gorge National River, Thomas Gaylord McKell, Thurmond, west virginia

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Room Key
Dun-Glen-Hotel

Historic Dun Glen Hotel Site Soon Accessible

A new recreational trail built by the National Park Service is expected to make a long-lost historical site accessible to hikers. The Dun Glen Hotel was lost to a fire in 1930; however, it remained a popular, albeit inaccessible, hiking destination for history buffs and paranormal investigators. Soon, this may change.

The Dun Glen (Dunglen) Hotel was dubbed the “Waldorf of the Mountains.” Alcohol flowed freely in this 4 ½ story, 100-room hotel situated on the New River, across from the dry town of Thurmond, Fayette County, West Virginia. Thomas (Tom) Gaylord McKell built the hotel intending to take advantage of the highly profitable adjacent coal mines and railroad. Opening in 1901, the hotel boasted three floors of guest rooms, a wrap-around verandah, and basement showrooms. And the wealthy guests arrived.

TMcKell

Within a few years, Tom McKell opened the New River Banking & Trust Company on August 11, 1904. Sadly, McKell died shortly thereafter on September 7, 1904 at the age of 59. His son William McKell took over operations.

On July 22, 1930, a devastating fire broke out and destroyed the hotel. Although no guests were injured, George Richardson and Stephen Thomas suffered minor burns. According to the Raleigh Register, the fire consumed the building, including the Earl Nichols grocery and soda counter, located in the terrace basement. Faulty electrical wiring was blamed. Damages totaled $100,000, roughly $1.5 million in today’s dollars. William McKell did not rebuild and abandoned the property.

Today the property sits within the New River Gorge National River park. The park service owns and operates the town of Thurmond as a national historic location. However, the Dun Glen area was left to nature. The new trail has been enthusiastically received. Next summer I will travel back up to Fayette County to check on the progress. I’ll keep you posted.

 

Mothman: Debunking the Debunking

22 Monday May 2017

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Debunking the Debunked, Mothman, Paranormal, Uncategorized

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Mothman, point pleasant, point pleasant west virginia, urban legends, west virginia

Mothman: Debunking the Debunking

This summer I’m busy finishing my manuscript: Mothman: Debunking the Debunking. The book takes a look at Mothman, the sightings in 1966, the explanations that were proffered, and finally, how these explanations don’t pan out. Here’s a teaser:

Mothman: Debunking the Debunking

Fifty years ago, Mothman flew into the imaginations of the residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a small town in the western part of the state. For 13 months, eyewitnesses recall seeing a 7’ tall, red-eyed winged creature. Though it never threatened anyone, its size was menacing. Mothman may have snatched a German Shepard. Other than that, it did not kill or maim. It merely fascinated.

An Urban Legend Is Born

Couples Steve and Mary Mallette and Roger and Linda Scarberry were looking for a good time. The abandoned ammunitions factory was perfect for night exploration. On the evening of November 15, 1966, they drove out on West Virginia Route 62. Their destination was the McClintic Wildlife Management Area, a vast wildlife preserve in Mason County, 5 miles outside Point Pleasant. The area included an ordinance works housing a TNT factory from World War II.

The party of five reached the shackled chain-linked fencing. As the car’s engine ran, the young adults spotted something: a 7’ tall, red-eyed winged creature.

Quickly, they turned the car around and sped off reaching speeds upwards of 100 mph. The creature pursued, flying alongside. The car screeched to a halt at the Point Pleasant Courthouse, located in downtown. The courthouse housed the local police department. The five adults ran inside to alert Deputy Millard Halstead of the frightening flying creature that followed them into town. The deputy went outside; however, the creature was gone.

Roger Scarberry attempted to capture the image of the creature onto paper. He drew an overly simplistic blob-like shape with glowing eyes. He shared it with Deputy Halstead, who filed a police report. Mothman was born.

Follow my blog for publication updates.

Do You Ancestry? You May Have Paranormal Connections

20 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Abandoned America, Ancestry, Coal Mines, Ghost Towns, Historic Places, Road Trip, Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Do You Ancestry? You May Have Paranormal Connections

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ancestry.com, bill jones, genealogy, npr, nuttall, nuttallburg, road trips, storycorps.org, west virginia

nuttall

Do You Ancestry? You May Have Paranormal Connections

The NPR episode detailed the StoryCorps episode of Bill Jones, a homosexual man who longed to become a father. The late sixties were a challenging time for adopting out older children, particularly in California. In 1969, Bill adopted Aaron, a hard-to-place boy who was born to a heroin addict. Bill retold the story to his friend, Stu Maddux, which was recorded for the non-profit StoryCorps. Its “mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.” Listening to Bill’s story as he discussed how Aaron was diagnosed as schizophrenic and dying from a heroin overdose at age 30 was heartbreaking. Bill has no regrets only enduring love for his son. His story resonates as people discover their family lineage and pen the stories of their relatives. Genealogy is a popular hobby and well worth beginning.

storycorps

Outlining family trees has always been popular. Past generations kept records of family member milestones and past those memories down, usually through a family Bible. Today, it’s important to know your family history, most notable for medical reasons. People who know their family medical histories are better equipped to prevent illnesses. In addition, they are able to incorporate preventative measures into their lifestyles. However, not all diseases are hereditary.

Genealogy also provides a historical prospective by showing what events helped shape the person one becomes. It also links people to long-distance relatives one would never know or meet.

There comes a point when the genealogist hits a dead end. Or a roadblock. To help get over the obstacle, Ancestry.com started matching people’s DNA. By submitting saliva, one can learn the composition of her ancestry while connecting to other relatives. The DNA test makes a great gift. I purchased one for my mom for her birthday. Her DNA composition was nearly the same as she was told growing up: Irish, British, and Western European. I haven’t had much difficulty in her line. I’ve been able to trace it back to the 1700s. My father’s side, however, has been more problematic. Therefore, I just sent off my saliva to see my DNA matches. Fingers crossed I get some matches. If not, I’ll turn back to my mom’s side and keep updating my forms.

For me, genealogy is solving a mystery. I become a private detective sifting through clues and historic documents to assemble my lineage. I love it. I spend a lot of time researching my family lines. I go back through adding more details to the family information sheets I created. I’ve found incredibly fascinating facts. For instance, I have a cousin who died on the RMS Titanic. She was trying to get back to the United States to see her dying mother. She wasn’t even supposed to be on that ship, but her itinerary changed. Tragic story. One I’ve written down for my daughter to pass down to her children.

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One day, I’ll go through reading census forms writing down old home addresses. Then I’ll Google the addresses to see if they still exist. Some do; most don’t. Towns evolved into cities; homes torn down for progress. A few years ago I wrote down townships. My grandfather on my father’s mother’s side was a farmer in West Virginia. His 1920 Federal Census report shows he lived near Nuttall, West Virginia. I jotted down a note about how the town was also called Nuttallburg and is now a ghost town owned by the Department of the Interior. Recently, I was reviewing his record adding more information when I read my notation. I was curious. So I did an Internet search. Turns out Nuttall is a pretty big deal in the paranormal world, and I’ve got direct descendants who lived and worked there! Outstanding. This summer I’m heading up to West Virginia to visit the area. Follow my blog as I add pictures and share my experience hiking through the old coal mining town.

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Archer Paranormal Investigations

Archer Paranormal Investigations

The Haunted Librarian

Gainesville, Florida

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