Virginia City, better known as Dry Gulch Junction, was a wild west attraction in Wytheville, Virginia. Dry Gulch was situated on the edge of Jefferson National Forest, around ten miles from Wytheville. The attraction became most notable for the wrong reasons. Debt and death plagued everyone who attempted to make it an attraction. So, did […]
Tag: history
It Was a Memorable Service
Eugenia Murray was not a kind woman. She was not a good woman. She lived life away from others and wanted it that way. The reasons for Eugenia’s bitterness and hatred were never known. It could’ve been a spurned lover, an unfaithful spouse, or a bad childhood. Whatever the reason, it perpetually followed her. Members […]
The Cocks Crowed
T. Gilley was a showman of epic proportions. He was flashy, gaudy, and no matter how many claimed to hate him, he drew a crowd every Saturday morning. T. Gilley held illegal cock fights outside the West Hill Cemetery in Bristol. Despite the fact that they were breaking the law, men of all ages tended […]
The Ordeal of Touch
It’s an ancient practice with roots so far back, no singular origin is known. It was practiced across civilized nations as far back as Richard the Lionhearted. Many Arabic documents make mention of a similar ritual as far back as 800 A. D. The test is also referred to in Nibelungerlied (an ancient Teutonic epic […]
The Beast
The Jackson family returned home to Apple Grove, Virginia, on a January night in 1959. Carroll Jackson, a husky truck driver, was 29-years old at the time. His wife Mildred rode in the passenger seat. Also in the car were four-year-old daughter Susan Ann, and baby Janet, who was 17 months old. On this night, […]
The Sybert Witch and a Bouncing Bed
Reports flooded national headlines in December of 1938. The Sybert family lived along Wallen’s Creek in Powell Mountain. Their 3-room cabin was located in Lee County, Virginia. Their situation even baffled two esteemed psychologists from the University of Tennessee. The family reported scratching noises had started the previous month. The noise escalated into a bumping […]
Spirited Tuckahoe
This home, near Jamestown, Virginia, is also known as the “Randolph family mansion.” Most of the world, however, knows it as “Tuckahoe.” This home has a lengthy history of legend and haunting. The legend and lore behind it has been discussed for centuries. The house’s origins remain debatable because of its early age. Some records […]
The Legend of the Big Stone Gap Vampire
Vampire lore is one of the most popular forms of folklore and its reach spans the globe. Here’s a tale of ghoulish proportions that was supposed to have taken place in the small town of Big Stone Gap. The Folklore: In the 1890s, a European named Rupp moved to Big Stone Gap, Virginia. He […]
Aunt Tabby and The Oak Level Witch
In the early 1900s, a cabin sat near Oak Level (then known as Stebbins), Virginia. The shack was known as “Aunt Tabby Anderson’s Place.” Tabitha Anderson, or “Aunt Tabby,” has gone through a sweeping change in just under a century. It is best to study both versions because they’re staggeringly different. This is also a […]
The History of the Death Certificate
As many genealogists can tell you, death certificate research is relatively modern. You can only go back so far and then it seems the paper trail just ends. It may be a surprise to you, but the death certificate is centuries younger than even census records. The most important year for death certificates is 1837. […]