About the Program
West Virginia's Spectral Heritage program is based on an
idea we had for West Virginia University's Mountaineer Week in 2006. It originated as a ghost storytelling program
for children, but expanded into an academic program because of the interest in it. By 2008, it was a regular event at
Mountaineer Week's Family Fun Day, drawing in over 2000 regular visitors.
In March of 2008, the program expanded to include a social history,
which not only tells the ghost/monster stories of WV, but also fits them into the state's culture and history. This
was first presented at WVU's Mountainlair on March 6, 2008 as part of the WVU Office of Student Life's Brown Bag Lunch Film
& Discussion Series.
For almost three years, we have researched, analyzed,
and documented the stories we gathered about West Virginia's ghosts and monsters. This has since become a labor
of love for us, and it is our hope that it will inspire others to record and research the ghost/monster stories they
know.
The goal of this project is to protect and document the hauntings and
monster encounters in West Virginia for posterity, and to show that they are an important part of West Virginia's historical
and cultural heritage. At first, our goal was to find a ghost or monster story from every county in the state - but
that goal was quickly realized (we now have over 400!), and now we are collecting every ghost & monster tale possible
from West Virginia!
However, if it weren't for the other fine people of West Virginia and
their willingness to share their culture and history, this program would have no basis. If you know of a ghost or monster
story that you would like to see included, please email it to us.
In addition, if you know of a venue that would like to host West Virginia's
Spectral Heritage, let us know! As storytellers and historians, we are always happy to learn about and share the wealth
of West Virginia's ghost and monster lore!
