Halloween, when the traditions say ghosts come to life with children running around in sheets and begging for candy, is still months away.
For some people in the Valley, Halloween is just another day for them when it comes to ghosts, because they've come to expect the things that go bump in the night.
"People say, ghosts, sure, right. There's been too many things over the years that have happened," says Joel Smith, owner of the Cork Street Tavern in Old Town Winchester.
However, some strange things have been reported at the Cork Street Tavern.
"The girls would go out at the end of the night and blow out all the candles. And there's been times, they'll come back and they're all relit," recounts Smith.
Smith says there have been countless tales of unexplainable noises and visions.
"Countless people have had things, that you know, they would set maybe this ashtray down, and they'd walk over there, and they'd come back, and the ash tray would be over here. That happened recently," says Smith.
Smith says that several employees and patrons have seen doors open and heard footsteps, but more often than not, they can't explain why.
He says, "We still have a woman that works here, that's been with us for, I believe about 18 years. She will not stay over here at night by herself."
Local historians say the Valley may be a prime place for hauntings due to Virginia's long inhabitancy and role in the Civil War that may lend reasoning for lingering spirits.
"The Valley has a long tradition in dealing with super natural things. And Virgnia itself, the earlist case I could find in Virginia goes back to 1626," says Al Leichter, a local historian and author.
Other establishments in the area have also reported paranormal encounters, but they say, they're just used to it.
"Now, we just ignore it. It's just a part of our family I guess," say the Fitzgeralds of By The Side of The Road Bed and Breakfast in Harrisonburg, which has had its own share of unexplained activity.
Dennis Fitzgerald says, "It was late, probably about ten o'clock or so. I came down to turn off the lights. Reached my hand down the stairway to turn off the basement light, and at that point, something grabbed my hand."
Since then, no physical encounters have occurred at the Bed and Breakfast, but the owners say, there's still plenty of activity.
"The everyday occurrence is just footsteps up and down stairs and doors. Doors, opening and closing all the time," say the Fitzgeralds.
But the Tavern and the Bed and Breakfast aren't alone with their stories.
"The Valley, just; lots and lots of stories. There are at least four groups
that I know of that are investigating these things," says Leichter.
While ghost sightings and the unexplainable have been reported for centuries, we may never truly know why it happens. However, the present explanation can be wrapped up in three little words well spoken by Leichter.
He says, "I don't know!"
2 comments
The Paranormal
