Marshall Hotel and the Town Well

Shortly after midnight on December 5, 1899 a fire ignited inside a block of wooden stores facing Main Street. The fire spread with such intensity that it burned half the block down. A grocery store, shoe store, general store, the Post Office, an office building, one home, and the Central Hotel all burned up. The Hotel, built in 1848, was a particularly devastating loss. Even at the time, the Concord Times reported that the hotel was a “landmark of the town.” Unfortunately, many horses were also killed in the fire when the livery stable the animals were kept in burned down around them. In a particularly gruesome maneuver, the horse carcasses were dumped into the town well, once situated in front of the law offices of Brown, Brown, and Brown, and then sealed over with debris from the fire.



*Ghost Stories from Albemarle, collected and written by Jonathan Underwood and Christopher Lambert

Confederate Soldier

For four years Albemarle, like much of the rest of the South, suffered through the deprivations caused by the Civil War. In those four years, one quarter of Stanly County’s population either died from famine and disease or fled the county. Starvation was rampant, and the town granary was mobbed in late 1864 by a group of hungry citizens. In March or early April of 1865 Confederate General Joseph Wheeler arrived in Albemarle, possibly on his way to assist General Joseph Johnston near Fayetteville who was facing down Union General Sherman’s Army from Atlanta. Wheeler halted his cavalry on Second Street, near the site of the present Lutheran Church, and headed across the street to the Marshall Hotel; a two story Georgian building with a large columned porch. Here, the cavalrymen intended to refresh themselves with what food was available and water from the town well, located near the intersection of Main and Second Streets. As one trooper dismounted and headed across the street, his rifle somehow slipped from its holster alongside the horse’s saddle. Either it discharged when it hit the ground, or the horse stepped on it—either way the rifle discharged into the soldier’s back and killed him. Wheeler’s cavalry left town shortly thereafter, probably unfed but at least watered. If the name of the soldier was taken down, history has forgotten it. He was taken to the town cemetery on Pee Dee Avenue and buried, where he still rests today.



In the years after the war, it was reported that a man dressed in gray would wander up the middle of Second Street, from the Church towards the Square. He never made eye contact with anyone, nor ever spoke, but just walked until midway through his journey he would dissipate into the air.


*Ghost Stories from Albemarle, collected and written by Jonathan Underwood and Christopher Lambert

Huneycutt’s Furniture Store, the Albemarle Opera House, and Hall’s Pharmacy

It is interesting that Hall’s Pharmacy, the Opera House, and the Huneycutt Furniture Store all experience what can probably be considered the highest level of supernatural activity in Albemarle. But, these three buildings, too, were all locally central to the greatest flu pandemic of the twentieth century.



Between their construction in 1907 and the influenza pandemic of 1917, Huneycutt’s, Starnes’, the Opera House, and Hall’s were four of the most popular and prosperous businesses in town. Like the Groves and Efird Building, Huneycutt’s Furniture Store also operated a mortuary and funeral parlor on its second floor. The Albemarle Opera House was the first and grandest theatre in Albemarle, hosting traveling shows such as plays, magic shows, and some comedic operas until it closed in 1917. It is believed that during its early days Thomas Edison came here and gave a music concert with his phonograph. Besides proving medicine and basic home needs to its patrons, Hall’s Pharmacy’s soda jerks served up sodas, ice-cream, and other treats around its long, oak counter.



However, between the autumn of 1917 and the early spring of 1918 between 50 and 100 million people across the world died from Spanish Influenza. Albemarle, like many other communities across North Carolina, was severely affected. The flu killed so many that local funeral homes, like Huneycutt’s, ran out of coffins and room to store the deceased. In an effort to relieve the limited amount of space, the Opera House was closed and a door cut through the wall from the mortuary. The theatre was turned into a morgue. Here, coffins were stacked and stockpiled. Eventually, those awaiting burial were stored in the cool theatre, just off the stage. At Hall’s Pharmacy, few medicines were available to counter the pain and suffering of the afflicted; and no medicine could cure the disease.



Huneycutt’s Furniture Store


All three buildings have, for the last ninety years, been witness to several strange occurrences and hauntings. Shortly after the flu pandemic ended, strange sounds began emanating from the second floor of Huneycutt’s. At times, ghostly and hollow voices could be heard conversing, and furniture seemed to move of its own accord. Of course, as with most hauntings, one constantly feels as though one is not alone in the building, and many employees of past businesses refused to work there at night alone.



Starnes Jewelry Store


Next door, just on the other side of the access cut for bodies and coffins to be passed through for storage, Starnes Jewelry Store and the remnants of the theatre play host to a number of spirits. Employees of the Jewelry Store have reported their computers, and other electrical appliances, being cut on and off suddenly. Clocks chime simultaneous—off the hour and without being set. And store merchandise and personal effects are often found missing or moved, only to be discovered in other parts of the store or in some far recess of the building.



Opera House


Upstairs in the old theatre, weird footsteps echo off the stairway to the balcony. Other footsteps seem to traipse around the theatre, crunching fallen plaster on the floor. Recently, a group of people witnessed a gray figure step out of the shadows in the balcony. It stared at them momentarily, then turned and re-entered the blackness. A search of the balcony turned up nothing. Probably the most persistent phenomenon of the theatre, other then the disembodied footsteps, is the ghostly band that strikes up every autumn. For more than eighty years, passersby have reported that they distinctly hear the faint rhythm of a band playing popular Ragtime tunes or musical overtures. The regularity of this occurrence is looked forward to by many Albemarle citizens. Without fail, the band begins to play every October and, interestingly, ends by March—a typical season for theatrical or musical performances.



Hall’s Pharmacy


In recent years Hall’s Pharmacy has been renovated and turned into a restaurant. Like its neighbors, the Boardroom has been host to several hauntings and strange events. The restaurant’s staff has reported numerous times seeing glimpses of what they thought were people, wandering through the upstairs halls and rooms. Waiters and waitresses have spoken and even carried on conversations with beings they believed to be customers, only to witness the being dematerialize in front of their eyes. Staffers have also witnessed lit candles across the restaurants tables extinguish themselves simultaneously.



The most persistent apparition in the Boardroom seems to be a man of medium build dressed in a turn-of-the-century brown suit with a high collar. Most recently, a bus boy stated that this man, dressed in his old brown suit, brushed passed him on his way to a back stairwell to the second floor. The bus boy turned and followed the man up the stairs intending to tell him that he was not supposed to be upstairs. But, when the young man arrived into the upstairs dining room, it was empty. The young man searched the building, but could find no trace of the man in the old brown suit.



*Ghost Stories from Albemarle, collected and written by Jonathan Underwood and Christopher Lambert

Fitzgerald Building

Though the Fitzgerald Building is probably most remembered as Rose’s 5, 10, and 25 Cent Store, its second floor was a notoriously popular dance hall throughout the 1930s. It’s said that because of the Dance Hall’s raucous reputation, no girl from Albemarle would dare be seen coming or leaving the place for fear of being recognized by one of the townspeople. Men attending a dance would instead bring girls from surrounding counties.



As far as ghosts go, however, there is no known evidence of anything supernatural occurring inside the building. However, that is not the case just outside the building’s front door. As dawn was breaking more than eighty years ago shop owners and townspeople began arriving into town for the day’s business. As they made their way along Main Street they were horrified to see a limp and lifeless body dangling from the top of an electric line in front of this building. It is believed that the dead man, an electric lineman, had climbed the pole late the previous afternoon to repair the line. During his work he was obviously electrocuted and killed. By the time workmen were able to cut the power to the line and bring the man’s body to the ground a large crowd had gathered at the intersection to watch the spectacle. Though it hasn’t been reported in years, it has been said that the gray silhouette of a man often wanders around the end of this block—at times staring blankly up into the air as if to inspect an electric line.



*Ghost Stories from Albemarle, collected and written by Jonathan Underwood and Christopher Lambert

Groves Building

Since its construction around the turn of the twentieth century, the Groves building has served primarily as a furniture store—as well as a mortuary. In fact, most of the funeral homes in Albemarle began as furniture stores. Because of the materials on hand, furniture makers also made coffins and it was common for local furniture dealers to act as undertakers. Indeed, one local furniture store even began an ambulance service. As you might expect, the bodies of the deceased were prepared for burial inside these walls.



The Groves building is said to still host some of its deceased patrons. There have been several reports of strange, ephemeral footsteps coming from the second floor, where the bodies would have laid out in their coffins. Electric lights have the tendency to turn themselves off and on, and it is said that one can hear a heavy, mournful sigh when standing near one of the second story windows. But of all the eerie incidents passed on from this site, the most disturbing is probably the oft repeated feeling that one is being watched—not by an individual, but by many persons.



*Ghost Stories from Albemarle, collected and written by Jonathan Underwood and Christopher Lambert

The Hauntings of Gold Hill North Carolina

By Ashley Shaw

Gold Hill is a quiet, old fashioned town with a feel of the old days.

The town is more than just a historical landmark in North Carolina, it is home to ghosts of the past.

Many different types of people moved to Gold Hill some time after the Gold Rush in North Carolina. It was estimated that one-third of the gold coined in Charlotte came from Gold Hill at one time. Of these people came a young man from Pennsylvania named Aaron Klein. Aaron, like most of the others that migrated to Gold Hill, was looking to get rich.

It was said that Aaron adopted a stray dog that followed him around. The dog went everywhere Aaron did. Along the way, he won the heart of Elizabeth Moyle, the daughter of a mine manager, Matthew Moyle. This did not settle well with Stan Cukla, or “Big Stan” as most called him. Stan often teased Aaron and yearned for the love of Elizabeth.

Aaron & Elizabeth were set to marry on Christmas Eve.

One morning upon arriving to work, the miners found Aaron’s dog lying dead at the mouth of the shaft at Randolph Mine. Aaron never showed for work that day and was never heard from again. Some of the residents of Gold Hill suspected that Stan had something to do with the disappearance of Aaron Klein. Stan then began to work all hours of the night, digging and digging to get more gold. Some say that greed had taken over his mind.

Not long after the disappearance of Aaron Klein, the town people saw a strange, ghostly light near the mine where Aaron’s dog was found. At times, the light was accompanied by the sound of a dog whining. This seemed to bother Stan. Still, he continued digging all hours of the night searching for more gold.

One morning upon arriving at the mine, the workers noticed that the “skip” or mine elevator was down in the mine. It was always raised after a day’s work. When the miners finally pulled the “skip” up 850 feet, they discovered Stan’s body. Some say that it was a tragic accident; others say it was Aaron Klein getting his revenge for his wrongful death.

Elizabeth Moyle never fully recovered from the loss of her fiancé, Aaron. She was never married. Some time later she was buried at the Gold Hill cemetery.

It is said that the ghost of Aaron Klein can be seen from time to time searching for his fiancée, Elizabeth. The spirit of Elizabeth Moyle has been spotted walking along the rock wall in Gold Hill searching for her lost love, Aaron.

It is said the best time to spot these apparitions is on a cloudy or rainy day.

There have been many deaths in the town of Gold Hill.

The powder house in Gold Hill is one of the most recent haunts. It is said that a miner and his friend went down to the powder house to retrieve some dynamite. Inside the powder house, one of the men took a pick to open a wooden case containing sticks of dynamite. When he struck the box with his pick, the miner hit a charge on the dynamite causing an explosion. The explosion blew his friend back against the door. Unfortunately for the man who tried to open the box, it blew the pick back into his chest causing his death.

Pictures that were taken in the powder house have shown what many believe to be visual proof of an apparition. A medium said upon entering the powder house that she felt as if her chest were exploding. She hadn’t been told the story of the accident before making that statement.

The story about the accident has never been published.

Many people feel the hair stand up on the back of their necks when in the powder house.

Another story is of a young man named Joe Newman. Joe was the brother of a “colorful con-man” named Walter George Newman. He became very distraught with the way his brother handled the mines in Gold Hill. This, along with the loss of a love, began to take toll on Joe.

On April 17, 1900, Joe placed several sticks of dynamite on his chest and took his own life. Some say that his brother, George, had something to do with it, but authorities couldn’t prove any foul play.

George Newman died in 1918. Both spirits have been spotted in Gold Hill. The dismembered body of Joe was seen floating in the air near Randolph Mine. George Newman has been seen walking the streets of Gold Hill, as if the town were still in his control.

A picture was taken in 1969/1970 of the Gold Hill mining office. The photo belonged to the late Mr. C. R. Hayes. He was the last mining engineer that worked and lived in Gold Hill. Once Mr. Hayes retired, he became caretaker of the Birmingham Mining Company’s possessions in Gold Hill. Mr. Hayes lived in the mining office. Only one year after this photo was taken, a fire destroyed the building and claimed the life of Mr. Hayes.

30 years later the original photo was taken to make copies. In the copy machine, Vivian Hopkins, who was on the board of the Historic society, made two copies.

The fist copy gave Mrs. Hopkins chills -- it showed a haze of smoke over and around the building. The second copy came out perfect.

A number of other apparitions in Gold Hill have been reported, one of which being of a woman who was standing on the porch of the dilapidated old hotel in Gold Hill with pale skin. The hotel has since been torn down.

It was said that her white dress was waving as if it were blowing in the wind, but the air was very still. During one instance, some witnesses were sitting on a glider bench at Mauney’s store on Main Street in Gold Hill, when suddenly the glider shifted as if someone sat right next to them.

Many of the prominent people during the Gold Rush days are buried in Gold Hill cemetery. The town is open to visitors and once a year they give a tour of the town telling all the ghost stories. The living will welcome you with open arms, but expect a different reaction from the dead.

*Information provided by Vivian Hopkins of the Historic Gold Hill and Mines Foundation, Inc. & by “Gold Mining in North Carolina” by Richard F. Knapp and Brent D. Glass.

The events committee of the historic foundation conducts Ghost Tours through the park. The tour begins at the Russell-Rufty Shelter in the park. For more information, contact Vivian at vivian@historicgoldhill.com.