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.
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.
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