Looking Back at the Ghost Walk

This weekend was our annual Ripley's Do you Believe? Ghost Walk, and it was a blast. About 100 people came out over the 2 nights of the walk.

Here's a look at how it went. All photos are by Doug Torres.

Starting out on the courthouse steps,

meeting up with the sheriff who conducted the last public hanging in West Virginia,

telling tales of downtown ghosts,

a visit from a restless stonemason who fell to his death building this courthouse,

a story about a child's unmarked grave,

tales of Civil War deaths,

a grieving mother tells us about the loss of her son,

and the lone survivor after a grisly murder that took her mother and two siblings. 

On our way to the Old Settlers Cemetery, more stories, and an eerie visit from a long-dead preacher.

It was a great weekend of spooky tales! I owe a debt of gratitude to the Jackson County Players for helpng out, and to my long-suffering husband for taking on two roles. And especially to the Ripley Convention and Visitors Bureau and to all the people who helped, or came to walk with me and hear the stories of our unique little town.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Ripley On Sale

For the past several days (since we got home from family reunion) we've been preparing for the big annual sale on the courthouse lawn in Ripley, WV. I've been painting like a fiend, and Larry's been getting tools and such ready too. We worked until late last night, finishing up painting and other details. Today was the start of the sale, so we were up at 5:00am this morning to get into town and set up. To say I'm tired tonight is an understatement!

But we had a blast. We shared our space with my friend Suzy and we were like bees buzzing around until 8:00am when the sale officially began. I can't say sales were tremendous but they were steady and we met so many great people, and saw so many old friends and isn't that what it is really all about?

Here's a few pics of our booth.

Lots of lookers at the end tables and chairs, but no buyers...yet. The compote sold to a family planning a wedding.

Lots of lookers at this table and chairs set too, so maybe they'll sell tomorrow. This was done with Annie Sloan chalk paint and General Finishes milk paint.

Larry's stuff also drew lots of lookers--we had a great spot near the main drag so that was pretty cool.

I painted lots of "smalls" for this sale--mirrors and frames and porch chairs, as I call them--woven seat chairs that are questionable for seating but great for display or flowerpots.I sold the balancing scales and the small table behind the chair, as well as the swan planter holder on the ground to the right. The scales and the table were bought earlier in the day; I sold them for more than double what I bought them for! Location, location, location.

Refurbished wheelbarrows and blue quart jars drew lots of lookers but no buyers today.

Ditto with the boke, garden plow, and ladders. But maybe tomorrow!

A table of 50-cent items had lots of sales. This was stuff I just wanted rid of, and I hope to sell more of it tomorrow. If it doesn't sell, one of the local charity thrifts will benefit because I don't want to drag it home.

More pics tomorrow--these were taken with my phone but I should have better ones on my camera.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Catch-Up Post: Storytelling, Ghosts, History

So, where to start? October was, as usual, a whirl of storytelling. We mixed in some family time too.

We had been home only a few days before my first storytelling performance of the month at Ripley Middle School. This was the 6th year I have been to the school to share West Virginia stories and ballads with the 8th grade class. It is always such a pleasure to see how interested the students are in the folklore, history, and traditions of our state.

A few days later I left for several days of storytelling in central West Virginia. I started with a ghost stories program in historic Philippi, WV, home of the first land battle of the Civil War (more of a skirmish, some claim), the two-lane covered bridge originally built by bridge builder Lemuel Chenoweth, and the Philippi Mummies.

What a great place for ghost stories. A gentleman who attended took me out to see some places that were supposedly haunted in the area, and he told me a good story from his family's history that he would like me to include in my repertoire. Working on it!

I left Philippi and headed to Jackson's Mill WVU Conference Center for the 20th annual West Virginia Storytelling Festival. This festival has had its ups and downs but seems to be on solid footing now with two days full of school children and an evening concert for the public. This year saw more schools than in the past, with well over 1000 attending both days.

As soon as I got home we were into making apple butter with our family. Two sons and some of their families came to help. We had a beautiful day for it!

Each year it seems to be easier, less work and more fun.

It was a good return for our time, and everyone had apple butter to take home.

I spent the following week preparing for the third annual Ripley Believe It or Not Lantern Walk. It was so good to have the luxury of a clear week to review, research and prepare the stories for this year. While some are repeats (and favorites of the listeners) I add new details each year as well as new stories and historical anecdotes to keep the walk fresh. 

This year I visited the two cemeteries in town, finding graves of the early settlers and other people who figure in my stories.

The Early Settlers Cemetery is filled with history, and there are many unmarked graves here.

 I liked the way my shadow played between these two matching stones.

The grave of Henry Progler, a Swiss immigrant who was
one of the early movers and shakers in Ripley.

I also visited the library to read old newspapers on microfilm and review some books and a unique scrapbook. This book has an interesting history--I'll write more about it in a later post. 


This old photo from the scrapbook shows the covered bridge (no longer in existence). I had not seen a photo this old of Ripley, and it has some fascinating details, like the paling fence around the courthouse.

The ghost walk was a blast, with very good attendance. The first night was cold and rainy, but 16 people came to take the walk and hear the stories anyway. I was soaked to the knees when we finished, and it took a while to warm up.

The second night was brisk and clear, and about 130 people came out. It was a huge crowd to shepherd through the streets and keep organized, as well as stay within a reasonable timeframe and keep all the stories and details straight in my head. The actors from the local acting group did a standout job portraying various historic figures. It was one more successful year for the walk, and I am already working on stories for next year.

More catch-up in my next post!

In Search of Ghosts

I mentioned before that I am working on plans for a ghost walk to be held in my town of Ripley--I call it my town since it's the one closest to us and where I do most of my shopping. I thought I knew the history, basically, of this town but I am finding I know just the tip of the iceberg and as I search for ghost stories connected with the area, the history is becoming pretty important.

I don't know about other storytellers or ghost story collectors, but I need to know the place where the events happened. That means digging into online records, books, genealogy and even those sites with the black background and flashing lights and creepy lettering. Folklore, fact, legend, hearsay, court records--it's all grist to the storyteller's mill.

And I have found some things that are becoming stories, tales from the early settlement of the area to the Civil War to the Victorian era. Later than that I will not search because there may still be relatives living who could be offended by telling any more recent events. As I work I find in every case that I need to know more, and so back to the digging I go.

Fortunately, I am aided by two knowledgeable ladies and quite a few other people who know the history of this area. One of my companions on this story-seeking journey is a local writer who is looking over my stories and editing them to add more of what I call the "chill factor." The other lady who has offered assistance is also a writer, working on a book about West Virginia's last public hanging, an event that happened in our town. She has rich background material that will really fill out the tour with descriptions of the town at a specific time, biographical information, and so on. I am blessed to have these two partners in crime to help get these stories ready to tell on October 10th and 11th.

There are others who are helping out too, with resources, phone numbers, books and more. I am almost finished writing the stories; the next step is finding the key elements I want to include in the telling, and that all-important "universal truth" that makes the story hit home for anyone who hears it.

Tomorrow I'm on the road again, and I am hoping these stories will be rolling around my subconscious while I'm away so that when I come back to them I will have fresh insights.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Wild Week

 Last week was certainly one for the books. Lots of travel, lots of changes in plans, and lots of interesting things to see and do. Here's a quick look at the week:

Monday: Unpacked from the family reunion, caught up a little on laundry and housework and gardens and packed again for a trip to Texas with my youngest son. Went to my booth to do a little tidy-up and collect my mid-month check. It was a good one :) The lumber arrived for the subfloor of the new cabin room. I picked cherries and Larry harvested the first broccoli.

Tuesday: on the road early, driving across Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and on to Little Rock, Arkansas. At Little Rock, my son had a sudden change in plans that meant he would not be going on to Texas. So rather than driving on to Dallas the next day, we came right back home. It was a long trip, but the sight of the sun setting in Arkansas was almost worth the drive. Never have I seen such a huge, beautiful sun and sunset. To top it off, a stunt plane began flying loops as the red sun was setting and mist rose from the huge, flat fields. Incredible. And incredibly, no pics because I was driving and my camera was in the back seat.

We stayed at a really nice hotel, thanks to Derek who used some of his frequent flyer points to book us a room. The view from our room was beautiful. We were on the 13th floor--I thought hotels didn't have them?

This odd photo was one I took from our window. I have no idea what happened when I snapped it, but I kinda like it. I would have liked to explore Little Rock--it seemed to be a vibrant, busy place with lots to see.

Wednesday: we made the return trek through Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati and on to home. The Mississippi River at Memphis was gorgeous and I really wanted to stop a while and look around but we had no time for that. We did stop at a Waffle House where our waitress' name was Porsche. Grits, eggs, bacon for me and grilled chicken and eggs for Tommy was a bright spot in the morning--especially served with such Southern humor and down-home friendliness. I loved the black lady who came in with a basket of handcrafted flowers, singing and smiling. We were home before midnight and believe me, I slept like a baby.

Thursday: home to regroup. Tommy got a call for a job interview in Dallas! So guess what? No, we didn't drive back down. He booked a flight out of Columbus, Ohio for Friday. I caught up on email, did laundry, cleaned up the porch and deck, painted the porch rockers and cabinet and worked in my flower gardens while Larry mowed grass. Then we all went to bed early for a 4:00 am wake-up.

Friday: we were up and out by 4:30 am, headed to Columbus on Larry's birthday. We got there at 7:30am, dropped Tommy at the airport, then found a Waffle House for breakfast. This one was not the southern-comfort place of Arkansas, but still cheerful and friendly. I have to say, though, someone needs to teach them to make grits. We left in search of a thrift store I'd visited last December that ranked in my mind as one of the best ever. Run by Volunteers of America, their prices are good and the range of items for sale is stunning. We had a little trouble finding it, but a stop at a yard sale (and some good finds there!) got us directions.

We shopped a bit, then headed out of town--in the wrong direction. A look at the map showed another route we could take, though, a "back way" through small towns and farm country. We decided to give it a try. It was a beautiful trip, past fields of corn, old farmhouses, tiny towns and villages, through the woodsy paradise of Hocking Hills and into the college town of Athens, Ohio where we finally found the usual route again.

We arrived in Ripley at last (the town closest to where I live) and were just in time to scout the "Ripley On Sale" event at the courthouse. We scored there too, lots of bargains. It was beastly hot, so we didn't stay long. And who should we see there but our little great-granddaughter and her mommy! We talked a bit then headed to a Mexican restaurant for Larry's birthday dinner, then home to feed the animals. That should have been the end of the day, but it didn't stop there.

We got back in the car and headed to Charleston because, folks, it was Vandalia weekend! Vandalia is the annual gathering of state musicians and artists on the lawns of the state Capitol. There are contests for fiddlers, banjos, etc, a liar's contest, cake walk, music jams everywhere, dancing of all kinds, our friends Ron and Wendy there with their birds---this is the showcase of our state's culture. Friday night was the concert and awarding of the Vandalia Award and we knew our friends Mike and Tim Bing and their brother Dave were this year's recipients. We didn't want to miss that! We walked into the theater just as the Bings were given the award--what timing. Then we enjoyed an hour of some of the best music and poetry as the staff and students of Allegheny Echoes took the stage. Following them the Augusta Heritage Center presented their staff and students to highlight the 5 weeks of classes offered every summer at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV.

The surprise of the night for us was when Larry's cousin, Junior Holstein, was brought onstage to play fiddle. Junior is one of the last of his generation of fiddlers and knows many old-time tunes that are not known to younger musicians.

He played two tunes; my favorite was "Mockingbird" in which he played birdcalls as part of the melody of the tune. We got a chance to talk to Junior a bit after the show. What a night. Bed was welcome when we finally got home around midnight.

Saturday: Up early to go to town to finish looking at the big sale at the courthouse and buy some plants from the Master Gardeners there, breakfast at the Downtowner, a visit with great-granddaughter again, grocery store, home to unload, then back to Vandalia. We enjoyed the music and dancing for a bit and I took the two children of some friends for a tour of the state Capitol building, including a look at the "bloodstain" and the tale of how it supposedly got there. It surely looks like a torso, doesn't it?

I used to be a security guard at the Capitol so I knew many ins and outs of the building and I do believe we explored them all! We rejoined Larry and the children's parents, then headed out to our house for a hotdog roast over the firepit, salads, melon, good conversation, on the deck and stories and songs on the porch. It was the perfect end to the day.

Sunday: We went nowhere! Laundry, dishes, garden work, lawn mowing, and general catching up was the order of the day. Derek and his girls came over for a cookout in the evening. We enjoyed fresh peas, lettuce and broccoli from our garden with the grilled chicken and vegetables provided by Derek who is a master on the grill.

Monday: All day at home again, this time working hard in my flowerbeds again and cleaning house. I also did some storytelling work. Larry started work on the sub-floor for the new room.

So, that was our week. There were little time for blogging for sure. I hope to make up for that by blogging daily again for a while and I want to catch up with all of you to see what you've been up to as well. This week will be much slower, with focus on the building project, developing stories and gathering produce from the gardens. It's time to pull the peas and plant cucumbers already. More about the garden in another post.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Veteran's Day Parade

Waiting for the parade to begin.

The riderless horse led the way.

Traffic jam, like a throwback in time as the old cars lined up.

A small section of the Army brass band played

while a C-130 gave us a flyover.

The pride of Ripley High School: the marching band. They looked and sounded great as they played America the Beautiful for us.

The flag corps get it done!

Who is that driving the vintage fire truck?

Why it's Jack, our mailman!

It was a cold, blustery day, but the good humor of the people waiting to see the parade and honor the vets warmed us all. So did the free coffee being given out by some business owners on the street.

Small town, small parade, but big spirit and big hearts.