So Many Ghostly Irons in the Fire

And they're all hot!

It's been a busy time this last week and while I've certainly been at the computer and writing, I have not been blogging. Sometimes it seems like my brain is just too full--like a stove full of bubbling pans, all needing attention at the same time.

But I am working my way through it and pretty soon I will be actually out there doing what I've been planning for the last few weeks. Because it's October, you know, and for me that means ghost stories.

So, first up will be stories for a conference at the Greenbrier Resort. Now don't go getting jealous--I won't be staying, just having dinner and telling tales. This group wants ghost stories, so I am practicing the old ones and adding new ones to my set list for this event.

Ripley, back in the day. Notice the mud street. Some of these buildings
are still standing.

That will be followed by the first of two Ghost Walks in my town the following weekend. This has been where much of my time has been invested lately. This is the 5th year for the walk and every year I try to add something new. This year I'm changing it up significntly, adding lots of Civil War lore and new stories. The Civil War was not a big deal here, but even so there are some interesting tales to be told about what happened in our little town.

Downtown Ripley in its early days. Check out those boardwalks!

One of those stories is about a young man who was killed in the town. I found just a one line mention of this event in a document recording early history. I went looking and found more but still nothing concrete--his name was Willie, William, or Joe. He was on leave, he was a Confederate soldier, he wasn't a soldier, his father was this man, no it was this man...you know the kind of vague, passed-down stories that get fuzzy with the telling. But recently I found several more detailed, credible accounts that have finally answered my questions.

The Jackson County Courthouse. We start the ghost walk from those steps. There have been three courthouses
on this site, and each one had a case where a man was sentenced to be hanged.

Then there was a Dr. Chase who had the townspeople lock up all weapons in the jail, then he left with his new Union recruits for a nearby town--and after he left, Confederate marauders swept into town and took it over amidts much uproad and hijinks. I wanted to know more about this doctor--was he really Union, or an undercover Confederate agent? Why did he lock up all the guns and leave? And where did he go after the war? I've learned a great deal and will add this story to the walk, even though I still have a few unanswered questions about the good doctor's life after the war.

The old Maguire Hotel, no longer standing. This was the site of a gruesome murder. Murdered man and murderer both lie in the same cemetery.

Another tale of murder, another death at the railroad depot, more about a sad suicide...such has been my study and digging of the past few weeks. It's going to be a good walk this year for sure, if Mother Nature will just cooperate.

In two weeks I will be teaching a workshop at the Pearl S, Buck homeplace in Hillsboro WV, on telling ghost stories. So that has also been on my mind and my agenda as I put together notes and ideas and handouts.

There are also numerous ghost story programs to present at libraries across the state this month, so I will be completely spooked and spooky by the month's end.

I love October. I love the changing of the leaves, the ripening of apples and nuts, the putting up of fall decorations. But most of all, I love the stories that go with this haunted month.

If you want to catch one of my events, here's where I will be. I hope to see you at one of these places!

Oct 7: Greenbrier Resort, Ghost Stories, private event.

Oct 12: Ripley Middle School full day performances

Oct 13: Do You Believe? Ripley Ghost Walk, 7pm. Starts at the Ripley courthouse. $10 per person. Not recommended for young children.

Oct 20: Storytelling Workshop, Pearl S. Buck Birthplace, Hillsboro, WV. Details 10am-4pm. 
$10 per person. Telling Ghost Stories. Calvin Price Series, Pearl S. Buck Foundation.

Oct 22: Mannington Public Library, Ghost stories! 6:00pm

Oct 24: Petersburg WV Moomaw Mem Library, Ghost Stories! 7:00pm

Oct 25: Calhoun County LIbrary, Grantsville, WV, 6:00pm Ghost Stories!

Oct 31:Do You Believe? Ripley Ghost Walk, 7pm. Starts at the Ripley courthouse. $10 per person. Not recommended for young children.

Nov 1: Moorefield WV Library, 6pm: Ghost Stories!

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

It's Going to Be a Storied Month

October is always a busy month for storytellers and my schedule for the month certainly bears that out.
What better month to be traveling around our state, with the leaves changing and the air crisp and cool?
Add in a little swing north to Brooklyn, NY, and then down south to Miami to visit my son, and I'll be seeing a lot of interesting, beautiful sights while spinning tales.

Here's a look at the month ahead, starting with tomorrow night--yikes! Gory stories? Yes indeed, for the strong at heart. And I've got a brand new, chilling tale for it too.

October 7: Gory Story Theater! La Belle Theater, South Charleston, WV 7:00pm

Following the Gory Story event, it's:

October 10: Ripley Do You Believe? Ghost Walk, Ripley WV 7:00pm and 9:00pm

A ghostly mile-long stroll through the dark side of town! Lots of tales, lots of strangeness!

And then:

October 12: West Virginia Ghost Stories: for ages 3rd grade and up. At:
11:00am: St. Albans Public Library, St. Albans, WV
2:00pm Main Library, 123 Capitol St, Charleston, WV
6:00pm Dunbar Public Library, Dunbar WV. .

October 13: WV Ghost Stories, Clendenin Public Library, Clendenin, WV 11:00 am

A quick dash across the state to the Eastern Panhandle for 

October 13: Speak! Shepherdstown, WV, 7:30pm, Shepherdstown Community Club, Shepherdstown, WV. Information at Speak! Shepherdstown Facebook page.

And then back to present at 

October 14-15: WV Storytelling Festival, Jackson's Mill, WV.School event, with an evening concert for the general public on October 14 at the Assembly Hall for the general public. For information:
160 WVU Jackson Mill, Weston, WV 26452 (304) 269-5100

On the way home, I'll stop by Elkview for

October 15: WV Ghost Stories, Elk Valley Library, Crossings Mall, Elkview, WV 6:00pm

and once again--

October 17: WV Ghost Stories, Cross Lanes Library, Cross Lanes, WV, 12:00 noon.

October 17: Ripley Do You Believe? Ghost Walk, Ripley WV 7:00pm and 9:00pm

A short break the following week before the next event:

October 23: Full day storytelling, Jane Lew Elementary, Jane Lew, WV,

and then off to New York!

October 25: Bady House Concert, Brooklyn, NY. Appalachian ghost stories! Information at the BadyHouseConcert Facebook page.

And family time at the end of the month:

October 26-28: Miami, FL visiting my son smile emoticon

October 30-Nov 1: unavailable--if the weather is good, we'll be cooking down some apple butter!

I hope your October will be a fine month, and that maybe somewhere along the way our paths will cross.

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

Traveling West Virginia: Princeton, WV

Loved the old art deco theater! The diner next door is being
restored to its original period look, I heard.

I was down south yesterday, although you'd never know it from the photos.

Snow! Only a light dusting but a sure reminder that winter is hard on our heels.

We were in Princeton, West Virginia, which is in Mercer county, bordering on the southwest Virginia line. Storytelling was the reason for this trip--I'd been contacted by Rachel, the owner of the Sly Fox Shoppe, to present ghost stories for their first-ever Stories on the Square. The square is a small outside performance area in the heart of the old-town business district. I'd performed there several years ago in the summer and was delighted to return to this friendly and quaint town. The weather didn't cooperate with having an outside event--no one wants to sit outside in the wet snow/rain mix in temperatures below freezing, even if the stories are smoking hot!

So we moved indoors to the intriguing Nonna's Bakery, which is really more than a bakery--their menu includes some delicious Italian dinners. But before the show, I had time to snap a few shots of the downtown area. Princeton is home to a number or artists and their work is evident:

I loved this "buck in disguise" in The Sly Fox Shoppe:

 I did not get any photos of the storytelling, but afterwards took a minute to snap a few of the downtown. So pretty.

As part of the storytelling show, I was joined by members of the Appalachee Paranormal group, who have investigated a variety of paranormal sites in their part of West Virginia as well as other places both in and out of state. I was intrigued by the adventures they described, and I realized the difference in how we approach ghost stories: they search for whatever might be left of the phenomena in the place it occurred, while I search the history behind the phenomena to figure out why it happens. Two different approaches, but both produce interesting stories.

Today were were unpacking (of course we stopped at a few places to find new things for our antique mall booths) and then re-packing for tomorrow's trip north to Ritchie County, West Virginia and the Ritchie County Middle School. I'm off to bed now so I can be ready for a bright-and-early start on what promises to be yet another cold frosty morning in the mountains.

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