A spirited spirit in Mt. Airy, North Carolina

     Many people I’ve met in my ghost travels are afraid of cemeteries, worried that spirits haunt the hallowed ground at night. I always thought that if a spirit remained on this plane, the last place they would hang around is a cemetery. So many nicer places to visit.

     Take Old North State Winery in Mount Airy, North Carolina, for instance. Someone haunts the winery building, and if you ask me it makes perfect sense. I definitely would haunt a winery, wouldn’t you?

     The building was constructed in 1885 by Thomas Franklin Prather as a general store. The legend remains that Prather and another general store owner in the quaint North Carolina town were at odds. During this time the town’s granite quarry was in high gear so dynamite was in abundance. On a night in 1926, someone set off dynamite in front of Prather’s store and blew off the façade.

     In 1969, when Belk purchased the building to renovate into a department store, human remains were found inside a wall. An arm to be exact.

     Old North State Winery took over in 2002, serving up wines created on-site mostly from grapes in the Yadkin Valley. The store is an arm — pun intended — of Fish Hippie apparel and accessories.

     Is it the one-armed person who walks through the winery at night, opening and closing doors and throwing wine glasses around? No one knows but many have heard the footsteps and seen odd things happening. Our server mentioned the lamps hanging from the ceiling as moving on their own at odd times. Just then, the lamp above our heads starting shaking from side to side. You can see the video here. Is it air moving through the building or something else? For one thing, none of the other lighting fixtures moved. You be the judge.

     While you’re visiting Old North State Winery, be sure and sample Restless Soul, a blend of malbec, tannat and cabernet sauvignon that’s an homage to the spirit haunting the building.

     Mount Airy, by the way, is the hometown of Andy Griffith, who used his growing up years as basis for his long-running television show. You can learn more about Griffith and the show at a museum in his honor or by enjoying a Squad Car Tours in 1960s police cars.
     There’s also the Historic Mount Airy Ghost Tours departing from the Museum of Regional History on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings June through October.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire along with “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Madeline a different kind of spirit at King’s Tavern in Natchez

Natchez turns 300 in 2016, an impressive milestone for a southern city. The quaint town known for its hundreds of historic buildings is the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River and predates New Orleans by two years.

If you’re looking for history, the oldest building in Natchez dates back to about 1760 and there are some lingering there who might remember its origin. King’s Tavern at 619 Jefferson St. is now a restaurant serving up specialty cocktails and delicious flatbreads but in its day, the building served as a resting stop for those traveling the Natchez Trace. And it was about this time that Madeline worked as a barmaid.

Story has it that Madeline became the mistress of Richard King, the owner, and that the owner’s wife paid two men to have her killed. In 1932, three bodies and a dagger were recovered from the walls of the tavern when a chimney was being installed — two men and a woman.

Ricky Woolfolk is the tavern’s manager and bartender, who teaches mixology classes on the weekend. Ricky has his own take on the story, believing that the men killed Madeline, and the owner, upon discovering what had happened, killed the two men and buried them in the tavern’s walls to keep the crime from being discovered.

As for the dagger, that instrument of death appears to be missing. The original story, according to Ricky, was that the bodies and dagger were found in the chimney but he insists the chimney came after 1932.

I had to wonder where this information came from — doubtful that King or his wife recorded the incident or it was reported in the newspaper — but I’m happy to go along with the story. People who have worked at the tavern have reported electrical anomalies, doors opening and closing and other noises unaccounted for. Ricky showed us a video of the bar refrigerator opening on its own after hours and I can vouch that these fridges don’t open without a good pull.

Ricky also claims the tavern saw some unsavory people in its time, due to its proximity to the Natchez Trace where criminals waited to rob those returning home with newly acquired cash. The notorious Harpe Brothers, for instance, were two examples, men known for murdering many people including small children.

“There are numerous reports of paranormal activity in the tavern; sources report that scores of witnesses have seen images of a young female, believed to be the ghost of Madeline, the slain mistress,” reports the History, Science and Paranormal Research Blog hosted by the Mississippi Society of Paranormal Investigators. “She appears at odd times and is sometimes a prankster, knocking jars off of shelves, pouring water on the brick floors, turning the lights on and off, and breaking glasses. Some have claimed to have witnessed tables vibrating, chains on the walls moving by themselves, footsteps, when no one is there, water taps turning on by themselves, sounds of a baby crying in the attic room, maintained by the legend that Big Harpe had killed another baby in the upstairs room because he was annoyed by its crying. There are also claims of seeing a man with no face wearing a red hat, hearing male voices talking when no one is there and the shadows and apparitions of both a large man and an Indian.”

"Ghost Adventures" visited the King’s Tavern and you can watch the episode here.

Ghosts aside, we recommend the flatbread — we sampled the delicious artichoke and olives but heard the brisket is to die for — and the Natchez Gentleman, which incorporates Charbonneau Rum made next door with Solerno blood orange liqueur. 

Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana, booksignings this month

            Ghost stories abound in the Cajun and Creole city of Lafayette, Louisiana. The Hub City boasts a multitude of spirits and specters, from those lost in Civil War skirmishes and fever outbreaks to those souls that simply can’t say goodbye. Today, they wander the halls of bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants and linger along back roads and cemeteries. Pirates are rumored to guard buried treasure, and ancient French legends hide in the swamps, bayous and woods. 

            I visited Lafayette’s haunted sites and traveled the countryside in search of ghostly legends found only in South Louisiana and published "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana," with The History Press.

            Just in time for Halloween I will be signing copies of “Haunted Lafayette” at the following:

Oct. 17, 2015: I will sign “Haunted Lafayette” as well as “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History” from 10 a.m. to noon at 1921 Jackson Street: A Coffee House in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Oct. 31, 2015: I will sign “Haunted Lafayette” and her other books — “Exploring Cajun Country,” “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History” and “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets” — from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Barnes & Noble Lafayette.

AAA goes ghost hunting this month

The September-October 2015 issue of AAA Southern Traveler magazine looks at Louisiana's haunts, from the many ghostly sites of Shreveport (that's Oakland Cemetery to the left) and New Orleans to Loyd Hall Plantation outside Alexandria (right). 

Young 'Petit Jean' rests (perhaps) on top of Arkansas mountain

High atop a mountain in central Arkansas lies a grave with a most unusual legend.
Adrienne Dumont was in love with a French nobleman named Chavet, who was scheduled to travel to the New World to explore lands for the King of France. In the 1700s the region that’s now the state of Arkansas was under French rule. Chavet refused to let Adrienne accompany him so she dressed as a cabin boy, called herself Jean and followed him anyway. Because of her small size, she was nicknamed by the ships crew “Petit Jean,” which means Little John in English. According to the legend, neither the ship’s crew nor Chavet recognized Adrienne. When she became ill with a fever, the crew discovered her identity. She asked them to bury her atop the mountain she came to love and they complied. That mountain about an hour outside of Little Rock is now called Petit Jean and the neighboring state park with its gorgeous waterfalls carries her name as well.
How accurate is this legend? According to the “Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture” there are various details to the story.

“Her fiance or sweetheart is referred to variously as Cheves, Chavet, or Jean-Jacques Chavez. His departure for the New World is generally attributed to his being part of an exploratory expedition. One source, however, states that his departure was precipitated after he was forced to kill in self-defense another admirer of Adrienne’s, Albert “Bertie” Marshand, a favorite nephew of King Louis XVI.”

Another version of her coming to America is to inflict revenge on Chavet.

“The discovery of her identity is also a point of contention,” the Encyclopedia states. “One source has her voluntarily revealing her identity to her lover just before her death; a second source says that her identity was discovered due to her illness, at which time she begged her beloved’s forgiveness before she died. A third source deviates from this significantly. In this source, it is her lover who became ill with swamp fever. As he leaned on Petit Jean for support, he recognized her distinctive green eyes. She and some friendly natives nursed him back to health. Unfortunately, she then fell ill and remained so for several months, nursed by the natives while her fiancé traveled to an unnamed French settlement to build their home.”

            Whatever the details, the legend remains and the grave on the east point of the mountain is visited by tourists every year.
             Some say the spirit of Petit Jean exists there as well.

Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press. She writes the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire.

The Beaver House in Statesboro, Georgia, serves up more than great meals — but stay for their family style dinner!

            Clay Beaver is the fourth generation owner of the Beaver House in Statesboro, Georgia, but those who have come before him refuse to leave the historic home that’s now a restaurant. He claims there are seven ghosts residing in the building.

            “And I have seen every one of them,” Beaver said.

            I was on a tour of Statesboro with a group of fellow travel writers and naturally, being a ghost aficionado, I have to ask about apparitions when I visit a historic home. And I got an earful.

            The one Beaver has seen twice in all her ghostly glory is Annie, who died at five years old from pneumonia after breaking her neck falling from a tree. Beaver sees little Annie in a brown velvet dress.

            “It’s as clear as day,” Beaver said. “It’s so real.”

            The first time happened around 11:30 p.m. one night when Beaver was in the house with a friend. They spotted Annie at the bottom of the stairs, walking past.

            “We took off, running back out the house,” he said with a laugh. “We were scared to death.”

            Two uncles have also appeared, once in a wedding photo looking at each other from two opposing transom windows on the second floor.

            “They’re always together,” Beaver said. “I’m not sure why.”

            Roy Beaver, Clay Beaver’s grandfather, was a large man and he appears to staff and visitors on occasion. Once he was spotted standing in the dining room looking out the window, Beaver explained.

            The builder of the circa-1911, 6600-square-foot house, John Alexander Beaver, also visits, as well as great grandma Nella “dressed to the nines.”

            The Beaver House serves up a mean "Boarding House" family style meal. On the night we visited we were treated to overflowing plates of fried shrimp, roast beef, mac and cheese, greens, mashed potatoes, biscuits and much more. They also serve a Low Country Boil on weekends and plenty of other delicious dishes.

            Because the old Victorian home is expansive and romantic, the Beaver House hosts numerous weddings over the years. But wedding photographers come home with more than they bargained for — one photo sported a child, a Barbie Doll and a tricycle by the front door, only it wasn’t of this world!

            Want to know more? The Beaver House web site has a page of ghostly tales.

Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is the author of "Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History," "Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana" and "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana" and co-author of "Magic's in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets." She also writes Louisiana romances under Cherie Claire, including "A Cajun Dream" and "The Letter." Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Cross Timbers Winery offers variety of spirits

The historic Grapevine, Texas, home

            There’s more spirits than just wine at the Cross Timbers Winery in Grapevine, Texas. Some claim the former owner of the historic home still resides within its walls, letting guests and staff aware of her presence on many occasions.

            And then there’s the 12 spirits in the barn.

            The winery began as a farm in 1871 when Dr. William E. Dorris moved to Texas from Starkville, Miss. It passed through several hands before Patti Weatherman purchased the L-plan farmhouse with clapboard siding, gabled roof, front porch and folk Victorian stylings.

            Patti came down with pneumonia, according to current owner Don Bigbie. Her fireplace had been built improperly and was unable to provide much heat so in her sickness Patti moved her cot next to the wooden stove for warmth. She later died in the kitchen.

Storage units

             Those who have worked in the house or have visited the winery have captured flashes of light on photographs and on the winery’s night cameras. Odd unexplained images appear in wedding photos as well; the winery accommodates about 120 weddings a year on its lovely grounds.

            The first time Bigbie had an encounter with Patti was arriving at the winery and finding the built-in storage units — which are located up high — opened.

            “We came in the morning and all those units were opened and they were not easy to open,” he said.

            Patti had kept her Christmas decorations in the units and once the staff removed them and decorated the house, the phenomenum ceased.

            “The minute I did that the activity stopped,” Bigbie said.

            Another time Bigbie heard someone knocking at the front door but every time he appeared at the threshold there was no one there. Finally, he came up to the door and peered out, wondering to himself if it was Patti making mischief. At that moment, the window blinds began to hum.

            “I promise you the minute I had that thought that shade starting shaking,” he said.

            People who have visited the winery have reported feeling that the house was haunted. Two guests even located Patti’s exact place of death in the kitchen. “The odds of that happening just don’t compute at all,” Bigbie said.

            But the strangest part of this story is the barn. When the North Texas Paranormal Society arrived to check out the property, according to Bigbie, they found 12 spirits in the upper levels of the barn. The current barn structure is not original to the property. The previous barn was razed in 1975 but replaced in 2001 by a structure that fits the 1800s footprint of the original barn. So far, no one knows why a dozen members of the afterlife hang out there.

            A visit to Cross Timbers is anything but scary. The quaint home features a tasting bar and gift shop. Group wine tastings and special events occur on the grounds which include a gazebo and expansive patio. The gracious 200-year-old on the property has become the image on wine bottles and the nearby shed was the original carriage house that housed the first Model T Ford in Tarrant County.

            Cross Timbers Winery is located at 805 N. Main St. in Grapevine. For information, visit www.crosstimberswinery.com.

Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press. She writes the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire.