Ever thought about what kind of paranormal activity may be happening in your neck of the woods? A ghost, a spirit, a presence, or whatever you want to call it, could be lurking in your backyard this month during All Hallow’s Eve.

The New River Valley has its share of creepy destinations or urban legends that add to its history, but do these old fables hold any water? Within this article are many paranormal activity Web sites dedicated to certain areas of the NRV. You be the judge as to which are true. And we finish with a collection of ghostly legends from the area.

VAMP Investigations utilized its paranormal expertise in 2007 when it investigated the Lyric Theatre. With pictures and even video of their experience, VAMP Investigations tried to show signs of life, or lack thereof, still haunting the theatre. Theatre seats began closing for no reason, and light switches were turned on and off, but it is unclear as to whether this was caused by supernatural forces or by someone perpetrating these acts.

According to The Shadowlands, there have been sightings in Blacksburg of a womanly figure walking through a tunnel and then disappearing and even the Holiday Inn is rumored to have paranormal activity. Holiday Inn is located on what used to be a plantation known as Jacob’s Lantern, and strange noises have said to come from the Holiday Inn’s club “Attitudes” with no source of where the noises were coming from.

One of the most widely considered haunted buildings in Radford is undoubtedly that of the old St. Albans Psychiatric Hospital. Seven Hills Paranormal Society investigated St. Albans earlier this year and reported strange noises including footsteps and voices, and even felt like at some points they were being touched by something. Seven Hills Paranormal Society claimed they heard messages from a young girl which can be interpreted as her as saying, “Tasha we need to hide;” “God, I want to die;” or “God will lead them out.”

According to a member of ghostvillage.com, the Macado’s Restaurant in Radford is also a place for paranormal activity. Supposedly, Macado’s was once the Radford Veterans of Foreign Wars building and contains a basement located in the bottom of the restaurant. There is a spirit of an old lady dressed in gray and items will start flying across the floor because of her.

Ghosts of America is a site that details some of the nation’s most recent ghost sightings. Almost every area in Virginia is covered in this site with supposed sightings of paranormal activity. There are questionable pictures in Blacksburg; phantoms of Bennett’s Dam in Christiansburg; the ghost of an old hag on Back Hollow in Dublin; a man with a hole through his torso on Beaver Creek in Floyd; a ghostly security guard in Draper Valley of Pulaski; a dead soldier in Radford; and countless sightings on Claytor Lake.

Whether you believe in any of the paranormal activities that supposedly surround the New River Valley, it’s always fun to check some of the myths and legends that people write about or look up instances on your own.

If research is not your idea of fun, check out the new Paranormal Activity movie showing at the Regal New River Valley Stadium 14 in Christiansburg might be an option to get you closer to the paranormal.

Or for a hands-on experience with the history of paranormal activity in the NRV, check out the Ghost Tours – Find Your Spirit in Radford on October 30-31. Members of a local paranormal society will be sharing their experiences and investigations of some of the haunted places in Radford. Tickets are $5 and sold at the Radford Visitor’s Center.

Also, enjoy the Floyd Ghost Tour. Regularly scheduled walking tours run every Friday and Saturday evening at 7 p.m. until Saturday, Nov, 7.  An 8 pm. tour is available on October 23, 24, 30 & 31. The cost is $7. Call 540.745.7433. Tours leave from Black Water Loft (above noteBooks), 117 S. Locust Street, Floyd.

Now, for a few more haunted places . . .

Christiansburg — Christiansburg Middle School
Mention “The Black Sisters” to any Christiansburg resident, and you’re bound to hear a good story. Three women named Mary Snead, Caroline Martin, and Virginia Wardlaw lived in Montgomery County in the mid 1800s. They were always seen wearing black, thus given the nickname “The Black Sisters.” They spent their time at the Montgomery Female Academy. Some versions of the story claim the sisters’ mother ran the school, and others say the three ran it themselves. While today the Montgomery Female Academy no longer stands, Christiansburg Middle School has taken its place. There have been sightings of lights turning on and off and dark shadowy figures seen roaming the hallways. Seems as if the sisters remain to watch over their school.

Pulaski — Grayson Town
A man known only as “Little” once owned a store in town. While walking near the train tracks one day he slipped and fell under a car of the train, splitting his head in two. People have said to have seen a man with half a head roaming around Steep Place and Hall’s Graveyard, where “Little” is supposedly buried.

Pulaski — Draper Valley Golf Course
The 13th hole of the golf course is said to be haunted. There is also a house called Bachelor’s Retreat, which was used as a stopping point for travelers on the Wilderness Road. There have been reports of seeing a bearded white-haired man in the window of one of the upstairs rooms.

Giles — Mountain Lake Hotel
During the 1930s, Mountain Lake Hotel was known as a center of suicides. It was the time of the Great Depression, and often guests would dine at the hotel. Upon receiving the bill, as the legend goes, guests would become depressed because of the state of their finances and commit suicide. There have been several reported lake drownings, strange noises heard, and even a woman seen staring out a window claiming her son drowned and she’s waiting on him. In the library, there is a portrait of a woman named Mary Moody Northern who supposedly follows you with her eyes as you walk past. The employees of the hotel have accounted guests commenting on the hotel having an employee reenacting the Civil War by dressing in an old soldier’s uniform and walking the halls. The only problem: the hotel does not perform reenactments nor does it have any employees hired for this position.

Radford — La Riviere
Also known as the Ingles Castle, this 10-room mansion was constructed by the grandson of Mary Ingles Draper in 1893. Previously, the extravagant mansion had been constructed but had burned down the night before the residents moved in. Blueprints were given to a contractor with the request that he rebuild it on the same grounds to the same specifications. Some locals claim that the castle is haunted by a ghost. There is a mirror over the fireplace inside that shows an image of a woman burned into it. It is said that a frequent house guest of the mansion, Anne McClanahan Bass, went searching for her cat one night. A flash of lightening outside struck somewhere nearby, and apparently seared her image into the mirror she was standing in front of. Anne passed away in Christiansburg at the home of a friend due to natural causes, however, it is said that she supposedly haunts La Riviere. Her image burned into the mirror is still visible today inside the historic castle and she is known as “The Lady In The Mirror.”

Other Haunted Locations:
Radford University – Madison Hall (rumored to be haunted by a woman who committed suicide in one of the elevator shafts)
Radford – Ingles Farm (rumored to be haunted by Mary Ingles Draper)
Blacksburg – Unknown house frequented by students (rumored to be haunted by a man calling even when phone is unplugged asking for a Nancy Davenport)

Do you have your own ghost story from here in the NRV? Share it with us by commenting below!

Interns Josh Nash and Sarah Sandridge put together this haunting piece for the New River Voice.