Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

This tale of an unusually eerie bit of real estate appeared in the “Richmond Times-Dispatch,” August 7, 1904:

SOUTH BOSTON, VA., August 6. There is a cabin in this county that has been haunted for forty-three years. The haunted cabin is eighteen miles west of South Boston, near Stebbins, Va, two miles from the public road.

Down by a creek in an old pine field, the darkest, dreariest, most forsaken place that one could picture--there stands a lone log cabin, with a family graveyard all sunken, with ivy, locust and plum bushes. This place is known as Aunt Tabby Anderson's, who was a widow with four children, in the days of 1861--three boys and one girl, and the afflictions of this family were extremely sad in this log cabin. Her oldest son, Joe, and Meredith, the youngest, a bright lad of fifteen years, lived on the magnificent farm of Mr. A. A. Fomer, who allowed them this house, rent free.

In this cabin, in the early days of '61, her son Joe came to his mother with a sad face and told her that he had to go and join Lee's army, and he had one request to make--that was, he had seen a vision and he would be killed In battle--and he wished his remains brought home and buried at the end of this cabin. The youngest son was left alone with the widowed mother. A month later this boy came running home screaming and fell on the doorsteps and was taken with violent convulsions, and when he revived could simply say he saw something, and for thirty-five years was prostrated without reason save as a child. This was the first intimation of these mysterious happenings. 

The widow, about thirty days after the departure of her son, remarked that if she had some paper and envelopes she would go and get Chesley Andorson (a merchant) to write to Joe.  Immediately they were at her feet, the letter was written.

Her son was killed. 

She at once set to work to get his remains home, and after a lapse of two months a box supposed to contain remains of her son was placed in the family burying ground, as he had requested. 

Then these mysterious happenings multiplied.  Rocks would fall on and in the cabin and come through cracks in the log house that no one could get them back through the same openings. The door would raise from its hinges and move out doors. Articles of furniture, clothing, bedding and, cooking utensils, would move about noisily and afterwards would often be found suspended In the trees and bushes, All this caused great excitement throughout the vicinity, and parties of men, middle-aged and old men, visited this place night after night for weeks, even years, and yet the mystery can not be explained. On one occasion a party of ten men took with them dogs and guns and surrounded the cabin before night, and the dogs would whine and crouch at their feet. This only seemed to intensify the display of rocks, for they fell out and in the cabin in great force and quantities.

A few days later a plow was seen to come in one door and go out at the other. The water bucket was seen to move of its own accord, and these same conditions have existed for forty-three years. This widow lived with her afflicted son until 1896. She also had a son blind for twenty years, who died only three years ago.  She had one granddaughter who burned to death, and now the entire family has passed from this life. 

It is said that at the death of Aunt Tabby in 1896, that the shower of rocks on the cabin equalled the worst hailstorm ever heard. 

I could fill columns of your paper and yet one-thousandth part of these strange happenings could not be told. If any reader of The Times-Dispatch doubts this story, they can write any citizen in that locality and get the evidence. 

Mr. Willie Dunn now owns the place, and has a family living in this cabin, and the writer was informed by the lady that she was nervous and would not look at the ghost work, but her husband saw lights and only a week ago the door could not be kept shut. 

The picture, herewith, represents the original cabin and a group of thirteen sightseers.  Professor C. C. Firesheets planned to visit this noted place with some of his friends. A picnic was the result. The members consisted of the following: Professor C.C. Fusheets, who was elected chairman and spokesman; Mr. W. D. Stoops, Umalla, Fla,; Miss Ruselin Spiggs, of Chicago, Ill., with W. W. Murphy, of Mt. Jackson, Va.: Miss Amanda Stoops, of Denver, Col., with Mr. Joseph H. Mabine, of Asheville. N. C.; Miss Georgia Daniel, of Mt. Sterling, Ky., with Mr. Eugene Terry, South Boston. Va; Miss Marguretta Daniel, of Mt. Sterling, Ky., with E. T. Beazley, of the News, South Boston, Va.: Miss Myrtle Edwards, of Chester Springs, Va., with Captain Alex. Spiggs, of South Boston, Va. The haunted house was reached at 10 A.M. At noon. dinner was spread at the old rock spring.  The chaperone made a motion to spend a week, but being put it lost by overwhelming majority. 

The professor then gave a brief sketch of the place for forty-three years. Music, instrumental and vocal, and speech making was the order of the day.

As the shadows of evening began to fall, they left the scene of mystery and the merry party arrived home at 10 P.M. by moonlight.