Ghosthunting North Carolina

by Kala Ambrose

  —Ambrose Bierce

  SOMERSET PLACE is an antebellum plantation that in the 1850s once covered more than 100,000 acres and was considered to be one of North Carolina’s largest plantations. Throughout the years of its operation, reports state that more than 850 enslaved people worked and lived there.

  Before Somerset Plantation was built, the land was a 200,000-acre swampy area referred to by the colonists as the Great Eastern Dismal or the Great Alligator Dismal. The swamp was considered to be so foreboding that most men didn’t dare enter the area. Along with the dangers of quicksand, the land was inhabited by wild animals, including wolves, panthers, bears, and a variety of poisonous snakes.

  Eventually, in the mid 1700s, two men did finally dare to venture deep into the swampland. After a long day of trudging through the murky waters and treacherous woods, one of the men, Benjamin Tarkington, climbed up a tree to see what lay beyond where they stood. What he saw was a large lake. Still up in the tree, he yelled down to his companion, Josiah Phelps, below that a lake was up ahead. Phelps ran through the brush and into the lake and claimed it as his own, naming it Lake Phelps. At this time in history, the first person to enter the water asserted the right to claim and name the lake. The discovery of fresh water suggested that the area could be farmed if there were a way to dry out the swampland surrounding it.

  In 1787, Josiah Collins moved from England and developed the area by draining the swamp, creating farmland that could be used to grow a variety of crops in the fertile soil. He built Somerset Place, naming the plantation after the county he had moved from in England. He used 100 slaves to dig a six-mile canal, which connected Lake Phelps with the Scuppernong River. He also designed a system of canals to carry water across his plantation in order to irrigate his crops. This led to Somerset plantation becoming one of the most successful plantations in North Carolina, with crops of wheat, rice, and corn.

  Years later, Josiah Collins III inherited the plantation from his namesake grandfather. He was living in New York at the time, where he had completed his education. He had also gained a reputation for being domineering and aggressive. During this time, he met and married Mary Riggs from Newark, New Jersey, and they moved to live at Somerset Place.

  Josiah enjoyed entertaining and was known to have a number of large parties and social events at Somerset, including three-day festivals at Christmas. For the wedding of his son, Josiah IV, he had the entire home redecorated and a special cake shipped in express from New York. Josiah and Mary had four sons during their first six years of marriage, eventually reaching a total of six boys. Tragically, three of the sons died in accidents on the plantation.

  Around 1840, two of Josiah and Mary’s sons (Edward and Hugh) were swimming in the canal in front of the house, along with two slave boys (Zacharias and Anderson). The details are lost to history, but all four boys drowned one day together in the canal. A third son later died on the plantation, but his cause of death is unknown.

  Under the direction of Josiah III, the plantation reached its greatest height in production, with more than 300 slaves working the fields. Sixty percent of the slaves on the plantation were women, and they labored in the fields with the men.

  In 1860, Mary suffered a stroke, leaving her without the ability to write or speak, and three years later Josiah Collins died suddenly when the family was forced to leave the plantation during the Civil War. After the war, the Collins fortune was gone. Two of the Collins sons returned with their mother to the plantation, where Mary died in 1872. Her boys then sold the property at auction, due to the amount of debt owed on the property after the war. It went through several owners before the Federal Farm Security Administration purchased it in 1937 and turned it into a historic park.

  The plantation now sits on only eight acres of land surrounding by state-operated Pettigrew Park. The park is named for General Pettigrew, who led his Confederate troops into battle at Gettysburg; he was the nearest neighbor to the Collins family and reportedly did not care for them or the way they conducted themselves. His gravesite is located near Somerset off the old carriage road.

  Somerset is reported to be home to many ghosts. It is said that Mary never recovered from the drowning of her two sons in the canal and that she can still be heard crying and mourning for them. The ghosts of the four boys are also seen on the property and heard crying for help. The nearby gravesite of General Pettigrew is also reportedly haunted. He appears in a gray mist that can be seen among the trees and around the property.

  Some reports state that several ghosts on the land are former slaves who haunt the plantation. One of the saddest stories is that of a female slave, Rebecca Drew, who attempted to run away one evening and was caught. The stories say that she was sent to work at Somerset in the fields at the age of 15. She had lived with her parents at another plantation before being sent to Somerset. She desperately missed being with her parents, which prompted her attempt to run away and return to see them at the other plantation.

  The outer quarters are one of the areas where active hauntings are still reported.

  Once she was captured, she was placed in arm and leg stocks overnight as a punishment. During the night it was so cold that she lost circulation in her legs and her feet were badly frostbitten. As a result, both of her feet had to be amputated. She somehow survived the amputation and found a crude and undoubtedly painful way to continue to walk around on her stumps. In this condition she was forced to continue to work on the plantation.

  There are also reports of slaves who attempted to poison the overseer, whom they said was very cruel to all of the slaves. The slaves who were caught with the poison were sold immediately at auction, and forced to leave their family members behind at Somerset.

  It’s interesting to note that after the Civil War, many former slaves made the decision to work at the plantations where they had previously been enslaved. The Collins family attempted to hire some of the former slaves to return to work as hired hands on the plantation, but most of them declined and moved away entirely from the area.

  When visiting the location, it feels like ancient land. I didn’t detect much energy around the home itself; rather it was in the land where I felt the most energy. I would describe it as shamanistic in nature, perhaps originating with ancient native tribes and their rituals, and later by the enslaved African people who brought their West African religious practices with them. The trees here feel very old and they hold the energy of this land. They bore witness to all that occurred on this land during the plantation years and the Civil War.

  Local stories state that the sound of a woman screaming can often be heard in the area, and they attribute it to Mary, screaming about the drowning of her two sons. Some people say that she screamed for days during her grief over the loss of her sons and that she continued to do this over the years. When a large amount of sadness and negative energy is expressed in the home over and over, it creates an energy imprint that can be heard at times, like a tape recorder playing something over and over. In these cases, it’s not the actual ghost who is still there in the home, but rather a recording of that energy that can still be heard and on some occasions seen, as if watching a film of the event. Mary’s ghost has not been reported as appearing to anyone—only the sound of her screams and crying over the death of her sons.

  While I’m not surprised to hear the reports of a woman screaming in the area, I feel that most of the paranormal experiences occur on the land during late moonlit nights, when the wind whispers through the trees and the spirits come forward to tell their tales.

  Lake Phelps is also a local mystery. It’s the second largest natural lake in the state and is reported to be more than 38,000 years old. Scientists have not been able to confirm its origin. Many theories have been proposed, including meteor showers, underground springs, and glacial activity. The lake is five miles across and has a maximum depth of only nine feet, and the water is clear, while all of the streams surrounding it remain murky like the surrounding swampy
areas. There is no outside source found for the lake, so it appears that all of the water for the lake comes from rainfall. The lake continues to mystify scientists. It is also being studied to determine what properties in the water provide it with such a high capacity to preserve wood and how so many different species came to live in this environment, which normally would not support them in a comfortable habitat.

  Artifacts have been found near the lake dating back to 8000 BCE. More than 30 dugout canoes made from cypress have been pulled from the lake, one carbon-dated to more than 4,400 years ago. One of the canoes is more than 36 feet in length, and it is believed that the native tribes would sink the canoes to store them and then would retrieve them when they returned to the area each year.

  Lake Phelps is considered to be a sacred site by some Native American tribes, and legends state that it is the home to ancient spirits who protect the land. The natives who fished there believed that you could take the food that you needed from the lake, as long as you gave thanks and offerings to the spirits.

  As colonists began to settle in North Carolina, it was years before the lake was known to them. Even when the lake was discovered, the colonists still were unable to venture deep into this area for many more years, as they didn’t understand the terrain very well in comparison to the natives who had been using the area for centuries.

  While visiting, we stopped for a bite to eat, and I chatted with some people at a café, asking them if they knew of any ghost stories at Lake Phelps. An older gentleman told me that there is a local legend about Lake Phelps. According to his report, in the 1880s, there was a man who chose to live out near Lake Phelps in a small cabin with his dog. He kept to himself with the exception of traveling to a trading post on occasion to gather supplies. One cold winter day he visited the trading post with a story that concerned all who heard his tale. The man had been out hunting near Lake Phelps, and he came across an all-white deer. Taking aim with his rifle, he shot and killed the deer, watching it fall to the ground. As the man walked toward the deer on the ground, it disappeared before his eyes. He also heard strange noises coming from the woods, and a strong wind began to whirl around him. Terrified, he headed back through the woods by the lake to his cabin. As he arrived at his cabin, a mist surrounded him and he heard voices whispering to him. He also saw blue orbs of light appearing over the lake, floating in the air above the water. At this point, he was terrified, and he ran from his cabin and kept going until he arrived at the trading post to tell his story.

  It seems that he had attempted to kill one of the guardian spirits of the land, which had taken the form of a white deer. By doing so, he had awakened and angered the ancient spirits. After telling his story at the trading post, he was advised by the people there not to return as they feared for his safety, but he insisted that he needed to return to his home. The man was never seen again and eventually a search party was sent to look for him. He was found lying dead in the woods, appearing to have died from a terrible fright.

  No one knows what happened to the man or how he died, but others that venture into the woods near Lake Phelps at night report hearing strange sounds and howls, as well as several voices whispering in the wind. Many people also report seeing a mist that rises from the lake and then spreads out into the woods. Many nights this is also followed by seeing blue orbs that hover and float across the lake.

  Touched by the Lady in Black

  The Fayetteville Women’s Club is located in the historic Sandford House on Heritage Square, which was built in 1797. Apparitions of a lady dressed in black have been reported in the house since 1900 and are still being reported by some of the ladies of the Women’s Club. The “lady in black” frequently appears on the stairs, and many believe her to be Margaret Sandford, who lived in the house in the 1800s. But others believe a much different tale.

  One evening at the Sandford House, a Confederate soldier was visiting his true love. During this visit, news arrived stating that Union soldiers from Sherman’s army were close to taking over Fayetteville. Hearing the news, the young soldier was desperate to get to his regiment in time to help protect the bridge over the Cape Fear River.

  The Sandford House had a secret tunnel inside the house that led to the Cape Fear River. The soldier’s beloved led him to the tunnel entrance so that he could reach his men and help protect Fayetteville. She wished him a safe and speedy return, and night after night, she waited for him to return to her through the tunnel entrance. The battle raged on, and the young soldier was never seen again, nor was his body ever found.

  When the ghost of this young lady is seen, she appears in a long black dress, which all the ladies wore at that time as the color of mourning for their lost husbands, sons, and lovers. Reports state that the lady in black is often seen walking up and down the stairs, anxiously waiting for her lover to return to her home. Many witnesses have reported seeing her in several locations throughout the home, and they often feel her hand on their shoulder as she reaches out to them from behind. The legend states that some of the ladies of the Fayetteville Women’s Club believe that she touches them gently to have them turn to face her so that she can see who is in her home. Perhaps she also hopes that they will have some news for her regarding the soldier’s return.

  The lady in black is reported to be gentle and sad. She appears to be patiently waiting and grieving. Her state of dress indicates that she may have received news that all the men in the battle were confirmed dead, but since his body was never found, she has a glimmer of hope that he may have survived and against all odds will return to her one day.

  CHAPTER 6

  Southern Hospitality Extends into the Afterlife at the Blount-Bridgers House

  TARBORO

  The house boasts a substantial art collection and many 19th-century items, including household goods and military uniforms.

  “All houses are haunted. All persons are haunted. Throngs of spirits follow us everywhere. We are never alone.”

  —Barney Sarecky

  TARBORO WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1760 along the Tar River and is located in what is described as the Inner Banks area of North Carolina. Originally it was referred to as Tawboro, taw being a Native American word referring to “the river of health.”

  My favorite part of Tarboro is the historic area, which is a 45-block district with more than 300 residential homes, historic churches, and many nineteenth-century buildings still standing and in use. Tarboro also has a 15-acre park with war memorials and a town common.

  I visited Tarboro in 2010, as the town celebrated its 250th anniversary. The celebration included a variety of events based on the town’s history. Driving around the Tarboro historic commons, one senses how ripe it must be for ghostly activity. In 1863, 800 Union soldiers engaged in a five-day attack on Greenville, Tarboro, and Rocky Mount, destroying steamboats and supplies in Tarboro. As we’ve already seen in these investigations, the Civil War made its mark across North Carolina, and many ghosts remain to tell the tale.

  In the historic district is the Blount-Bridgers House, a Federal-style plantation home built in 1808 by Thomas Blount. Blount built the plantation, originally called the Grove, on 296 acres of land. Throughout the years, the house seemed to welcome and favor military men. Thomas Blount lived in the home from 1808 to 1812, Col. Louis Dicken Wilson lived there from 1831 to 1847, and Col. John Bridgers lived in the home from 1850 to 1880.

  During the American Revolution, many of the locals fought valiantly in the war, including Thomas Blount, who became a prisoner of war in England. He was eventually freed and returned to North Carolina to help create one of the largest shipping companies in the late eighteenth century and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Colonel Wilson served in the North Carolina Senate and fought in the Mexican-American War, and Colonel Bridgers is best known for his service as a commandant in the Civil War, where he served at Fort Macon.

  The parlor and the art rooms on the first floor are where some people have reported feeling a ghos
tly presence.

  The Blount-Bridgers House served as a public library and a dance studio before it was turned into a museum in 1979. It features a nice collection of nineteenth-century furniture along with the art collection of Tarboro-born Hobson Pittman. The home is welcoming with wraparound porches, which I love; I could spend an afternoon here just relaxing and chatting on the porch.

  While taking the tour of the Blount-Bridgers House, we were guided to two areas of the home where a female ghost has been seen and felt by visitors and staff. Many presume the ghost to be Jackie Blount, and she is most often seen in the parlor and the art room displaying Hobson Pittman’s art. Apparently a lady of good taste and breeding, she has a love and appreciation of art and likes to show her Southern hospitality by greeting guests who visit her home.

  During my research and conversations with local residents, I learned that the ghost, Jackie (Mary Jacqueline Sumner Blount), was the wife of Thomas Blount and part of the Sumner family connected to the Mordecai House in Raleigh. I write more about the Mordecai House in the Central Carolina section of this book, as it is also haunted.

  This led me to wonder: Do ghosts visit all of their family homes and haunts, much as they used to travel back then between their winter and summer homes? Could the ghosts of the Blount-Bridgers House also be haunting the Mordecai House? Did Jackie still spend time between the two cities, coming and going according to social occasions in spirit, and was John Bridgers enjoying the Blount-Bridgers home in the afterlife while also spending time checking on his troops at Fort Macon, which is also haunted?

  Most likely, we’ll never know for sure, though it is interesting to ponder. I also find it fascinating that the more I travel and investigate throughout the state, the more connections I find between haunted areas, historic sites, and family trees. Some people leave such an impression by their lives that their presence continues to be felt in every location where they lived, fought, and loved.