C.I.B CaseFile 1-A

 Adventures of the Cat In Black

Case 1

First Entry

The Headless Ghost of Booth Creek

I first became aware of the Headless Ghost of Booth Creek many years ago as a young teen when I discovered The Telltale Lilac Bush and other West Virginia Ghost Tales by the late Ruth Ann Musick. While it was one of many tales contained within the book, one of the elements of it that had always kept my interest was that it was that this particular apparition had been seen on different occasions by separate witnesses. In each instance it seemed to adhere to a specific set of patterns in behavior and appearance. One of the reasons I chose it as my opening adventure was because it was originally sited at a spot just south of Morgantown, WV.  After a small amount of investigation I discovered that it was a location I felt I could easily walk to from my place of residence.

On Friday, under continual threat of thunderstorm, I tested that theory and walked the route I had planned out to the location of the original sightings. My concerns about the weather prevented my walking the entire route on this occasion, more than any other factor, but I came away encouraged that the trek was indeed as simple and straightforward as I had predicted.

What was a tad frustrating was that the threatened storms never struck till well after I had backtracked and reached town again. In fact I was safe at home again when the first raindrops fell, which I suppose in some regards can be considered good timing, and likely sensible as well considering the strength of the winds displayed by the storms that blew through that eve. That I had cut my initial outing short still frustrated me however.

Frustration aside, I must remark in saying it was still an invigorating day in many regards despite the oppression of the weather. The impending thunderstorms heralded their approach with a morning of hot balmy air dusty with spring spore and seed. The air clung at a person except upon those occasions when a hotter wind blew against one like the exhalations of a malevolent djinn. Altogether this crafted a surprisingly uncomfortable spring day, one which felt more suited to the latter days of summer when the August sun drew dancing waves of heat up from street and rock, rather than what one normally experienced in early May.  

Decker's Creek meets the Monongehelia River 

As the evening approached the increasing winds carried cooler air to buffet against the days heat, fueling the storms that mostly just rumbled threateningly overhead. The air became much more pleasant, and I took to the front porch on several occasions to enjoy my vape and the now rain cooled winds that whisked about the house. Maple seeds danced upon the winds like mad squadrons of gyrocopters and the dogwoods bloosoms bounced upon their branches, opening their petals wide to the rain of the lingering storm.

Dogwoods on the Riverside

Despite the beauty that the mercurial weather was displaying, it did result as said in my initial outing being cut short, so as I enjoyed the cooling of the evening I reviewed the initial reports with which I had grown familiar. I will only briefly touch upon the highlights of these, and encourage interested parties to consider obtaining a copy of Ruth Ann Musick’s work, should more detail be desired. the book is a excellent collection of folklore and ghost tales centered around West Virginia. I am sure I will reference it again in my adventures.

The Headless Ghost (or Floating Coffin) of Booth Creek was described as sighted near where the creek flows into the Monongehelia River. Another landmark of the sightings seems to be along the creek bank where Smithtown Road meets an old coal road, which is also right near the mouth of the creek. The apparition was reported as being a floating coffin being ridden by a headless man. This headless ghost is suspected of being a haunting by a Pennsylvanian Drawer who’s body had been reputed to have been found along the creek bank near where the old road met the new road. The apparition was reported on multiple occasions as being seen crossing the road heading creekward before disappearing. The sightings all report to have taken place on a night of a full moon and during the late evening, just as the sun was setting but before night had completely fallen.

In the days to come, as I investigate further into this case I will share more details as I discover them and the secrets unfold.  The full moon rises soon, and I plan to make the trek again.

Note from Bret:

It is my intention to locate, photograph and document the location that the related sightings took place at mostly as a matter of personal interest and whimsy. I do not have any expectations of encountering anything untoward, revealing any great mysteries, or really shedding a special new light on previous investigations. My primary goal is to get out a bit more, take a lot more photographs, and try and frame such in a fun narrative that I hope folks will enjoy.  I plan to sprinkle these adventure narratives in as occasional weekend entries to this blog.