with her daughter and happened to look up,” Stoker
says. “She saw a man standing in one of the windows.
He was wearing a hat and suit. It looked just like Mr.
Collins.”
Hearing her mother’s exclamation, the daughter
looked up, too. She also saw the ghostly figure.
Stoker recently talked with the woman, who confirmed
her story.
“Oh, yes, I saw him myself,” the witness asserted.
The story gets stranger.
A lady recently bought the Collins House. She heard
the rumors but didn’t mind too much.
Old homes make noises, anyway. Besides, she’s not
easily rattled— a good thing, because Stoker had an
interesting conversation with her in late September.
“She sometimes hears heavy breathing,” the mayor
relates. “A man’s.”
The new homeowner also had a close encounter last
month. She told Stoker that, while sitting on the side
of her bed, she felt a sudden weight beside her— followed
by heavy breathing.
“It didn’t bother her,” laughs Stoker. “She just said,
‘Jairus, stop it!’”
Bluefield
With its atmospheric blend of Edwardian architecture
and modern rail yards, “Nature’s Air- Conditioned
City” straddles past and present. But unless
you’re really sensitive, other places might escape your
notice— places where the past is always present.
The Ramsay School
The 33,000-square foot brick building dates back to
1926. It’s more imposing than attractive, but the old
school does have one claim to fame: Ripley’s “Believe
It or Not.” More doors exist on 7 levels than anywhere
else.
The Ramsay School is just old enough to warrant
a few ghosts. But do spirits roam the halls? Doors
sometimes slam at night, when no one should be
inside. A few locals have even heard voices emanating
from within.
What do you think? Even if you don’t believe in
ghosts, drive by the Ramsay School for a look. It’s an
eccentric building by anyone’s standards. And who
knows— you might see something.
The Ramsay is now home to Gary Bowling’s House
of Art and The One Thin Dime Museum.
Beaver High School
It’s been closed for years. But at this Bluefield
school, class is still in session. At least, that’s what
many locals believe.
Beaver High School certainly tickles the imagination.
It resembles a brick castle, complete with crenellated
towers and soaring walls. Inside, there’s an Art
Deco-style auditorium with a recessed ceiling. The
school also has an emergency evacuation slide. Hidden
high on the fourth floor, it twists you to safety—
if you’re up for a pitch-black ride.
But is it haunted? Some construction workers have
heard odd sounds— sounds that can’t be explained.
Crewmen have even unplugged equipment, just to
check. The noises continue, often echoing from the
gym and circling the upper railing.
What do you think is going on at the school? It’s
definitely a mystery. Some places seem made for
ghosts, like dilapidated shacks or Victorian mansions.
Others are less obvious. In Princeton and Athens,
some buildings are especially haunted— but you
wouldn’t know just by looking at them.
The haunted restaurant— Princeton
A historian to the bone, Pat Smith collects stories
by the hundreds. She’s also led a varied life. A lady
of many talents, Smith has done everything from
owning a restaurant to building restoration. She
currently directs the Princeton Railroad Museum.
8 Prerogative Magazine