Could a traumatic event be so powerful that the land absorbs its energy? While battlefields are well known for having this kind of phenomenon, we don’t hear it about very often on a smaller scale. Or, in this case, a train wreck that occurred just outside of Statesville, NC.
I heard about this haunting from one of my team members when we were first exploring the Trivette Clinic, which is located in Hamptonville, NC. It’s not a far drive from Statesville. Being a California native, I’m still very new to the history of North Carolina and its fascinating local legends. One of the biggest standouts for me is the ghost stories and train culture.
This particular event is so disturbing, and the subsequent events that followed are truly horrifying.
The Local Tragedy
On August 27th, 1891, a passenger train in North Carolina was trying to make up for lost time. It was the Richmond & Danville engine number 9. The train was pulling six cars which included a baggage car, a second-class car, a first-class coach, a tender, a private car for R&D’s superintendent, and a Pullman sleeper. It departed Statesville (Iredell County) around 2:30 am. They were already running 34 minutes late, so the train was going much faster than it should.
Only 5 minutes later, the train lurched off the Bostian Bridge. It fell 60-feet and hit the creek below, known as Third Creek. Because the train was going so fast, survivors say that the train was actually airborne! The sleeper car ended up hitting the ground 153 feet away from where it left the bridge.
Survivors ended up walking and running back to Statesville to report the accident. The entire town dedicated itself to rescuing survivors and recovering the deceased. They cut people out of the wreckage. Approximately, 20-23 people lost their lives, and 30 people injured. If people didn’t die from the crash, they drowned because the creek waters were high. Sadly, Statesville didn’t have a hospital at the time. So the injured were treated by the locals in their homes. The deceased was laid out in the Farmers’ Tobacco Warehouse so they could be identified.
An investigation was conducted to find the cause of the accident. It was discovered that rail spikes had been removed. Others blamed it on the poor maintenance of the R&D railroad.
A Public Spectacle
When news spread of this tragic accident, thousands of people gathered to check out the wreck and search through the debris for souvenirs. Photographers gathered to take photos and sold them to various publications around the area and state. You could say this was very much a disrespectful way to handle the situation. After detectives questioned people, two men already incarcerated were convicted of the crime based on their supposed confession to fellow inmates.
A Ghostly Anniversary
Photos by Stimson Studio, Statesville, NC
The tragedy of the this train wreck has never been forgotten. Why? Because it seems that this tragic event replays itself every year on the anniversary on August 27th. It started in 1941 when a couple were stranded by the bridge due to a flat tire. The husband left his wife alone to get help. While she was waiting, she heard the whistle of an approaching train. She saw the headlights and saw an old-fashioned train made of wood. As the train crossed the bridge, she heard a horrible crashed and witnessed the train fly off the bridge. To her horror, she heard the moans and screams of wounded people. She went down by the creek to get a better look and saw the full tragedy unfold.
When the woman saw a car approaching, she ran up and waved for help. As it turns out, her husband was in the car. She told her husband and the driver that a terrible accident took place. When they went to look. Nothing was there.
Insisting something had happened, the wife asked the husband to stop by the train station in Statesville. When the couple approached the ticket window, the wife asked the ticket agent if there was a train accident. The ticket agent explained that there was a terrible wreck on that same night, 50 years ago.
Echoes of the Past
I made a Facebook post about the Ghost Train of Bostian Bridge in July 2020, and it went viral. In the comments, I read countless stories of people who have felt weird things in the area. Those who worked near the bridge noted phantom train sounds coming from the area late at night. It seems there is still ghostly activity taking place, reminding the locals that the tragedy still resonates today.
People have also reported hearing screeching tracks, as well as seeing a ghost light on the tracks. The ghost light is seen often by locals. The ghost of a uniformed railroad employee with a golden watch has been seen as well. It is believed to be the spirit of Baggage Master Hugh K. Linster, who was found in the wreckage with a broken neck.
The Cost of Exploration
Since this legend became well known, people have flocked to Bostian Bridge each year on August 27th. This is all in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infamous ghost train. Keep in mind that the Bostian Bridge is still an active railroad. This means that there are still real trains traveling on this railroad, and therefore, it’s dangerous.
Sadly, on August 27th, 2010, about 119 years after the original accident, a ghost hunter named Christopher Kaiser was killed after he was hit by a real train on the Bostian Bridge. There were about a dozen people present to check out the legend. He and his team were in the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ghost train. Kaiser managed to save his girlfriend from getting hit by pushing her off the tracks. One other man fell off the tracks and was injured. Why didn’t they run off the tracks earlier? According to WBTV, they thought the train sounds were the ghost train.
On that note, if you want to check out the ghost train for yourself, do it from a safe distance and stay off the tracks.
Better yet, light a candle for the victims from the safety of your own home.
Sources
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article234487957.html
https://www.ncpedia.org/bostian-bridge-train-wreck
https://www.ncpedia.org/culture/legends/bostian-ghost-train#
https://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/27/north.carolina.ghost.train/index.html
