The area known as "The Devils Stairs" is on NC 194 about six miles north of West Jefferson in Ashe County. Near the junction of SR 1507 (or Stanley road) is a bridge that spans Buffalo Creek. To the left of the bridge is a rock formation of four near perfect stairs, each nearly twelve feet high. The formation was man made in the early 1900's for a railway. But the number of hauntings in the area goes back farther than we know.
Before the area was settled, the Native Americans knew the area was haunted and steered clear of it at all costs. Why they thought it was haunted and who they thought haunted it is now lost. However, there are plenty of stories to take their place.
During the construction of the now abandoned railroad in 1914, a black laborer was killed while trying to dynamite a large rock in the way. According to a few old men in the area, parts of the man were found in the surrounding woods over the next few days. The locals believed that Satan had something to do with what had happened on the site, and so the name "Devils Stairs" was born.
Not long after the accident, the first of many terrifying stories began making it's way around the community. People claimed to hear a voice singing old hymns as he walked along the railroad. Other people swore that they saw a headless man dancing on the stairs.
A second tragedy took place less than a year later when a mentally ill woman climbed on a rock near the bridge and threw her unwanted newborn into the creek below. A few days after the child died, fisher men claimed they heard the cries of a baby along the banks.
One night a man named Jim Pullman was headed home to Warrensville from West Jefferson. As he approached the stairs, He saw something in the middle of the road. As he got closer, he saw it was a coffin containing a corpse. Just before he reached the coffin, his horse stopped and refused to go any farther. Jim tried to get down and lead his horse around the casket, but had no luck. Finally, Jim decided he had to spend the night at a friends house.
As his friend recalled later Jim was "So soaked through with sweat, you could have wrung water outta his clothes". The next day, a nervous Jim tried to make the trip again. This time, there was no coffin. No explanation has been give for this event. Old folks in the area say it might have been the coffin of the railroad worker that died in the explosion.
These are just a few of the stories of the Devil's Stairs. In the coming weeks I'll bring more.
Comments
well i swim there. i live close to it and i do believe its true.
i heard about The Devils Stairs!
I used to live there and i used to go swimming in that little river.But one day when i was in the woods with my dad and my brothers and sister we had put tire swings n there and that day i was standing in front of the tire swing and the wind was not blowing one bit and than the tire swing went back to forth to left to right and it kept on doing it over and over and over.Now heres another story that is TRUE.Ok another day me my sister and my brothers was sitting in the bedroom watching TV than i looked out the window and this red and green light was binking consenlintly so we ran to my dad and he came in there and than it stopped so he went back in the living room and it done it again.So i looked on the enternet and it said that a mother and her little girl used to live there than one day the little girl went walking in the river than she went to far and the river carried her away than she drownded and died than the mother found out and she done something to her self and she died cause she wanted to be with her little girl.And it said that the red and green light it the mom looking for her little girl.But dont worry yet cause i am still filled with storys but im just gonna tell 2 more ok.Another day me and my sister was sitting on the porch waiting for my dad to get back than out of no were we heard horse stomping everywere it just kept on getting louder and louder and louder ok theres another story but now i am just gonna tell 1 more.One night me my dad and my sister was comeing back home we was passing the house in front of the house were we lived at than all of a sudden the car just stopped headlights went out 2 back doord flew open and satin came in and sat in the back for about 5 secends than he flew out the 2 back doors slammend shut.Head lights worked and the car justed startig working fine ok people thats all i have for u today i will think of more and get back to you.
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