A Ghost Hunting Tragedy

Earlier this month, I shared with you the story of a group of students from Shady Spring High School who spent the night at their school, looking for the alleged whistling ghost said to haunt its halls. That was a fun, and light-hearted tale that proves a point—even though interest may wane at various times through history, kids’ interest in legend tripping, spooky things, and scaring the hell out of each other never truly goes away. Even in the mid-20th century, kids were going out and hunting down the hauntings. 

Unfortunately, not all of these pursuits into the paranormal end on a happy note, as was the case with Linda Sue McMillan, eight years later.

Linda Sue was born on September 15, 1944 to parents Thomas Roy and Maude Ferrell McMillan. Just two months shy of her 17th birthday, sixteen year old Linda Sue of Weirton spent a warm summer’s evening doing what so many young kids do—she went out in search of a spooky adventure. On Sunday, July 16th, Linda and five other young people, all members of the family, piled in the car and headed about seven miles north of the town of West Union, to a little area known as Morgansville. Their destination was a road called “Big Flimp Rd.” by the Charleston Daily Mail. However, I can’t find any mention of such a road, and suspect that the actual road was Big Flint Rd., located in that same vicinity.

They were going ghost hunting.

I haven’t found the exact ghost story or haunting from West Virginia’s folklore that the group was searching for, but I imagine it was a tale that had been told orally and passed around in the family and friend group for quite some time. Perhaps they were seeking out the ghost of one of the many murdered peddlers, whose spirits are said to still haunt so many corners of the Mountain State. Perhaps they were seeking out the haunted John England property a few miles away. Either way, this adventure seemed to involve a dare of some sort.

Three girls in the group, Linda Sue included, were sent to walk about a mile down the road by themselves. However, at some point, Linda Sue climbed onto the back of the car, without the knowledge of the driver. Clyde McMillan, 20 years old, started the car up and began driving the down the road. It is unclear if Linda Sue tried to jump off, or if she simply fell, but she ended up hitting the pavement and suffering a fatal fracture to her skull. 

Linda Sue’s funeral was held on July 18th, as reported by the Weirton Daily Times. She was buried in Beechwood Cemetery, in Tyler County, West Virginia. She lies beside her parents, who passed in the 1990′s. 

I never like sharing sad stories such as this one, but I chose to highlight this one in particular for a few reasons. I obviously want to pay respects to this sweet, beautiful young soul who was taken too soon. She must have been pretty brave to take on hunting ghosts and as a paranormal investigator myself, have to give her kudos. Even though this was probably intended as a fun little legend-tripping adventure, in my eyes she has still earned her place among West Virginia’s paranormal research community.

But, I also wanted to highlight just how dangerous ghost hunting CAN be…and it’s not the ghosts that we have to fear. Unfortunately, the tragic death of Linda Sue is eerily similar to another tragedy that occurred in Clay County, WV back in 2013. A truck full of young people searching for ghosts in the infamous Booger Hole area turned over, killing 18 year old Kara Conley.  Exploring West Virginia’s rich haunted history can be a fun way to get a thrill, but please keep in mind to keep safety a top priority. Use common sense, don’t take unnecessary risks, and remain constantly aware of your surroundings. I want to share these spooky stories with you and encourage you to experience them yourselves…what I DON’T want is to have to come investigate YOUR ghost!

Stay safe, stay spooky!

Sources:

The Charleston Daily Mail. 17 July 1961. Page 6

The Weirton Daily Times. 18 July 1961. Page 2

Find-a-Grave Entry for Beechwood Cemetery