The story of the "Three Black Sisters" is well known in the town of Christiansburg. If you've ever attended Christiansburg Middle School then I'm sure you've heard the stories as well. For those who haven't, I'll explain the story below.
A lot of what is out there about these sisters is untrue. So, let's start from the beginning. According to a newspaper report posted at the bottom of this article, the girls names were Mary Snead, Caroline Martin or Virginia Wardlaw. These girls lived during the middle of the 1800's and attended the Montgomery Female Academy for girls. The personal life of these girls is largely unknown but it is documented that the girls were convicted of manslaughter after the mysterious death of one of their relatives.
There is a rumor that one of the sisters is buried in a cemetery in Christiansburg but as far as I can tell, that report is likely false. The girls were convicted in New Jersey and there is a good chance they never returned to the area again if that is true.
The reports of these girl's life is sketchy at best but from what I can tell it does help clear up some incorrect rumors out there. I'll post a link to the StrangeUSA forum where people have commented about this story at the bottom of this article. From what I can gather, the ghosts of these three women could likely haunt Christiansburg middle school. Even though they never attended the school (CMS was not built until the 1950's), CMS is built on the same location as the Female Academy for Girls.
From what I can tell, the story about there being a well with a dead body in it under the gym is completely false. Also, the post on StrangeUSA about the girls attending the school in the 1950's is also false. These girls lived in the middle of the 1800's.
UPDATE (10/13/2010)
I stumbled upon an article written by a member of the Virginia Paranormal Society. If you are looking for some more background information on this case, please check out The Three Sisters in Black article by Donna Wilson of VPS.
Collegiate Times Article: The Three Sisters
StrangeUSA Forum: http://www.strangeusa.com/ViewLocation.aspx?locationid=10274&desc=%20Christiansburg%20Middle%20School%20%20Christiansburg%20%20VA
I stumbled upon an article written by a member of the Virginia Paranormal Society. If you are looking for some more background information on this case, please check out The Three Sisters in Black article by Donna Wilson of VPS.
Collegiate Times Article: The Three Sisters
StrangeUSA Forum: http://www.strangeusa.com/ViewLocation.aspx?locationid=10274&desc=%20Christiansburg%20Middle%20School%20%20Christiansburg%20%20VA
7 comments:
there is a grave in the cemetery that basically over looks the town.. i lived there in 1973.. i remember as a child with friends finding the grave..the name on the grave was Virginia Wardlaw. i do remember the etching on the stone below the dates and all.. "she is not dead yet" some say the gravestone glows on some nights.. i never witnessed this myself.I always remembered it being the high school that was built on the old site and were the auditorium was built over top the old well there.. thats part of the stories i remember as a child.. but to stand at her grave was very scary.. it would make the hairs on ya neck stand up and dance..specially when reading the etchings.. now unless the grave has been moved.. it should still be there..good luck on finding it..is a sight to behold at least when i was a child of 8 yrs
http://www.christiansburg.org/index.aspx?NID=286 Go to this website - this proves that Virginia Wardlaw IS in fact buried in the cemetary less than one block from my home in an UNMARKED grave! This is the ONE AND ONLY Sunset Cemetary website currently owned by the Town Of Christiansburg! :)
More about "The Black Sisters" here: http://www.murfreesboropost.com/-sisters-in-black-sour-ocey-s-domestic-bliss-cms-15489
You can also find Ocey Snead on Wikipedia
This headstone that people keep saying marks the grave, does not exist. The original headstone was vandalized on three seperate occasions between 1918, and 1923. After the last incident, it was not replaced. The well that served the female academy when it was on the property was actually located where the track behind the school was in the early 70's. Several murders did occur, but they were for insurance. The story doesn't however stop in Christiansburg. It continues on to New York with more murder...
The headstone is broken in half now due to vandalism but,the head stone does exist,and it do,esay she is,not dead...I saw,this with my own eyes...I'm not sure how long the stone has been cut in half tho
I was a student at CMS and wrote a paper for Ru ten years after hearing all the fables about the school I attended. First there is no gravesite. Next the cornerstone of the original school is still directly in front of the CMS main building.
The sisters were arrested for Insurance fraud as no bodies were ever found there but many insurance policies claimed.One sister was found unable too stand trial and moved to New Jersey were she had a son. Both were found deceased shortly after her sisters left Virginia.His remains were in the iron stove, hers' in the tub were assumed the result of a suicide as there was no one else found residing in the house at the time. HHHHhhhhhhmmmmmmm..............
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