Love can be strong enough to keep you from the grave. If you’re a fan of the TV show Supernatural, or even if you’ve just seen the pilot episode, this legend should sound familiar! The “White Lady” or “Lady in White” is a common ghostly archetype of the supernatural world. Thomas White describes this ghost to be found at “scenes of tragedy, most often the untimely death of a young woman…said to appear because of the loss of her husband or lover, who might also have met a tragic demise (usually at the same time as the White Lady).” The ghost haunts near the location of the tragedy and is unable to rest because of her sudden death, or her love for the other involved. Other stories refer to her as a vanishing hitchhiker who stands by the side of the road to be picked up but vanishes from the car shortly, occurring on a stretch of road connected with the tragedy, as expressed by David Puglia.

The Lady in White for this legend has supposedly been sighted in Blair County, Pennsylvania, commonly centered around Skyline Drive between Buckhorn and Wopsononock Mountain. The earliest version of the story says that in the 1860s, two lovers were running off to elope, and as they were descending Buckhorn Mountain, the buggy overturned, throwing them over the side of the road down the mountain; both were killed. Now, the girl returns every twenty years to walk the roads in the wedding dress she never got to wear. This same incident is said to have happened in the early 1960s as well.

Another version of the story takes place during the Civil War when the newlywed couple was forced off the road by locals that were outraged by Southerners being in their area. The bride was pulled from the carriage and hanged from a tree while the groom watched and was shot afterward. This story occurred on Wopsononock Mountain (near Buckhorn Mountain), and the bride supposedly travels the road each night searching for her husband. Though this story takes place on another mountain, it’s considered that the ladies of Buckhorn and Wopsononock Mountain originated from the same story since they are so close to each other but diverged due to miscommunication of the story over time.

A final account of this ghost aligns with the “vanishing hitchhiker” archetype. Residents report that she asks for a ride at the bottom of Buckhorn Mountain, and does not speak for the duration except where she would like to be dropped off. By the time the driver reaches the top of the mountain (near the Buckhorn Inn bar), the woman has disappeared. Read More