'Haunted Tales from the Holler' preserves local history

June 4, 10:11 PMParanormal News ExaminerRoger Marsh

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 Haunted Tales from the Holler was recently released.

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A new collection of ghost stories was released recently by authors Grace Morrow and Susan Doll - a unique slice of the paranormal that also serves to preserve local history.

"Whether the stories are true or not is less important than what they teach us about the past," the authors say. "For example, they reveal to us the everyday beliefs and customs of the local population during a given era."

That population is mainly Tyler County, West Virginia, "260 square miles of some of the most picturesque scenery in America."

"Most of its 9,592 residents live in small hamlets and tiny towns with colorful names such as Wick, Mole Hill, Big Moses, Elk Lick, Little, Frew, Next, and Purgatory Run."

Tyler County is the backdrop for their collection of ghost stories. "Each tale offers both a glimpse into the supernatural world and a snapshot of some aspect of Tyler County's history or culture. Knowing the history reveals the origins of the ghostly tales, while the stories themselves make the history come alive."

The 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 perfect bound book is 64 pages, and includes an introduction by the authors, 14 stories - each inspired by a local resident - and a bibliography. The book was designed by Lisa Wright, Redbird Visual Communications, Chicago.

Doll is also the author of the upcoming Elvis for Dummies book, releasing this July.

The following is the first of the 14 stories from Haunted Tales from the Holler. Look for details on how to purchase this book at the end of this story.

My God, Fred What Have You Done?

Late one frosty winter night back in the mid-1950s, Lester George was driving home from West Union along Route 23, toward his home on George’s Run. As he rounded the sharp turn at Riddle Hill, Lester looked to his right at the old Fred Seckman house. He noticed a tall man in long-johns on the second story porch, leaning against the railing and looking out toward the dark horizon. Lester was unsure if the man saw him or not.

When he got home, Lester asked his father if anyone had moved into the old Seckman house. His father said no and Lester replied that he had just seen someone walking along the second floor porch, in his long-legged underwear. Mr. George looked at his son and said, “There hasn’t been a second floor porch on that house in years!”

In that split second when he had seen the tall man, Lester had completely forgotten the history of the Fred Seckman house. Abandoned for several years, the two-story house had fallen into disrepair. Both the upper and lower porches had caved in, and no human could have possibly been standing on the second floor porch.

Could Lester have seen Fred Seckman himself, even though in the mid-1950s, Fred had been dead almost 35 years?

In 1920, the Fred Seckman affair had been a shock to the community in and around Shirley, West Virginia. One night at about 2 a.m., Seckman neighbor William Smith noticed flames shooting from one of the rooms of the Seckman house, which was about 25 yards away. He rushed to the scene only to find the front door locked. Smith broke the door down and there “a sight ghastly and horrible met his eye,” according to the local newspaper. Fred was sprawled out on the floor with his throat cut.

Smith pulled him from the burring home and inquired about the rest of the family. Fred replied, “We’ve all been murdered here.”
Mr. Smith dashed back into the house and discovered the bodies of Mrs. Seckman and her four children crowded into another room. All their throats had been cut. By the time Smith began to put out the fire, the rest of the neighborhood had been aroused. In the excitement the neighbors did not notice that Fred had crawled away. He was later found in a large water tank near the house. He had drowned himself.

At first glance it appeared as though the entire family had been brutally murdered by a complete stranger. However, upon investigating in the cold light of day another story emerged. Local doctor J. A. Baker examined the victims and discovered that Mrs. Lillie Seckman and the oldest son, 13-year-old Frank, had been stabbed by a knife at least ten times. Other investigators found signs of a struggle, including bloody handprints on the wallpaper of one room as mother and son tried to fend off their attacker and get away. The other children, Hazel, who was eight, James, who was five, and Mary Elizabeth, less then two, had died in their sleep when their throats were slit. The fact that the door was locked from within pointed the evidence toward someone in the house, mostly likely a family member.

And the last one alive had been Fred. Authorities concluded that father and husband Fred Seckman killed his entire family.
Bits and pieces of information were gathered from the neighbors. Other members of the Smith family remembered that they had heard a child’s scream pierce the quiet country night, followed by Mrs. Seckman’s last words, “My God, Fred what have you done?”

No motive or reason was ever found for the bloodiest crime committed in Tyler County up to that point. In retrospect the community realized that Fred had been planning this for some time. Someone remembered that the day before the crime Fred had gone to his father-in-law’s house to pick up young Frank, who frequently stayed with his grandfather. The boy did not want to go home, but his father insisted. Another neighbor recalled that two weeks earlier Lillie had awakened to find that all of the gas throttles had been turned on but not lit. Gas was leaking throughout the house, which would have killed them all if she had not smelled it by chance. Surprisingly, neither Lillie nor the neighbors found this odd at the time. Whether Fred had tried something even earlier than that is not known.

Like all country communities, Little Pittsburgh—the name for the Riddle Hill area in the 1920s—was small, close knit, and seemingly safe. Neighbors had known each other their whole lives; they played together as kids, attended each other’s weddings and funerals, and helped each other in times of need. The most frightening thing about the Fred Seckman affair is not really the blood and gore, but rather the unnerving question it raises: Do we ever really know who our neighbors are?

Story submitted by: Lester George

The other stories in the book are: Do Not Distrub, 'Tis an Ill Wind that Blows No Good; Tabitha's Tales: An Adventurous Spirit; Indian Summer; Tabitha's Tales: "I Believe There Are Spirits Everywhere"; All in the Family; Silent Stranger; The Pendulum Swings; A Soldier Returns; Tabitha's Tales: Scowling Spirit, Steely Scythe; The Bride Waits at Tunnel 19; 'Twas the Form of the Spectre Hound; and The Storytellers.

Grace Morrow, a Chicago native with a lifelong interest in the paranormal, is currently a sophomore at American University in Washington, D.C., working on a dual major in international studies and gender studies.

Susan Doll, whose family hails from Tyler County, West Virginia, is a film and popular culture historian and has written extensively about history, the movies, and Elvis Presley. She writes regularly for the Turner Classic Movies blog.

Haunted Tales from the Holler is only available directly from the authors. Send $7.50 plus $2 for shipping to Susan Doll, 3806 N. Hermitage, Chicago, IL 60613. Expect delivery via first class mail in seven to 10 days. I highly recommend this best buy for all of you paranormal readers out there - well written and nicely executed.