October 1941

The first ghost story I ever heard as a child was about “The White Woman”.

Dean was the mining camp along Roach Creek. My Grandfather, Hubert, owned a store across the Dean post office, about a mile outside the community.

The road to Dean though was filled with terror. She would appear on the curve on the way to the camp. My Mother and her sisters would hide in the floorboard of the family car in fear of seeing her, as to see her invited her into the car with you. It was said she walked the roads in search of her missing baby.

There was a tale my Mamaw would tell me about Hoyle Byrd who was driving down the road with my Great Uncle, Ernest Goad. It was dark when they came up on the White Woman. Upon passing in the automobile, Hoyle’s hat flew off his head and onto the road. He stopped the car and retrieved it quickly and got back in the car. As he started back down the road again his hat flew out the window and again he stopped. Putting the hat back on his head a third time he got back in the car and the hat was knocked off his head onto the road….in which case Hoyle left the hat laying.

Both men were extremely spooked after the ordeal. What makes this story even creepier is what would follow. Two weeks later after this occurrence, Hoyle Byrd would be dead.

As it was told, Doc Chambers had seen Hoyle’s wife for sickness and was owed $23 which the mining company was supposed to pay. It ended up in court with Chambers suing Byrd and as the story goes, Doc Chambers thought Hoyle was pulling a gun when he reached into his pocket, so he shot him in court. The man had no gun.

Whatever became of the White Woman we’ll never know. Does she still walk that gravel road, searching for her child as many say they hear her crying for? or is she simply searching for peace?