Haunted Berkeley Castle, Berkeley Springs, WV.
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- Colonel Samuel Taylor Suit was a whiskey distiller, stock broker and railroad magnate. He met Rosa Pelham at a debutante ball when he was 46 years old and freshly divorced man about town, she was just a little 17 year old US Congressman's daughter.
Due to the age difference, no romance looked to be in the cards, but she was a girl who appreciated the finer things and wanted a man who could provide them.
She was socializing in one of the hotels in Berkeley Springs which at the time was known as "Bath," West Virginia, when she mentioned that she wanted to live in a castle.
The Colonel told her that he would build a castle for her if the now 22 year old Rosa would marry him.
She agreed and they were married soon thereafter.
By 1885, architect Snowden Ashford had begun building the castle using plans by Alfred B. Mullett and it was finished by about 1888.
Colonel Suit never really got to enjoy the castle as he died shortly before Rosa and her three young children moved in.
The word around town was that Rosa may have had something to do with the death of her much older husband. She never remarried, and some folks said it was because if she did, she would have lost the castle and the rest of her inheritance.
This is where the story goes off the rails.
Berkeley Springs had a reputation for being a party town, Sodom and Gomorrah of the late 1800s. I'll just leave it to your imagination what kind of things folks with a lot of money and time to kill might be up to soaking in the mineral springs way back in the mountains.
Rosa, liked to party all night, drinking and gambling. She hired gypsy fortune tellers, and dabbled in black magic. One of her many gentleman callers was a fellow known as Jawbone, they got into a fracas that ended up on the roof of the castle. He fell to his death and is said to be one of the ghosts haunting the castle to this day. Did Rosa push him?
Eventually, Rosa had run through all her money, and she became a recluse, throwing rocks at anyone who approached her door. Her neighbors called her a witch and some thought she had gone insane. Eventually the castle had to be sold in 1913 to pay her debts.
I'd had several T-shirts back in the day from doing the tour when we'd visit my mom's aunt. It had such an interesting air about it and I'd love to go back as an adult now. Shame it's no longer open to the public. Really cool, gorgeous place. We'd go every year around the Apple Butter Festival.
Thanks for leaving a comment, it helps the channel grow. I wish that I had a chance to tour it. I've seen photos, it looks really interesting.
great video!! I pass the castle on my way to my in-laws house and always wondered about the origins of the castle. Thank you for the post!
I drove by in the summer time multiple times and never saw it! Last year I had to make the trip in winter, with no leaves, I noticed it for the first time. I took a closer look. Thanks for adding a comment.
@@FloridaSnowman I see on a website that the castle is up for sale at 1.1 million. If only I were rich !
@@FloridaSnowman where did you get the history of the castle
I found some ghost stories on line about the Castle. I also looked at some genealogy websites. @@forsakenspirits
I lived and worked in the Castle for years, when I was a teenager and then after I graduated in 1995. There were some strange things that happened while I was there, but we also did the haunted castle every year for Halloween. I lived there from 95 to 96 in an apartment on the top floor by the roof. The only access I had were through the front door, so when I got home from my shift at the hospital, I would take off running up all those stairs.
@Georg Andexler Andexler one time I was in what they called the "dungeon" with my uncle and we heard children laughing and we went to check to see if anyone was there and no one was around.
@Georg Andexler Andexler yes, and I do seem to remember that atleast one of her children died at the castle. I believe it was typhoid fever, but don't hold me to it. Its been 20+ years since I worked/lived there.
Did you go to go to elementary school there? I think I went to school with you.
Awesome video! I really liked the history you added to the video. Story had me after about 10 seconds lol
This was one of the earliest videos I ever shot. I wish I had a steady cam when I was there.
Interesting video, but I've heard many different tales of ghost stories from this castle. This is a new one to me. Rosa Pelham, daughter of Charles Pelham from Pelham Alabama was indeed lavish in her parties. She threw parties for the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the day. Samuel Taylor Suit is from an area now known as Suitland Maryland. Much of his land is now Andrews Air Force Base. His title of Colonel is an honorary title in Kentucky where he did his distillery. As a Republican, he even tried to get his tonics introduced as having medicinal values. The original story was that Rosa's ghost haunted the property, even though she died broke 3 years after selling the castle.
I know it seems like a lot to take in, but this is the castle of my great-great-great grandfather and I still have the family bible with original pictures. 4 generations in a single photograph.
Very interesting and thank you so much for commenting on my video. It’s a beautiful home and I would love to see more of it again someday.
Interesting story and place.
If you enjoy my video, please take a second to mash the like button! I have posted other abandoned places and I'll be posting more as time permits. Snowman, "I'm exploring spooky abandoned places, so you don't have to."
FYI the statues were never there back then. One of the previous owners added them. And yes the castle is haunted. I was a caretaker there and lived in the upstairs 2nd floor apartment off to the right of the castle. Yes things were heard and saw while I worked and lived there. Enough said!
I would love to visit there again. Is it open to the public these days?
@@FloridaSnowman no it isn’t open to the public
Beautiful town
@@SandraLoburak it sure is, I drove through many times, always in the summer so I didn’t notice the castle.
Loved this place. Well researched with a creepy edge. Great video, like the demon eyes
Good to know somebody saw the eyes! I worked hard getting that to change.
I lived at this castle for a year as the caretaker and it is not haunted by anything other than pests. Had a horrible mouse problem!!!
Thanks for commenting! If you got any photos, that you don't mind sharing, I'm working on a second (better) video. I'm hoping for photos of the inside.
It's all changed now as its a residence
Can you visit? Is the castle open for tours?
I don't know, I filmed this years ago and I don't live near there. I hear it was a venue that could be rented at one time in the past. I also think that it has changed owners.
You have no idea how haunted that town is. There are witches buried in the woods.
I need to go back up north sometime soon.
My dad told me that his aunt and uncle used to clean their back in the 70s and whenever he was about in his early 20s he would come there and spend the night there with them and he said a few times he’s seen pictures moving on the walls and other strange things but said that he never seen any ghosts or anything I said dad, you were probably just Trippin he said shut the hell up boy 😂
funny story...
nice,new friend here.
Thanks for joining, this was one of my older videos, I have some photos of the inside now, I need to put together a new video of this place.
Did u know this place has a actual dungeon. Really cool place
There was nobody home the day I was passing through, I did not get to go inside. I hear it's for sale.
I habe pictures of the dungeon. And inside ....
@@AikawaMartialArts Brother, if you send me those photos, I'll post another video and credit you as the photographer. I'd love to see the inside. I saw a couple pictures on the web but I did not use any. I really don't like to use other people's work without permission. I have made a couple exceptions on very old pictures.
facebook.com/randy.marshall.5243
Contact me on Facebook. Ill get them to you. I have videos inside as well.
wow very cool brother!
I want this house bad I’m going to own this house mark my words..!!
Last thing I heard it's for sale!
OMG I'm related to the suits I found something in the attic
If you go farther up the road my aunt lives somewhere up there
It doesn't seem to haunted.
did you watch until the end?