Kelly Prestipino and Liz Pardue, authors of Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends and Lore: Vol. 1,
compiled historical records, eyewitness accounts, and resident anecdotes to publish
the town’s first book of ghost stories.
Liz Pardue was 8 years old when she read a ghost story involving one of her ancestors in the book North Carolina Ghosts & Legends by Nancy Roberts.
The story involved “a devil collecting the soul of a witch” — somewhat atypical reading for a third grader, don’t you think?
“It terrified me, and I couldn’t stop,” says Pardue. “My mom bought every single one of Nancy Roberts’ books, and every time we traveled anywhere, the thing that I wanted was a local book of ghost stories.”
Her interest never waned, and Pardue made a career as a historian, author, and story scout searching for similar spooky and unexplained accounts.
“I like to learn about history through its folklore and its legends,” she says.
Downtown Fuquay hums with spooky legends, especially near the historic mineral spring and the surrounding streets and grounds.
Pardue founded Sisterhood of Spirits, a collective of historians, creators, and performers who share a love of storytelling and folklore. With Pardue at the helm, the organization produces the popular Fuquay Ghost Tours.
“When I moved to Fuquay 15 years ago, I started asking a bunch of people about their ghost stories; I found so many.”
Pardue collected the tales and shared them anecdotally with friends and newcomers.
“As we’re walking around the historic downtown, I started telling (friends and visitors) about all the terrifying things that have happened in, like, two blocks. They were like, You should get paid to do this,” she recalls.
Around that time, Pardue connected via Facebook with local resident and journalism teacher Kelly Prestipino, who also happened to be collecting area myths and histories. The pair teamed up to author a book, Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends & Lore: Vol. 1, full of firsthand accounts, historic documents, and unexplained happenings.
The Sisterhood of Spirits, founded by Pardue, produces the Fuquay-Varina Ghost tours — history tours given through a spooky lens.
The Fuquay-Varina Museums Complex “has done such a great job of preserving our history and making it accessible. This made me realize that our little town has many stories to tell, and I wanted to be involved in telling them,” Prestipino says.
“We both went and visited the historical society. We hunted down old articles. … (Kelly) spends a lot of time tracking down old-school research, following up on the locations behind old news articles, and other things that we’ve been able to scrounge up in historical records. That’s been so instrumental, because we really wanted to be as historically accurate as possible,” says Pardue.
“People love to read books and watch movies about fantasy worlds and people. The idea that some of these places or people could be based in reality is captivating,” says Prestipino.
With overwhelming community excitement and support, evidenced by a sold-out Kickstarter campaign, Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends & Lore: Vol. 1 debuted in August, featuring 30 stories of hauntings, scandals, and supernatural phenomena, boldly claiming that Fuquay-Varina is the most haunted small town in the South.
To illustrate that eerie accolade, the authors involved the local art community.
“We had an art contest where we put out a call to local artists. We have four or five local artists that supplied art to the book and did renderings of some of the stories that we didn’t have photographs for. They are all amazing,” says Pardue.
Pardue and Prestipino have already begun compiling stories for a second volume of Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, claiming the town is the most haunted small town in the south.
Pardue brought the stories off the page in the first installment of Fuquay Ghost Tours last October — which sold out every single show.
“When I first wrote the script, we had eight stops in an hour. By the time the tours wrapped up, we’d added so many stories. We had nearly 15 stops, and the tours were lasting an hour and a half — it’s only 0.8 miles around two blocks of downtown,” Pardue says.
Local actors added showmanship and surprises by dressing up and dramatizing certain occurrences on the tour.
“I really like when other actors and creative types can make this project shinier and better. It always changes shape from what my vision was at the beginning, and I love it,” says Pardue.
Fuquay Ghost Tours will return for a second year this October, spread across three weekends leading up to Halloween, again featuring resident actors as tour guides and spooky characters.
“We have eight core stories that we definitely want to touch on, and then we’ll build from there and see what people want to bring to life. … We have to tell the story of the mineral spring. People believed that it had magical healing properties, and an inordinate concentration of the (ghost) stories happened along Spring Street,” says Pardue.
“The magic is in the springs. … Those healing powers had to come from something or somewhere,” says Prestipino. “Throughout the years, this has caused the spring itself to become a hot spot for spiritual activity, and it seems to be creeping out from the water into the rest of our community.”
“It’s not a haunted trail. It’s more of a history tour through a spooky lens,” Pardue states, adding that the tour is recommended for ages 15 and up.
“Some of these stories have really harsh content. A lot of the people on the tour made themselves ghosts, as we say.”
Oct. 4–6
Oct. 11–13
Oct. 25–27
6:30 to 8:30 P.M.
Walking tours depart from 50 E. Vance St. Tours last one hour and are less than one mile. Rain or shine. Parents should accompany patrons younger than 15.
Tickets available at sisterhoodofspirits.com/fvghosts
Pardue’s favorite stop on the tour is the Ballentine-Spence House, a 115-year-old home on Spring Street near S. Fuquay Avenue.
Previous homeowners and renovation crews have witnessed many unearthly and unexplained happenings on the property. Firsthand accounts shared with Pardue describe the house as “a train station for the undead” and “a portal to the underworld.” We won’t reveal the juicy details here — you’ll have to read the book or attend the tour for the whole story.
The tours “are a great way to walk around downtown and get into the spirit of Halloween. It’s a theater performance,” Pardue says.
“Everybody loves the thrills of spookiness and ethereal beings and the unexplained. There’s a lot of that; it’s just fun. It’s also really great to see your neighbors partaking in something that’s very unserious, that’s just for a good time and to celebrate a community.”
Through a partnership with Central Carolina Out of the Darkness Walks, a portion of the ghost tour ticket sales will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
