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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bostian Bridge in Statesville ranks #4 among North Carolina's haunted places

A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, Bostian Bridge near Statesville ranks #4 among North Carolina's most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 161 North Carolina sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Bostian Bridge ranks #4. Early on August 27, 1891, a passenger train derailed on the trestle over Third Creek near Statesville, the deadliest train wreck in North Carolina history. Three separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1941, retold in seven later publications. On the wreck's 50th anniversary that year, a stranded traveler said she watched a phantom train plunge into the creek, and in the fuller telling a uniformed railroad man carrying a gold watch asked her for the time before vanishing, later identified as baggage master Hugh K. Linster, who was killed in the wreck. A local paranormal investigator has reported candles going out unexplained during an anniversary vigil at the bridge.

Statewide, the Grove Park Inn in Asheville ranks #1, and the Biltmore Estate, the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Bostian Bridge is private, active railroad property near Statesville; view it only from public roads, and do not trespass onto the tracks.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/north-carolina/The fact sheet, with Statesville numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/north-carolina/Photo: Bostian Bridge, on the fact sheet.A short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

Short version

SHORT VERSION

Bostian Bridge in Statesville ranks #4 among North Carolina's haunted places

Bostian Bridge near Statesville ranks #4 among North Carolina's most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. A passenger train derailed on the trestle over Third Creek on August 27, 1891, North Carolina's deadliest train wreck. On the wreck's 50th anniversary, in 1941, a stranded traveler said she watched a phantom train plunge into the creek and a figure ask for the time before vanishing, later identified as baggage master Hugh K. Linster; investigators have reported candles going out during anniversary vigils. The bridge remains private, active railroad property; do not trespass onto the tracks.

Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/north-carolina/