Old dolls, cursed stones, Civil War relics—here’s a look at the bizarre items that West Virginians swear brought bad luck.

You won’t find many people in West Virginia eager to keep certain things in their homes. It’s not because they’re hoarders or minimalists. It’s because some objects just carry a weight—bad luck, strange energy, or too many unanswered questions.

Ask around in towns like Elkins, Fayetteville, or Logan, and you’ll hear stories about the kinds of things that got thrown out, buried, or passed on to someone else fast. Let’s walk through a few of these objects and the stories behind them. Maybe you’ve had something similar in your home.

1. The Doll No One Wanted

Nearly every county in West Virginia has a story about an old doll that gave someone the creeps. But the most common stories come from Raleigh and Boone counties, where locals talk about antique dolls found in attics or inherited from relatives.

One woman in Beckley said her grandmother left her a porcelain doll with glass eyes that followed you across the room. Nothing dramatic happened at first. But the woman’s cat refused to go near it. Her phone kept falling off the charger. Lightbulbs in that room kept burning out within days. She finally gave the doll to a local historical society, and said the house felt lighter after it was gone.

Do you have an object in your house that makes you uneasy? How long would you keep something like that around before giving it away?

2. The Rock from Hawk’s Nest

Hawk’s Nest State Park is beautiful, but it’s also home to one of the worst industrial disasters in American history. In the 1930s, hundreds of workers died of silicosis while drilling the tunnel through the mountain. It’s considered a mass grave, with many workers buried in unmarked spots.

A Park Ranger once told me that every few months, someone returns a rock or small stone they picked up from the area. They claim it caused a string of bad luck—job losses, broken appliances, even a car crash. There’s no official collection for the returned stones, but the pattern is real enough that locals now warn visitors not to take anything from the site.

This one raises a good question: what’s the line between respect and superstition?

3. Civil War Relics

West Virginia’s terrain is full of old Civil War battle routes, especially near Harper’s Ferry and the Greenbrier Valley. People still dig up buttons, buckles, and musket balls. You’ll even find cannon fragments or belt plates in family sheds.

But there’s a belief held by many collectors that Civil War items, especially those found in or near old gravesites, carry a heavy energy. One man in Lewisburg said he found a belt buckle while digging fence posts and kept it on his bookshelf. He swears his kids started sleepwalking the week he brought it home. He later gave the buckle to a museum.

Museums across the state accept donations of Civil War artifacts and know how to store them properly. If you’ve got one sitting on a shelf and things have felt off, it might be worth handing it over.

4. Items from the Mounds

The Adena burial mounds, like the ones in Moundsville and South Charleston, date back over 2,000 years. They’re some of the oldest man-made structures in the region.

Some people have taken pottery shards, small stones, or other artifacts from these sites—not always knowing what they were. The stories that follow usually involve illness or mental distress. One woman in Mason County returned a stone pestle to the Grave Creek Mound after her family experienced a string of strange medical issues. Whether it was coincidence or something else, she didn’t want to risk keeping it.

Archaeologists say it’s not just about spirits—it’s also illegal to remove items from protected sites. But beyond the law, it comes down to respect. Would you want someone taking pieces from your ancestor’s graves?

5. Mirrors from Old Estates

Estate sales can be great places to pick up antique furniture, but some locals avoid old mirrors. There’s an old belief in Appalachia that mirrors can trap energy—sometimes even a part of the soul if someone dies in front of one.

One family in Huntington bought a Victorian mirror from a home that had been abandoned for decades. They started hearing knocks in the hallway and whispers when no one else was home. The family eventually donated the mirror to a local theater. It’s still there, backstage—and actors say it’s the coldest part of the building.

Not everyone buys into mirror superstitions. But if you’ve ever walked by one and felt like someone was watching, you might understand why people feel uneasy about them.

6. Handmade “Protection” Items

In parts of southern West Virginia, especially near the Kentucky border, people have found bundles of sticks tied with red string hidden in attics or behind walls. Some believe these were Appalachian “witch bundles” meant to protect the home or trap a spirit.

When these items are disturbed—say during renovation—some people report bad dreams, strange animal behavior, or even unexplainable injuries. A contractor in Williamson said he kept finding nails bent into circles behind old baseboards. After he tossed them, two of his workers quit, claiming they’d been scratched by something unseen.

These bundles might have roots in folk traditions or protective charms, but many locals believe it’s better to leave them where they’re found.

Why Do We Hold Onto These Beliefs?

You could say it’s just coincidence. Or you could say people bring energy into their homes through the way they treat their space and their history. Whether you believe in curses or just believe in the power of suggestion, these stories have something in common: people feel better once the item is gone.

Maybe it’s about control. When something feels off and we can’t explain it, getting rid of the thing tied to it gives us a way to move on.

Have you ever owned something that just didn’t sit right with you? Something that made you uncomfortable for reasons you couldn’t explain?

West Virginians may not all agree on what’s cursed and what’s just strange, but most will tell you this: if your gut says something’s off, it probably is. And around here, we listen to that.

Got your own story? Drop me a note. I’d love to hear what you’ve found—and what you got rid of.

For more local folklore and historical records on these items, check out:

• Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex: https://wvculture.org/grave-creek-mound/
• West Virginia State Museum: https://wvculture.org/west-virginia-state-museum/
• Hawk’s Nest History: https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/334