WNC Scary Stories: A visit to Zealandia Mansion

Pam Schilling, right, with her friend Linda Brudvig, who also went on the Zealandia adventure. Photo courtesy of Schilling

Editor’s note: For Halloween, we asked our readers to share the scariest things they’ve experienced in our area. Readers came through with shivery accounts of mysterious occurrences, including this one below.

Fifty years ago, when I was a teenager, two carloads of us went up to the Zealandia Mansion to see the legendary ghost. We were told not to turn the car off because if we did, it would not start again. My girlfriend, whom I was riding with, just by habit turned the car off.

We got out of the car and walked up to the gate. Big dogs were barking, so we ran back and got in the car. Lo and behold, it would not start! The battery was totally dead.

We all piled in our other friend’s car and left. The next day, my friend’s dad went and jumped her car. Needless to say, we never returned!

— Pam Schilling
Candler

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