Kentucky Hauntings(44)

Her husband ran toward the blackberry patch by the woods while Mrs. Gammon dialed the sheriff's number. A quick look around the blackberry patch gave Mr. Gammon no information about his daughter. He turned and headed into the woods. He saw the shoe of Maggie's that his wife had seen. He could see where bushes had been broken and pushed down, as if someone had been dragged into the woods. He struggled to fight down his fear, but he knew there had definitely been something in the blackberry patch much more dangerous than a snake.

The sheriff arrived with some men, and they proceeded to search the whole area. Maggie's other shoe was found on the ground at the edge of a cliff above a creek. There were no other clues about Maggie's whereabouts. The men searched the woods and down along the creek, but there was no trace of the missing girl. They continued the search for days, but they had little hope of finding her now. Some of the searchers swore that they heard something following along beside them while they were searching, but the invisible thing never materialized. Finally the search was called off.

Mrs. Gammon refused to believe that her daughter was gone forever. She kept busy during the day. In the daylight hours, she could pretend that Maggie was off visiting her friends, but it was different when darkness settled over the woods and the blackberry patch. She felt so guilty about letting Maggie go out alone that morning! She would leave the house at night and go to the blackberry patch, calling her daughter's name.

One night she was in the patch near the woods when she heard something crashing through the bushes coming toward her, grunting and panting heavily. She ran to the house as fast as she could and told her husband. He went to the patch, but he only heard the usual night sounds of crickets, frogs, and insects. He thought his wife might have been frightened enough by this experience to discontinue her searches at night, but he was wrong.

The next night, Mrs. Gammon was more determined than ever to look for her child.

“I know she's alive!” she kept saying. “We would have found her body if she were dead!”

“You have to accept that she's gone,” Mr. Gammon told his wife. “She's beyond our help now.”

“I think someone captured her and is holding her prisoner,” said Mrs. Gammon. “We can't give up! Please help me look for her!”

When her husband refused to go, she left home alone and went to the berry patch.

Mr. Gammon knew it was impossible to stop her. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table to wait. Several minutes passed. Then he heard Mrs. Gammon's scream cut through the night.

He grabbed his flashlight and raced from the house to her rescue, but she wasn't there! There was nothing in the berry patch. He walked toward the woods, shining his light on the ground. Signs on the ground showed once again that a body had been dragged from the berry patch into the woods. Mr. Gammon called out to his wife, but all he heard was grunting and heavy breathing from something he couldn't see.

He knew it was dangerous to search alone, so he returned quickly to the house and called the sheriff. Again the sheriff brought men with him, and the search began for Mrs. Gammon. The trail led to the edge of the cliff, and that's where they found her. The sight was one they would never be able to put out of their minds for as long as they lived. It would haunt their waking hours and their dreams. They wondered what happened, but Mrs. Gammon could tell them nothing. When they found her, she was clawed to shreds and half eaten.

Residents of the area refused to go into the blackberry patch after that. Dogs kept barking at something unseen in the woods, but they wouldn't enter either. Stories began to circulate that the monster of the blackberry patch was real. Juicy blackberries grew in the patch, but those who were tempted to go near them heard the grunting and heavy breathing, and ran for their lives.

Many people in the neighborhood swore that they saw the ghost of Mrs. Gammon, walking through the blackberry patch at the edge of the woods, looking for her lost daughter. As a ghost, she appeared to be whole.

Because the mystery was never solved, some believe that the horrible unseen thing still stalks the patch for victims. If they get a longing for blackberry cobbler or jam, they head for their favorite market or bakery.





Joy's Incredible Journey


We saved this story for last because it is a tribute to a very dear friend of ours, Joy Pennington. It is hard for us to tell, but because we lived through it ourselves, we know it to be true. Joy died on March 23, 2011, but her dying doesn't mean this is a sad story. She wouldn't have allowed that. Joy's incredible journey to meet death was a beautiful experience for her and all who knew and loved her because she made it so.

Joy and Roberta met in the fall of 1958 when they both entered Berea College. Joy's husband, Lee, entered Berea at the beginning of 1959. Lonnie met Joy and Lee after he and Roberta married in 1977, and they moved across the street from the Penningtons in 1985. The four were all good friends and did many things together, but as with most friendships, their good times were too often taken for granted. After all, there would always be time to do things together!