The newspaper was established in 1841 by John W. Lyon, and in 1885. The paper passed to his son, Woodrum, then, after his death, it went to Charles and Martha Weisfeld, then to their son, Robert; but old Woodrum seems to refuse to move on. His spirit apparently appears at his front, west window desk when tensions are high in the family-owned business. Locals refer to the lamp on his desk at 170 East Main Street as the “ghost lamp,” who note that it has a habit of turning itself on in the middle of the night when someone in town dies. His spirit, however, isn’t the only one that seems to be trapped here:
- It is believed that, like many places in Abingdon during the Civil War, the building was used as a makeshift hospital. This could account for the boot prints that appear on the floor when shop is opened up some mornings.
- A ghostly woman has been seen at the foot of the stairs.
- Another local legend tells that a woman that was staying here long ago became pregnant when she risked her reputation by going out with a gentleman caller one evening, unchaperoned. When she learned she was pregnant, she told the man, but he refused to do the honorable thing and marry her. She was so distraught, stories say that she flung herself out a back window and fell to her death. Her shade has been sighted rushing across a back room, then someone will hear the sound of glass breaking; when they investigate, the windows are all undisturbed. 1, 2
