The Ghost of Oconee

This weeks tale of ghostly creepiness comes from Haywood county and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a tale of anger, hatred and self loathing.

The area known as Waterrock Knob overlooks some of the most beautiful area in the country. What visitors to the top of the hill don't realize is that they are looking at the spot where a horrible woman once terrorized the locals and vowed to come back from the grave.

Oconee Sheen lived at the base of Waterrock in a cabin with her father who was a terrible man prone to mentally and physically abusing poor Oconee who was only 15 at the time. As the story goes one day as he beat her with his leather whip whether by accident or not one of the ends of the whip wrapped around her face and destroyed one of her eyes.

Oconee placed a large gemstone in the hollow socket but knew she would never grow to be a beautiful woman like her mother who had long died. As time went on she began to hate her father until one night she slipped out to retrieve an axe and hacked the man to death as he slept. After disposing of the body under the floorboards of the cabin Oconee felt like she was free. No one ever asked her about her father and if they did she would just reply that he'd gone back to his people.

As the years went by though, Oconee grew uglier, both inside and out. Her "eye" began to shine more. She began to hate people and grow openly hostile towards them. But the weirdest thing was she began to develop powers. Her eye would cause plants to wither, birds to drop dead in mid song. Children ran and hid and dogs howled whenever Oconee came near.

Although the locals tried to avoid her at all costs, it was of no use since Oconee would seek them out and take from them whatever she needed. If they objected, the would suffer that much more. She was known to cause a field of grain to burst into flames because a farmer refused to give her a pig. A preacher who made the mistake of telling Oconee she was possessed by the Devil paid with his life when she cast her eye on him and he fell dead.

Years past by until one day Oconee fell gravely sick. A doctor from Willits came to her cabin. As he was examining her his eye was drawn to the rock she had used as an eye. "I am dying." She told him. He agreed and she cackled "You say I'm dying but you're wrong. Oconee never dies. Even death can not keep me in the grave." With that, Oconee died... Or so it seemed.

The doctor waited until after the funeral which, was attended by everyone in those parts although I'm guessing it was because they just wanted to make sure she was dead. The doctor went to see a man named Joe Martin to tell him what he'd seen. it seems that just before Oconee died, the doctor got a look at the 'rock' that she kept in her eye socket. it was a huge diamond. The doctor told Joe about it and they began to scheme a way to get the diamond.

So on the next night, the two went to Oconee's grave and dug up the coffin. The doctor slid down in the hole and opened the eye with the stone. Just as he plucked the diamond from her socket, Oconee's good eye shot opened and she grabbed the doctor around the neck.

The doctor threw the stone to Joe and shouted for him to run. As fast as his legs could carry him Joe made his way home throwing every bit of furniture he had at the front door in an attempt to block it. Just then a window flew open and there stood Onconee. "Give me back my eye." she screamed at Joe.

He threw the eye to her and waited for the doom he knew was coming. Oconee placed the diamond back in her eye socket, turned and left. leaving Joe quivering in his home.

The next day Joe went back to Oconee's grave which had been covered over. Again Joe dug up the coffin only to discover the lifeless body of Dr. Morton in it. I guess Death really couldn't keep Oconee in the grave.