Weekly Anomaly Spotlight: The Woman in Black, Straight to the Facts

Ever heard of The Woman in Black? No, not this one...

This one...

Unbeknownst to many, she once called Roanoke, Virginia her home. Since Roanoke is our hometown, The Boo Review Crew decided to delve a little deeper into her past. 

According to the History Museum of Western Virginia, she made appearances in Roanoke in March of 1902. She was known for appearing only to notable, married men while they were alone at night. The Roanoke Times, a local newspaper, ran several stories about eye-witness accounts of the Woman in Black. According to the eye-witnesses, she never tried to hurt the men, but just simply walked them back to their houses and disappeared when they arrived at their doorstep. As suddenly as the Woman in Black appeared in Roanoke, she vanished. Later encounters showed a similar apparition appeared in Bluefield, West Virginia and then moved onto Alma, Nebraska. 

We managed to track her down in Alma where an almost identical apparition called the "Alma Nightwalker" had multiple sightings. We believe that her name was changed from the Woman in Black to the Alma Nightwalker because of her prominence in the city. Witnesses claim that instead of a white, ghostly apparition she appeared dressed all in black, covering her face with a veil. Again, she appeared most frequently to the well-known men of the town while they walked to their houses at night. Such sightings were reported by newspaper editors, congressman, and many other notable town figures. However, nearly every one of Alma's approximately 1,000 citizens reported seeing her. There are no reported attempts of her trying to harm anyone, instead she would just scare people by appearing and dissipating. 

The Woman in Black is an urban legend that has spread throughout the country and has inspired many stories and tales. So next time you're walking home alone at night, keep your eye out for a cloaked woman who wants to keep you company. You never know, with her beginnings and ties in Roanoke, she just may return...

We hope you've enjoyed our first ever Weekly Anomaly Spotlight! Stayed tuned for next week's post on "The Bunny Man Bridge". Have a faBOOlous day! 

-The Boo Review Crew