Don’t let us make imaginary evils, when you know we have so many real ones to encounter.
Oliver Goldsmith
Established in 1722, Bertie County is one of the oldest political subdivisions in North Carolina. One of the most venerable family names in Bertie is Castellaw (spelled alternately as Castelloe, Castellow, and Castello). James Castellaw brought the name to this part of North Carolina when he immigrated from Scotland in the first half of the eighteenth century. From his arrival in Bertie, the young merchant and planter was a political leader. It was upon his land that the first county court-house was built.
The Castellaw name has survived into modern times. In the middle of the twentieth century, one of Bertie’s most historic homes, Windsor Castle, was restored to its former glory by Dr. Cola Castelloe. And Castelloe Road, located six miles east of the county seat of Windsor, pays homage to this old family name of Bertie.
There is one member of the Castellaw family who refused to rest after her death. Her ghost is the basis of this chilling tale, which unfolded about the same time the Civil War engulfed America. In 1862, John Castellaw, his wife, and their three children lived on a small farm located about three miles east of Windsor at a place known as Turkey Swamp. Their log cabin, set amid the vast pocosins of eastern Bertie, was not a place of domestic tranquility. John Castellaw and his ill-tempered wife, a shrew of a woman, did not get along. They argued and berated each other almost constantly.
As to their children, Mr. and Mrs. Castellaw openly picked favorites. Milly was the apple of John’s eye, so his wife chose Mary, the other daughter. David, the third child, elected to avoid the strife at home by volunteering to fight for the Confederate army. But before he left Bertie County, he gave a large sum of money to his mother, who promptly buried it on the farm.
While David was away at war, things went from bad to worse at the Castellaw home. His mother’s health deteriorated. As death drew near for the hateful wretch, she uttered a stern warning to Mary: “If you stay here with the old man and Milly after I’m dead and gone, I’ll come back and pull your eyes out.”
Soon thereafter, Mrs. Castellaw passed away. Her corpse was buried near the family cabin. But she did not rest there for long. One night as John, Mary, and Milly were sitting about the cabin, there came a loud knock at the door. John answered it but found no one there. Over the next several nights, the family continued to hear the same mysterious sounds.
Living in the wilds of Bertie County, John Castellaw was not a man who was easily frightened. But as spring gave way to summer, his courage was challenged, for “the Thing”—as he and the girls called it—became more aggressive. While they were in bed, the unseen visitor would cover their faces with quilts and blankets. Then it would take their pillows and pummel them.
The disturbances became a nightly occurrence, and the terrified family members found they could not sleep. When they tried to steal some slumber during daylight, “the Damned Booger”—as the highly annoyed John was then calling it—began to make its presence known during those hours also.
On one occasion, a broadax was observed moving in a menacing manner about the farmyard without anyone visibly controlling it. More than once, while the Castellaws were assembled at the dining table, a half-brick or similar heavy object would fall suddenly from the joist above, making a deep impression in the table. At least a half-dozen times, the Thing threw an apple at Mary’s head.
There was no end to the violent outbursts by the vindictive haunt. After a long day of hard labor on the farm, John walked into the yard to enjoy the cool of the evening following supper. As he rested under a cedar tree, the Damned Booger knocked his hat off. Outraged, he exclaimed, “Damn you, knock it off! I can put it on as many times as you can knock it off, I reckon.” No sooner had he taken his seat than the haunt grabbed his hair and pulled some of it out. Neighbors were invited to spend the night with the Castellaws in order to give them support when the Thing made its nightly call. These visitors invariably departed the farm in a state of shock and fear after witnessing the sights and sounds that plagued John and his family.
Meanwhile, David Castellaw had deserted from the Confederate army and enlisted in the Union army. When his military duties were over, he returned to the family farm, where the horrifying occurrences continued. Before David died in November 1867, he shot at the Thing several times. Although he was extremely reluctant to discuss his frightening experiences with the ghost, the young man confirmed before his premature death what other family members had suspected. The Thing was his mother. He had seen it!
Sometime after David died, John and the girls fled the haunted place. They settled on a farm a mile or so from Windsor. As far as anyone knows, the Thing did not follow them and never made good on its threat to pull Mary’s eyes out. At their new homestead, the family lived in relative peace.
But what about the old Castellaw farm? A man by the name of Simpson purchased the property. Some say that he found the money and other valuables buried there by Mrs. Castellaw. Others are not so sure because they say her ghost would not allow the treasure to be taken. Indeed, folks in these parts claim that the grave near the old cabin site at Turkey Creek remains empty and that the Damned Booger still haunts the Bertie countryside.