NC Hauntings and Urban Legends Podcast Episode One: The Pactolus Lights

North Carolina is a state that is rich in historical events and the legends that have been created from these stories.  The stories created by these events have led to many of the continued growth of these stories for generations.  During this upcoming 6 episode podcast we will be exploring several of these unique Urban Legends inspired by the real-life events that they were derived from. 

On this week’s episode, we travel to Greenville in the Eastern part of the state and explore the legend of the Pactolus Lights. This story began in 1910 when a gentleman Named Edward Cox who rode his horse out of the small community of Pactolus to meet his fiancé coming in from her train ride from Richmond Virginia. The couple fell in love while she was in college the community in the area now known as East Carolina University. 

Train Tracks in Farmville NC. (photo/Christina Labrdor)

Turns out the train that Cox was awaiting was arriving way later than he expected which led him to be out after dusk in an unfamiliar area. Cox’s horse alerted to some individuals waiting by the tracks. These individuals would ambush Cox as he rode past them on his way home. He was killed by these individuals and his remains were stuffed in the underbrush of the tracks. 

During this time his horse became spooked and ran off only to return to Greenville a few days later exhausted and riderless. The family of Cox knew in their hearts that this was a bad omen and went searching for his remains but could never find them. 

Map of the location of where the tracks ran. The red marker is the spot where many have seen the light occur. (this is private property so please do not go without permission from the owners.) (photo/Google Maps)

The train tracks in this area have been long removed, but it is said that the soul of this young gentleman remains in the area. He is said to appear to those looking for him as an orb of light either at the waste level as if he is walking beside his horse or above eye level as he is riding his horse.

This legend remains an active part of many of the stories told in Eastern NC as they believe this soul is still looking for his fiancé to this day. The property is now private and those who come to the area and trespass in hopes of gaining just a few seconds of visual confirmation are asked to leave. 

We will explore other legends in our future episodes including interviews with individuals who have seen the results of these unique stories that have been passed from generation to generation.