The man behind the ghost–Charlotte, NC

Fire Department Station No. 4
420 West 5th Street
Charlotte, North Carolina

In researching and writing about ghosts, I often forget that there were real individuals behind every ghost that I encounter. When I come across something like a death certificate for someone whose activity from the spiritual plane may be witnessed by those in the living plane, it can be a bit of a shock.

Legend often conflicts with the truthful history behind a haunting, and as a legend persists and spreads, the historical details may be discarded. Though, when I went searching for the truth behind the ghost of Charlotte’s Fire Station No. 4, the actual story has survived intact, except for some minor details. My current job requires a good amount of genealogical research, so I employed those skills in sussing out the details of this ghost story.

First, the legend as told by Israel Petty of The Lantern News & Media Group:

“On April 1st, 1934, a firefighter by the name of Pruitt Black headed out in response to a call. But when he tried to slide down the fire pole, he became tangled in his heavy bunker pants and fell through the hole instead.

Pruitt fractured his skull and died on impact. His ghost reportedly still haunts the building to this day, and visitors of the museum claim to see and smell the smoke of his cigar.”

Not only does the legend provide an exact name for the victim, but an exact date of death, as well as the location of the death. A quick search of Find-a-Grave, a website that provides the details of billions of graves worldwide, pulls up a Pruett L. Black who died 1 April 1934 buried in Charlotte’s Elmwood Cemetery. Bingo! This Pruett Black died at Fire Station No. 4!

With this basic information, I go to search Mr. Black on FamilySearch and his profile is the first to pop up. Included among the sources is a copy of the death certificate which can help to confirm the details of the legend. The cause of death is given as “Fractured skull cause [sic] by fall on concrete floor as he attempted to come down the pole from fireman’s quarters the distance being 14 feet.” The main details of his death also match up with the legend.

Front page The Charlotte Observer 2 April 1934
Front page of Section 2 of The Charlotte Observer 2 April 1934 announcing the death of Pruett Black.

All these details are backed up in the Charlotte Observer the following day. The section 2 headline blares “CHARLOTTE FIREMAN LOSES LIFE IN FALL AT STATION.”

Pruett L. Black, Charlotte fireman, was fatally injured yesterday morning at No. 4 fire station on West Fifth street when he lost his footing and plunged headfirst through the pole opening on the second floor and dropped to the concrete floor 14 feet below. He died three hours later at St. Peter’s hospital.

…Black was killed in action. He and other members of the No. 4 fire station were answering an alarm at 7:40 o’clock. When the alarm came in, the firemen, who were sleeping on the second floor of the station, dressed hurriedly and started for the brass pole which leads from the dormitory to the first floor where the apparatus is housed. A fellow fireman said that Black started toward to the pole, drawing on his coat as he went. Just as he grasped for the pole, his foot appeared to slip, and he missed his catch and fell through the opening. His head struck the concrete below and was horribly smashed.

The detail of Black dying upon impact at the firehouse is incorrect. He was injured in the fall and died at the hospital several hours later.

Putting these records together, a portrait of Mr. Black emerges. Pruett Livingston Black was born 6 February 1906 in Long Creek Township in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. There are some discrepancies with his date of birth, his death certificate states 26 February 1905, putting it at odds with his grave marker which reads 6 February 1906. His wife was the informant on the death certificate, so it is unknown which date may be correct. Black’s parents were Robert Rush Black (1877-1955) and Katherine Clarinda Wallace (1881-1911) and Pruett Black had five siblings: three brothers and two sisters.

Black joined the Charlotte Fire Department 15 March 1928, meaning he had just passed his sixth year of service when he died. On 30 June 1931, Pruett married Pansy Green Fortner (1910-2002) of Mount Holly, Gaston County, North Carolina at the Lutheran parsonage in Mount Holly. On 4 May 1932, Pansy gave birth to a son, Pruett Livingston Black, Jr. (1932-2013). When her husband died just about three years after their wedding, Pansy Black was left a widow and single mother at the age of 24. She would remarry around 1938, dying in 2002 in Charlotte.

Fire Station No. 4, Charlotte, NC
Fire Station No. 4 in 2017. Photo by BusinessEditorUSA, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Construction on Firehouse No. 4 began in 1925 “to better balance downtown‘s fire protection with close proximity to the city center and accessibility to the Fourth Ward neighborhood.” The fire house opened in 1926, serving the city as until 1972 when its bays were deemed too narrow to allow for modern fire equipment. After closure, the building housed offices and storage for the city’s sanitation department as well as several businesses, including a digital media company and an antique store before reopening in 2002 as a fire museum. The museum was forced to close in 2009 due to rising rent. Since then, suggestions have been put forth for usage of the building, though nothing seems to have come to fruition.

It seems that the first stories of the building’s ghost were published by Stephanie Burt Williams in her 2003 book, Ghost Stories of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County: Remnants of the Past in a New South. For the book, Williams spoke with several people who worked in the building discovering that smelling the odor of cigar smoke was the most common experience for people in the building. The owner of the antique shop experienced the smoke the first time he toured the building. “In 1997, I was walking through the building for the first time. It had been boarded up and no one in there for years, and my first thought was that someone had been living there because the smell of cigar smoke was so strong. It was consistent and stronger in some areas than others, but I smelled it throughout the entire time I had my business there.”

Not only did people smell cigar smoke, but several people had face to face encounters with an apparition. One quiet Sunday afternoon, the antique store owner witnessed a man wearing a bright yellow parka walk through part of his store, approaching a wall and disappearing. He said, “It unnerved me, and I left for the day.” His electrical contractor had an experience shortly after. While working upstairs where the barracks were originally located the contractor observed a man walking down the hall. He followed the man into the old barracks room, though upon entering, the mysterious man had disappeared. A moment later, the store’s owner, who was downstairs, saw the man cross the room and disappear near the location of the original exterior door.

A short time later, the owner came face to face with the same apparition in the upstairs hallway. After doing some research on the building, he found a photo of Pruett Black, recognizing him as the apparition he had encountered a short time earlier. Quickly he started saying hello and goodbye to Mr. Black, who seemed to enjoy the greetings. “We never had any conversations, and I never felt scared. I felt very protected, but I definitely felt there was someone there,” he explained.

After he was sent some antique fire equipment and uniforms, the store owner displayed them in the old equipment room. Frequently, he found himself having to fold the uniforms as the spirit liked them hanging on the old pegs in the room.

While so many legends are recounted with questionable historical details, in this case, most of the historical details have been preserved. If you find yourself passing the old fire house and you happen to smell cigar smoke, be sure to wave hello to Pruett Black, I’m sure he would appreciate it!

Sources

  • Charlotte fireman loses life in fall at station. Charlotte Observer. 2 April 1934. Section 2, page 1.
  • FamilySearch profile for Pruett Livingston Black, Sr. Accessed 31 October 2024. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MYJV-W6S.
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/75659356/pruett_l-black accessed October 31, 2024), memorial page for Pruett L. Black (6 Feb 1906–1 Apr 1934), Find a Grave Memorial ID 75659356. Citing Elmwood Cemetery, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Maintained by JJH 47481859.
  • Petty, Israel. “This Haunted NC Fire Station Still Houses a Fireman that Refuses to Clock Out.” The Lantern News & Media Group. 17 June 2024. https://www.facebook.com/TheLanternNewsandMediaGroup/posts/pfbid02QVE5RdRGT3SMeeT4PC6ubReHNQMhwXYVyS4HgDKvwTgENnJmSpi1XomoPPpq4adpl.
  • Portillo, Ely. “A Carolina Panthers player’s uptown restaurant building got named to the National Historic Register.” Charlotte Observer. 23 March 2017.
  • Price, Mark. “He died in the line of duty. Now he reportedly haunts his old Charlotte fire station.” Charlotte Observer. 24 October 2017.
  • Williams, Stephanie Burt. Ghost Stories of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County: Remnants of the Past in a New South. Winston-Salem, NC: Bandit Books, 2003.
  • Wootson, Cleve R., Jr. “Fire Museum closing its doors.” Charlotte Observer. 5 April 2009.

Introducing A Haunted Southern Book of Days

If you’re a frequent visitor here, you may have noticed that I introduced “A Haunted Southern Book of Days” about six months ago. It has taken me some time to realize that I wasn’t satisfied with the initial calendar, so I revamped it. Like so many good ghost-blogging ideas, I first saw this on Theresa Racer-Cheshire’s blog, Theresa’s Haunted History of the Tri-State. It has taken some time to implement, and I hope it’s worth it.

This is a calendar of dates that can be associated with various haunted locations throughout the South. Included here are dates of events that have produced hauntings, dates of people who may have remained in spiritual form, and important dates for haunted locations all in one place.

The calendar can be accessed through the directory page on the right hand side of the blog titled “A Haunted Southern Book of Days,” or here.

James T. Staples paddle steamer
The James T. Staples was destroyed on the Tombigbee River in Choctaw County, Alabama, 9 January 1913. The ship’s former captain, Norman Staples, appeared to terrified laborers aboard the ship not long before a boiler explosion sank it. Norman Staples’ spirit has been spotted in the Bladon Springs Cemetery near where his ship sank. The complete story may be found on the January Book of Days under January 9.

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–September

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 September

 

2 September

 

3 September

 

4 September

 

5 September

 

6 September

 

7 September

8 September

 

9 September

 

10 September

11 September

 

12 September

13 September

 

14 September

 

15 September

 

16 September

 

17 September

18 September

19 September

 

20 September

 

21 September

 

22 September

23 September

 

24 September

 

25 September

 

26 September

  •  1907 – Si Conner is hanged at the Noxubee County Jail in Macon, Mississippi. The old jail has been transformed into the Noxubee County Library.

27 September

  •  1903 – Locomotive Old ’97, pulling a mail train, jumps the rails and crashes in Danville, Virginia.

28 September

 

29 September

 

30 September

 

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–October

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 October

 

2 October

 

3 October

 

4 October

 

5 October

 

6 October

 

7 October

8 October

9 October

 

10 October

 

11 October

 

12 October

13 October

 

14 October

 

15 October

  •  1859 – John Brown and his fellow raiders stay at the Kennedy Farm in Sharpsburg, Maryland prior to their failed attempt to seize the Federal Armory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

16 October

 

17 October

 

18 October

 

19 October

 

20 October

 

21 October

 

22 October

 

23 October

 

24 October

 

25 October

 

26 October

 

27 October

28 October

 

29 October

 

30 October

 

31 October – Halloween

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–November

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 November

  • 1905 – Fire destroys several buildings in Pensacola, Florida on Palafox Street between Garden and Romana Streets, precipitating the construction of the Blount Building.

2 November

 

3 November

 

4 November

 

5 November

 

6 November

 

7 November

 

8 November

 

9 November

 

10 November

 

11 November

 

12 November

 

13 November

  •  1913 – Hales Bar Dam in Haletown, Tennessee begins operations.

14 November

 

15 November

 

16 November

 

17 November

 

18 November

 

19 November

 

20 November

 

21 November

22 November

  • 1955 –  Mayhayley Lancaster, noted fortune-teller and seer, dies in Franklin, Georgia and is buried at Caney Head United Methodist Church in nearby Roopville. 

23 November

 

24 November

 

25 November

 

26 November

 

27 November

28 November

 

29 November

 

30 November

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–May

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 May

 

2 May

3 May

4 May

 

5 May

 

6 May

 

7 May

 

8 May

 

9 May

 

10 May

 

11 May

 

12 May

 

13 May

 

14 May

 

15 May

  •  1941 – Murderer Grady White is executed in downtown Philadelphia, Mississippi, possibly leading to a haunting at Marty’s Blues Cafe.

16 May

 

17 May

 

18 May

 

19 May

 

20 May

 

21 May

22 May

 

23 May

 

24 May

25 May

 

26 May

 

27 May

 

28 May

 

29 May

 

30 May

 

31 May

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–March

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 March

 

2 March

 

3 March

  •  1887 – North Carolina State University is founded in Raleigh. Among the haunted locations on campus is an old gymnasium turned theater, Frank Thompson Hall.

4 March

5 March

 

6 March

 

7 March

 

8 March

 

9 March

 

10 March

 

11 March

 

12 March

 

13 March

 

14 March

15 March

 

16 March

 

17 March – St. Patrick’s Day

18 March

  • 1919 – The night of the “Axeman’s Passover” when the self-described Axeman of New Orleans announced that he would pass through the city killing the occupants of any house not playing jazz. 

19 March

20 March

21 March

 

22 March

 

23 March

 

24 March

 

25 March

 

26 March

 

27 March

  • 1814 – The Battle of Horseshoe Bend is fought near modern-day Dadeville, Alabama, pitting American forces under General Andrew Jackson against a Muscogee village of Tohopeka.  

28 March

 

29 March

  •  1883 – Western Carolina Insance Asylum, now Broughton Hospital opens in Morganton, North Carolina.

30 March

 

31 March

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–June

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 June

 

2 June

 

3 June

 

4 June

5 June

  • 2005 – A tree falls on and severely damages the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge in its original location on Wacoochee Creek precipitating its move to Opelika Municipal Park.

6 June

 

7 June

 

8 June

 

9 June

  •  1863 – Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle fought on American soil, occurred in Virginia. Wounded and dying soldiers were taken to a house near the battlefield where many scratched their names into the plaster walls. Now known as Graffiti House, the house,  the names and inscriptions, and perhaps the spirits there have been preserved as part of a museum.

10 June

 

11 June

 

12 June

 

13 June

14 June

 

15 June

  •  1888 – Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau dies at her home in New Orleans and is buried in the Glapion family crypt in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on Basin Street. Ever since, her spirit has been encountered near the cemetery.

16 June

  •  1888 – Sue Howard Hardy, a Charleston socialite, passes away and is buried in the churchyard of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. Her spirit has been captured in photographs and video more than a hundred years later.

17 June

 

18 June

 

19 June

 

20 June

 

21 June

 

22 June

 

23 June

 

24 June

 

25 June

 

26 June

 

27 June

28 June

 

29 June

 

30 June

 

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–July

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 July

2 July

 

3 July

 

4 July

5 July

 

6 July

  •  1962 – Author William Faulkner, whose home, Rowan Oak, is now preserved as a museum, dies.

7 July

  • 1865 – Four conspirators including Mary Surratt, found guilty in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, are hanged are executed in Washington, D. C. This group was suspected of having planned much of the assassination at Mrs. Surratt’s Boarding House, now occupied by Wok and Roll Chinese and Japanese Restaurant.

8 July

 

9 July

  •  1850 – President Zachary Taylor dies in office at the White House.

10 July

 

11 July

 

12 July

  •  1913 – Asheville, North Carolina’s popular Grove Park Inn opens.

13 July

14 July

 

15 July

 

16 July

17 July

 

18 July

 

19 July

 

20 July

 

21 July

22 July

 

23 July

 

24 July

  •  1826 – Thomas Jefferson dies at his home, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

25 July

 

26 July

 

27 July

  • 1826 – General James Winchester dies at his home, Cragfont, in Castalian Springs, Tennessee.

28 July

29 July

 

30 July

31 July

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–January

Explore this month through the lens of Southern spirits with this haunted book of days.

1 January

  • 1955 – Two more dogs found mutilated in Bladensboro, NC leading locals to blame the Beast of Bladensboro.

2 January

3 January

 

4 January

  •  1867 – The traditional date of brakeman Joe Baldwin’s death in a train accident just outside the town of Maco, NC, leading to sightings of the Maco Light.

5 January

 

6 January

 

7 January

 

8 January

9 January

  • 1913 – The James T. Staples sinks after a boiler explosion on the Tombigbee River near Bladon Springs, AL.

10 January

 

11 January

 

12 January

 

13 January

 

14 January

 

15 January – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

16 January

 

17 January

 

18 January

 

19 January

 

20 January

 

21 January

22 January

 

23 January

 

24 January

 

25 January

  •  1819 – University of Virginia is established in Charlottesville, VA. See Alderman Library.

26 January

 

27 January

28 January

 

29 January

 

30 January

 

31 January