EDITOR’S NOTE: Strangeville explores the curious and unexplained stories that have long defined Asheville and Western North Carolina. The region is full of unanswered questions, from old folklore and local legends to eerie encounters, unsolved moments in history, and the true-crime mysteries that still leave people wondering. Each week, we look back with an open mind and a sense of curiosity, trying to understand why some stories take hold and why some can never be explained.
EDNEYVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW.com) — In the open farmland of rural Henderson County, two oversized fiberglass steers stand watch along Old Clear Creek Road. Beyond them, past rolling pastureland and toward the base of Bald Top Mountain, a ghost town rises from the Clear Creek Valley.
Puncheon Camp Creek Ranch is a privately built Western-style village created by Boyd Leon “Bub” Hyder on land his family has farmed for generations. Though it was never a functioning town, it is known as a ghost town due to its deserted streets and the way it seems to appear out of nowhere as you drive along Old Clear Creek.
The village sits near Puncheon Camp Creek, a small stream that winds through the property. A white chapel with a five-point star on its steeple overlooks the site. Nearby stand a red schoolhouse, a post office, a jail, a courthouse, and a general store outfitted with vintage Pure Oil gas pumps. A hotel and saloon face the gravel drive. The structures create the illusion of a long-abandoned frontier town near the working ranch…