WIZARD CLIP

Inscription

WIZARD CLIP
AFTER THE 1794 DEATH OF A
STRANGER AT LIVINGSTON FARM,
MYSTERIOUS NOISES & CLIPPINGS
OF GARMENTS FRIGHTENED
MIDDLEWAY RESIDENTS FOR YEARS
WEST VIRGINIA HUMANITIES COUNCIL
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2019

This legend of Wizard Clip is a popular ghost story in the community of Middleway, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley of West Virginia. Pennsylvania native Adam Livingston settled in Middleway.. In 1794 a stranger is said to have visited his home. Not long after his arrival, the unknown man grew gravely ill and requested that Livingston send for a Catholic priest to read his last rites.Various stories abound, including one that Livingston, being Lutheran, did not call for a priest. Another states he tried but was unable to find a Catholic priest residing in the community. Regardless, the sick man died and was unceremoniously buried nearby.

Following the stranger’s death, Livingston began to notice peculiar noises and activities. The sound of a large pair of scissors cutting was commonly cited and came to be known as the Wizard Clip. At times, curtains sheets and clothing were found to be clipped into patterns like half-moons and other designs. Town residents were scared that the ghost of the deceased stranger had returned to haunt them. At his wit’s end, Livingstone sought out the services of a Catholic priest from nearby Shepherdstown. Once mass was performed inside the home, the haunting ceased.