I’m sure you have all heard of the Appalachian Rules:
If you see something, no you didn’t.
If you hear something, no you didn’t.
If something whistles at you, you don’t whistle back.

But what happens if you ignore the rules? What will happen if you whistle back or interact with the so-called “wildlife” in the Appalachian Mountains? This is the legend of the Coal Miner’s Watch, located in Grundy, Va.

The legend of the Coal Miner’s Watch began in the early 1900s when a man entered the mines after operational hours in hopes of looting some coal to heat his house. This young man was said to be a master at stealing coal, even draping his watch over the beams holding the mine stable to keep an eye on the time.

One night, the man was doing his routine: walking to the mines, hanging his watch, and gathering the coal he needed to keep his family warm. Suddenly, as the man was digging, he felt the mine begin to shake and rumble with the undeniable signs of a mine collapse. Unfortunately, the man was unable to escape the mine before it fell, and he was found deceased several days later. When the man was found, his watch was missing, thus starting the legend of the Coal Miner’s Watch.

Since then, many unfortunate accidents have occurred, and the cause is said to be that of the coal miner looking for his watch. Small injuries, equipment malfunction, and a drop in coal are all said to be results of the missing watch.

Many coal miners have reported that prior to these incidents, the mine would grow silent, and the only sound that could be heard was that of a watch ticking. The men have learned that if they hear the watch ticking, something bad is about to happen, and in the best-case scenario, they make it out of the mine before it collapses.

One man reports that he heard the ticking, and as it began to get louder and faster, he immediately ran out of the mine. As the man made his escape, another miner was walking into the mine to begin his day of work. The man warned the miner that he had heard the watch ticking and planned to send everyone home on account of the alleged curse. As the miner went home, he decided that he had enough time to make it to church before the service began. As the miner was walking to church, he approached the railroad tracks with both of the crossing lines down. Instead of waiting for the railroad lines to come up, he decided to weave through them, and as he did, he was struck by a train and died at the scene, his watch still ticking.

This legend is a dark story relating to themes of death and misfortune, and the moral of the story is that just because you hear the ticking and think you’ve avoided death’s trap, it does not mean your time is not up.

Edited and Reviewed by Zoe Carter