The Legend of Peter Dromgoole

Picture of Gimghoul Castel

The legend of Peter Dromgoole and Fannie is a long time legend for the campus of University of North Carolina  at Chapel Hill. This story is popular among students of University of North Carolina. It's a traditional story involving ghosts, passion, love, and a tragic end. Unlike many other Urban Legends this one has a base in truth.

Peter was the son of a prominent family. His grandfather was Reverend Edward Dromgoole an Catholic Irish native who came to America and renounced his Catholicism and became a Methodist Minister in 1770. His Grandfather played an important part in the growth of Methodism in North Carolina. His father Edward Dromgoole II was also a Methodist minister, planter, his mother was Sarah Creese Pelham. His younger brother Edward Dromgoole III graduated from University of North Carolina and was the one of the editors of  first volume of University Magazine. His uncle was Congressman George C. Dromgoole.

Peter was known as a wild child and was daring to anything, loved fast horses, lose women and drinking. In 1832 Peter was sent to  Franklin Male Academy in Louisburg, North Carolina. In 1833 he was sent to Chapel Hill as a freshman. Peter caused troubles at school and a letter was even sent to his father to retrieve his son. Peter claimed that he would not and never go, but soon Peter would disappear to never be seen again.

 One popular story is that Peter soon fell in love with a local girl named Fannie. Fannie and Peter used to meet in secret at a large rock at Piney Prospect, near where Gimgoul castle now resides. Another student had also fallen in love with pretty Fannie. the other man was jealous and envious of the relationship between Fannie and Peter. He had challenged Peter to a duel, and supposedly Peter lost his life that night and was buried and that rock that Fannie and him used to meet at was placed upon it. The rock was stained with his blood and never washed away.

Dear Fannie went to the rock day after day and waited for Peter. She then started asking around campus and tried to find him, but he could not. She died a year later from a broken heart.

Another version said that Fannie had found Peter shot through the heart. He had collapsed on the rock that they would meet at and it was stained with his blood. The witnesses to the crime had buried him quickly and placed the rock upon him. Fannie died later that summer saying that Peter was lonely.

To this day people claim to have seen Fannie and Peter's ghosts on the edge of the forest. Dromgoole's rock does exist, but is not accessible to the public.

Many of the students at the time believed that Peter had left on his own. His books were sent to his parent's and his room was found empty. His family believed that he left school and went west where he was robbed and murdered.

SOURCES:
http://www.ncpedia.org/biography/dromgoole-peter-pelham
http://www.prairieghosts.com/unc.html
http://northcarolinaghosts.com/piedmont/legend-peter-dromgoole/
http://gradschool.unc.edu/funding/gradschool/weiss/interesting_place/history/castle.html
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9525120/peter_dromgoole_mystery/