n the 19th century William Poole owned vast tracts of wooded land South of Raleigh. Poole was a wealthy man, a mill owner, and above anything he loved trees and horses. Particularly he loved white horses, it was noted by all who knew him that he always rode a fine white horse.

Poole's other love was for the woods. Despite their value as timber, Poole let his woods grow wild and untouched. He loved to ride through the acres and acres of his woods, and in his will he specified that not a single one of his trees should ever be cut down.

During the Civil War, when Union troops marched into Raleigh, rumor spread that Poole had gold hidden on his estate. Raleigh's leaders had negotiated with General Sherman to spare the town from the torch, but a band of Union Trips hungy for loot split off from their company to find Poole.

Poole was captured in his home, but denied the existence of any gold. The Northern Soldiers forced him to watch as his mill was burned to the ground, but Poole still asserted he had no gold.

Poole was telling the truth, their was no gold, but the soldiers carried off something more precious to Poole than his gold. A whinnying gave away the location of his prize white horse that Poole had hidden in the woods. Poole was heartbroken as he saw his precious companion being led away.

But after Poole died, it's said that his horse returned to him in spirit. For ears afterwards, a pale white rider on a pale white horse was seen galloping through the woods.

Eventually, greed won out over Poole's wishes and the trees n his precious forrest were cut down for timber. But perhaps Poole had his revenge on the people who destroyed his beloved forest - all of the trees were worthless, having rotted from the inside.