From Ghosts to Caskets: Unearthing the Haunted History of Belmont County

October is the perfect time to explore the eerie and unusual side of Belmont County history. The Belmont County Heritage Museum, housed in a 135-year-old building that once served as the sheriff’s residence and jail, has seen more than its share of human drama. Its walls have witnessed justice, tragedy, and perhaps even a few lingering spirits—the jail itself remained in operation until 1996.

Historians know that objects can tell powerful stories—but what if they do more than that? What if they hold echoes of the people who once touched them, preserving traces of their energy, emotions, and experiences? Could these artifacts act as conduits between past and present, keeping old stories alive—and perhaps even allowing those who lived them to reach out across time?

Hidden within the museum’s fascinating exhibits are whispers of ghostly legends, tragic love stories, and strange local lore: a young girl’s murder and her restless spirit, a coffin-shaped town, the “Cadillac of caskets,” and a lawman known as the “hanging judge.” Each tale offers a glimpse into Belmont County’s darker corners of history.

Visit the Belmont County Heritage Museum throughout October to experience the Haunted Belmont County exhibit and explore the mysteries that still haunt our past.

Special Events

• October 22 at 6 p.m. – Belmont County Legends and Lore, presented by the Belmont County Spirit Seekers at the St. Clairsville Public Library.

• October 23 at 6 p.m. – Paranormal Investigation at the Belmont County Heritage Museum during the St. Clairsville Area Chamber’s Halloween Bash.

• October 25 (Full) – Guided Tour of Union Cemetery led by the Belmont County Spirit Seekers.

Admission to all events is by donation.

Haunted Highlights of Belmont County

1. Love Gone Wrong – The Ghost of Louiza Fox

The tragic 1869 murder of 13-year-old Louiza Catherine Fox by her suitor, 22-year-old coal miner Thomas Carr, remains one of Belmont County’s most chilling stories. Carr ambushed Louiza near Barnesville, where witnesses still claim to see her ghost wandering near the small marker on Starkey Road. Her spirit is also said to appear weeping at her grave in Salem Cemetery. Carr confessed not only to Louiza’s murder but to others as well, and in 1870, he was executed by hanging—on the very grounds where the Belmont County Heritage Museum now stands.

2. The “Cadillac” of Caskets

The Belmont Casket Manufacturing Company of Shadyside once held the patent for “The Masterpiece,” a handcrafted coffin with an indestructible steel lid. The company created caskets for Marilyn Monroe, Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Herbert Hoover. The bronze, double-lidded casket used for Monroe featured a champagne-colored silk lining. Though the company closed in the 1970s, artifacts from its history—including memorial ID tubes once sealed inside caskets—are displayed at the museum.

3. The Legend of Lady Binn Hill

West of Morristown, legend tells of a young woman from Wheeling who fled with her lover in 1833, only to meet a tragic end when lightning spooked her horse-drawn carriage. Thrown from the coach, she broke her neck—and some say her spirit still rides the hill on stormy nights, a headless apparition galloping wildly through the darkness.

4. The “Hanging” Judge – Isaac Parker

Born near Barnesville in 1838, Isaac Parker became one of America’s most famous frontier judges. Though opposed to capital punishment, he presided over mandatory death sentences while serving at Fort Smith, Arkansas. During his career, he tried nearly 13,500 cases and sentenced 160 people to death, 79 of whom were executed. Learn more about Parker’s complex legacy in the documentary Indians, Outlaws, Marshals, and the Hanging Judge.

5. A Village in the Shape of a Coffin

The village of Belmont, originally known as Wrightsville, was laid out by Joseph D. Wright in the shape of a coffin—modeled after his hometown of Dublin, Ireland.

6. The Ill-Fated Couple

Among the museum’s artifacts is a haunting portrait of a married couple once tied to Morristown’s Blackhorse Inn. Legend says the husband was struck and killed by lightning soon after their wedding—a tragic love story frozen forever in chalk and pencil.

Step inside the Belmont County Heritage Museum this October and decide for yourself: are these just stories from the past—or are the echoes of history still with us today?