The Empty Spaces

I have a love affair with old houses. What others see may just be an old house, but my eyes see these places in a different way, and I try my best to capture what I see with my photography. What I see is a peek inside a tiny piece of history of lives once lived. The house itself often hints of a personality that, if you look closely, shines through the broken windows and peeks out from underneath the peeling paint. 

Within the walls of these old homes are lingering memories of a time long gone but perhaps not too far forgotten. If those walls could talk, what would they tell us? They might tell of happy times with family, watching growing children, laughter and joy. They also may keep deep secrets, hide lingering sadness, and mourning for their losses. An old house is not just a place made of wood and bricks, it's a big box full of emotions and remembrance. I think sometimes the house may hold on to some of these feelings long after their inhabitants have moved on. 

Over the years as the old house ages, the old memories begin to slowly fade away just as she does. Left forgotten and forlorn, slowly, nature begins to reclaim what was once hers. Exposed to the elements, with aging bones, she begins to break down. Her roof weakens and begins to leak, the foundation may begin to show cracks. The doors and windows warp with the changes in the weather and over time, the vines begin to cover her up face as she is entering her final years, months, days. At some point, she eventually begins to crumble completely, or her fate is determined for her, and she is torn to the ground. 

When she was built, she was likely hand made with delicate care and intricate detail. Her wood may have been cut from the lot where she stood, or her old bricks may have been made from the mud she sat upon. The smallest details from hinges on her doors to her beautiful winding staircase would showcase the fine craftsmanship of her time. But left to decay, she is no longer needed, no longer appreciated or no longer has someone to care for and love her. 

I stumble upon many beautiful old houses when I am in search of abandoned places and I spend many hours just driving the backroads seeking out the next amazing place. I have found many along the way, but only a few have really captured my heart. I travel back to visit them from time to time, through the changing seasons and even over the years, I have watched time and mother nature take their toll. I have been heartbroken though, as I have seen too many of these old beauties torn down. It hurts to see such a wonderful piece of history come crashing down, especially by a bulldozer. 

I love these old homes, I have hopes to see them be restored, loved again and put to good use. I wish in some small way that I can save them all, but I know that is only a dream. Reality hits when I go once again to visit, and she is no longer there, and the only thing that is left is the empty space where she once stood tall and proud. I am, however, very thankful for the opportunities to take photographs of these places, because in the end, memories are all we will have. 

Photos above - Top - House on the verge of collapse in Cabell County, WV. Middle - Recently torn down 1830s home in Mason County, WV. Bottom - Recently torn down 1800s home in Mason County, WV. All photos on this site are property of the author, Melissa Stanley, unless otherwise noted. Photos should only be used with permission of the author/photographer.

The Anchorage

If you like old houses that are haunted, well I have the perfect place for you!

Marietta is the oldest city in Ohio and while there are plenty of beautiful old houses in town, one caught my attention about ten or so years ago. The Anchorage, also known as the Putnam Villa, is a beautiful 22 room Italianate style home that was built in 1859 and sits proudly on a hill overlooking Harmar Village in Marietta. The house was built by Douglas Putnam for his wife Eliza and is built from native oak and sandstone. Eliza planned the homes design to suit her personal style and it took ten years for the home to be complete. Unfortunately, Eliza did not get to enjoy her grand new home for long, she died only three years after it was finished. 

Following the Putnam family, other prominent families owned the house over the years. After the last owners, Eddie MacTaggart and his sister Sophia Russell passed away, the house was turned into a nursing home which operated until the 1980s. After the closure of the nursing home, the house sat vacant for many years. Today the home is owned and being restored by the Washington County Historical Society.

I first knew of this home's reputation for being haunted, and that led to the initial visit years ago to see this it for myself. I have never investigated here, but stories of spirits that roam her halls abound. According to Hidden Marietta, the tour company that operates tours of the home, some 20 individuals have died inside the Anchorage over the years, including past owners, their family members and nursing home residents. Some of the reported paranormal activity includes hearing audible disembodied voices, shadows and apparitions and even the sensations of being touched. Up in the tower, the homes original owners, Eliza Putnam and her husband Douglas has been seen. 

I recently booked a tour of the old house to see it inside instead of just the exterior. Due to Covid-19, the only tours that were being offered were self-guided. We (my husband and myself) received a short summary of the history before we started. I was excited to see the inside of the house, although a fully guided tour would have been great, we ended up with the chance to roam the halls alone. I can't say that I was disappointed, this was a perfect opportunity to take lots of photos without having to wait for other tour guests to clear out of an area before I could snap photos. Trust me, I have done quite a few tours and typically hang toward to back in order to get plenty of pictures. 

During our tour of the home, I took notice of all the beautiful architectural details throughout the house, no doubt Eliza hand-picked them herself. The downstairs has been mostly restored, but the restoration process is ongoing. I walked throughout each room, simply admiring the work of art this house truly is, and with the restoration work, I can only imagine how much more beautiful it will become. The upper floors are still in need of restoration, but nonetheless, it is still beautiful, even with peeling paint, wallpaper and exposed boards. 

Having the old house almost completely to ourselves allowed for ample observation for any paranormal activity. There was an option to include a small investigation into the tour, but I just wanted to explore and if we happened to encounter any ghosts during our time, that was fine. Unfortunately, we did not have any experiences, it felt comfortable and calm inside the house, nothing out of the ordinary happened. We were told by one of the guides that a girl from the tour the previous day had her hair pulled by something unseen, which is another seemingly "normal" paranormal event that has been reported in the house.

On the second floor, it is still evident that the house was used as nursing home. The stairway was enclosed during the time the nursing home operated there, but if you look close you can still see some of the original character on the old steps. There are seemingly hidden rooms and rooms that connect to other rooms, which is pretty typical for houses built in the 1800s. This house has a section that was used as servants' quarters. The attic area is huge, and it is believed that the children liked to play up there.

The final spot we visited in the house was on up beyond the attic, and into the tower, also known as a campanile, or Italian bell tower. The tower has a breath-taking full view of Marietta. The winding staircase to the tower looks to be in original condition and it has a feel of being straight out of a fairy tale, or creepy haunted house movie, or perhaps just a combination of the two. I imagine this spot in the house was probably a favorite. I can envision children laughing and playing in the tower and running up and down the stairs. I can imagine Eliza and Douglas watching over their town below while having a quiet moment of reflection from their little castle on the hill. I can even picture the faint apparitions of the spirits that wander the halls of the Anchorage, peeking out from the tower windows and keeping watch over the house. 

Want to learn more about the house, take a tour or even book a ghost hunt? Visit Hidden Marietta for more information or to check out other haunts in the area.

Want to see more of my photos from inside the Anchorage? Visit Ghosts of Guyandotte on Facebook and check out my photo album. 

All photos on this site and in this article are property of the author, Melissa Stanley, unless otherwise noted. 

The Cholera Epidemic in Guyandotte

Currently, we are living through a global pandemic. This is not the first time in history that humans have experienced a widespread disease that has killed many and it likely will not be the last. 

While sharing stories on the Guyandotte ghost tours, we talked about a pandemic disease that wiped out millions of people worldwide. A series of seven cholera pandemics have occurred throughout the world over the past two-hundred years. Even in modern times, small outbreaks of cholera persist in parts of the world.

So, what is cholera exactly? It is a very infectious disease that causes watery diarrhea and dehydration. Cholera is caused by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with the bacteria from human feces. It was primarily spread through contaminated water in the 1800s due to the lack of sanitation and sewage treatment and was also spread by undercooked seafood that had been in contaminated water. The onset of symptoms would come on quickly and harsh for some, while others only had mild or even no symptoms at all. Death could come quickly for someone infected, often in a matter of hours. 

Cholera was first known in the United States in 1832, likely arriving with immigrants from Europe. Cholera reached the larger cities along the Ohio River by way of travel along the river. Guyandotte was a busy river port on the Ohio River, so it was inevitable that cholera would eventually find its way there and to other nearby river cities. 

In the late 1840s, a cholera outbreak hit the Ohio River area between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, killing several hundred people. The outbreak brought on panic. One of those who would succumb to cholera was Logan, West Virginia resident Anthony Lawson. 60 year old Lawson was traveling the Ohio River as a merchant, on his way home to Logan. He got off the boat at Guyandotte, sick with cholera. He died soon after arriving at Guyandotte. He was buried in the Guyandotte cemetery. 

In 1849, another non-resident of Guyandotte, Harriet "Hannah" Stoddert, 61 year old widow of Senator George W. Campbell of Nashville, Tennessee was traveling to Virginia with her children when she fell ill with cholera and died just a few hours later. She is buried at Nashville City Cemetery next to her husband. 

I discovered a published memoir from a gentleman from St. Louis. In 1850, fearing for his health, he would go to Virginia to join his wife, she had left ahead of him. He made his way to Cincinnati by steamboat, then the next day boarded another boat bound for Pittsburgh, but the Virginia passengers would land at Guyandotte. Many of the passengers were fleeing their home cities due to the cholera epidemic. The gentleman told of how he stayed at a hotel in Guyandotte overnight, and several of the other passengers that were on board with him had fallen ill. His anxiety about cholera kept him up that night, he only fell asleep after he departed Guyandotte by stagecoach to continue his journey on to Virginia.

A newspaper article from the Baltimore Sun in 1854 provided a short listing of cholera epidemic deaths that spanned from Virginia (West Virginia) to Tennessee, citing that two fatal cases of cholera had occurred in Guyandotte. 

Rev. Robert Fox was a traveling preacher from Catlettsburg, Kentucky. He had traveled to Gallipolis in late June of 1873 to preach funerals for cholera victims. Upon his return, he stopped in Guyandotte to preach at the Guyandotte Methodist Episcopal Church, when he fell ill with the sickness. He died shortly thereafter at the home of Andrew J. Keenan. 

The cholera pandemic was frightening for people living in those times. In the early 1800s, people did not know how it was transmitted or even what caused the disease. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that the bacteria that caused cholera was discovered, but it took another 30 years before information on how to fight it was ever published. Cholera was wiping out entire families and hundreds were dying daily in some of the larger cities, and clearly, smaller towns like Guyandotte were not spared. 

The cholera pandemic finally went away, with no new outbreaks in the since 1911. With better sewage and water treatment, quarantines and hygiene practices, cholera was pretty much eliminated in the United States. There have been other widespread epidemics such as Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Typhoid Fever, Scarlet Fever and the Spanish Flu and today's Covid-19. Reading through the articles about the cholera pandemics of the last hundred years, the similarities to today are a little eerie. As they say, history always repeats itself. 

Photo of a grave in the Guyandotte Cemetery. All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted.

Andrew J. Keenan House

Located on Main St. in Guyandotte, this home was believed to have been built in the 1820s by William Stone. The home later was purchased by Mark Russell. Russell was the first Gentleman Justice of the County Court; he was also Sheriff. Andrew Keenan purchased the home from the Russell's in 1845. 

Andrew was born in Nicholas County in 1819 and was a saddle maker by trade. He first married in 1838 but his first wife died in 1849. Keenan then married again in 1850 in Cabell County to Sarah Scott. In 1865, he married for the third time after yet again becoming a widower. His third marriage was to Mark Russell's daughter, Melcena. According to census records, it appears that Andrew Keenan married for a fourth and final time in 1867.

On November 10, 1861, Guyandotte was stormed by Confederate troops and a total of 98 Union soldier recruits that were camped in town as well as citizens known to have Union sympathies were captured and taken prisoner during the raid. The Keenan home was used to house these men overnight. The next morning, the men were tied together, two by two, and marched out of town heading to Richmond. 

Andrew Keenan was noted as being an exemplary Christian gentleman. He was a member of the Guyandotte Methodist Episcopal Church, south and he was a leader in that denomination. In 1873, a cholera outbreak that started in New Orleans, reached the Ohio Valley by way of steamboat travel along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. A preacher by the name of Rev. Robert Fox, had just returned from preaching funeral services for cholera victims in Gallipolis, Ohio. He preached services at the Guyandotte Methodist Episcopal Church upon his return, then fell ill with cholera himself. Rev. Fox died the following day, July 1, 1873 at the home of Andrew Keenan. It is said that during the cholera epidemic, that the Keenan home was used as a temporary hospital for cholera victims. 

The house is one of the oldest in Guyandotte still standing. In the 1980s a fire damaged the interior of the home and destroyed a back addition. During the early 2000s, it housed the KYOVA genealogical society before being vacated and used as a storage building. In recent years it was sold off and has been converted into apartments. The condition of the building has since deteriorated since the above photo was taken in 2011. 

All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. 

Bruce Chapel Church & Cemetery - Mason County, WV

Bruce Chapel Church was built in 1842 and was the first Episcopalian church in Mason County, West Virginia. The church was built on land that was sold by the Moore and Stephens families. The church was named for Eliza Bruce, for her charitable contributions to the church.

The church sits on a hillside and located on the adjacent property is a cemetery which has graves dating back to at least the 1840's. There are several unknown graves only marked with fieldstones and likely some slave burials exist here as well. Some slave burials are believed to be underneath the newer back addition of the church.

I first came learn about Bruce Chapel in 2006 during my search for haunted locations in West Virginia. I had just started a paranormal group and was seeking some places we might be able to investigate. The information included a nearby location known as the Mai Moore Mansion. The old Mansion, which was once located near the church, was believed to have been built around the time of the Civil War, it was home of Charles Page Thomas Moore and family. The house burned down in 1960s. The Moore family members are buried at Bruce Chapel Cemetery.

I have never been able to locate the exact location of the remains of the Mai Moore Mansion. The mansion is within the vicinity of the church, up on a hill, so we have been told. The area is likely on private property and was told by a local that there were several cisterns around the ruins, posing a hazard to any explorers. The old mansion was also located near a large prehistoric Adena burial mound known as the May Moore Mound. The mound was named for Charles Moore's daughter. Today, the mound is located on private property and lies near the Ohio River, there are also several other smaller mounds said to be in the area.

Bruce Chapel is a known haunted location to many. I have come to believe that the claims are potentially true. The possible burials under the church, the local family connections to the church and graveyard, and even the proximity to the Adena burial mounds could have contributed to the stories. However, I wouldn't claim this rumor might be true unless I had experienced for myself.

In 2006 my team went to check out the church and cemetery for the first time. What we found was an abandoned church with a slightly overgrown cemetery. It was daylight, it was summer, it was hot,

and the bugs were biting. We were recording, hoping to catch EVPs right at the front door, and upon review we captured a voice that was not anyone that was with us.

In 2012, the team secured permission to investigate inside the little rural church. It had a new owner and they were starting the process of restoration work. It was bitter cold, 17 degrees, snow on the ground, no heat in the church and bull running loose in the area. We had a really quiet evening, thankfully, until I reviewed the photos. As we were packing up, I snapped some final photos and I captured something that I cannot explain even 8 years later. It may be something, it may be nothing.

The bottom photo was taken with a point and shoot IR camera. It looks as though something, or someone is peeking around my friend who is winding up cord from our video cameras. Again, I don't claim it is paranormal but you are welcome to draw your own conclusions.




Photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. Photos on this page were all taken in 2012.

Judge Henry Clay Warth House

This home is probably one of the lesser known historic houses in Guyandotte. During the time my old team and I were offering the Guyandotte haunted history walking tours, we only had this home as a stop for a couple tours. When people came to our tours, even if we were offering a history only tour, people wanted to hear ghost stories. Not every home has a ghost story, not every home is haunted. To my knowledge, this home is not haunted but the first owner did have a relatively significant place in Huntington's history.

Judge Henry Clay Warth was President of the Central Banking Company and the Mutual Land Company of Huntington, WV. Warth served on the House of Delegates and during that time, he introduced a bill that would create juvenile courts in the state. He later was elected to the bench of the Cabell County Common Pleas Court, he served in that position for 28 years. He as known was a no-nonsense Judge.

His wife Ruth was the daughter of Chester Parsons, a philanthropist who had made a fortune in retail and wholesale hardware. The couple had one son together and resided in Guyandotte for a time. His Guyandotte home was built in 1905 and once overlooked the Ohio River, however in the 1940s, a floodwall was installed blocking that view. Judge Warth's father resided with them in the Guyandotte home at the end of his life, his father passed away there in 1937.

I happened upon his father's gravesite during a paranormal investigation of the Bruce Chapel Church in Mason County, WV. The little historic country church located on a hillside near Gallipolis Ferry was once abandoned until a few years ago. There is a graveyard surrounding the church, and Judge Warth's father is among those buried there.

During the Flood of 1937, Guyandotte was hit particularly hard. Men surveying the flood arrived to Guyandotte in Coast Guard boats, and Judge Warth had not been heard from in several days. They approached his home and saw a candle flickering in the window. The judge climbed out from a window and onto the roof, he spoke to a reporter that was in the boat. The reporter offered him a copy of the local paper and his reply was "no thanks, I have mine". Warth died in 1952 at the age of 72 and is buried at Huntington's Woodmere cemetery,

In 1960, Judge Warth's grandson, Henry Warth III, would find himself on the other side of the law. He was a gunsmith by trade. One evening, while his wife was attending a baby shower with a friend, she had left the care of her children to her friend's 12-year-old daughter and 13-year-old niece. Upon their return, the women found deceased bodies the both teen girls in the home, shot to death. The Warth children were missing along with their 29-year-old father. Warth was later found with his children and arrested for the murder of the two young girls.
                 

Top photo - Warth house front view taken in 2011.Middle photo - John Warth headstone at Bruce Chapel Cemetery. Bottom photo - Warth house side and back view taken in 2020. All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. 

Historic Travels - Williamson, West Virginia

 I want to post this article from my own personal perspective a little more than some of my other posts. This is the area whereI spent the first few years of my life. While my memories of Mingo County are few, I know that my heritage runs deep here. My mom was born and raised in Mingo county and my grandmother was too.

I have traced my heritage back many generations, much of that heritage lies in the southern coal fields of West Virginia and Kentucky, and a little in Virginia too. I have some deep roots here so when I visit, it isn't just a random place to explore for me, I have lots of family history here, unlike other areas where I travel.

These locations are places I know and want to share, there is still lots in the area I have not yet explored, but I hope to add a little more to my knowledge of these areas as I travel there to visit from time to time.

Mingo County was named for the Iroquoian Mingo people and it the newest county in the state having been formed in 1895. The largest city in Mingo county is Williamson, with a population of just over 3,000 people. The land in which Williamson was built, once belonged to a man name Anthony Lawson of Logan County (Lawson buried in Guyandotte). In 1858, the land was transferred to Benjamin Williamson. Eventually, what was once just a cornfield was sold off as town lots to form the city of Williamson, which at the time was located in Logan County. The town was incorporated in 1894 and J.B. Williamson was elected the first mayor.

My great grandfather was an Italian immigrant, arriving in the US as a young teen. He gained US citizenship and I first found him listed in the 1910 census, living and working among other Italian immigrants as a coal miner in Mingo county. He was married to my great grandmother before going off to fight in WWI, she was born and raised in the area.

Today, my great grandparents are buried in the old cemetery called Fairview cemetery. The cemetery is over 100 years old and it sits on a hill, some areas are extremely steep with some graves appearing to be near impossible to reach. My grandmother told me of a time she was attending a funeral and had to climb back up the hillside on her hands and knees. The cemetery today looks pretty run down, abandoned even. My last visit was a few years ago and the difference over the years is very noticeable. My grandparents lived just a few blocks away from Fairview cemetery, and my grandmother has told me the story of how my mom "ran away" to the cemetery once, and how angry my grandpa was when he found her hiding there.

One of my favorite buildings in Williamson is the old Williamson Memorial Nursing School that sits right next to the old Williamson Memorial Hospital. It sits high up on the hill and can be seen from the downtown area. It was part of the original Williamson Memorial Hospital was built in 1918. However, that hospital was destroyed by a fire.

In 1928, Dr. George Conley and Dr. Russel Salton co-founded and built a new hospital on College Hill. In 1948, Dr. Salton's son, Dr. Russel Salton Jr. took over the operations at the hospital. My grandmother had both of her children at this hospital. Dr. Salton Jr. delivered both my uncle and my mother here.  My grandmother has always spoken fondly of hospital and Dr. Salton Jr. (he passed away in 1992). The old hospital was used until a newer facility was built in the 1980's, but was still being used for offices until 2014 when it was permanently closed.

The main hospital building it thought to be haunted, however, I have not discovered any specific stories. One tragic event that occurred at the hospital may have led to a ghost story: a man was thrown from the second story of the hospital, and presumably died as a result.  As of 2018, the Tug Valley CVB has opened the building up for to the public for haunted history tours in October.

My grandmother pointed out another cemetery that I was unaware of and is near the old hospital. Just down the hill a very small cemetery, which almost seems out of place today, lies the Williamson family cemetery. It's located on College or Hospital Hill as it is known, and the old section is enclosed by a concrete wall.

Aside from old abandoned hospitals and cemeteries, something else I like to photograph are old bridges. There is a green truss bridge that spans the Tug Fork River from Williamson, WV to Route 119 in South Williamson, KY. The bridge was built in 1950 was called the Tug Fork Bridge. I noticed that the bridge was dedicated to a man named Pete Dillon. I had to ask my grandmother about it, because I recognized the name, as she had spoken about him before. So, she called her first cousin Pete to inquire, and we discovered that the bridge was indeed named to honor him. He had been a long-time employee of the city of Williamson, and they chose to honor his hard work by dedicating the bridge to him. I have never met him, but I think it is great he made such a great impact on the city that he had a bridge named for him.

There is really a lot to this little community that I have yet to explore, I have been many times but never stay very long. I always stop at the cemetery to visit my great grandparents' graves. If conditions related to the Covid-19 epidemic improve, I will likely travel back down later this year to explore more and take some new photos. The history in the area is very rich, there are some very interesting places to explore like nearby Matewan, WV and the Hatfield and McCoy sites though southern West Virginia and Kentucky. I will likely share my travels to these areas in a future post.


Photos on this page - Old Williamson Memorial Nursing School, and abandoned apartment complex. All photos taken in 2020. All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. 

Guyandotte High School - A Brief History

The old Guyandotte High School was built in 1893, it was known by many as the Richmond Street School. Although the school was primarily used for high school students, eventually an overflow of elementary school students was also attending.

By 1919, possibly earlier, the school was no longer in use as other larger schools had been built in the area. Huntington High school was opened in 1916 and the old Guyandotte Elementary was opened in 1917.

The school went up for auction and the highest bidder was the Western Star Masonic Lodge #11. The lodge is the oldest in Cabell County and was chartered in 1818. The first meeting was held at the Barboursville court house in 1820, but by 1824 the lodge was moved to Guyandotte. The lodge became dormant by 1826 due to the Morgan Incident. A new charter was 1849, that charter was thought to have been destroyed in 1861 during the Confederate raid on Guyandotte and subsequent burning of much of the town. he original lodge building was located on Guyan Street, near the Third Ave. bridge. Today the building is still in use by the Masonic Lodge. 

Top photo - Guyandotte Masonic Lodge 2020. Bottom photo: Unknown photographer/source of photo. Historic information for the Masonic Lodge summarized from the original context written by Theresa Racer-Cheshire for the Haunted & Historic Guyandotte Tours. All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. 

The Old Rich Creek Baptist Church - Mercer County

This church first captured my attention around 2012 when I photographed it standing along a back road in West Virginia. I was on a short weekend trip to Virginia, and before I left to head home, I wanted to get some photos of the Lake Shawnee amusement park. I took photos of Lake Shawnee and we decided to continue driving on Rt. 19 back to the turnpike so we could explore a little more before we left. We came upon this beautiful yet abandoned church building, we stopped so that I could snap a few photos then we on our way. 

I have some of my favorite photos I have taken on my travels, framed, and hung up on several walls in my home. I have a shot of tombstones lined up on the wall of Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, a photo from the top of the stairs I climbed inside St. Augustine lighthouse in Florida, an old abandoned farmhouse in Kentucky, and this old church are among my framed favorites. 

Like many of these abandoned places, often I just snap a few photos, but I am left wondering more about their history. Until this week, I had no clue what this building was, its name or history. I decided to share this photo in a Facebook group I belong to and on my Ghosts of Guyandotte Facebook page too, and people started talking! What was just a snapshot on a backroad, years ago, finally has bits and pieces of her story starting to unfold. While I presumed this was a church, its design is not a common one that I have seen around this region. I cannot recall having seen any other church with two front entrances like this one. A comment from a gentleman stated he believed the church entrances were separate for men and women. I suspected he was probably correct and upon doing a little research, discovered it was not uncommon in the 19th century for rural churches to have separate entrances for men and women to enter. They would be seated on opposite sides of the church from one another, men would enter and sit on the right side and women would enter and sit on the left side.

Another gentleman on my page told me that his wife attended this church with her grandmother as a child, and he shared a link with me about the history of this church. What I found out: This particular church building was built in 1898, it was the first church building that the Rich Creek Baptist church had of its own. The church itself was established in 1869, but church meetings were held at the Bethel Meeting House in Mercer County. In 1893, the church meetings were moved to the Spanishburg School House and held there until the new church was built. In 1972, a new church was constructed about a mile away and the church vacated the old building.

Today the church is still standing and it still vacant, I was told it sits on an old farm and is watched over by the farmer. Locals tell me that it has been a used as a hangout spot for teens and young adults in the past, with some even spending the night in the old building. For some however, the church has a spooky vibe and they prefer to stay away. Some say the church may have a darker side, others disagree. I will be interested to find out more if possible. If I come across any new details, I will be sure to update this story.

Old Burlington Jail - Burlington, Ohio

The old jail in Burlington, Ohio has been on the National Register of Historic places since 1978. This was the second jail built in Burlington after the original jail, a log building with clapboard siding, was set on fire by an inmate in 1846. The following year, a new jail was constructed from stone and was used until 1852 when the county seat was moved from Burlington to Ironton, Ohio. 

The old jail was then used as a private residence for many years. By the 1990s, the old jail had been left abandoned and dilapidated. In 2000, a fire destroyed everything except the stone walls. The jail is the last standing government building in Burlington from the time that is served as the Lawrence County seat from1817-1852.

Over the years, there has been some talk of the old jail being haunted, and I do know there have been a few paranormal investigators that have visited the building to search for spirits. I was unable find much information to corroborate the stories, however, I did have one of the investigators that spent an evening there tell me they heard some unusual sounds, one sounding like a lock on a cell door. 

This trip was my first time to stop, get out and photograph the building. Out front there is a large sign says the building is the future site of the Underground Railroad Museum at the Historic Lawrence County Jail. I do not believe that the museum has opened at this time. Regardless, this is a nice stop for any history buff. There are several other historic sites nearby, the Macedonia Baptist Church and the Burlington 37 cemetery are only a few miles away and worth a visit. 

The Marietta Manufacturung Company

On a recent trip to Point Pleasant, I came across this abandoned manufacturing site. My husband and I were out intentionally exploring and looking for new places for me to photograph. Of the many trips I have taken to Pt. Pleasant, this is a location I have overlooked. I was unfamiliar with what this plant was even used for and did not notice the company name on anything in the area in which I took photos.

I have only, for the most part, visited places right in the main part of town, or along Rt. 2 and have never ventured much farther around the town to see what Pt. Pleasant may be hiding. As we drove up to this fenced in property, I jumped out and took several shots through the fence. We drove down the road that is adjacent to the fence line of the site until we reached a turn in the road at the Ohio River. It was obvious there had been a boat docking area attached to the site, I assumed the manufactured goods were likely loaded on boats to ship out or to receive supplies. There were also several rail lines running through the yard, with some trains parked on those tracks. I presume at least part of the property, the tracks, are still in use.


I do like to research the history of these old places, but I really didn't give this place much thought after I left. I pulled out my Images of America series book for Pt. Pleasant, searching for any information I could find on an old house I was interested in, but I came across some photos and information for the Marietta Manufacturing Company, boom there it was!

The Marietta Manufacturing company open up inside the city limits of Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia in 1917. Originally, it began as a stove manufacturing company for the steamboat industry, but due to the high demand of ships, it became a full-scale shipyard. This type of manufacturing was not new to Pt. Pleasant, but the MMC company greatly enhanced the existing industry, employing 3,000 people. Within its first decade of operations in Pt. Pleasant, MMC was one of the leading ship construction companies in the nation. MMC not only produced ships for the river industry, but also oceangoing ships for the military. Whenever a boat was launched from MMC, crowds would gather at the river to watch the newly build ships slide into the water.

The Marietta Manufacturing Company closed up shop in 1970, then it was purchased by Point Pleasant Marine and operated until 1984. From the looks of it, it has been sitting abandoned since its final closure. This is such a historic piece property, and no doubt was a huge part of Pt. Pleasant and the lives of people that once worked there.

Macedonia Baptist Church - Ohio

This was one of the very first places I explored when I began doing paranormal investigations. One of my former team members told me about this location and how it had long been rumored to be haunted. The evening my old team and I visited, we just walked around the outside of the church and took photos and audio recordings (which really isn't a great thing to do outdoors). We didn't find anything to solidify the rumors of anything paranormal happening at the church that evening, but it is not easy to investigate outside in an uncontrolled environment.

The church has been sitting abandoned since at least my first visit in 2006, I am sure it was abandoned many more years before I ever knew it existed. One could easily pass by this church, thinking it is just another old building that nobody uses anymore, but it is so much more than just an unused church building.

This old church has a very rich history. If you visit, you will notice there is a historical marker on the road in front of the church. This marker tells a brief history of the building.

The church was built in the mid-1800s. A Virginia landowner freed many of his slaves upon his death and provided land for them near Burlington, Ohio. Thirty-two of them settled on the land they were given, which was near a Baptist church. The existing church was a congregation made up of runaway slaves and free negroes. Together, the thirty-two freed slaves and the Baptist congregation built a new church on Macedonia Ridge, which was named Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.



All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted. 

Spring Hill Cemetery - Huntington, WV

Spring Hill cemetery was established 1873, just two years after the city of Huntington, West Virginia was incorporated. Today, the cemetery has over 80,000 burials. The cemetery started with around 30 acres but has expanded over the years to 110 acres currently. The oldest known grave dates to 1838, however, the first official burial wasn't until 1873. The name of the cemetery is believed to come from an old spring house that once stood near where the first bodies were buried.

One of the most locally well-known memorials that stands at Spring Hill is for the victims of the Marshall University plane crash of 1970. The crash killed all 75 people on board, including 37 members of the Marshall University football team, as well as coaching staff, boosters and crew members. Six of the victims that died in the crash were unable to be identified and are buried at the memorial site.

Many of Huntington's earliest families and citizens are buried here. In fact, in the early years of the cemetery, many bodies were reinterred here from other smaller cemeteries and family cemeteries. Large obelisks and private family mausoleums bear the names of many of these early settlers and leaders of Huntington and Cabell County.

There are over 300 Civil War soldiers buried at Spring Hill, many of whom were killed in battle. At least two that are buried here were killed during the Confederate raid on Guyandotte in November of 1861. Two Civil War Generals are buried in the cemetery, Confederate General Albert Gallatin Jenkins and Union General John Hunt Oley.

According to an article published in Huntington Quarterly, a newspaper article from 1918 reported that there had been more buried that year than during other similar periods. Records indicate that over 1,000 burials that year. The article also states that high number of interments was likely due to the worldwide Spanish flu epidemic that hit Huntington in 1918.


The history of this cemetery is captivating, but even if you don't know much about the history or the stories of those whom are buried here, the cemetery is still a beautiful place to talk a stroll. The artwork of old intricately carved stones and stained-glass windows that bring color and light into the darkened mausoleums are mesmerizing. In the spring, the flowering trees and bushes are bright with colorful blooms. While a cemetery can bring sadness and memories of loss, I find wandering through this cemetery to be peaceful as well as it being a place of wonder and tranquility.

Spring Hill is known to have a few rumors of mysterious paranormal occurrences too. While there aren't many specific stories of hauntings within the cemetery that I could find, one thought comes from the possibility of restless spirits wandering over from the State Hospital that is located directly across the street from the cemetery. The state hospital is the second oldest in West Virginia, created in 1897. A fire at the hospital in 1952 killed 17 people.

Many people simply associate cemeteries with being haunted, that the spirits of those buried here roam free, or even come to visit their own graves. I am not sure if you will find any ghosts if you wander through Spring Hill, but I highly recommend a visit whether you are looking for ghosts, history or just a nice place to go for a walk.



Photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley, unless otherwise noted. Historic information sources: Find a grave, Huntington Quarterly & The WV Encyclopedia. 

Abandoned in Rural Appalachia

While traveling and coming across abandoned properties, many questions come to mind. Why were these homes and buildings left vacant? I am not alone in my wondering why, and I have had my ideas about why places end up uninhabited. Recently, someone posed this question in a Facebook group I follow, and the responses were not only numerous but very informative. There were nearly 450 responses to the question before the group admins decided to shut off commenting. I decided to make a list of some of the most common reasons mentioned about why homes sometimes end up abandoned.

• Major structural issues such as foundation problems.
• Built a new home, often on the same property.
• Lack of funds for maintenance, upkeep and/or bills.
• Inherited but not needed or wanted.
• Moved away.
• Sudden family illness of parent of family member that lives out of town or state.
• Children moved away, parents died, and children never came back.
• Foreclosure.
• Nonpayment of taxes.
• Purchased property for land use, didn't want or need existing home.
• Being used for storage.
• Owner died without heirs.
• Purchased with intent to fix up.

Clearly the list is long and property abandonment is no just limited to these things. Each has their own individual story about how it came to be vacant. For the record, I did not see any responses related to anyone abandoning a home because it was haunted, although I am sure it has been known to happen. 

Abandoned properties are not just limited to Appalachia, but the region does have a large number of them. Travel down any back road in the Appalachian region, and you likely find some remnants of the past sitting alongside the road, rotting away. Many Appalachian regions are known to be very poor economically. Often residents of small rural towns will struggle to find jobs close to home. Many of the industries that once provided a good living in the past are quickly on the decline. This alone has likely led to many abandoned properties. 

Among the abandoned homes, you can also find fragments of old industry, long forgotten, the in the hills of Appalachia. Many old coal mines, coal towns, and railroads that were busy industrial hubs have been closed for many decades. Overgrown and in almost inaccessible locations, the ruins of old coal operations still exist in some regions. Old railroads and rail tunnels have been converted into roads, walking trails and sometimes just left fully intact to never be used again. You can find old bridges and tunnels in unexpected places, odd and ends of mine equipment and even long-lost cemeteries have been discovered in these old hills.

If you have ever imagined what it was like to live in a different time and place, these old abandoned places have some insight to offer. It saddens me that properties have been left to fade away, but I also find tremendous beauty in these abandonments. Each time I photograph a forgotten location, I am capturing a piece of the past in present day. Someday, that property may be gone,and I will have a remaining memory that I can keep for myself.

Traveling the Appalachian Backroads

The backroads of central Appalachia have intrigued me for years and it was long-past due for me to head back out and start exploring rural forgotten and historic places again. I love taking photos and this year, I needed something. I needed time away from my busy world at home, something to ease stress and forget about my worries. I have this nice camera that doesn't get much use, I thought it was time to get back out there to look at the world through that lens again. So, I started new, seeking and searching out new places to document as well as old.

It was during the rare times that my family would travel the backroads of WV and KY,  that I started to take notice of all the beauty of the backroads. We always drove the back roads, mainly because it was quicker and also because it was the route they knew well. Driving those winding, curving two lane roads, I took in many sights. Some of my favorites were the old abandoned houses, driving alongside the railroad tracks and watching the trains, and the occasional train bridges. I recall watching a train coming across a bridge and thinking what an awesome photo that would have been.

It was exciting to see new places. I really had no idea at the time how rich with history these backroads locations were. The remnants of the past are everywhere you look when you travel the backroads. Some towns are like a trip back in time, almost unchanged in a century or more. Being able to see these places gives me a better understanding and a visual of stories told to me from older family members, some of which are now gone.

Now that I am an adult and have traveled on my own to many more places, I still feel excitement in visiting new areas, particularly places that harbor lots of history. My plan is to continue to travel the back roads every opportunity I get, to take those roads less traveled and document the places that may fade into time and return to nature, before they are gone.

I have had others tell me that photographing abandoned places, cemeteries, and searching and driving the back roads has been therapeutic for them, and I will have to agree. I think in a busy, stressful world, taking a nice weekend drive is an excellent way to clear your mind, slow down and run away for a moment. It may not be for everyone, but it has been one of the most enjoyable hobbies I have over the past 14 or so years. I am happy to live in a place where there are lots of back roads for me to explore and I am excited to be documenting these places once again and sharing them with those of you who read here.


Photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley unless otherwise noted.

Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions, I have not been traveling recently, but I thought that I would share my closer to home (Huntington, WV) favorite day or weekend haunted/historic trips. Once it is safe to get out and about again, this place is worth checking out for any explorer, history lover or paranormal or cryptid hunter or enthusiast. 

Point Pleasant, West Virginia is a small town located at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers in Mason County. When passing though, this little town seems any other ordinary small Appalachian town, however, its anything but ordinary. 

If you have never heard of Point Pleasant, WV, you may want to hop on Google for a search (one you are done reading here, of course). You will find links to countless stories, movies, TV shows and books about this area. It is well known to many for its unusual history. I will touch on some of my favorite locations to visit in Point Pleasant, but I can assure you that if you want to find out more that you will not come up short on information!

I live about 40 miles from Pt. Pleasant. I really can't remember my first trip there, but I have visited many times. I can recall the first time I read about Pt. Pleasant and that unusual history I mentioned above: I was around 12 years old and I was heavily interested in strange phenomena, ghosts, UFOs and the like. This was the early 1990s and among my favorite shows was Unsolved Mysteries and Sightings. I would visit the library to pick up books on all sorts of strange and paranormal topics. One book that I read told the story of the Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. I thought wow! This happened in the state where I live, I was intrigued. The story stuck with me through the years until I was finally able to visit the area for myself. 

Below you will find a list of interesting places you can see for yourself, go on a hunt for Mothman, a self-guided history tour or search for some spooky ghosts.

TNT Area & Mothman - 

The TNT area was formerly a WWII ammunitions manufacturing site. Today the land is a wildlife management area, located just outside of town. This area is where one of the first Mothman sightings occurred in 1966. Reports of a man-sized winged bird with glowing red eyes was spotted in the vicinity of the TNT area. Some believe that Mothman was a military experiment while others believe that he showed up to warn locals of pending disasters. 

Chief Cornstalk Curse - 

Known as Dunmore's War, Native American Chief Cornstalk attempted to block an invasion by the Virginia Militia at the Battle of Point Pleasant, in 1774. He led a force of Shawnee and Mingo warriors, but he was forced to retreat after a fierce battle. As a result, American Indians lost the right to hunt in the area and agreed the Ohio River would be the boundary between Indian land and British colonies. When the American Revolution began a few years later, Cornstalk attempted to keep his people neutral but despite his efforts, he was taken hostage at Fort Randolph during a diplomatic visit. At the fort, Cornstalk and his young son were killed by angry militiamen after one of their men was killed by unknown Indians. Legend has it, as he lay dying, Cornstalk uttered a curse upon the land to those that had murdered he and his son. 

Silver Bridge - 

Nearly two hundred years after Cornstalk's death, December 15, 1967 would bring absolute devastation to the town. The Silver bridge, built in 1928, once spanned the Ohio river from Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio. During rush hour traffic that December evening, the bridge collapsed, killing 46 people. The failure of a single eye bar was determined to be the cause of the catastrophic collapse. It was one of the deadliest bridge disasters in US history.

Up until the bridge collapse, there had been numerous Mothman sightings in the area that had begun in 1966. Once the bridge collapse happened, the Mothman sightings came to a stop. Some people claimed to have seen Mothman on the bridge just before it fell. Others attribute the curse of Chief Cornstalk to the bridge collapse. A memorial monument stands at the base of where the bridge once stood on Main St. 

Pioneer Cemetery - 

If you like old cemeteries, like I do, Pt. Pleasant's old Pioneer cemetery sits right along Rt. 2 at 9th St. Several Revolutionary War veterans are buried here as well as Dr. Jesse Bennet, who was the first in the country to perform a caesarean section in 1794. There is a historical marker for his gravesite. Want to read more about the cemetery? Visit Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State for even more information.

Mothman Museum, Statue & Festival -

The Mothman sightings in Pt. Pleasant may have disappeared, but his legend is still going strong. Mothman has become a constant presence in the town thanks to Mothman Statue that was installed in 2003, which was also the same year the inaugural Mothman festival was held. The festival runs every September and is dedicated to all things Mothman. If you want to learn even more about Mothman, stop by the world's only Mothman Museum, it's easy to find, right next to the Mothman statue on Main St., you can't miss it!

Lowe Hotel - 

Staying overnight in Pt. Pleasant? The Lowe Hotel is where you will want to stay for a unique and potentially haunted experience. Take a step back in time with the décor of this old hotel. The hotel has been part of Pt. Pleasant history since 1901, but it was originally known as the Spencer Hotel. The Lowe family purchased the hotel in 1929 and was renamed. The hotel is a very popular haunted hot spot, with many paranormal groups (some famous!) have explored the halls and rooms of this old hotel. They have captured all sorts of spooky phenomena and have walked away with some scary stories. I have stayed the night at the Lowe, and I also took a history tour and was able to see more of the hotel that the average guests, although we didn't have any paranormal experiences, it was an enjoyable experience. 

All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley, unless otherwise noted. Top photo - Creepy old abandoned house in Pt. Pleasant, taken in 2020 House torn down in 2020 .  Middle photo -TNT area taken in 2006. Bottom photo - Lowe Hotel taken in 2012