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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Monitor School - Coal Grove, Ohio

I first learned about the old Monitor School in Coal Grove, Ohio around 2006. When I first started up the paranormal group. This is one of those locations that had some extremely vague information listed on the hauntings. Our group got in contact with someone that allowed us permission to check it out the building in the summer of 2007. While we did not find any ghosts during our investigation, we had an enjoyable evening exploring and photographing the old halls of this former school.

The Coal Grove Public School, also known as the Monitor School was built in 1905, it was named for the Monitor Pig Iron Furnace. The school was initially built as the new high school but later became the elementary school. The school closed sometime around 1989 after a new school was built. In 2000, the community attempted to have the building turned into a community center, however, it was purchased by an investor that planned to turn the building into an apartment complex. Again, the community voiced their concerns and wanted the old school to remain as much in its original condition as possible, and it was put up for sale again around 2007. Currently in 2020, I have not found any additional updates for use of the school, other than the fact it is still standing in the community and appears to still be vacant and not in use. 

Reports state that the spirit of a former janitor haunts the building. While we explored every area possible within the building, we found no evidence of any paranormal activity, which was disappointing. The building itself was in pretty poor condition overall, however, structurally it was still good at the time. Areas of the interior were quickly deteriorating, paint and plaster were falling off the walls, and the rooms were covered in bird droppings and dead bats. There were still a few remaining artifacts left behind from the days it was a school. Inside we found an out of tune piano, a ball lying in the floor of one of the classrooms and a photograph of a child who appeared to be in the hospital with a broken leg among other everyday school related items and papers.

This school was one of my first opportunities to explore and investigate an abandoned building. Looking back, I wish I had taken more photos while I had the chance. I would definitely love an opportunity to re-visit this school and explore. I would also love to see the community continue to fight for the school and see it become useful and protected from further decay.








Photos - Top photo taken in 2020. Additional photos taken in 2007. All photos on this site are property of Melissa Stanley/Ghosts of Guyandotte, unless otherwise noted. Historic information was summarized from information provided by Theresa Racer-Cheshire, former historic research manager for Huntington Paranormal.