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. 

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.