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Lawrence Co. Ohio's Haunted Courthouse

Thursday, September 19, 2024 3:38

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Lawrence Co. Courthouse
Ironton, Ohio

On October 16, 1873, the Ironton Register ran a letter from a local citizen informing the paper about a ghost that was stalking the area around the Turner Kemp farm. The Lawrence Register historical website transcribes the article as seen below:

I have, on several occasions, noticed that you solicit local items. I thought it not amiss to inform you of a visitation the neighborhood has been blessed with since sometime last May.

On the farm of Turner Kemp stands a small, plain, framed house occupied by a colored man and his family. Since about the time mentioned above, there has, at regular intervals, appeared to some of his family a veritable ghost. It sometimes is seen only by his wife, and at other times is seen by the family, and on several occasions, it has been seen by many of the neighbors. I have had frequent glimpses of it myself, and although I have been taught to disbelief in such things, I must confess that the evidence, in this case, is so strong that I am forced to admit it a fact.

The first time I saw it was just in the dusk of the evening, as I was returning from the field. It started near the fence and flitted along till it came to the house and disappeared rather suddenly. Since then, I have often seen it in broad daylight and after dark. Contrary to most, it seems to have no regular hours of visibility but comes and goes just as it happens. I heard from a reliable source that it had been seen in the Court House yard last Saturday evening. The last seen of it was at a small house in East Ironton. So, Mr. Editor, it may, someday, take a notion to walk into your ‘sanctum.’

Anyone having doubts about the above facts can obtain the full name of the writer of this, by calling on the Editor of the Ironton Register.

It seems like this wandering ghost didn’t limit itself to just showing itself to the family living on the farm and their neighbors…at least once it was spotted nearby at the Lawrence County courthouse! However, this courthouse wasn’t much longer for this world. In April of 1875, the building was heavily damaged by fire. It was patched up, but at the turn of the century, would finally be replaced. In 1906, construction began on the ‘modern’ courthouse and was completed in 1908. This new courthouse was built on the lawn of the previous courthouse and may have inherited its predecessor’s reputation for being haunted.

On October 29, 2000, The Ironton Tribune ran a special Halloween article featuring haunted locations around the area. The 1873 article was quoted, but some additional information was provided by Constable Marty Smith, who spent many late-evening hours at the Lawrence County Courthouse.

Smith had several of his own experiences in the courthouse, including feeling cold drafts and witnessing the elevator stop and open up when no one else was around to operate it. He was even punched in the shoulder by an invisible force.

Smith wasn’t the only person to witness spooky phenomena. One evening he was summoned by several custodians for help. They had watched as a man walked past them and into the men’s restroom. The courthouse was locked up for the night and they weren’t sure who this potential intruder could be. They followed him into the bathroom but found it completely empty. The only two ways out would have been through the window, which was bolted tightly shut, and MAYBE a tiny crawl space in the ceiling.

No one is sure who this ghost may be, but Smith theorizes that it may be the spirit of one of the three men he knows about who died on the courthouse grounds; one who was hanged legally, one who was lynched, and one who was shot during a political rally.

Andrew Price was sentenced to be hanged on the courthouse lawn for his role in the murder of Louis (Henry) Hillenberg. Price and another man, Andrew/Jerry Spears, took the life of Hillenberg and robbed him of some old clothes, whiskey, and 18 cents. Spears, who was accused of cutting the man’s throat, was given a life sentence at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Moundsville. Price, however, had taken a hatchet to the man and was sentenced to hang. After several petitions extended his execution date from March 12, 1869, Price finally swung from the gallows on April 2, 1869.

Again, the Lawrence Register website has a wonderful collection of articles concerning this incident, including an interesting little blurb about a superstitious fellow. An older gentleman came to town to witness the execution, but his purpose for coming was to request the rope used in the hanging. Apparently, his son was an epileptic, who had been cured in the past by wearing an execution rope around his neck.

The Lawrence Register website also has information regarding the November 3, 1936 slaying of 30 year old Bert McMahon. Around 300 people were crowded in the courthouse lobby on election night, when McMahon got into a political argument with Charles Roach. Both men had been drinking, and the fight quickly escalated, culminating with Roach pulling out a pistol and firing three shots at McMahon. One newspaper article quoted said that the fatal shot hit McMahon in the heart and he was deceased within ten minutes.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any clear information about a lynching, other than it MIGHT be the 1932 lynching of Luke Marion. However, that event occurred in South Point, not Ironton. If I find more information, I’ll definitely update, but it seems like either Price or McMahon could be good candidates for the potential ghost of the modern Lawrence County courthouse. As for the spooky fellow roaming about in 1873, I guess that COULD be Andrew Price, but I’m not convinced that is the same ghost that is being reported today. But, let me know what you think! Comment down below, or find me on Facebook at Theresa’s Haunted History of the Tri-State!

The Ironton Tribune
29 October 2000

Source: http://theresashauntedhistoryofthetri-state.blogspot.com/2024/09/lawrence-co-ohios-haunted-courthouse.html

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