Ghostly Tales from the Ohio Valley Electric Railway

Winchester Avenue Ashland, KY

The Ohio Valley Electric Railway was an interconnected streetcar system connecting Ashland, KY, Huntington, WV, and Ironton, Ohio. Incorporated in 1899, it lasted until 1937, being known as the Camden Interstate Railway Company between 1900 and 1908 (Huntington’s haunted Camden Park was established in 1903 as a picnic area for railway patrons!).  This ‘modern’ convenience opened up another affordable option for travel around the tri-state, but for whatever reason, it also became a mobile haunted house, showcasing the area’s paranormal activity. In a newspaper article from 1923, THREE separate spooky experiences were documented. One such incident occurred on Winchester Avenue in Ashland, KY, with prior incidents occurring near the Big Sandy Bridge and Kenova Station. 

The Winchester incident occurred in May of 1923. Passengers were minding their own business as the car traveled down Winchester Avenue. Suddenly, a PHANTOM COAT floated in through a rear window, and drifted up the aisle before vanishing before shocked eyes. The car was stopped and the motorman, along with several passengers, got out to investigate. No sign of the coat or anything that could be mistaken as a phantom coat was ever found. The article made sure to mention that none of the witnesses had been drinking, and it appeared as if only one or two people of color, were frightened by the unexplained incident.

The article then goes on to state that several years prior, a different motorman and passengers were traveling over the Big Sandy bridge and had to stop to avoid a collision with a phantom car. As soon as they stopped, the car vanished.

One final story is mentioned as being witnessed by the writer of the article himself. He and a number of others were at Kenova Station (in West Virginia). They looked through a window of a passenger car stopped on the bridge and claim to have been able to see Ashland, Kentucky as plain as day, almost as if they were observing from atop a hill or Ferris Wheel. This particular mirage did shake up the witnesses pretty bad, and several believed it was an omen that something bad was going to happen along the journey. Luckily, everyone made it safely to their destinations. Theresa’s note: I’m not entirely sure this last incident was related to the Ohio Valley Electric Railway or not. As its written, it seems like it may involve a regular train, but was included in the article as a means to emphasize the point that some pretty strange stuff had been happening in the tri-state in the past few years! 

The Independent Herald (Hinton, WV) 17 May 1923