The Belmont County Explore More GeoTour will take you on a journey across the beautiful and scenic landscapes of Belmont County, Ohio where a total of 35 geocaches await to be found. Participants who find 30 out of 35 caches will be rewarded with an official Belmont County Geocaching coin.
The ghost of Louiza Catherine Fox is said to haunt the area where she was brutally murdered by her suitor, 22-year-old coal miner Thomas Carr, in 1869. A small marker is located at 35615 Starkey Rd., Barnesville, OH 43713 (40.104476,-81.174702) and her grave is located in nearby Salem Cemetery where she has also reportedly been seen weeping. People have also claimed to see Carr's ghost near the murder site.
At the time, Egypt Valley as it is now known was the small farming village of Egypt. Louiza was a 13-year-old house made who worked for a local family who also employed Carr. There are conflicting reports as to whether she and Carr were ever engaged at all or if her family retracted the engagement due to learning of his character and temper.
What is known from the highly publicized court proceedings is that Carr was a member of the Union Army during the Civil War Era and reportedly struggled with alcoholism, fights, and even committed murders before being discharged. It was late afternoon on January 21, 1869 when Carr attacked Fox. He hide behind a fence post until she passed by, leaving her body in a ditch on the side of the road. This is the area where many have reported seeing the ghost of the girl.
Before he was apprehended, Carr attempted suicide, first with a knife and then a gun. After being treated for his wounds, he was sentenced to death just five days later. He confessed not just to Fox's murder, but many others. According to hauntedhocking.com, one of Carr's other reported murder victims is said to haunt the Wheeling Tunnel. Carr’s reported last words blamed whiskey for his downfall and called for it to be banned.