Boo!

EVery year near Halloween the researchers at the Historical Society receive numerous requests for information about the "haunted high school" or the "haunted bridge at st Francisville" and questions about whether we have personally seen the ghosts. Our response is always: "No comment."

We now offer this 1883 ghost story to add to Lawrence County's haunted history.

George Clark was an African American barber in Lawrenceville during the Civil War. By August 10, 1883, when his wife died, he was known as the “oldest tonsorial artist” there.

George's wife, Elizabeth Morris Clark, died August 6,1883 and shortly after, he and his daughter moved to a different location. Stories began circulating that their old house was “haunted”.

Unearthly noises such as a person would make who was choking accompanied by terrible groaning were heard. Dept. Postmaster White and H H Corrie spent two nights there and were positive they heard terrible groaning at or near a bed in the room which the aged lady had died.  The bed and bedclothing were carefully examined but there was nothing to be seen.

On February 22, 1884, that residence was entirely consumed by fire at about midnight.  The house had not been occupied for a while, so it was doubtless the work of an incendiary unless the ghost, as the newspaper reporter stated at the time, "thoughtlessly brought a spark of fire on its shirt tail."

Now we don’t know exactly where this house was located so don’t contact us, but if you see a ghost with its shirt tail on fire, do let us know. We will still make "no comment' but we will add your name to our list. . . of 'ghost seers'.