Well, on May 23 we finally ventured back to Salem Cemetery outside Hendrysburg in Belmont County. We actually first went there during the great Topol Trip on Feb. 21, but knew nothing about it other than it was on our map of Ohio hauntings. Being ill prepared, we were (I was?) slightly freaked out by its location and the condition of the road so we drove back there but didn’t stop.

In our (my) defense, it should be noted that the Headstoners (read: me) have not so good luck and always seem to be the ones to face odd circumstances (see our TICO story). During that February trip, the gravel road (Salem Ridge Road) back to the cemetery was wet and half ice-covered, oh, and it had just been re-covered with gaint rocks. Not the ideal situation to visit a cemetery you’re not even sure you should be at. It was an adventure, though, and when we were in the eastern part of the state again and it hadn’t rained recently, we knew we had to go.

This time, the road was much better. Not wet at all and those fresh stones had been compacted into what a gravel road should look like! Now that they’ve put signs up, it’s not hard to find either, but I’ll hold off on directions until the end.

The most well-known stone in the cemetery belongs to Louiza Catharine Fox  who was murdered by Thomas  Carr on Jan. 21, 1869, because her parents wouldn’t approve of their marriage. He actually became the first person hanged in the county, according to what I’ve read online. While we didn’t experience anything while we were there, the 13-year-old is apparently known to weep at her own grave. It’s also said that if you walk around the outside of the cemetery six times, you’ll disappear. This we didn’t have the time to try, and I’m not down with disappearing anyway!

Over all, it’s a fairly large cemetery that is still actively used and taken care of. The older graves are toward the “bottom” (the west side) with the newer being farther up the hill. Louiza’s grave is down the hill and on the northern side, kind of alone and with objects around it (a broken pinwheel and fake flowers when we were there). It’s a really pretty area, that also boasts a second cemetery.

Circle Cemetery (as it is known, not sure of the real name) is a little farther down the main road, where the road forks again, on the right (south). There aren’t very many graves there, and most of them are in poor condition, fallen over and sunk into the ground.

Supposedly a truck driver crashed here years ago and had his arm cut off, and it now roams the cemetery. We didn’t see that one either. In fact, nothing happened on the whole trip that was creepy, so we can’t verify any of these claims. It was definitely worth the little bit of extra drive and time just because the graves are so old.

DIRECTIONS: The only (easiest) way for most people to get here is from 70. From the east or west, get off at exit 202 and head north (from the west, that’s turning left, from the east, it’s continuing straight). Then take the first right onto County Road 108, which you will continue to follow (basically, take another right again rather quickly). A little over a mile later, you’ll take a right on the first road you come to. It kind of switches back, so going a little slower will help you not miss it. There is a sign in front saying that a bridge is out in a little under 3 miles and that the cemetery is back there. Around the curve, the road will fork and you’ll need to stay left. When the road forks again, the cemetery is in the middle so it doesn’t really matter which way you go, but the left has easier access. To access Circle Cemetery, keep going east and the two forks around Salem Cemetery will meet again and continue. The road will then fork again, and you’ll need to take a right. It is easily seen from any online mapping site.