Belmont County derives its name from the French phrase “belle monte,” which means “beautiful mountains.” I guess they didn’t exaggerate, but I might’ve chosen “scary” or “hard to navigate.” The county seat is St. Clairsville, nicknamed “Paradise on the Hill.”  The county has an area of 537.35 square feet and a population of about 70,226. Belmont County has a couple of notable “firsts”; for example, they were the first county to elect a female sheriff (1976). Its first (and only) execution is also tied up in one of its several interesting ghost stories. A notable urban legend about the place is that hell hounds roam the county making noise. It’s also home to a ghost town so ghosty, it’s completely vanished without a trace–Egypt, Ohio. I still think the scariest thing about this place are the county roads, but it’s still a great place for a taphophile trek.