Egypt Valley Wildlife Area
Encyclopedia
The Egypt Valley Wildlife Area is a 14300 acres (5,787 ha) former surface mining
area in northwestern Belmont County
Ohio
, United States
. Since the mid-1990s, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
has administered the area. For many years, local residents have fished, hunted, camped and explored the high walls, backwaters, and graveyards that make up this area. People, to a lesser extent, call the area Egypt Bottom.
The area encompasses the northwest corner of Belmont County. Morristown
and Hendrysburg are on the southern edges of the area, while Holloway
and Flushing
are on the northern edge of the area. The southern end of Piedmont Lake, the opposite end of the dam in Piedmont
, juts into the northern pocket of the area as well.
Louiza Fox was a thirteen year old girl working as a servant for Alex Hunter, the owner of a coal mine. Thomas Carr, 22 years old, worked for Hunter at his mine.
Fox and Carr began dating. Initially, Fox’s parents approved of the couple, and even gave their consent for the two to be engaged. After learning more about Carr’s violent past, however, the girl’s parents retracted their approval of the engagement. Carr became instantly angry upon hearing this news, and plotted the murder of his fiancée.
Carr waited behind a fence on a path that Fox frequently traveled. When the girl went for a walk with her brother, Carr met up with them and sent her brother back home. Carr then slit the throat of his love and stabbed her fourteen times. He then threw her in a ditch and fled the scene.
Fox’s brother, who watched the entire thing, informed his parents immediately. The family sent out a search party and eventually found Thomas Carr with wounds from his failed suicide. He attempted to slit his throat and shoot himself in the head, but failed and was taken into custody and nursed back to health.
Several days after the murder, Carr admitted to killing Fox, along with thirteen other people and laughed at his sentencing, saying “he did not care a damn if it was to be tomorrow.”
Louiza was buried in Salem cemetery, where there have been reports of the girl weeping at her grave. She and Carr both are said roam the land of Egypt Valley and also have been seen at the site of Louiza’s murder.
The area is also known for a few other ghost tales. One such tale is of a vanishing house. The house can be seen in the distance with red candles lit in its windows, however when visitors approach the structure it disappears without explanation.
Another tale deals with a truck driver who crashed into a cemetery and lost one of his arms. This arm supposedly crawls around the cemetery and people have heard his nails walking across tombstones.
Sightings of packs of possessed dogs also exist in the area. Some describe the animals as guarding local cemeteries.
Other accounts deal more with the practice of Satanism around the graves. Groups of devil-worshipers have allegedly been seen holding séances and sacrifices in close proximity to the grounds of the dogs, and many animal bones have been found in piles surrounded by ashes. This leads to the belief that the dogs no longer exist in reality, but are the ghosts of animals used in the Satanist practices.
Salem Cemetery is between two formerly surfaced mined areas and attracts many tourists, locals and ghost-hunters.
Surface mining
Surface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
area in northwestern Belmont County
Belmont County, Ohio
Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 70,400. Its county seat is St. Clairsville...
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Since the mid-1990s, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was created in 1949 by the Ohio Legislature. It is a government agency in the U.S. state of Ohio charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, and recreation areas.Divisions of ODNR...
has administered the area. For many years, local residents have fished, hunted, camped and explored the high walls, backwaters, and graveyards that make up this area. People, to a lesser extent, call the area Egypt Bottom.
The area encompasses the northwest corner of Belmont County. Morristown
Morristown, Ohio
Morristown is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 299 at the 2000 census.-History:The community's name has also been spelled "Morris Town" in the past....
and Hendrysburg are on the southern edges of the area, while Holloway
Holloway, Ohio
Holloway is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 345 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Holloway is located at ....
and Flushing
Flushing, Ohio
Flushing is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 900 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Flushing is located at ....
are on the northern edge of the area. The southern end of Piedmont Lake, the opposite end of the dam in Piedmont
Piedmont, Ohio
Piedmont is an unincorporated community in western Moorefield Township, Harrison County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43983.-References:...
, juts into the northern pocket of the area as well.
Coal mining
Before the area became a sporting destination, it was surfaced mined. Egypt Valley was home to some of the largest earth moving machines, most notably the GEM of Egypt, and the less known Mountaineer. The high walls and unique look to the area was the end-result of this mining method. Most coal extraction ceased in the early 1990s.Folklore
Aside from the coal mining in the area, Egypt Valley is known for its rich tradition of local folklore. The Salem Cemetery, located in the middle of the area, is home to the grave of Louiza Fox, who was murdered in 1869. Her murderer, Thomas Carr, was the first person hanged in Belmont County.Louiza Fox was a thirteen year old girl working as a servant for Alex Hunter, the owner of a coal mine. Thomas Carr, 22 years old, worked for Hunter at his mine.
Fox and Carr began dating. Initially, Fox’s parents approved of the couple, and even gave their consent for the two to be engaged. After learning more about Carr’s violent past, however, the girl’s parents retracted their approval of the engagement. Carr became instantly angry upon hearing this news, and plotted the murder of his fiancée.
Carr waited behind a fence on a path that Fox frequently traveled. When the girl went for a walk with her brother, Carr met up with them and sent her brother back home. Carr then slit the throat of his love and stabbed her fourteen times. He then threw her in a ditch and fled the scene.
Fox’s brother, who watched the entire thing, informed his parents immediately. The family sent out a search party and eventually found Thomas Carr with wounds from his failed suicide. He attempted to slit his throat and shoot himself in the head, but failed and was taken into custody and nursed back to health.
Several days after the murder, Carr admitted to killing Fox, along with thirteen other people and laughed at his sentencing, saying “he did not care a damn if it was to be tomorrow.”
Louiza was buried in Salem cemetery, where there have been reports of the girl weeping at her grave. She and Carr both are said roam the land of Egypt Valley and also have been seen at the site of Louiza’s murder.
The area is also known for a few other ghost tales. One such tale is of a vanishing house. The house can be seen in the distance with red candles lit in its windows, however when visitors approach the structure it disappears without explanation.
Another tale deals with a truck driver who crashed into a cemetery and lost one of his arms. This arm supposedly crawls around the cemetery and people have heard his nails walking across tombstones.
Sightings of packs of possessed dogs also exist in the area. Some describe the animals as guarding local cemeteries.
Other accounts deal more with the practice of Satanism around the graves. Groups of devil-worshipers have allegedly been seen holding séances and sacrifices in close proximity to the grounds of the dogs, and many animal bones have been found in piles surrounded by ashes. This leads to the belief that the dogs no longer exist in reality, but are the ghosts of animals used in the Satanist practices.
Salem Cemetery is between two formerly surfaced mined areas and attracts many tourists, locals and ghost-hunters.