Four weeks after her wedding, young Belle Merrick Albaugh was fatally shot. Was it suicide or murder? Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources to findContinue reading “A Most Mysterious Affair: The 1887 Death of Belle Merrick Albaugh”
Monthly Archives: August 2026
Two Lives Lost: The 1909 Midvale Boiler Explosion
Tragedy struck Midvale when a violent boiler explosion claimed the lives of two young workers. On the morning of December 17, 1909, the Royal plant of the Robinson Clay Product Company in Midvale, Ohio, was operating a battery of eight horizontal tubular boilers under approximately 95 pounds of pressure. At 7:10 AM, a catastrophic explosionContinue reading “Two Lives Lost: The 1909 Midvale Boiler Explosion”
1925-1932: The Seven-Year Hunt for the Slayer of Frank Wilson
During the Great Migration, a period of American history when millions of black southerners moved to find work in the industrialized cities of the north, many found themselves in Tuscarawas County, Ohio including Tennessee native Frank Wilson. In the early hours of November 7, 1925, Frank Wilson (1902-1925) was killed by a six-inch ax fractureContinue reading “1925-1932: The Seven-Year Hunt for the Slayer of Frank Wilson”
Field of Mystery: The 1965 Killing of Ronald Weigand
The tragic 1965 shooting of teenager Ronnie Weigand remains a haunting, unsolved Tuscarawas County mystery. On the afternoon of July 29, 1965, 16-year-old Ronald “Ronnie” Weigand (1948-1965) left his home with a sense of accomplishment. Just that morning, he had received credits from summer school, officially making him a senior for the upcoming fall term.Continue reading “Field of Mystery: The 1965 Killing of Ronald Weigand”
A Veteran’s Final Battle: The Murder of George LeMasters
New Philadelphia WWII veteran George Jasper LeMasters was tragically murdered during a robbery at a Canton hotel. George Jasper LeMasters (1906–1950), known to many as “Jap,” was born in Union Township, Tuscarawas County. His early life was marked by tragedy when his father, Ernest LeMasters (1877–1918), was killed in a mine accident when George wasContinue reading “A Veteran’s Final Battle: The Murder of George LeMasters”
