Located directly
behind the Route 60 Wal-Mart in Huntington,
the State Industrial School for Colored
Girls was built in 1924 on property owned by
the WV Colored Children's Home. The
facility was the first in the state for
African American girls. Previously,
delinquent girls of color were sent to the
state industrial school at Salem. However,
this presented a problem, as at the time,
white girls and black girls were required to
be housed separately and attend classes at
different times. Fannie Cobb Carter,
Charleston native, and graduate of Storer
College, was the school's first
Superintendent.
In 1956, both the
WV Colored Children's Home and
the Industrial Home for Colored Girls were
officially closed as a result of the
groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education
court case, and many of the girls were
transferred to other facilities in the
state. By 1961, the entire property was
sold to Marshall University. The Colored
Children's Home was used as married student
housing under the University Heights name,
and the industrial school was used off and
on for housing and other things.
There are plenty of
legends surrounding both buildings, but most
of the legends center on the Industrial
School, as so little is actually known about
its operation and history. Consequently, it
is this building that gets the most haunted
reputation. Locals tell tales of the
building being used as a home for pregnant
girls, where many abortions took place.
While there were likely some pregnant girls
who did attend the school, I have found
nothing to verify that abortions were
commonplace and conducted on the facility
grounds. In any event, visitors to the now
unoccupied building have reported hearing
screaming, crying, and paranormal activity
of nearly every type. Many people who
believe they are sensitive to the paranormal
report that there is an overwhelming sense
of evil surrounding the building.
After hearing
various reports, and a member of HPIR
capturing a weird image on film from the
location, we decided to head out to the
property and do a mini-investigation of the
outside only. It was uneventful, until a
concerned neighbor called the authorities!
However, it was a blessing in disguise, as
one of the officers shared plenty of his own
experiences with us, and even shared a
little something strange that had happened
earlier while on a call to a possible
break-in at the facility, where a window
seemingly shut itself.
I wouldn't advise
anyone visiting this site, even during the
day, without written permission from
Marshall University. The inside is
extremely unsafe, as the building is being
allowed to fall into disrepair, and there is
still a legal issue over the sale of the
property.
Note: The Industrial
School for Colored Boys was located in
Lakin, near Pt. Pleasant. Read about the
ghosts of Lakin, also at
Theresa's Haunted History!
