MURDER SCENE OF LONG AGO? — The Jefferson County Courthouse was the setting of a story told by Paul Zuros, director of Historic Fort Steuben, during a special presentation held at Toronto’s Main Street Museum on Oct. 19. Zuros told those in attendance of how a woman once jumped out the courthouse window to her death after being found guilty of murdering a jailer who forbid her to see the sheriff, with whom she was in love. The courthouse is next to an area where long ago, public floggings occurred to those who disobeyed the laws. -- Warren Scott

TORONTO — Visitors to Toronto’s Main Street Museum learned of a darker side to the city and Jefferson County’s past with the sharing of macabre stories by a special guest, members of the Historical Society of Toronto and others on Oct. 19.

Paul Zuros, executive director of Historic Fort Steuben and author of “Historic Tales of the Upper Ohio Valley,” told the many in attendance he’s encountered “a lot of spookiness” while delving into this area’s history. He said whenever he hears a tale of mystery passed down by generations of local residents, he’s interested in what it reveals about life for those who lived in the past.

As an example, Zuros cited the tale of a Steubenville shop owner who, finding his stock of meat to be short, stole some from the smokehouse of Bezaleel Wells in 1810. The thief’s target was a poor choice, he noted, because Wells had founded the city and was a prominent citizen. Zuros said it was common in those days for criminals to be restrained in a set of stocks and publicly flogged at a corner near Third and Market streets, and the thief was whipped nine times with a whip known as a cat of nine tails because at its end were nine, knotted cords.

He noted not far from that site is the Jefferson County Courthouse, which was built in 1874 and is the setting for another tale of violence. Zuros said a woman named Julia Petrosky had come to visit Sheriff George Huscroft, with whom she had fallen in love, at a time when the sheriff’s department and its jail were located in the building. He said it’s been reported that a jailer refused to admit Petrosky and she responded by pulling out a gun and shooting him. If Petrosky thought she would escape the arms of the law, she was mistaken. After being tried and found guilty of the crime, she rushed to a window of the courthouse, jumped through it and fell to her death on the steps below, noted Zuros.

For his next story, Zuros crossed the Ohio River, to the Brooke County community of Colliers, through which a railroad once passed in an area now occupied by the Panhandle Trail. He said one evening a resident observed an apparently drunken, old man taking a seat on the tracks to further imbibe from the bottle he was carrying. A freight train routinely passed through that area at that time, and the observer, with his wife’s encouragement, beckoned the drunk to move, but to no avail, said Zuros.

But as the engine approached, the figure disappeared, he said.

Zuros said the observer later learned from his landlord that years earlier, a drunken man had entered the village and unsuccessfully sought help before falling on the tracks, where he was crushed by a passing train. It’s said the apparition of a drunken, old man was not seen again, possibly because he had finally encountered the kindness he had sought, said Zuros.

He noted many old tales mix fact and fiction and that includes a story about Judge John Reddick of New Cumberland, a veteran of the American Revolution who was known for his strong opposition to slavery and his habit of keeping racehorses. It’s said that Reddick once bragged that a white stallion in his possession was so fast that the Devil himself couldn’t beat him in a race, said Zuros. He said the story goes that the Devil, hearing him boast, conjured up a black horse that breathed fire and a race was held for Reddick’s soul. The ebony steed won, but the judge, with legal ramifications in mind, arranged for his body, upon his death, to be buried on the West Virginia-Pennsylvania state line, so each time the Devil sought to claim him, he could seek extradition, said Zuros.

Attendees heard stories of crime and mystery from the Gem City’s past, as related by museum volunteers Carolyn Walker and Linda McFerrin, a comic tale of a monstrous encounter shared by local author Bob Petras and local legends passed on by a few members in the audience. Walker noted October will bring a close to the museum’s 2025 season, but she and other volunteers are planning special programs for next year.

In 2023, the museum moved from a smaller location on Main Street to the Karaffa Recreation Center at 1307 Dennis Way. The building is the former Karaffa Middle School, and the museum occupies the former art room, which has enabled the historical society to display many more items from the city’s past. The group reaches about 1,300 members through a monthly newsletter and its Facebook page. Membership dues are $15 per person or $20 per couple.

For information, call (740) 537-2157.