By Susan Sheppard
In the upper historical district of Parkersburg, there is an older home next to Riverview Cemetery where a persistent ghost made her presence known in a dream. One reason behind ghosts appearing is they have unfinished business or they leave the world before something they felt strongly about is resolved.
A young couple had been living in the home for a few years and did not experience any activity until the wife began to have strange dreams. Her dreams involved a woman who said her last name was “Pierpont.” But that wasn’t all. An innocent action seemed to have triggered the dream with the ghost.
The woman of the house would take her engagement and wedding band off at night and place them on the end table beside the bed. One morning, she woke up and discovered her rings missing. That is when the unsettling dreams began.
In the dream, a spirit who called herself “Pierpont” insisted that the woman of the home had stolen her husband away. When the woman explained, “no,” the ghost must be confused because she and her spouse were legally married and had been together for a number of years. The explanation seemed to do no good because the frantic dreams of the woman’s ghost continued. And with each dream, the ghost became more agitated. At one point, the spirit said she was pregnant and all she wanted back was her husband to be with her.
In frustration, the couple decided to go to the cemetery records of Riverview Cemetery. Much to their surprise, they found the grave of a woman named Lucy Pierpont listed in the records. Lucy’s grave was mere yards from their home.
Admittedly, the couple was unnerved because they had never dealt with paranormal matters before. The only thing they knew to do was pray over their bible and during that prayer, the couple explained to Lucy’s spirit that she was confused, the man of the house was not her husband and she needed to move on in the spirit world to a much happier place. In earnest, the couple prayed and sent Lucy their best wishes.
The next morning when the woman of the house woke up, her wedding band and engagement ring reappeared on the bedside table. They never heard from Lucy again. However, two women who attended the Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours listened to the story and decided to visit Lucy’s grave the next day. As they stood by Lucy’s grave, the wind whipped up and it was almost like the women saw sparkles in the air. When this happened, the two also heard the sound of a baby crying.
