The Devil's Baby of Ravenswood

Tombstone of George Elwood Sharp
Photo by Theresa (September 2023)

*Updated September 2023*

It was recently brought to my attention (thanks to an article from WhoForted?) that the Ravenswood Cemetery in Jackson County, WV is home to quite the fascinating combined urban legend and ghost story.  The story is known locally as the Devil's Baby. 

According to the legend, there is a Devil Baby buried in the cemetery and on moonlit nights, visitors have reported hearing the eerie, disembodied cries of an infant as the clock strikes midnight.   These cries are said to be those of George Elwood Sharp, infant son of Louis and Willa Sharp.  George was born on 27 April 1915 and passed away on 21 July 1917, making him a little older than two years of age at the time of death.  A tombstone was erected in his honor on to which was added a ceramic tombstone portrait, a popular choice in funerary art at the time.

It is this tombstone portrait of a slightly younger George that is actually the whole basis of the Devil Baby legend...

The porcelain or ceramic tombstone portrait was patented by two French photographers in 1854 and was a process that was especially popular, and thus perfected, by the Italians throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s.  The portrait is created with a porcelain (or ceramic) tile which is either solid, or applied over a metal base.  It is produced by firing an image over that porcelain tile at a very high temperature for several hours in a kiln.  Ideally, the process is designed to resist fading for at least 100 years.

Close-up of George E. Sharp's 
Porcelain Portrain
Photo by Theresa (September 2023)

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with George's portrait.  Severe weathering has caused an alarming pattern of fading and discoloration.  To some, when the moonlight hits it just right, the baby's image appears to take on the appearance of having horns.  To others, the teeth appear as vampire-like fangs.  All take note of the eerie white void of the eyes.

The horns and fangs have led to the legend of the Devil Baby moniker, but there is one more interesting aspect of this tombstone portrait:  it glows!  Although more likely due to the material composition of the portrait than a paranormal explanation, the picture does actually appear to give off a soft glow in the dark and thus, sparking a decades old local legend about an innocent child.

If you decide to check out this legend for yourself, please remain respectful. Please be advised that according to West Virginia laws, it is trespassing to enter a public cemetery after dark without permission.  Also keep in mind that this IS a legend.  Although not much is known about George Sharp and his family, we do know that he was someone's child...a child that was taken too early.

Links of Interest:
Tombstone Portraits
The Devil's Baby (Who Forted?)
Find-a-Grave

Skeptical Inquirer Article

*Theresa's Note: Since originally publishing this article in 2014, I've gone back and done some additional research on George's family. Although I've yet to uncover a death certificate or even an obituary for George, I did find his birth register entry on the WVCulture site. As stated, he was born April 27th, 1915 to Louis and Willa/Willie Sharp. Louis was originally from Lawrence County, Ohio and was born in Ironton on 17 March 1895 to parents Charles and Rosabelle. 

Louis married Willie Mae Siders, daughter of James and Hattie Siders on 13 June 1914 in Lawrence County, Ohio. She was born 19 February 1896 in Mason County, WV. 

Little George was born in Jackson County. I found Louis' WWI draft card from June 1917 stating that the 22 year old with brown hair and eyes and of medium height and build was working for the U.S. Government as a fireman at the Ravenswood Lock and Dam 22. (The dam is now gone, but the building is still down at the riverfront, being used as a local history museum.)

The family shows up in the 1920 census, living in Barboursville, WV on the same street as Louis' parents and sister's family. Louis and Willie have one child, 2 year old Louis, Jr. and Louis is working as a railroad engineer. By the 1930 census, the family has expanded...and moved back to the Ironton area. Louis Jr. is now 12 years old, and daughters Marguerite (9), Lillian (5) and Billie Sue (1) have joined the family. Louis continues to work for the railroad. 

Louis and Willie both lived long lives, dying in Florida in 1973 and 1982 respectfully. What makes this story even sadder, however, is the fact that George seems to be all alone with no other family in the Ravenswood Cemetery. Neither of his parents were from the area, and it doesn't appear that anyone in the family died there, either. The Sharps were simply living in the area for Louis' work at the dam, and then moved away not long after his death, leaving only the infamous tombstone behind as a reminder of their lost son.