Many years ago, on a wintry night, a woman died. The circumstances surrounding her death are a mystery, but the biggest mystery was who she was.
It is Christmas Eve back in 1933 in the small town of Willoughby, OH, when people noticed a woman walking in a storm. She was dressed in a way that made her stand out. Everything about her was blue. Her hat, mitts, scarf, coat and dress were all blue, including her purse. She stood out and because of that, she was remembered when the townfolks all learned of her death the next morning. Some would even claim that they spoke to who would forever be known as ‘The Girl in Blue’.
No one really knows for sure why she stepped in front of a train. Was it suicide? Was she feeling alone and finished it all? Or was it a tragic mistake and did not notice the train coming in the wind and snow.
The community was deeply concerned for the family of the Girl In Blue and rallied together to uncover her identity. But there was nothing she had that revealed anything, not even her name. Her purse had only a few coins in it and there was a train ticket. Those at the rooming house where she stayed for a few days could not even provide any answers to who she was or anything about this woman. Even after posting information in the train station that she was supposed to eventually go to, nobody would claim her as a family member.
It remained a true mystery, a puzzle that continued to baffle the community.
And one that remained etched in the hearts and minds of those in Willoughby, OH.
A tombstone was donated and she laid in rest only known as the Girl In Blue.
Until one day, someone figured it out.
It took some modernization of information, including digitizing old records and using advanced research techniques, to be able to come up with a convincing story of who this woman was. Going through tax records, census records, and church bulletins from the time she was alive, there is a strong argument that she is Josephine Klimczak.
But what does this mean?
So we know her name but we do not know if she died because of a misstep or because of depression. Nor will we know anything about her affinity for the colour blue, nor will we understand any other detail in her life.
It is a sad story, one which we learned when we were on the home stretch of our ‘Third Time’s the Charm trip‘, which included this local tour that explored Willoughby Village Cemetery. The Girl in Blue lays to rest in the centre of the cemetery, by the tree. She now has a footstone that lists her assumed name and is still visited by those who are drawn to the mystery of this tale of tragedy.
- To find the location of The Girl in Blue’s gravesite, view my All The Places We Have Been map.
- Others visit this grave and they leave blue coloured objects on her headstone.
