In April of 1856, Samuel Cox was
having a string of bad luck hunting for food. This was not Samuel's
first run with bad luck and it seemed to follow him and his family.
Samuel and his wife were married in Johnstown Pennsylvania and soon
headed west to the state of Indiana looking for prosperity. The Cox
family grew to include two young boys, George and Joseph, but the
family fell ill to malaria which was very prevalent in Indiana at the
time. The family battled the sickness for months. Finally the family
was well again and made a journey back to Pennsylvania to get away
from the disease. The Cox family then settled in Spruce Hollow which
is located a few miles from present day Pavia.
On the foggy morning of April 24th
1856, Samuel again went out to hunt for his family. Again he came
home short-handed and disheartened. While at home eating a meager
meal, the family dog began to bark and run out of the house. Samuel
jumped up with his gun and chased after the dog. Once Samuel caught
up with the dog it had treed a squirrel. After getting the squirrel
Samuel returned home to find his wife in tears and frantic. He had
only been gone for an hour and a half but his two boys were missing.
Mrs. Cox thought the boys had followed their dad. Samuel was unaware
the boys had followed him and had greatly outran them in the fog.
Samuel tried looking can calling for the boys all day without luck,
and the fog just became heavier and heavier throughout the day.
The Next day, a small band of
searchers began looking for the two boys without luck. The search
party grew over the next week to include over 1000 volunteers from 50
miles away who had heard the tragic story by word of mouth. The
search was unfruitful, and rumors started to spread that Samuel and
his wife had killed the boys. The accusations went so far, that the
Cox family's floor boards were torn up looking for the boys.
Neighbors of the Cox family started to
implement other means to find the boys after their search had come up
empty-handed. The belief in magic and witchcraft was very prevalent
in the late 1800's. Many of the German pow-wow doctors, not to be
confused with indian powwows, blended christianity with old world
religion to heal the spirit as well at the body. A local man was said
to have the ability to find anything by only using a peach tree limb
in the shape of a “Y”. The man was known for finding underground
water and lost objects. His search with the peach tree limb proved
unsuccessful. The search party went as far as to send for the help of a
known witch from Somerset county. She basically duped the men out of
money and stumbled in the woods a few days and was unable to find the
boys either.
Things were looking very grim for the
Cox family; however, a man eventually came forward with some
information about the boys location. Jacob Dibert had a very
vivid and weird dream the night after the boys disappearance. Jacob
had no idea of the tragedy when he had his dream. While
sleeping, Jacob dreamt that he wa walking a path through the woods
when he came across a dead deer. Walking further he walked past a
childs shoe, and eventually to a small bunch of fallen birch trees.
Once he crossed over the tress, he saw two young boys huddled under a
fallen tree in the ravine. Jacob had the dream the next two nights,
then finally told his wife. After telling his wife, she told him to
tell his brother-in-law Harrison Whysong. Harrison immediately
recognised the details of the dream and knew of the boys
disappearance. They went searching for the boys on May 8th
1856, following the clues of Jacobs dream and found the two boys dead
in the ravine of starvation and exposure.
Many have speculated that Jacob and
Harrison had something to do with the deaths to know exactly where
they were to be found. Others who are more open to the supernatural
believe Jacob's dream was true. Jacob and Harrison were never
prosecuted for the two boys death. In 1906, donations were collected
to put up a memorial for the lost children's 50th
anniversary. In 1910, a monument was raised and still stands today.
Today the monument is in a roofed building in the ravine where the
children were found and a plaque gives a brief history of the boys
tragic story. The area is still rumored to be haunted by the two Cox
boys. Many say you can still hear them crying and peaking around the
trees.
The Monument is located near Pavia PA.
Turning off to Blue Knob Road, you will come to Monument Road. A
short drive back will lead to a sign pointing the way to the
monument and a parking area. The boys themselves are buried in Mt.
Union Cemetery.
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| Path and Bridge Leading to the Cox Monument |
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