The Haunted Madison Dry Goods Store

Posted: 11.12.2024 | Updated: 11.12.2024

Located at 104 W. Murphy St. in Madison, North Carolina, the Madison Dry Goods store has been a staple in the area since it first opened in the 1990s. However, the building itself has lived many lives, including a hardware store and a funeral home. In fact, the building was the final destination for the victims of a family murder as well as the man who killed them. This tragic chapter in the history of the building is why many people, including the owners, believe that the Madison Dry Goods store is haunted by those slain nearly a century ago.

What happened at Madison Dry Goods?

In 1929, a farmer named Charles Lawson murdered his family on Christmas Day before taking his own life. The family members, including Lawson, were all embalmed in the building that is now Madison Dry Goods. As a result, the building has been permanently linked to the Lawson Family Murders, and it seems as though some of the victims cannot move on.

Interested in more stories of ghosts and hauntings in the greater Charlotte area? Be sure to book a tour with Queen City Ghosts now and learn all about the area’s eerie past.

The Lawson Family Murders

To understand the hauntings at Madison Dry Goods, you have to know the story of the Lawson Family Murders. The story begins on Christmas Day in 1929 at the Lawson’s farmhouse in Germantown, North Carolina. At approximately 1 p.m., 43-year-old Charlie Lawson began murdering his family. He started by shooting his two younger daughters, Carrie and Maybell, with a shotgun as they headed out to visit family. He then bludgeoned them and placed their bodies in the farm’s tobacco barn. Lawson then murdered his wife, Fanny, and four of their children: Marie, James, Raymond, and Mary Lou, who was only four months old. Lawson then went out into the woods and took his own life with the shotgun he’d used on his family. Only the family’s oldest son, Arthur, survived because he had gone into town on an errand.

Neighbors heard gunshots coming from the Lawson farm and went to investigate. They entered the home and found the floor covered in blood. It was also noted that Charlie had placed a stone under each family member’s head and crossed their arms over their chests. When Charlie Lawson’s body was found, there were footprints in the snow going around a nearby tree, indicating that he had been pacing in the moments leading up to his death.

It’s never been clear why Charlie Lawson murdered his family, but it’s generally believed that his actions were premeditated. Only a day earlier, Lawson had taken his family to Winston-Salem, where he bought them new clothes and paid for a family photograph, which was still a luxurious purchase at the time. There were also rumors that Lawson had an incestuous relationship with his daughter Marie and may have impregnated her, which could have incited the killings.

From Funeral Parlor to Dry Goods Store

The local funeral parlor could not accommodate so many bodies at one time, so they were taken to the T.B. Knight Funeral Parlor in Madison, which resided on the second floor of what would become Madison Dry Goods. At the funeral parlor, the family members were embalmed before a mass funeral that 5,000 people attended. To add to the spectacle, Charlie Lawson’s brother charged $0.25 for people to tour the Lawson farmhouse, which had remained largely untouched since the murders. The Lawson family was buried in a mass grave and four-month-old Mary Lou was placed in Fanny’s arms for the burial.

In 1998, the building that housed T.B. Knight Funeral Parlor was purchased by Richard and Kathy Miller, who transformed it into Madison Dry Goods. Richard knew about the murders, having grown up in the area, but didn’t realize when he and Kathy bought the building that they were buying the place where the Lawsons were embalmed.  In honor of the Lawson family, the Millers created a museum in their honor on the second floor where the funeral parlor used to be. Over the years, people have donated photos and newspapers about the murders and a 1920s embalming table. In 2023, the Millers sold Madison Dry Goods to Michael “Smitty” Smith who has kept the store and museum much as it had been when the Millers owned it.

Hauntings at Madison Dry Goods

Over the years, visitors to Madison Dry Goods have reported a range of ghostly activity. These include objects moving on their own, unexplained footsteps, cold spots, and the sound of children playing. It’s widely believed that this ghostly activity is caused by the spirits of the Lawson children, who were all embalmed in the building.

In 2021, the Netflix series 28 Days Haunted featured an in-depth look into Madison Dry Goods. The store was investigated by psychic medium Brandy Marie Miller and demonologist Jerome Leonard. Upon entering the building, Miller sensed the spirits of two young girls at the top of the stairs leading to the former funeral parlor. Miller also got into the coffin in the museum in an attempt to make contact with spirits. Miller claimed to see a woman at the foot of the coffin, felt the presence of mourners surrounding her, and even felt pressure on her head as if experiencing the trauma that the Lawson family endured.

The Ghost Girl of Madison Dry Goods

According to former owner Richard Miller, at least four people have encountered the ghost of a little girl who is believed to be Carrie or Maybell Lawson. A man came into the store asking if Miller’s daughter was upstairs. When Miller said no, the man was confused since he had seen a young girl staring out the second-floor window. Miller confirmed that there were no children in the store at the time. Miller also recalled a young boy refusing to go to the second floor and telling his father, “I’m not going up there. There’s a little girl standing there.” According to Miller, most children fear the hallway leading to the museum and will not go down it. Miller himself never saw the girl.

Haunted Charlotte 

The Lawson Family Murders is an infamous piece of North Carolina lore, and it’s doubtful that anyone could imagine the integral role that Madison Dry Goods would play in the story. Whoever it is that haunts the building, they are not afraid to make themselves known.

Charlotte and the surrounding area have a rich history of ghosts and hauntings. Learn more about them by booking a professional ghost tour with Queen City Ghosts today! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real North Carolina hauntings.

Sources:

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19901227&id=6e0bAAAAIBAJ&pg=6595,9332231&hl=en

https://myfox8.com/true-crime-nc/deadly-secrets-the-lawson-family-murder

https://www.newsweek.com/28-days-haunted-madison-funeral-parlor-lawson-family-murders-1754536

https://www.strangecarolinas.com/2018/10/lawson-family-murders-museum-madison-nc.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/madison-dry-goods