In the early twentieth century, Marietta's riverfront was vastly different from the picturesque levee of today, where families enjoy ice cream and rich live music. It was a seedy part of town, home to prostitutes and scoundrels. In those days, the downtown area was not a place for respectable folk after dark.

At that time, The Levee House was a three-story brick building known as the "La Belle Hotel". Legend has it that a gentleman from a well-to-do and respectable family from the "better" side of town was having an extra-marital fling with a lady of the night at the La Belle. For months the affair went on, the gentleman slipping away in the middle of the night to the Ohio Street hotel, continuing even after it was no longer a secret.

One night, the man's disapproving son followed him into town, stole into his father's room and chopped off his head with a razor-sharp axe. Appalled at what he had done, the son fled into the night. A trial ensued and he was eventually acquitted by a sympathetic jury.

Today, the axe murder and subsequent reports of hauntings are retold by current employees of the Levee House and by tour guides on the yearly "Haunted Trolley Tours". During the tour, trolley passengers are even accosted by an actor waiving a bloody hatchet.

Rated by Ohio Magazine as "One of their top 10 favorite restaurants", if you're looking for good food with a view of the Ohio River, give the Levee House a try. But be on your guard. The distinguished gentleman may still be searching for his head!