WV WV - Marsha Ferber, 47, Morgantown, 28 Apr 1988

Mischa

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Well, I think everybody here has a „pet-case“ and


- aside from Camilla Lyman -


this is mine:

Marsha Carol Ferber

missing since April 28, 1988 from Morgantown, West Virginia




Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance


· Classification: Missing

· Date Of Birth: April 5, 1941

· Age: 47 years old

· Height and Weight: 5'4, 140 pounds

· Distinguishing Characteristics: Ferber's ears are pierced.


Details of Disappearance

Ferber was last seen departing from her nightclub, The Underground Railroad, in Morgantown, West Virginia on April 28, 1988. The business was located in the 100 block of Pleasant Street at the time. Ferber left her vehicle, purse and other personal belongings at her residence. There were rumours that Ferber had travelled to Florida or Jamaica after her disappearance, but authorities were unable to find any evidence to confirm the speculation. She has never been heard from again.

Ferber opened The Underground Railroad in 1982. The establishment reflected her liberal political views and taste in music, all the while promoting equality. Ferber's friends and employees kept the bar open for a year after her disappearance, but The Underground Railroad was eventually sold to another owner.

Ferber's family members reside in Maryland and New York. She lived in Massachusetts before relocating to West Virginia in the 1970s.



Some agencies may list April 25, 1988 as the date of Ferber's disappearance.
Source: The Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/ferber_marsha.html






There is not much additional information on the web:


There is a site about her nightclub http://www.g12g.com/123histC.html

“a bar where music was the binding force bringing together all types of people in a peaceful atmosphere.”


including links to an article about her disappearance and a list of bands who performed in club while it was owned by Marsha.

(And there also is a wikipedia entry for the club: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/123_Pleasant_Street)




And there are some comments of the readers of http://www.deadmilkmen.com/tourstories/archives/000011.html

in which Marsha Ferber is mentioned (One actually by a woman who seems have known her quite well in the early Seventies.)

“she and her husband, sam, had an amazing bookstore in madison, nj called "make up your mind" when i was a teenager (early 70's).”



Finally Marsha made it back on the news when another Morgantown woman vanished in summer 2006.

http://www.wtrf.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=12724




 
Marsha Carol Ferber
Missing since April 24, 1988 from Morgantown, West Virginia.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: April 5, 1941
Age at Time of Disappearance: 47 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 145 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Green eyes; grey hair. She wears glasses.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Marsha Ferber disappeared from the Morgantown, WV, area on or about 04-24-1988. Ferber was the owner/operator of a local night club The Underground Railroad.
Ms. Ferber's vehicle, purse and other personal belongings were found undisturbed.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Morgantown Police Department
304-284-7454
E-Mail mpddetectives@timsnet.com

NCIC Number: M-298815297
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
West Virginia CrimeFighters
The Doe Network: Case File 564DFWV


LINK:
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/564dfwv.html
 
Thank you very much, Richard :)



This afternoon I went to the library and did a little search in the news archives on Marsha Ferber.

It was disappointing there were only 3 articles and the all were on the further history of Marsha’s Nightclub not on her disappearance. The only interesting thing was, that there was a 100 000$ debt on the building which was apparently owned by Marsha. Could 100 000 $ debt be enough to vanish voluntarily?
 
Mischa said:
Thank you very much, Richard :)



This afternoon I went to the library and did a little search in the news archives on Marsha Ferber.

It was disappointing there were only 3 articles and the all were on the further history of Marsha’s Nightclub not on her disappearance. The only interesting thing was, that there was a 100 000$ debt on the building which was apparently owned by Marsha. Could 100 000 $ debt be enough to vanish voluntarily?
The question was not really addressed to me but: Depending on the circumstances I would say, yes, the amount is enough to cause a runaway situation for some people.
 
The question was adressed to everybody. So thank you for the answer.
I know that even a 100$ debt can be really a big problem, when you don't have the money. But it Marsha's Nightclub apperently was really sucessfull, so the debt should not have been such a problem.
 
It might also depend on how much the building was worth--its location and condition, its desirability as a commercial site, etc. The building/business (two different things, really) might have been worth more than she owed on it.

The other question might be to whom she owed the moeny? Some "lenders" are more dangerous than others.

It might be interesting to note how she closed down the bookstore business in the 1970s. I say this because a friend's ex-wife just left her home, with over $50,000 in equity, and bought another house. She left a signed quit claim deed on the floor for her ex to find. So she walked away from more money than I have (!!), her home, and a mortgage. Go figure. All that is to say that people do strange things some times.
 
For what it's worth, Marsha came up missing on Sunday evening, April 25, 1988. She had returned from a trip to New York the day before (or maybe Friday, I forget). She was supposed to go out to eat with a friend Sunday night, but he said she never showed. Her backpack was found in the doorway to the Underground.

I know all this because I lived up the street from the Underground and knew Marsha. I wrote a story on her disappearance for a local newspaper at the time. Rumors later said--as has been said here--that she was in the Carribean somewhere; they also said she had been killed by a biker gang and that she was now inside the walls of a local--then defunct--theater. (The rumor always was silly, and the theater has since been mostly restored--no body.)

Other rumors have circulated over the years--as well as unconfirmed sightings--but she has never been found.

Geocam
 
A husband was mentioned in the blurb about them owning the bookstore in NJ. Was he in the picture at the time of her disappearance? Were they still married? Separate? Divorced?
 
If Marsha is still alive, you can almost bet she's got her own business somewhere.

But why would she leave without telling folks? She seemed to be well-liked and had moved from place to place without doing this previously?

Strange story and I get the feeling there was some foul play involved, in some manner.
 
Hi Geocam J



I have found the date April 28 on the charleyproject website. There was also mentioned that some other sites state, that she went missing on April 25. Perhaps her family and friends waited some days before they reported her missing. That could explain the different accounts. By the way: April 25 1988 was a Monday. (I looked it up in my Outlook.) If she really had that appointment on Sunday night, she would be missing since the evening of April24.



I don’t believe these rumours about Marsha going to Jamaica or elsewhere. Because one of the first things I learned when I got involved with the matter of missing people, was: The older the missing person the more probable he or she did not leave voluntary. Juveniles may leave just for the spirit of adventure, but a grownup most times needs a very good reason to leave on his or her own account..



As far as the rumour of Marsha being killed by a biker gang is concerned: Where there any hints about the selling of drugs in the “Underground”?

When I read about Marsha’s dream of having “a bar where music was the binding force bringing together all types of people in a peaceful atmosphere.” My first thought was: This would be my dream, too. But the second: This may attract some people who want to take advantage of this “peaceful atmosphere” for not so peaceful reasons.

Perhaps Marsha was in someone’s way.



BR



M.
 
Hello Lisa :),



No, I don’t know if Marsha was still married to Sam when she went missing. This brief mentioning in the blurb above was all I found about her marriage. Perhaps Geocam knows more.

If she really left on her own account I think she changed her way of life completely for not being discovered. So I doubt that she will have her own business again.



Greetings



M.
 
Mischa and Lisa,

On the calendar note: I used my computer time clock to look back to 1988, but I forgot to change the month. Oops, my bad. When I changed it to April, I found out that Mischa was right: Sunday was the 24th. She was probably reported missing on Monday, and that's why she is listed on the 25th.

I don't know whether she was still legally married to the husband she owned a bookstore with, but when she came to Morgantown she seemed to be single and acted that way. She came there after living in, I believe, Calhoun County, where she had been among the founding members of a commune called the Mudd Farm.

Yes, drugs were sold at the Underground, mostly marijuana. It was pretty much an open secret. But the Underground was a peaceful place, whichever side of the law patrons might have been on.

Mischa, you have a valid reason to infer that older people tend stay put. Marsha could well have been an exception to this, though. She was a child of a wandering generation. Abbie Hoffman was a childhood friend; she personally got Timothy Leary to come speak at the Underground. She may have had reasons to disappear that were stronger than her reasons to stay put.

Geocam
 
I went to a few punk shows at the Underground in my younger days.I was only there a few times but remember Marsha.She was very kind and welcomed everyone in the club.I was always told she was found dead in a nearby theatre.Guess that was just a rumor.Good.Marsha,i hope youre alive and well...
 
This case always stood out to me. I am from WV also and have been to 123 pleasant st (current name of the night club) in my college years. Since learning of her disappearance it always has me wondering what happened to her.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
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Demographics
Missing Age47 Years
Current Age78 Years
First NameMarsha
Middle NameCarol
Last NameFerber
Nickname/AliasMarsha Mudd

SexFemale
Height5' 0" - 5' 2" (60 - 62 Inches)
Weight150 - 165 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactApril 28, 1988
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 14, 2011
Last Known Location Map
LocationMorgantown, West Virginia
CountyMonongalia County

Circumstances of Disappearancevictim's vehicle, purse and belongings were found in Morgantown
Circumstance Notes
vehicle, purse and belongings found

Physical Description
Hair ColorGray or Partially Gray
Head Hair DescriptionCurly
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorGreen
Right Eye ColorGreen
Eye DescriptionWears contact lenses usually. Sometimes wears eyeglasses
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Piercing
Multiple piercings on both ears. Ear lobes elongated due to heavy ear rings.

Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Eyewear
Sometimes wore eyeglasses; most often contact lenses.

Additional Case Info

Transportation
--

Style--
Color--
State--
License Plate--
Expiration Year--
CommentsHer vehicle was found in its normal parking spot, near her apartment/bar.

R/O

upload_2019-11-19_14-16-39.png

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 
lots of info

https://morgantownmag.com/missing-marsha/



IMG_0100-1024x768.jpg

Some time in the evening of Monday, April 25, 1988,
Gary Perkins dropped his friend Marsha Ferber off in front of
her Underground Railroad nightclub on Pleasant Street.

Maybe the last place Ferber was definitely seen was in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the 23rd.

In any case, the following Sunday, May 1, her tenant Jack Herbert
contacted the Morgantown Police Department to report her missing.

She hasn’t been seen since.

 
Lengthy article.
June 9 2022

''MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A new podcast from Wonder Media, I Was Never There, debuts June 9. It was already picked as an audio selection for this year’s Tribeca Festival. The podcast follows a mother-daughter investigative duo looking for answers in the mysterious disappearance of Morgantown bar owner Marsha “Mudd” Ferber.

“I Was Never There” podcast art
“[Marsha] was absolutely committed to building a better world and creating businesses and endeavors that were unlike what we saw in the world that our parents and grandparents had built,” said Karen Zelermyer, a friend of Marsha’s, “[The businesses were] based on generosity and sharing and kindness and getting people engaged and helping them feel their power and empowered.”

The podcasters found that Marsha would supplement the Underground Railroad’s funds through the sale of drugs, particularly marijuana but other drugs as well. Karen was one of Marsha’s best friends during their time living at the Earth House but said that they found many things they didn’t know while researching for the podcast.

Have we learned a lot about Marsha that we didn’t know fully? Yes. Are there things in this podcast that surprised us? In some cases shocked us? Yes. But I still feel like I know her heart.

KAREN ZELERMYER, “I WAS NEVER THERE” PODCAST CO-HOST
Karen and Jamie said you have to listen to the podcast to find out what their current theory is, but that Karen’s initial reaction was that Marsha wouldn’t have left without telling someone where she was going.

“We used to joke that Marsha couldn’t pass a phone booth without calling someone,” Karen remembered.''
 

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