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Harry Powers, the Bluebeard Serial Killer of Quiet Dell Who Murdered Through Personal Ads
One of the most sensationalized criminals of the 1930s was an unassuming man who turned out to be a stone cold predator
In popular culture, a bluebeard is a man who marries and kills multiple women. This specialty type of murderer is marked by their sociopathic tendency to treat their crimes as business transactions to make financial and emotional gains. One of the most notorious killers who fit this bill was Harry Powers, who became one of the most diabolical serial killers almost a century ago, which earned him the nickname of the Bluebeard of Quiet Dell.
Harry F. Powers was born as Harm Drenth in 1892 in the Netherlands, immigrating to the United states when he was 18. He initially settled in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before moving to West Virginia in 1926. In 1927, he married Luella Strother, who owned a farm and grocery store, after he responded to her lonely hearts advertisement in a publication. This marriage provided Powers with the perfect cover for what would become very sinister activities.
He took over the management of his new wife’s grocery store, renaming it Powers Grocery. Standing at just five feet four inches tall, weighing 175 pounds, and wearing thick…
