These are top 10 Haunted Places In Ohio

Most haunted places in Ohio

You may be surprised to hear that in some circles Ohio is considered the most haunted state in the union. County to county there are many stories of angry, mourning and lost souls. If you have ever been curious about hauntings in America, Ohio is definitely a great place to begin your search. You may even decide to forgo Fiji this year and head for Columbus! Here are a few of the more notable haunted places in Ohio. If you wish to spend a chilling albeit spine-chilling weekend, here we present you top 10 most haunted places in Ohio, the 7th largest contributor to US economy and one of the spookiest too.

These destinations abandoned theatres, eerie cemeteries, abandoned shacks- make for excellent weekend destinations for people for some spooky adventure. We leave it on you to figure out which, amongst these 10 most haunted places in Ohio can be touted as the most ominous one. For the quick advice, you might like to wander around the Chadwick Inn or, the most haunted MoonVile Tunnel first. Well, now its upon you what you choose first.

Akron Civic Theatre, Downtown

This theatre stands next to–and over–the Ohio and Erie Canal in Downtown Akron and was built in 1929. Currently, the theatre is under massive restoration. But, the theatre has had a long reputation of being haunted by at least three different ghosts.  It is rumoured that ghost of a loyal janitor appears at the theatre.  Often, people report seeing the spirit of a well-dressed actor sitting in the balcony or lurking backstage during rehearsals. Also, a legend suggested that before the construction of the theatre, a woman committed suicide by throwing herself into the canal. Her ghost has been spotted wandering on the banks of the canal behind the theatre, helping this place pave its way in to the most haunted places in Ohio.

Talking about the theatre hauntings, the Brady theatre accommodates a funny spirit. High pitched opera singings can be heard at one of these most haunted places in Oklahoma.

Stanley Road, New Carlisle

Motorists travelling by this road complain of car trouble, or their car being paced abnormally owing to a ghostly presence, and even being struck by an invisible force. Teenagers often drive this road for cheap thrill and few claim to have seen Staley’s ghost standing or lying on the road. Some claim to have heard mysterious voices and gunshots.

The legends of this haunted place in Ohio dates back to 1800s when the three Stanley Brothers were hired to build a flour mill, which stands there till date, by a pioneer named John Wrench. The business flourished, and the mill was bought by Elias Staley from John Wrench. After Elias’s demise, Andrew Staley continued to produce flour until 1905, post which “Old Man Staley” went on a killing spree and now haunts the road. 

Driving past the road and witnessing the closing branches of the crooked tree on the road, will make you believe in all the fables that surround this road.

Haunted Peabody Hall in Ohio

Haunted peabody hall in Ohio

This dorm in the Miami University campus is said to be haunted by the ghost of its namesake, Mrs. Helen Peabody who is often sighted. Also, a suicide supposedly took place in room 210 of the dormitory, followed by another student years later. The window shades of this room sometimes flap violently even when no wind is blowing. It was built in 1855 and was burned twice, rebuilt each time, in 1861 and 1871; and remodelled again in 1974, after the college merger that made it part of Miami University. Here is a former custodial worker’s description:

“My mother works there at the building behind Peabody. Her coworkers have made comments to her about seeing a woman walking around the building at night. When they went to approach her telling they are locking her up, she disappears.”

Athens Asylum, Ohio

Construction of the building was started in 1868, and the facility opened in 1874. Many of the reasons patients were admitted to the hospital for in those day have since been discredited as causes of insanity, as well as some of the treatments that were carried out such as lobotomies (cutting the connections or removal of the prefrontal cortex part of the brain).

When the hospital first opened many of its patients were civil war veterans who were suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome, others types of patients that would also be there were children with severe behavioural problems, and mums from large families who would commit themselves to get a break.

The amount of patients in the earlier days were around 200 but by the 1900’s it had gone up to 2000, this led to severe overcrowding, and the need for patients to share rooms, and also it lead to the decline in the quality of treatment the patients received. By the 1960 though there was a new emphasis on the humanity of mental patients and new and better ways to care for them which led to more people recovering.By 1981 the hospital had fewer than 300 patients.

By the early 1990s the buildings were no longer used by the hospital as they were in a severe state of repair. The site of the old hospital now forms part of what is called The Ridges and is owned by Ohio University. Members of Ohio National Alliance on Mental Illness have helped to restore 3 graveyards which are located on the Ridges grounds where at least 2000 people are interred.

The old asylum building is known to be very haunted, the most popular ghost thought to still wander there is Margaret who wandered off and disappeared, staff could not find her anywhere, a maintenance worker finally found her deceased in an unused ward, and it is thought she had been dead for several weeks, where her body lay as left a permanent stain on the floor, she is said to wander the corridors of the asylum, also the cemetery grounds are known to have a few of its own ghosts.

List of most haunted asylums in America

The Moonville Tunnel

This tunnel has the unfortunate privilege to have a song, as well as a novel dedicated to the numerous eerie stories surrounding it. The town of Moonville is known only for this rail tunnel, and in fact it exists because of the same, though the tunnel is obsolete now, except by the infamous phantom.

A local landowner suggested this shortcut to Cincinnati to a rail track building company, so that he could, he could plunder clay and coal and soon a few small settlements sprung up- Moonville being one of them. But, as fate would have it, this railway tunnel was thin and opened up to a trestle  above a high canyon, which was just wide enough to fit the rail tracks and hence proved to be a death trap causing around five deaths of people who took the shortcut, instead of walking around the valley.

Who haunts the Moonville Tunnel?

Many stories surround the origin of ghosts present over here. Some suggest it to be of a drunkard who to took the tunnel as a shortcut to get back home, and when he saw the approaching train, he waved his lantern but was hit by the train, which did not stop in time. The other says that during one hard winter, when the town was low on supplies, the locals chose a representative to stand in the tunnel and wave a lamp to stop the train, so that they could get some supplies. But the, person they chose feel asleep and the train ran late into the tunnel and killed him.

It is rumoured that the ghost of the lantern waving man still tries to flag down trains with his lantern. The rail company installed lights at the mouth of the tunnel and the drivers were instructed to ignore any lights they saw inside the tunnel.

Veteran’s Memorial Hospital, Pomeroy

The next in this list of haunted places in Ohio was formerly a hospital. Presently it is fairly empty and is used for storage, though talks have been going around to convert it into an office complex or renting it out. But the cost and the eerie factor prohibit it.

According to various reports, the young female ghost dressed in long, white nightgown haunts this place. The little girl’s is most notably seen from outside the hospital, through the windows. She can be seen standing in front of the window, holding a candle and would vanish when spotted. It is also claimed that the same ghost, turns the interior lights on and off frequently. She is suggested to have been here much before the hospital closed its doors. 

When the hospital was functional, the staff and patients alike could hear the sound of bouncing rubber ball and her skipping around the halls. She was also seen, by several residents by the side of different patients. Since, no legend identifies the girl, it was accepted that it of a little girl who mysteriously died even before the hospital was built.

Johnson’s Island

This entire island is on our list of 10 most haunted places in Ohio and was a prison camp for Civil War Confederate soldiers between 1862 and 1865 and now houses the Confederate Stockade Cemetery where 209 Confederate soldiers are buried. But according it is widely believed that the remains of the soldiers are scattered around most of the island and not just in the small “official” cemetery. People report sightings of the spirits of uniformed Confederate soldiers wandering the island. A statue named “The Lookout”, erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy of the Cincinnati, Ohio Chapter, is believed to the change position at midnight.

Haunted Chadwick Inn, Maumee

The Chadwick Inn was built in the year 1837 by Levi Barbee and was converted into a general store, post office and a feed store before turning it into a brothel in 1930s. The Inn is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who is seen hanging from the rafters with a noose around her neck. Also, a ghost known as the Lilac Lady is said to walk around the restaurant spreading the smell of lilacs. Furthermore, Levi himself haunts the inn and is sighted often drinking Jack Daniels.

Creepy Prospect Place, Trinway

The Trinway Mansion was built in 1857 by George William Adams. Adams also built a mill nearby and farmed the surrounding land. The house was recently restored and is now open as a bed and breakfast hotel. The hotel also has a special Underground Railroad museum in the basement along with guided tours. The ghost of a girl who jumped from the window of the house during a dinner party haunts the mansion.

The other ghosts are that of a mother and daughter duo who lived there in the 1860s. Her daughter is said to have died during a long, cold winter. On the other hand, her mother caught pneumonia sitting up with her body while waiting for her to be buried. They can often be spotted near the fireplace. The next legend is that of a slave trapper’s ghost who was hung on the third floor of the barn. Now his ghost rattles farm implements on the walls and spooks livestock.

Creepy Franklin Castle, Cleveland

The last entry on this list of top haunted places in Ohio includes the 1865 includes the Franklin Castle. The castle has allegedly witnessed a number of mysterious deaths. It includes that of Tiedmann’s wife, mother and children. This can be cited as the reason of various eerie happenings around the place. Babies can be heard crying through the walls. The room on the third floor hosts the ghost of Karen-victim of cold blooded murder. This room is always 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house. During night hours, visitors have claimed to hear strange noises including footsteps throughout the haunted Franklin Castle. Except this, one can easily encounter apparition of babies standing near the outer window. Imagine how are you gonna react when you hear loud outcries in a deserted mansion? Kinda scary, No?

Haunted Ridges Asylum, Athens

This red brick building, initially known as the Athens Asylum for the Insane opened in 1874. It got very overcrowded by the early 1900s. Reports of inhuman treatment of patients by the overworked staff started doing the rounds. It got closed in 1993. Although few parts of its building are in use till date while most of it is abandoned. A lady named Margaret Schilling got lost in an unused area of the hospital in the winter of 1978-79. She could not be traced for over a month. Later, her dead body was found in a room on the topmost floor. There is a stain on the floor that couldn’t be washed off. Her ghost if often seen wandering in the room at night. People also believe that the asylum’s cemetery that hold around 2000 bodies is haunted.

These were top haunted places in Ohio. Looking forward to more ghost adventures around the country? Here is the list of most haunted asylums in America.

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