The US state of Ohio is not just populated and beautiful but is also full of mysteries silently standing in every corner. Here is a list of haunted places in Ohio you should know about, and maybe even pay a visit to on a weekend.
Thurber House is one of the most well-known and scariest attractions for paranormal lovers. The premises houses two individual buildings, both of which are haunted. People of the locality say that the houses are being haunted by several people who lived in an asylum cum mental hospital that was situated very close to the Thurber House and died from a fire outbreak. The Thurber House, at present, is a nonprofit center that was once the home of cartoonist and writer James Thurber. Thurber himself reported of paranormal activities in the house while living there, while even visitors today have heard unexplained footsteps, experienced books being thrown at them, seen shadowy figures moving here and there, and several other activities. The other building – the Thurber Museum – has similar stories surrounding it.
The Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum was founded in 1841, and is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the US. The abandoned place itself looks quite eerie, with its quiet ambiance and the forest-like greens surrounding it. Many historical figures, including Orville and Wilbur Wright, Paul Dunbar, James M. Cox, are lying in eternal rest here. There are several ghost stories associated with this burial ground, including that of a boy named Johnny Morehouse who drowned in a canal. Legend has it that, his pet dog pulled him out of the water, but it was too late. The boy died, while the dog sat beside his grave until it passed away too. The place is open to public, and it attracts many ghost enthusiasts throughout the year.
This abandoned prison stood in Columbus between 1834 and 1998, after which it was demolished. This building for the general criminals became a model prison over time, and by 1955, it housed 5235 inmates, which was almost treble its official capacity of 1500. Apart from overcrowding and pathetic conditions, prisoners got killed in mishaps like fires, beatings, riots, suicides, and executions, leaving the building haunted by the spirits of those killed. It was finally closed in 1979 before being demolished. However, the site is still said to be haunted, with strange sounds and apparitions seen regularly.
If you are a paranormal enthusiast, you can visit and explore this haunted hotel and stay the night to gather some personal experiences. It is around 38.1 miles from the center of Toledo, OH, and you can easily plan for a drive-tour. Hotel guests have reported of uncanny happenings and ghastly apparitions in the dark of the night, especially in period clothing. People have also reported hearing ghostly ballroom music when there is actually no one around.
Locals and residents claim, there are a number of haunted buildings inside the university campus, amongst which, the Wilson Hall is the most infamous. The building is situated at the center of a huge ‘pentagram’, an ancient occult symbol of power and black magic, comprising of five cemeteries in the compound. When you get a bird’s eye view of the area (like in a map), you can see the formation of a pentagram. The Wilson Hall is known as the home of the spirit of a person who died a mysterious death back in the 1970s in room 428. Even a few decades later, the students residing in that particular room have reported of weird noises and sounds, footsteps, and even objects moving by themselves. It is because of these ghostly happenings that the room has been kept under lock and keys and was never given to any students again. The OU is probably the world’s only university where a haunted room has been sealed after the school officials proclaimed it as ‘uninhabitable’.
Located at the intersection of US Route 52 and State Route 93 in Ohio’s Ironton, this is the very infamous haunted tunnel of the state that was built in 1859. The entire site, surrounded by the hills and the wild woods has made it even eerier. The tunnel was not meant for vehicles since those were the days of horse and buggy. Gradually, with industrialization, and the increase in traffic, motor vehicles began passing through the passageway, even though it was too small for two lanes of traffic. Even though it was expanded in 1915, car crashes and accidents continued with numerous people losing their lives. With such continuous incidents happening, rumors started that the tunnel is cursed, giving birth to incidents of ghost sightings.
The biggest tragedy happened on the Halloween night of 1959, when a vehicle, carrying students taking part in a football match, was returning home. The vehicle somehow met with a horrific accident, catching fire, killing the people sitting inside. Since then, the tunnel permanently got a bad reputation, and innumerable ghost sightings, strange noises, visions, and screams were reported. This site is still open to the public (however, passing through it would cost you $5).
Built in 1879, this building is built on a land on which once an orphanage stood high. During its construction, almost 200 pounds of human bones were unearthed from the site, many of which belonged to children. No one knows where these bones came from, or the incident behind it, but this is probably the reason for which the music hall itself got haunted in the long run. There have been reports of many kinds of noises and paranormal activities. However, luckily, the spirits are said to be friendly and never caused any harm to anyone.
Also known as the Franklin Castle, Tiedemann House is a stone house built in a Victorian style. The castle is the witness of a tragic history that dates back to the late 19th century. Erected between 1881 and 1883 by a German immigrant named Hannes Tiedemann, the history of the building is known to many people in the Franklin Boulevard in Cleveland. In 1896, just a year after his wife Louise passed away, Tiedemann sold the building. In the next few decades, the ownership of the house exchanged hands multiple times. In around 1986, rumors began to circulate that the house was haunted by the spirits of Louise and her daughter Emma, both of who seem to appear from time to time in the dark of the night.
The very name of the place is self-explanatory. A ghastly figure of a dead man who was killed in a wreck along this road has often been witnessed right along the curve, or sometimes walking along the roadway. The site is along State Route 222 at the Bantam Road Intersection in Ohio’s Bethel. Many people have also reported seeing a male hitchhiker who has no face. This crossing has been the site of many accidents, caused when the drivers reportedly lost control at the curve seeing the apparition of the dead man.
Many witnesses have claimed that the ghost haunting the Town Hall Theatre is sensitive in the sense that it dislikes nudity and profane language in a play that is put on here. In case such a play is staged, the spirit often shows up during the performance or act up according to its mood out of utter displeasure. More interestingly, it has also been reported by many spectators and locals that, a spirit is often seen in one of the upper floors, who has a striking resemblance to the 16th US president Abraham Lincoln.
Well, whether you are a genuine ghost enthusiast or a paranormal lover, any day is perfect for you. Most of these stories may turn out to be just urban legends, but that doesn’t take away from the thrills of exploring the places.
Hello there! My name is Jay and I run this website. I'm a full-time traveler and freelance writer. This is where I share travel advice and help people pursue their traveling dreams.
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