The 15 Downright Scariest Things To Ever Come Out Of Ohio
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April Dray
Author
Ohio has a pretty creepy past. From chilling, unsolved mysteries to unsettling graveyards, there’s something that haunts nearly every city in the state. The following are what we consider to be some of the creepiest places, haunted locations, chilling legends, and scary stories about Ohio. Read on… if you dare.
The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Rd, Mansfield, OH 44905, USA
Formerly known as the Mansfield Reformatory, this historic prison is home to the state's most violent ghosts. Spirits of rioting inmates who often fought each other to the death in overcrowded isolation cells haunt the halls and cells of this former prison. Visitors can explore the reformatory via formal tours, ghost hunts and other events.
Also known as the "Cleveland Torso Murderer," this unidentified serial killer murdered and dismembered at least twelve victims from among the homeless in Cleveland, many of whom remain unidentified to this day. Recent speculation suggests the Butcher may have traveled west and was also the murderer of Elizabeth Short, of the "Black Dahlia Murder Case.
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Lake View Cemetery, 12316 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
This cemetery is home to more than 100,000 graves and occupies 285 acres. Many notable individuals are buried here, including John D. Rockefeller, James A. Garfield and Eliot Ness (who modernized Cleveland's police force but was unable to catch the infamous "Cleveland Torso Murderer.") The Haserot Angel (pictured) is a famous statue in the graveyard for its eerie representation of "The Angel of Death Victorious." Most haunted cemetery in Ohio? You be the judge...
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Circleville, OH 43113, USA
In the 1970s, residents in the small town of Circleville and Pickaway County started receiving personal, mysterious letters about their lives. The letters were written in block style and contained vindictive, violent, and often vulgar material. One of the letter recipient's husbands was murdered, which was believed to be connected to the letters, and the letters continued even after a suspect was placed in prison. The letters continued to arrive in residents' mailboxes -- both city officials and average citizens alike -- until the late '90s. The writer was never revealed, and it remains an Ohio mystery to this day.
This legend starts and ends with Vermillion's Gore Orphanage Road, where, in the late 1800s, there was an orphanage. Supposedly, a mysterious fire burned down the orphanage and Old Man Gore lost his license to run an orphanage, so a new orphanage was never built. Today, brave explorers have reported distant screams of children in the area, as well as children's hand prints mysteriously appearing on their cars.
Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
With one of the oldest universities in the United States and a former insane asylum, Athens, Ohio is bound to have a haunting or two. In fact, it just might be the most haunted city in the entire state. Ohio University is arguably one of America's most haunted college campuses, (probably because it's located in one of Ohio's most haunted cities.) Several residence hall rooms and other buildings on campus are said to be haunted. Wilson Hall, Washington Hall, and Jefferson Hall are some of the most haunted buildings on campus.
The Ridges, 118 Ridges Cir, Athens, OH 45701, USA
What was once the Athens Lunatic Asylum is now owned by (and a neighbor to) Ohio University, but parts of the facility still hold shadows, stains and spirits of former mental patients who often suffered from violent treatments such as lobotomies. The grounds of the former asylum are still home to a few unusual—and extremely eerie—cemeteries. Patients of the former insane asylum were buried on the facility's grounds, and their restless spirits are left to wander to property. Most of the graves are without names, and merely display the number of the former mental patient buried beneath.
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Pleasant Valley, Union Township, OH 45601, USA
April Dray/Only In Your State
This infamous legend starts at Mount Union-Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Chillicothe, one of the most haunted cemeteries in Ohio. The off-the-beaten-path, rural cemetery is home to the chilling "Elizabeth's grave." Few people take this road less traveled, unless they are in search of this particular grave's headstone, which supposedly moves itself to the front of the cemetery after visitors move it to the back. (There is also some dispute about which headstone is the legendary "Elizabeth's grave," which is often spelled as "Elisabeth." There are two "Liz" headstones in the cemetery that fit the description, one of which is pictured above.) Regardless, Elizabeth is said to haunt the cemetery because she hung herself from a tree in the area—and is likely unhappy with visitors moving her headstone.
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Lafayette Hotel, 101 Front St, Marietta, OH 45750, USA
Ohio's oldest town is bound to host a haunted hotel or two. At Hotel Lafayette, guests have reported unexplained oddities for years. Missing items, suitcases turned upside-down and emptied shampoo bottles are just a few of the reported occurrences. The third floor is also supposedly haunted by a former owner of the hotel. It is arguably the most haunted hotel in Ohio.
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215, USA
Tucked away in Medina County there’s a rusted, long forgotten Ferris wheel. What what was once Chippewa Lake Park is now just a few piles of amusement park ruins and the lone ferris wheel. From 1878 to 1978, the amusement park was a popular, thriving destination for family entrainment. Today, remnants of it creepily stand abandoned, rusted and long forgotten. (If you think this abandoned amusement park would have been the perfect location for a horror film, you’re exactly right. In 2008, a cast and crew from Los Angeles filmed "Closed for the Season" here.)
Utopia, OH 45121, USA
Once upon a time, this small unincorporated community was one of the "phalanxes" (or social communes) established in America in the mid-19th century. Utopia, Ohio, was founded in 1844 by Charles Fourier, a Frenchman who believed that the world was about to enter a 35,000-year period of peace. While the utopian society idea of the town failed, a spiritual group still held secret services in the town's underground chapel. Today, along the banks of the Ohio River in Clermont County, you’ll find what some consider to be a ghost town, although the town is still home to some residents.
Moonville Tunnel, Hope-Moonville Rd, McArthur, OH 45651, USA
The abandoned coal mining town of Moonville in southeastern Ohio (Vinton County) was founded in 1856, when the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad ran through the area's woods. One structure of the town that remains today is the Moonville Tunnel; a haunted tunnel where the ghost of a man who was killed instantly by a train passing through the tunnel wanders along the track bed near the old tunnel at night.
Franklin Castle (Hannes Tiedemann House), 4308 Franklin Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA
You can observe what some deem to be Ohio's most haunted house from the outside, (which is unfortunately not open to public tours). Partly obfuscated behind trees at 4308 Franklin Boulevard in downtown Cleveland, the recently renovated and infamous Franklin Castle (also known as the Hannes Tiedemann House) still houses a dark past. Built in the late 1880s for German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann, the historic home still stands four stories high with more than 20 rooms. The house is full of secret passageways and hidden rooms, and has seen its fair share of death and tragedies.
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The small town of Sabina, known as "The Eden of Ohio," was once home to "Eugene the Mummy," an unidentified dead man who became an unusual roadside attraction—and was displayed in the town for more than 36 years. People came from all over the country to see him, but he was never identified. Today, Eugene rests in a grave in the town’s cemetery. The headstone reads: "Eugene, Found Dead: 1928, Buried: 1964."
The area known as "Hell Town" today was once known as Boston Mills, before the town was bought out by the U.S. government to make way for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The once thriving town was eventually completely abandoned, and rumors have been swirling for quite some time about this Ohio ghost town.
What other scary legends and stories about Ohio do you know about? Have you ever had any ghostly encounters at any of the places listed? Share your thoughts and experiences with us!
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More to Explore
Scary Stories About Ohio
What are some other scary stories about Ohio?
Gather 'round and get comfy as we share some more scary stories about Ohio:
- The Hannes Tiedemann House, better known as Franklin Castle, is believed to be the single most haunted house in Ohio. The first reported haunting at Franklin Castle took place in 1968, nearly 100 years after the entire Tiedemann family died out. Built in 1881, the house has seen at least six confirmed tragic deaths within its walls. Tiedemann's wife, mother, and four children all passed away in the home, and things only got more sinister after that. Rumors of murder and other crimes plagued the house!
- The Golden Lamb in Lebanon is thought to be the most haunted restaurant in Ohio. The iconic restaurant and inn is the oldest continuously operating business in Ohio, having opened in 1803. This grand building has long been a fixture on Broadway in Lebanon and has been prosperous for many reasons. It was originally situated halfway between Cincinnati and the National Road (now U.S. Route 40), making it the perfect resting spot for travelers. Today, more than 200 years later, it continues to attract visitors and locals alike who wish to get a taste of both the history and the incredible food... and haunted history! One of the most popular ghost stories involves a lady named Sarah Stubbs, shown below in the all-white dress. Sarah lived at The Golden Lamb for a number of years and many say her spirit continues to wander about the building. In fact, one of the museum viewing rooms at the restaurant is a recreation of Sarah's bedroom, so her ghost would be quite comfortable if she decided to stick around. Shiver.
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Hidden behind a small neighborhood on Lima’s far west side sits the abandoned Lima Tuberculosis Hospital -- a structure nature is steadily reclaiming. The hospital first opened in 1911, and it was one of the first in the state dedicated to the treatment of patients diagnosed with Tuberculosis. The hospital closed in the 1970s, and has since been abandoned for more than 40 years. Today, the building is rumored to be haunted by patients who died there. Ghost hunters and other urban explorers claim that ghosts of patients past wander the halls and hospital grounds at night.