Ohio is home to some of the spookiest and legendary haunted places in America, from prisons such as Mansfield’s for its role in “The Shawshank Redemption,” while Ohio University Ridges may be haunted by an unknown presence known as “Lady in Gray.”
Fudge Road near Cincinnati has long been considered one of the scariest roads, where ghost hunters have reported hearing disquieting piano music and hearing mysterious knocking sounds. Its creepy history has been widely documented and it has appeared on several paranormal TV programs.
Athens Asylum
The Ridges was once known as Athens Lunatic Asylum until its closure in 1993, and now serves as home for Kennedy Museum of Art, auditorium seating capacity, office space and classrooms. According to legend, its building may also be haunted by Margaret Shilling’s spirit who left her body imprint on the floor when she died here and can often be seen staring out the window from where her corpse was discovered; other ghostly incidents may include doors opening and closing by themselves as well as shadowy figures that appear.
West State Street Cemetery has long been associated with ghost stories, particularly because of the angel statue that weeps for those buried there who remain unknown. Moonville Tunnel in Vinton County has also long been used as a setting for ghost tales.
Other notable haunted locations include Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, renowned as one of America’s most haunted prisons and used in The Shawshank Redemption movie; Mount Nebo was home to an accused Satanist community and many have reported seeing a clown-like figure here.
Athens Cemetery
Are you searching for a place to terrify your friends and make their day truly scary? Look no further than Athens Cemetery – home to a haunted spot where one story or another about being killed by a train, can all center around Athens Cemetery’s legendary ghost! The legend surrounding Athens Cemetery can vary slightly between locations but all relate back to this incident.
Other haunted locations include Moonville Tunnel, where ghostly figures have been reported roaming its tracks. Hope Drive Apartments have also reported hearing what can only be described as circus siren-esque noises; many residents have also mentioned hearing an audible siren voice or hearing something similar; additional reports also mentioned an apparition of a woman and ghosts of Koons family reportedly speaking with their dead.
Many buildings on Ohio University’s campus are believed to be haunted, particularly Wilson Hall which dates back to 1800s. Students have reported hearing voices, hearing doors slamming shut and even seeing ghostly figures within their rooms – particularly disturbing is Wilson Hall’s fourth floor where students have reported witnessing ghostly faces appear in doorways!
Ohio State Reformatory
The Ohio State Reformatory is an exquisite stone building resembling more of a castle than a prison, yet its stunning appearance belies a dark history: during its 94-year operation period alone, 154,000 inmates were locked up behind these walls; many succumbed to disease, violence or suicide before leaving this place of incarceration behind its walls.
One of OSR’s most eerie spots, The Hole, was used as a collection of small cells used for solitary confinement. According to legend, prisoners would allegedly be hanged and set on fire during this period; one particularly chilling incident involved when two prisoners were placed into one cell together, yet only one survived to emerge alive from it!
After being the target of a class action lawsuit for its inhumane conditions, the prison was closed in 1990 and now serves as a popular tourist attraction and filming location. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps when no one is around; seeing apparitions; even experiencing physical contact.
Kings Island
Kings Island transforms into an immersive horror theme park each fall, featuring roller coasters, haunted houses and plenty of thrills and chills for its Halloween Haunt event, which runs select nights between Sept 23rd and Oct 28th – this year it has even added more mazes and attractions!
Kill Mart is the latest haunted attraction, an entire department store overrun with zombies that conceal themselves well throughout. If you want an additional scare factor, you can buy skeleton keys which open specific scenes within its mazes.
Board to Death, an original haunted board game experience, features rooms themed after Pop-O-Matic Trouble, Connect 4, Risk and Candy Land – with acting and props adequate but lacking for most visitors’ experiences – making for a worthwhile visit but ultimately unsatisfactory scare factor for most guests.
