Moonville: along the Moonville Rail Trail

Vinton County Park District

More Haunted Moonville here!

A dead engineer, a drunk brakeman, and an old lady still trying to find her way home are just a few of the many ghosts in this abandoned coal mining and farming town, once one of many coal mine communities along the Marietta and Cincinnati Railway. Hikers can now take to the trail and walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the undead!

Little Pennsylvania Cemetery (Wooly Burger Cemetery)

(AKA Wooly Burger Cemetery, Wooly Booger Cemetery)

Groveport Road, Grove City
Columbus, OH 43123

Some have seen a Bigfoot-like creature called a Woolly Booger lurking beneath the shadows of the trees near Little Pennsylvania Cemetery and Big Darby Creek near Darbydale. However, the legend that stands out the most is about a man who butchered his family before killing himself, only to return from the grave as a bogeyman. The tale may have arisen from a genuine bogeyman who lurked around Darbydale, you can find out more about the real bogeyman at Wooly Booger Cemetery here!

Elizabeth's Grave in Mount Union- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
Chillicothe, OH 45601

When a gravestone began moving on its own accord within a cemetery in a remote and abandoned community outside Chillicothe, Ohio, travelers once flocked to witness a ghostly form in its wake. This is one of the old legends of Elizabeth’s Grave. Find out more about Elizabeth's Grave here!

The Witch's Grave at West Branch State Park (Elliott Family Cemetery)

West Branch State Park

A specter lingers in an ancient graveyard, a relic of a once-vibrant community in Portage County. Is it the ghost of a witch, or a tormented soul angered by the violation of its former home and burial ground? Only time, and the ominous history of those who disrespect the spirits of the past, may uncover the chilling truth behind this haunting legend! Find out more about the fascinating tale of the Witch's Grave here!

Patterson's Tower... Frankenstein's Castle

Hills and Dales Metropark
Kettering, OH 45409

One of Kettering's most beloved legends is that of a tower dubbed Frankenstein's Castle, where a freak accident occurred with two teens. This local legend that came after, deeply ingrained in the community, is a part of the town's history and mystery. Nowadays, some say on quiet days at the Hills and Dales MetroPark, where this stone tower is located along a trail, hikers passing by the old stone tower can hear whispers and even muffled screams. You can find Frankenstein's Castle Story here!

Mansfield Reformatory
Mansfield, OH ‎

Let me put it to you this way. Bad people like to make other people miserable, just like themselves. When they go to prison for their misdeeds and die within those walls, what worse hell than to make them stick around for an eternity stuck within their penitentiary cells? These tormented souls, unable to let go of their past misdeeds, become the many ghosts that haunt Mansfield Prison. Lovely place to visit if you like enraged, vengeful spirits following you around. As you can see in the image beside, even prison guards return once in a while!

Beaver Creek State Park
East Liverpool, OH

This Ohio State Park is home to the ghost of a young girl haunting an old canal lock and a long-dead bank robber evading the law. It is a place steeped in haunting tales. Find more out about Ohio State Park's Beaver Creek State Park Ghosts!

The Ridges

The Old Athens Asylum and Grounds
Athens, OH

Inmates of the old Athens Lunatic Asylum still walk the grounds, the dead ones, that is. Although long closed as a mental health hospital and off-limits inside for ghost hunting, many buildings have been renovated. Ohio University now uses them for offices and classes. The outside area, including cemeteries, is open during the day for walking on the grounds. Many have seen the hauntings, heard by some, and known as the place most likely to run into a ghost! Check out Athens Asylum Here!

For more info, check out my Haunted Ohio book with a map and trail to the different areas and cemeteries!

Hocking Hills State Park
South Bloomingville, OH  

From the Pale Lady of Ash Cave to the Baying Hound and Old Man Retzler who haunt Old Man's Cave in this large park system, there is ghostly activity on nearly every trail! Ghostly places in the Hocking Hills.

Something Dark Walks Where Mary Stockum's Corpse Lies

St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery
Coshocton, Ohio 43812

A headless ghost strolls the area around the cemetery. Is it Mary Stockum or something else? Although the reason for the two stones for the long-dead mother have been solved as simply a newer grave added to replace the old, strange howls and screams are witnessed by hunters and hikers. And something dark roams the woodland outside.