In light of Halloween being this coming Friday, I figured I would highlight some of the real haunted places Central Ohio reportedly has for those of you who are adventurous souls.
These days, ghost hunting, paranormal investigating and such have become popular, with a number of TV shows about people who attempt to make contact with apparitions as professionals or amateurs. I love the show Most Haunted on the Travel channel, but there's also Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters as well. Anyhow, more and more people are getting into investigating haunted places on their own. Ha! Something ironic is, as I write this, I'm watching a scary movie that's on Bravo TV right now.
So, if you're brave enough, here are some of the most haunted locations in Central Ohio that you can sleep overnight at, conduct a seance at or simply visit.....if you dare....
(source is forgottenoh.com)
Greenlawn Cemetery – it's at Greenlawn Ave. in the Brewery District. There is a whole host of haunt stories for this place. The unhappy ghost of Dr. James Snook, a skilled pistol shooter who taught at OSU and also who murdered his lover and then died later, and was placed in an unmarked grave due to public disgrace. He can be seen watching over his grave, looking shameful and melancholy. Hayden's Mausoleum featured plenty of spirits who interact through knocks and other signs of their presence.
Berliner Park – the bike path is said to be haunted, especially where there is a sharp drop-off where a foot-bridge once was.
Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery – at 2900 Sullivant Ave. in western Columbus, in "Hilltop" where a supposed ghost nicknamed Lady in Grey is very present there, and she's been seen weeping and visiting the grave of a certain lost soldier. She's seen wearing a grey dress and veil and you're supposed to be able to hear her crying.
The Old Worley Plumbing Building – which is now where CD 101.1 FM radio is now housed. There was a fire in the building years before and a woman was killed because of it; she has been seen wandering the radio station, especially at night when the overnight DJ is there alone. There's a story that one of the little daughter's of an employee's life was saved by the ghost.
Children's Hospital – There are certain rooms that are supposedly haunted in this hospital and even the nurses won't go in a few of the corridors alone at night. Also, there's a park next to the hospital that is said to be haunted by the Pink Lady. Apparently there was a cemetery that the park was built on top of, and this Pink Lady ghost flutters amongst the trees. What's scary is that a number of children have reported seeing her from their hospital windows.
The Central Ohio Fire Museum – Engine House #16 at 240 N. 4th St. is haunted by ghost horses, if you can believe that, who have been heard snorting and braying, because they used to haul fire equipment, as well as Captain Dukeman, who can be seen checking the equipment in the same obsessive fashion he did when he was living.
Columbus State Community College – The school itself is not the reason for the haunting, it's that it was built on top of a Catholic cemetery and bones have been found to prove it. Ghosts that haunt there are upset and they pester night-workers and local cops, so much so that custodians have simply quit and cops refuse to go on certain floors alone.
The Franklin County Courthouse Annex – Known to be very active in sightings and hearing ghosts...footsteps and laughter are heard by guards after closing. Supposedly, one particular ghost is a man who fell down the elevator shaft when the building was being built and so he sometime toys with the elevators; there's been a large number of stuck elevator occurrences. Sometimes the Board of Elections office will randomly smell like lilacs without explanation and there is a ghost who just hovers in the 2nd floor, the Auto Title department.
Columbus Cultural Arts Center – 139 W. Main St. and there's a ghost who's supposedly names Esther haunts the pottery-addition of the castle-like building. Another ghost, though unnamed, can been seen in the basement from time to time. If you go in the low-ceiling areas where the vending machines are, you may feel like you're not alone and/or that you're being watched.
The Elevator Restaurant – The restaurant located on High Street has a large clock on in the front, as it used to be called The Clock. This clock is always positioned at 10:05 and that has to do with the ghost who haunts the place. Colonel Pritchard was stabbed and bled to death right outside the restaurant in 1909, and the street clock stopped at the exact moment of his death. He haunts the place as well as another ghost who is said to be Pritchard's murderer...employees have described seeing a bright white ball of light energy.
Fort Hayes Drill Hall – located off of Cleveland Ave., there's a sign that reads "No Civilian Vehicles Beyond This Point" and it's at this hall that an "anxious spirit," a WWII soldier comes, wearing his uniform...there isn't much info about this apparition, but he's been seen behind the building and as soon as someone does see him, he fades away. Below is a picture of the location.
Greater Columbus Antique Mall – at 1045 South High St. was once a residence and then it was 2 funeral homes, and then it was an Elks Lounge, but as an antique mall, it has had numerous reports of sightings and hauntings. Supposedly the security systems goes off on its own all the time, children laughing and playing has been heard at the top of the stairs, some ladies gossiping and other noises that have no explanation, the smell of fresh Italian cooking has been reported, employees have seen glowing orbs float through walls and actually felt something brush up against them. There is the brown-suited man, who is a regular ghost at the location, and another ghost, a women in a yellow dress. Though there is a mean spirit there that wears a black cape. One employee had a few run-ins with this ghost and never showed up back to work.
The Kelton House – 586 East Town St. was once a stop in Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad during slavery. Now it's the Junior League of Columbus office. It's haunted by its former home-owners and dwellers, namely Oscar Kelton and Sophia Stone Kelton. Oscar was a Union soldier in the Civil War and he died in combat, Sophia's room is the most spiritually active, where she can be seen wearing blue and looking out the window.
Hanby Elementary – The school is purportedly haunted by two school-aged kids who are dressed in clothes looking to be from the 1940s. They are trying to go to a dance, and at times people have actually spoken to these ghosts, such as some custodians, where the ghost kids ask where the auditorium is so they can go to the dance.
The Kappa Kappa Gamma – the sorority mansion on East Towne St. is home to The Pink Lady ghost, a female spirit that wears a pink robe and checks on the property at night. She is said to be the spirit of a one Celinda Hatton, a caretaker in the early 1900s. The Columbus Women's Association rented the building at the time.
OSU's Orton Hall – The first university president is the ghost, Orton, who can be witnessed when lights flicker in the turret, and then there's another ghost, supposedly a mute, hunched back man who was deformed, and you can tell of his presence when you witness banging and clashing noises, slamming doors and other strange things.
The State House – with it's history, you know there has to be some freaky occurrences that go on here after hours. The State House is supposed to be haunted by the ghost Tom Bateman. He was an over-zealous Senate clerk and his ghost has been seen going down the stairs and out the East Doors each day at 5 pm on the dot. At that time, lights flicker and it gets extremely cold, for no real reason.
Old Governor's Mansion – on East Broad St. has many anomaly's such as the smell of burning hair which goes unexplained, pictures randomly flying off walls, the ghost of a Black woman dressed in a blue dress has been seen wandering the hallways. An employee has reportedly even spoken to this ghost, and claims the ghost expressed happiness about the building being renovated.
The Worthington Inn – it's said to be haunted by the former owner, who can be seen and/or heard walking around at night, through the kitchen and the dining room doing his closing routine, and he does the cash register and smokes a cigar, so you may be able to hear that or smell the smoke.
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