These are the stories that don't get a lot of media attention, but remain nonetheless. Many of them have been distorted by retelling over the years, I'm sure, but there is probably something behind some of them--a real murder, maybe, or a real sighting. I intend to investigate all of these that I can. Some of them are rather vague, so I would be very appreciative if you would e-mail me if you have any information at all about any of these or any that I might not know.
The Gore Orphanage Legend
I got this one from an old issure of the Ohio Folklore Society Journal. According to the author--Dolores D. Stinson--the Gore Orphanage stood on what is now called Gore-Orphanage Road (big surprise) in Lorain County, near Vermilion, up the hill just east of the river.
The story goes that Mr. and Mrs. Sprunger from Indiana started the orphanage in 1903 after their own children died. Financial troubles developed and the place closed in 1916. Shortly thereafter the place was closed down.
This is where it gets vague. Apparently another orphanage was built on the same site, or maybe the old orphanage got a new name. They began to refer to it as the Gore Orphanage, or the Light and Hope Orphanage. I should research this a little more.
Anyway, one night the orphanage (the new one, I guess) burned to the ground. There was a rumor that an "old man from the river" who hated children started the fire. Kids were killed, apparently. It is said that if you visit the site late at night you can hear the screams and smell roasting children. There is also apparently a tree with a tire swing near the site where you can see a child sometimes.
This place is pretty damn far away from me, but it was such a cool story that I had to put it up. If I ever go up that way I'll definitely check it out.
The Moonville Tunnel
This is a legend I originally heard about in one of Chris Woodyard's Haunted Ohio books. The tunnel has or had a railroad going through it: the Baltimore and Ohio of Monopoly fame. Moonville was an iron boomtown which boomed sometime around the turn of the century.
Two ghosts haunt the tunnel in the deserted town of Moonville, and both were decapitated by trains. One was a drunken signalman who passed out on the rails and is supposed to wave his lantern to this day. The other was a woman who was caught on a trestle on her way to see her lover and who now haunts the general Moonville area, around the tunnel.
This is a really cool story, and one that I intend to investigate within the week. I will try to find the place during the day and then hang around until it gets dark. If you want to check out the Moonville Tunnel, it's located in the middle of the Wayne National Forest in Vinton County.
The Ghost of Lake Hope Furnace
Another from Haunted Ohio. Lake Hope is located not far from Moonville. There was an iron furnace in operation there from 1854 to 1874.
Legend has it that a watchman fell into the molten iron, which couldn't have been a pleasant way to die. He is supposed to haunt the furnace, still keeping watch.
This is another I'd like to investigate soon. I just need to get a little more information about exactly where the furnace is/was.
The Bloody Tombstone of Otterbein Cemetery
The name is pretty self-explanatory on this one. In Otterbein Cemetery, which runs south off Route 22 in Perry County, there is supposedly a tombstone on which you can see a horseshoe-shaped bloodstain. The cemetery it is located in is adjacent to an old church about a mile from 22, and the tombstone itself is supposed to be set off from the others inside a fence.
The grave belongs to James Henry, who was killed by the horse of a his late wife after he found another woman. He was kicked in the head and killed and so the horseshoe imprint appeared on the gravestone.
This is another one I'm definitely going to check out soon.
The Falls Township Screamer
Here's a weird one: every midnight in Falls Township, Hocking County, you're supposed to be able to hear the screams of a man who was killed in a drilling accident. This will be an easy one to check out.
The Blue Light Ghost
This ghost is of a girl named Mary who did nothing so melodramatic as dying for love; instead, she killed her fiance with a butcher knife and cut his head off. She then cut her own throat. This is all reputed to have happened in the Sugar Grove area in the 1930's. The exact place she haunts is the location of the old Hummell covered bridge, which has been replaced by a steel and concrete version. The bridge takes Hansley Road across Rush Creek in Fairfield County.
It is said that if you go to the bridge and call out her name she'll appear shrouded in blue light and come over to say hi. I'll definitely try this one.
