So is Ohio really haunted?
Fun with A Date from the Other Side, Heiress for Hire, and Charlotte’s Web
Some people think so. Below are just a few of the most famous Ohio haunts.
The Mansfield Reformatory: This prison, now closed, has the largest free standing cell block in the world (six floors of cells stacked one of top of each other, so you can stand in the middle and see all 600 cells). It has been seen in movies like Air Force One (remember the Russian prison scene?) and The Shawshank Redemption. With a history of violent riots, prisoner mistreatment, and overcrowded conditions, some people say not all the prisoners have left the empty building. Visit http://www.mrps.org/
Taft House: The home of President William Howard Taft’s brother and sister-in-law, it is now an art museum for the extensive collection Anna Taft accumulated. Reportedly, she is still there overseeing operations. http://www.taftmuseum.org/
Johnson’s Island: In the Civil War, Confederate prisoners were housed in a prison on this Lake Erie Island, chosen for its isolation and the psychological impact harsh lake winters would have on men used to warm temperatures. Unless you could dig through solid limestone and then swim thirty miles to Canada, there was no escape, and eventually twelve thousand southerners passed through here, over two hundred dying while confined. Italian quarry workers at the turn of the century (who spoke no English) were reported to be heard whistling “Dixie” and an entire company of Confederate soldiers has been seen rising out of the cemetery, falling into formation, and marching across the bay. www.prairieghosts.com/oh-john.html
www.coastalohio.com/site.asp?id=73
Punderson Manor House: Built as a wilderness retreat for a millionaire from Detroit, construction was abandoned when he lost his fortune in the Great Depression. Rumor has it he hung himself in the attic, and employees of the Manor House (now a banquet facility and hotel) have reported seeing a man swinging from a rope in the lobby ceiling. www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/punderson.htm
Other haunted houses:
- The Thurber House (author James Thurber’s childhood home in Columbus)
- Franklin Castle (Cleveland
- Kelton House (Columbus)
- The Victoria Theatre (Dayton)
