Also known as The Buckeye State, Ohio is not so widely known as a tourist destination compared to places like California, New York, and Florida. However, like any place, there is dark history to be found. Through our research, we have found that Ohio is actually a great place for paranormal investigators and ghost hunters.
So while its still October, think about checking out these locations for a nice Halloween scare.
10 Sedamsville Rectory
Sedamsville is a small neighborhood where most travelers wouldn't consider to investigate. However, it is home to possibly one of the most haunted houses in America. Various former tenants of the home have said it is a paranormal hot spot and the building has now been on various TV shows like Haunted Collector, My Ghost Story, and Ghost Adventures. It got to a point where a priest was called and even did an exorcism on the building.
Ironically, the building was once Our Lady of Perpetual Help Rectory and was home to many pastors for over 100 years.
9 Ohio State Reformatory
The Ohio State Reformatory is one of those haunted locations that welcomes tours, visitors, and public events. Before the building came, the land was used for training Civil War soldiers in the 1860. Then a prison and was built in the late 1800s but after its time as a prison, it was made famous as a filming location for the film The Shawshank Redemption. Places in the reformatory that are most known to be haunted include the first floor of the east wing, the chapel, the west attic, and the solitary confinement hole.
8 Mudhouse Mansion
Unfortunately, this place was demolished in 2015. It still makes it onto the list though, as it was a pretty spooky building.
When it was built is unknown, but it was abandoned for a really long time. Like most abandoned places, rumors began to state it was haunted. There are stories such as one legend that a government official still kept slaves there after the Civil War and a slave escaped confinement and killed the entire family. Others said it as the home of a woman who killed her children and some said there was a mass suicide there.
7 Staley Road
Besides abandoned homes and creepy prisons, roads can be very haunted. Staley Road has become known to creep out those that just drive by in the day. Those instincts are good, because in the 1970s, two bodies were found near the road. Rumors have spread that the bodies were two young boys were were murdered for a satanic ritual.
Some paranormal experiences visitors have had include two wheeler drivers feeling as if they are being pulled by some invisible force.
6 Woodlawn Cemetery
No surprise here, as cemeteries are often thought to be haunted. This cemetery is a little special though, as it is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the United States. Over 100,000 people are buried there and the living have gotten a lot of strange stories from their visits to these graves. People have had ghost sightings, have seen strange lights, and have heard disembodied voices.
Unfortunately, the site has experienced a spike in vandalism over the years. The ghosts probably are not too happy about that.
5 Civic Theatre
Built in 1928, the Civic Theatre is a beautiful piece of architecture. Over the years though, it has acquired a few ghostly guests. One of them is Fred the Janitor. He was an long-time employee of the theatre back in the day and apparently died during one of his shifts there.
Fred has been seen all around the Civic Theatre and does not like it when visitors make a mess. There are stories that the ghost gets mad over people messing up the bathrooms and will attack anyone who does not treat the theatre with respect.
4 Ridges Asylum
Also known as the "Athens Lunatic Asylum," this building operated from the 1870s all the way to 1993. It became infamous for implementing lobotomy and shock therpay procedures to some of its patients. So of course it is haunted, it sounds absolutely horrifying. One of the rooms at the top floor even has a corpse stain from where an escaped patient laid dead for over a month. The location even sits next to a cemetery.
Apparently the hospital treated a lot of soldiers with PTSD back when PTSD was still not really understood. It was also a dumping ground for people who didn't want to care for their family members anymore.
3 Lafayette Hotel
Located in Ohio's most historic town, Marietta, this hotel has existed since 1918 and was owned by the Hoag family, who some believe still walk its halls. Three spirits have been seen in the basement level and apparently staff refuse to use the women's restroom there because there is a ghost the locks the doors and turns off the lights.
Until 2008, the hotel has been very hush hush about its haunted history. Probably because they realized it actually attracted visitors rather than made them to scared to stay.
2 Majestic Theatre
The Majestic Theatre was built in the 1850s after a bank that once stood on the site burned to the ground. Since then, a ton of eerie experiences occurred in the building. One such experience includes the spirit of a little girl who messes with the theatre's audio.
The nonprofit that looks after the theatre actually had a fundraiser for renovations that allowed any ghost hunter to stay at the theatre. All proceeds went towards renovations. That is pretty smart.
1 Fudge Road
Built in 1913 and closed in 2012, the very haunted Fudge Road bridge with a length of 91 feet. It was reported numerously by people that a red eyed monster could be seen in the woods around the bridge. Since it has been closed for a while now, it will likely be demolished one day so be sure to check it out before that happens.
Another legend about the road is pretty vague, but tells the story of a woman who threw her baby off the bridge. Apparently if you say "mama" three times on the bridge, you might hear a baby cry.