Sandra Gurvis - Myths and Mysteries of Ohio: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained

Sandra Gurvis (sandragurvis.com) is the author of sixteen books and hundreds of magazine articles. Her titles include Day Trips from Columbus, 3rd edition (Globe Pequot Press, 2009); Careers for Nonconformists, which was a selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club; and Americas Strangest Museums. A freelance writer for over twenty-five years, she has written corporate profiles and technical articles for clients such as Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Ohio Health, Merrill Lynch, Quantum Tapes, and Battelle Memorial Institute and numerous publications. Her most recent titles are Ohio Curiosities, 2nd edition (Globe Pequot Press, 2011); her second novel, Country Club Wives (Loconeal, 2012); and a collection of essays and shorter works, Confessions of a Crazy Cat Lady and Other Possibly Demented Meanderings (Loconeal, 2013).

Along with being selected for residencies and fellowships at the Mary Anderson Center in Mount St. Francis, Indiana, and the Vermont Writers Studio in Johnston, and receiving a grant from the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas, as well as certification from the American Medical Writers Association, Sandra is a longtime member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Her newest projects include Close Enough for Government Work: Americas Presidential Libraries (Loconeal, TBD) and Life During Wartime: A Veteran Sons Addiction, a memoir/guidebook for families and loved ones of veterans and others who are addicts. She is also planning a Geezerville series of satires based in certain retirement villages in Florida. She lives in Columbus, Ohio.

It takes a villagenot of idiots, but of ideasto create a book such as this. Thanks to the following for their invaluable assistance in providing information, documents, and photos. I could not have done it without you! Doug McCabe, Ohio University Archives; Friends of Eugene, Sabina, Ohio; John Zimkus, Golden Lamb chapter; Richard Cooper, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center; Randy McNutt, writer; Lindy M. Smith, Ohio State University archivist; Linda Deitch, librarian, Columbus Dispatch articles research; Lisa Jenkins, Underground Railroad chapter, suggestions for additional resources; David Meyers, Old Pen chapter; James Dailey, Old Pen chapter; Jerome Gels, Newport Gangland chapter; Marilyn Bardsley, Torso Killer chapter; James Badal, Torso Killer chapter; Lynne Sturtevant, Marietta chapter; Cheryl Ogden, Johnny Appleseed Center; Lily Birkhimer, photo assistance, Ohio Arts Council; and Diane Schoeller-Warren and Matt Kiernan, Victory/Victoria Theatre chapter.

Many thanks to the following for their informative and insightful interviews (yes, I am thanking some of you twice): Cheryl Ogden, Johnny Appleseed Center; Lynne Sturtevant, Marietta chapter; Friends of Eugene, Sabina, Ohio; John Zimkus, Warren County History Center; David Meyers, Old Pen chapter; Brianna Yusko, Cuyahoga chapter; Justin Albaugh, Cuyahoga chapter; Tammy Rodhe, Cuyahoga chapter; and David Hastings, Victory/Victoria Theatre chapter.

And a very special thanks to Donn and Laurie Kirschenbaum for their suggestions and company during my travels up north; Kelley Nichols and Elizabeth Cohen for their understanding and friendship; Courtney Oppel, a case study in patience and support; and, as always, my cats, my kids, and my granddaughter Hope, who provide mostly welcome distractions.

Bauer, Brad. Ghost Ads: The Levee House Caf. www.theanchornews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1195:ghost-ads-the-levee-house-cafe&catid=16:features&Itemid=14. Accessed March 15, 2014 (link to specific content no longer available).

Cartmell, Connie. Legend of I-77s Father Still Looms Large in Marietta. Marietta Times, July 11, 2009.

. Ghosts of Marietta: Mysteries, Apparitions and Hauntings of the First Permanent Settlement in the Northwest Territory. Marietta, OH: Martys Print Shop, 1996.

Hoag, S. Durward. Mariettas Innkeeper. Edited by Alan Hall. Steubenville, OH: privately published, 1991.

Kachuba, John B. Ghosthunting Ohio. Cincinnati, OH: Emmis Books, 2004.

Marietta Register. A Murderous Assault! August 5, 1884. Found on http://historicalmarietta.blogspot.com; posted March 18, 2011.

ONeill, Erin E. Longtime Levee House Owner Looks Ahead. Marietta Times, May 28, 2010. www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/522215.html.

Sturtevant, Lynne. Haunted Marietta: History and Mystery in Ohios Oldest City. Charleston, SC: Haunted America/History Press, 2010.

Athens News. Fox Ghost Story More of a Fish Story. October 26, 2000.

Athens Post. Natural Causes. February 14, 1979.

. The Truth Behind Haunted Athens. October 27, 2006; updated January 7, 2012. www.thepost.ohiou.edu/archive/all/2006/10/27?page=1.

Bausback, Diane. Missing Patient Discovered Dead. Athens Post, February 1, 1979.

Eblin, Jennifer. Ohio University: The Most Haunted School. http://voices.yahoo.com/ohio-university-most-haunted-school-651858.html?cat=37. Accessed March 15, 2014.

Forgotten Ohio. Ohio University, Athens Ohio. www.forgottenoh.com/OU/ou.html. Accessed March 15, 2014.

. The RidgesLin Hall. www.forgottenoh.com/Ridges/ridges.html. Accessed March 15, 2014.

King, Amanda, Haunted Athens, Ohio: A Brief History, Yahoo Voices, http://voices.yahoo.com/haunted-athens-ohio-brief-history-4589059.html. October 7, 2009.

Knight, Caitlin. Supernatural Athens: One of the Scariest Places on Earth. Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine, Fall/Winter 2009, 1517. www.caitlinknight.com/uploads/Supernatural_Athens.pdf.

Mirrotto, Pat. Haunted Convo Might Not Be So Scary After All. Athens Post, November 1, 2001. www.forgottenoh.com/News/hauntedconvo.html.

Phillips, Jeb. 30 Years Later, Multiple-Personality Case Still Fascinates. Columbus Dispatch, October 28, 2007. www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2007/10/28/BILLY.ART_ART_10-28-07_A1_EV89AGB.html.

Swayne, Matthew L. Americas Haunted Universities: Ghosts That Roam Hallowed Halls. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2012.

Taylor, Troy. Ghosts of Athens: The Most Haunted Town in Ohio. www.prairieghosts.com/oh-athen.html. Accessed March 15, 2014.

. The Koons Spirit RoomWhy Athens County, Ohio is Regarded as so Haunted Today! www.prairieghosts.com/koons.html. Accessed March 15, 2014.

Ziff, Katherine K. Asylum on the Hill: History of a Healing Landscape. Athens: Ohio University, 2012.

. Asylum and Community. PhD diss., Ohio University, June 2004.

Zimmerman, Carolyn, et al. Analysis of Suspected Trace Human Remains from an Indoor Concrete Surface. Journal of Forensic Science 53, no. 6 (November 2008): 143741.

Compton, Fred. The Golden Lamb: Tales from the Inside. Wilmington, OH: Orange Frazer, 2009.

Golden Lamb website, www.goldenlamb.com. Accessed March 15, 2014.

Golden Lamb Inn Haunted? YouTube video posted by dhwang80, January 2, 2010. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tpObtBwafU.

Kachuba, John. Golden Lamb InnGhost Hunt. Cincinnati City Beat, October 15, 2009. http://citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-19049-golden_lamb_inn_ghost_hunt.html.

Moody, Chris. One night in Rob Portmans haunted hotel. The Ticket, August 8, 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/one-night-rob-portman-haunted-hotel-091122664.html.