John Kachuba - Ghosthunting Ohio

Titles in the Americas Haunted Road Trip Series:

Ghosthunting Florida

Ghosthunting Kentucky

Ghosthunting Illinois

Ghosthunting Maryland

Ghosthunting New Jersey

Ghosthunting New York City

Ghosthunting North Carolina

Ghosthunting Ohio: On the Road Again

Ghosthunting Pennsylvania

Ghosthunting Southern New England

Ghosthunting Texas

Ghosthunting Virginia

Cincinnati Haunted Handbook

Haunted Hoosier Trails

More Haunted Hoosier Trails

Nashville Haunted Handbook

Spooked in Seattle

Ghosthunting Ohio

COPYRIGHT 2004 by John B. Kachuba

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED . No portion of this book may be reproduced in any fashion, print, facsimile, or electronic, or by any method yet to be developed, without express permission of the copyright holder.

For further information, contact the publisher at:

Clerisy Press

P.O. Box 8874

Cincinnati, OH 45208-0874

www.clerisypress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kachuba, John B., 1950

Ghosthunting Ohio / John B. Kachuba.

p. cm. (The haunted heartland series)

isbn 10: 1-57860-181-9

isbn 13: 978-1-57860-181-3

1. Haunted placesOhio. 2. GhostsOhio. I. Title. II. Series.

bf 1472. u k 33 2004

133.1'09771dc22

2004053238

Manufactured in the United States of America

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Editor: Jessica Yerega

Cover and interior design: Kelly N. Kofron

Cover and interior photos provided John B. Kachuba, with the following exceptions: courtesy of

Introduction

There are more things in heaven and earth,

Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

YOU MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN A GHOST . You may not even believe in the existence of spirits. Yet, I would wager that you have, at one time or another, felt a shiver course down your spine when alone in the dark. You have quickly walked through a cemetery at night, not daring to look behind you. Certainly, you have turned on several lights when left in the house by yourself. And you would never go down into the basement alone.

Never.

Why? What is it that makes you afraid?

That was the question I was trying to answer as I wrote this book. What is this irrational fear of the dark, of being alone, of old houses and cemeteries, all about? Is it caused by supernatural entities? Do ghosts walk among us, chilling us to the bone?

You may be skeptical about the existence of ghosts, but it is difficult to disregard the fact that almost every culture around the world has a body of ghost stories and that the particulars of these stories are so similar. Such stories have been around for centuries, and new ones are constantly being added. Perhaps we can make allowances for the ancient stories by chalking them up to a lack of education and sophistication in primitive societies, but how do we, in our modern, technologically advanced society, explain the new stories? Technology, in fact, has added a whole new dimension to paranormal research. Investigators use photography, sound recordings, and electromagnetic sensors to validate their claims for the existence of spirits.

There are experiences that defy logic, science, and technology, strange occurrences for which we have no explanation. I cannot explain the whitish orbs that appeared in some photos I took in buildings said to be haunted. I cannot explain the feelings of negative energy I felt in a haunted basement.

Perhaps ghosts do exist.

One way to find out, I thought, was to visit places where ghosts have been reported. Since I live in Athens, Ohio, described over the years by several experts in paranormal research as one of the most haunted locations in the world, I had a good base from which to start my explorations. Eventually, they would take me on journeys throughout the state of Ohio. I explored historic homes, convents, libraries, inns, prisons, forts, cemeteries, museums, and other assorted odd locations, all said to be haunted.

Often my wife, Mary, would accompany me on these ramblings, so we were able to trade notes and compare our experiences. I went to each of these places with an open mind and no preconceived notions about the existence of ghosts. I have read too many books about hauntings from writers who see ghosts on every street corner and, frankly, find them unbelievable. I am not a sensitive, or medium. Im an average guy, just like you, with a curiosity about things paranormal. My intentions as I wrote this book were to accurately and objectively describe for you my observations and experiences, as well as the experiences of others I met along the way, and then let you draw your own conclusions.

Each of the locations described in this book are open to the public, so I encourage you to visit them and explore them for yourself. Some may require calling ahead for appointments; others may only be open on certain days during the week. Check the Travel Guide section in the back of this book for complete information. The guide also gives you maps and directions to each location, as well as important travel tips about them.

Here are some guidelines that may be helpful to you as you begin ghosthunting: