John B. Ciochetty - Ghosts of Historic Delaware, Ohio

Undated photo of downtown Delaware, Ohio, looking south on Sandusky Street. Courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Society.

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2010 by John B. Ciochetty

All rights reserved

First published 2010

e-book edition 2012

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.61423.528.6

print edition ISBN 978.1.60949.063.8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ciochetty, John B.

The ghosts of historic Delaware, Ohio / John B. Ciochetty.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60949-063-8

1. Haunted places--Ohio--Delaware. 2. Ghosts--Ohio--Delaware. I. Title.

BF1472.U6C52 2010

133.109771535--dc22

2010032460

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For the past seven years, I have met numerous people willing to contribute stories regarding the supernatural and the unexplained in order for me to continue my writings. It can be said that it has been a wild and exciting adventure. Without their heartfelt support, this book could not be made possible.

Therefore, I want to thank the following people who have made this endeavor a success beyond my wildest dreams:

To Carol Holliger, Emily Haddaway and Catherine Schlicting, university archivists, for allowing me access into the vaults to uncover for myself and others the historical information regarding one of the nations best educational institutions; former Ohio Wesleyan University president Dr. Mark Huddleston and his wife, Emma Bricker, for giving me encouragement; Kara McVey-Jones, operator of the Strand Theatre, for allowing me to interview her on the haunts of Delawares one and only haunted movie theater; Kathy Cope and Kevin Greenwood of the Delaware County Cultural Arts Center for giving up a little of their time to sit down with me to discuss the haunting of the Arts Castle; and Thomas Mullenniex, assistant circulation chief of Beeghly Library, including the student library staff, for supplying me with information regarding the haunts of the college library.

A big round of thanks goes to Gary Merrell of the Brown Publishing Corporation and the Delaware Gazette for giving me permission to use one of the newspapers illustrations for this book; the staff and management of the Delaware County Historical Society for their assistance in my research of Delaware, Ohios rich and romantic past; and Adam Lefevre for his skills in photography and computer savvy that contributed to this books future success.

To the management and staff of Beehive Books and the OWU Bookstore for giving me the needed support and encouragement to continue on my future endeavors; to Wendy Piper, Julie Blaszak, Andrew Drew Peterson and Debra Lamp for allowing me to talk to prospective and current students on the ghostly phenomena occurring at the university; and to the Ohio Wesleyan University Department of Public Safety for putting up with me all of these years.

To the members of the Central Ohio Paranormal Society, Delaware Society for Paranormal Research and Investigations, Manifestation Investigation Service Team in Delaware, Ohio, MAJDA Paranormal Investigations, Misty Dawn Bay, Kenneth Evans from Hilliard, Ohio for supporting my writings and contributing to my work. A big thank you goes to Dr. Marty Ryan for supplying me with newspaper articles regarding the mysteries surrounding Delaware, Ohio, and the university; and to Dr. John Stamey of Coastal Carolina University for his resounding support and advice.

I want to thank Joseph Gartrell, commissioning editor for The History Press, including other staff members from the publishing corporation who have assisted me with advice to many of my questions regarding the preparation of this book. Their degree of professionalism is second to none.

Most of all, I want to thank members of my family who stood by me and supported my efforts.

If I forgot anyone, please let me know and I will thank you in person.

INTRODUCTION

Delaware, Ohio, is geographically in the center of Ohio; it is part of the Columbus metropolitan area. The city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was founded in 1808 and incorporated in 1816. The city originated on a tract of land that is now the east (academic) side of Ohio Wesleyan University. The city and county is named after the Delaware Indian Nation who referred to themselves as the Lenape or real men. The Delawares are referred to as the Grandfathers by the Algonquian tribes because it was believed that the Delawares were the oldest of the Algonquian Nation. The city is the birthplace of Rutherford B. Hayes, the nineteenth president of the United States. Rutherford met his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes, the first female graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, in Delaware and proposed marriage by the sulfur spring on the campus grounds. According to Ohio Magazine, Delaware was awarded as Best Hometown and the White House designated the city as a Preserve America Community. The city is picturesque; streets lined with trees, properties landscaped to project its beauty and homes restored to their nineteenth-century elegance. Citizens take pride in their city to maintain its Main Street USA image. Families uphold strict work ethics and stick to traditional values and traditions. Delaware, Ohio, is internationally famous for the Little Brown Jug, an event that is part of the Triple Crown in harness racing. Ghost tours are conducted by the Northwest Neighborhood Association every October.

People who come from around the United States have heard that the city is one of the most haunted cities in the nation. The spirits walk throughout the city at night.

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private, nonsecular liberal arts institution founded in 1842 by the Methodist church leaders and the citizens of Delaware, Ohio. The university admits students irrespective of religion or race and it highly espouses activism and internationalism. In 2010, the university was one of three educational institutions in the nation to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence and Community Service Award by President Barack Obama as part of the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Society. According to U.S. News and World Report, Ohio Wesleyan is among the top forty colleges in the nation.

Ohio Wesleyan may be the most haunted university in the United States. Ninety-five percent of the university is reported to be haunted. Such accounts of ghostly phenomena have been reported by faculty and staff, students and alumni, and these accounts have been verified by groups using scientific investigation techniques. The groups use state-of-the-art electronic equipment worth thousands of dollars to prove this phenomenon.

Do you believe in ghosts? Some people do and some do not. The skeptics state that we live in the twenty-first century and no one believes in such things. The best answer one can provide is this: You cannot study a ghost under the microscope; you cannot dissect it in a Petri dish; and you cannot analyze it under controlled methods in a laboratory. Science does not have all the answers. A person has to rely upon the element of faith and open up their minds up to the possibility that something is out there which cannot be explained through scientific examination. Just because something cannot be seen or examined doesnt mean that it doesnt exist. Too many persons of integrity and good character, such as some of our United States presidents, scientists, physicians, educators, law enforcement officials and the average citizen, have expressed their beliefs that there is life after death.