One thing I noticed right away when investigating Ohio for my website was that Ohio takes it's ghost stories very seriously. I can't think of another place that has so many websites dedicated to the subject; the archives of sightings is exhaustive! Here is just a sampling of the haunted places that have been told over campfires and at gatherings from Noble County to Defiance County.
hotels & inns restaurants roads & bridges taverns theaters tourist spots
Cambridge - The
Colonel Taylor Bed & Breakfast Inn
The home's namesake and his dead wife are said to haunt the stairway and
bedrooms. Cold spots are noted and beds sometimes quake.
Near Cincinnati -
Country Hearth Inn
Room 331 is said to have cold spots, curtains that open themselves, loud
pounding noises and objects that move themselves.
Lebanon
- The Golden Lamb
This old historic Inn has been host to such notables as Charles
Dickens, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Daniel Webster, DeWitt Clinton, and
Lord Stanly (Prime Minister of Great Britain). Dickens is known for
complaining about the lousy selection at the bar. A little girl who died at the
inn in 1825 is said to have started haunting the room nicknamed "Sarah's Room"
after her belongings were moved out of it to be put on display - the majority of
activity is the knocking of pictures off of the wall. A large, gaunt,
ashen gentleman has been seen in the hallways, and is rumored to be the ghost of
dead Ohio Supreme Court justice Charles R. Sherman. Maybe he died of lung
cancer (he died at the inn), because he is accompanied by cigar smoke.
Granville
- The Buxton Inn
A ghostly man in blue knickers has been seen walking about and
has been accused of stealing pies at this historic old inn. The hotel's
namesake, long dead, has been seen sitting in a chair by the fireplace.
Guests who are sitting there say just his disembodied hands float near them.
Rooms 7 and 9 are haunted by a former female owner, who also favored blue
attire. A phantom cat is also seen in room 9. There are ghostly
footsteps when the inn is empty, and knocks on the door with no one there.
Cincinnati -
Omni Netherland Plaza
The spirit of a lady in green has been spotted here. The story goes that her
husband was killed in the construction of the building, and his corpse for some
reason was never found. Green lady sightings flared up in 1983, when the
building was being renovated. She most often seen on the Mezzanine level
and the Hall of Mirrors. 35 W 5th St, Cincinnati tel:(513) 421-9100
Athens - Strouds
Run State Park
The ghost of a buffalo is seen drinking from the waterways
Aurora - Six
Flags Worlds of Adventure
The "Hay Bailer" ride is said to be haunted, among other places.
1060 N Aurora Rd
Bowling Green -
Wood County Historical Museum
Formerly a nursing home, odd noises are heard from a shed which was rumored to
have patients locked within it in the past. County Home Road.
Canal Fulton -
Lock 4
A worker who wigged out and burned himself and coworkers with acid in the 1800's
is said to still haunt the canal along lock 4. You can take a horse drawn (yes,
horse drawn) boat ride down the canal to Lock 4 in the summer months.
Located in front of the Solid Rock Church - on the east side of I-75 near the Monroe exit in Southern Ohio, is a bizarre giant fiberglass Jesus (well, kind of -it is more like from the waist up sprouting from the ground along with a massive crucifix...) nicknamed the "MC 62ft Jesus", "Super Savior", "Touchdown Jesus", "Drowning Jesus" (because it's located in front of a reflecting pool), and "Jeeebus". The monstrosity in modern sculpture has been credited by locals with decreasing the car wreck fatalities on the stretch of highway.
Cedar Point -
Cedar Point Amusement Park 
The carousel, originally from Michigan, is said to be cursed and/or haunted.
Stories range from a murdered wife who cheated on her husband with a horse
jockey, to a story that Al Capone had bodies thrown into Lake Michigan off the
carousel when it was in it's original spot.
Cincinnati -
Cincinnati Museum of Art
Security guards have reported a terrifying 7 foot "big black blur" near a
sarcophagus; a glowing disembodied face haunts as well.
Cincinnati -
Cincinnati Zoo
A ghost of a lioness is said to follow around visitors, and glowing eyes are
seen as well.
Roscoe
- The Cheesery
Little children are heard giggling and sobbing in the empty bathroom stalls of this former candy store. Employees say they have heard them whisper "shh... here she comes...". Roscoe is a small village located in the central eastern part of the state, just north of I - 70 and just west of I - 77
Morbid
Travel Tip: Visit the Death Mask of Pretty
Boy Floyd in the small basement museum of
The Sturgis House in East Liverpool, OH. The little museum, located in the
laundry room, also houses some mortuary memorabilia. Poor Floyd is hanging
over the washing machine. Directions, thanks to
Roadside America: from
downtown - Exit US 30/Hwy 39 at Jackson St. Drive a few blocks north, then make
a right on 5th St. The Sturgis House will be on the right, with the big green
clock out front. Admission: Free. Hours: By appointment. Phone: 330-382-0194
Haunted
Cincinnati Tour -
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave.
Cincinnati, OH
(513) 287-7031
Haunted
Heartland Tours (Canton)
Cleveland
Stones and Bones Tour
Mansfield
Reformatory Preservation Society Ghost Hunts/Haunted Prison Tours
Waynesville
- "Not So Dearly Departed Tours"
Area Chamber of Commerce
10 B N. Main St.
Waynesville, OH
(513) 897-8855
Lantern
Tour of the Ghosts of Zoar
Haunted
Cincinnati Tour (Museum
Center's Heritage Program)
Haunted
Tour of Clermont County Saturdays
and Sundays from mid-September through the last weekend in October. Reservations
required: 513 753-4642.
Cleveland
North Coast Ghost Tours contact
Barb Zamlin, (330) 225-1519 Reservations required.
Columbus
Haunted Statehouse Tours Free
refreshments and parking. $2/adult; $1/child.
888/644-6123.
Columbus
Landmark's Foundation Annual Ghost Tour
614
221-0227
Akron - The
Akron Civic Theatre
A janitor's ghost has been seen, especially in the bathrooms when people are
defacing the building; a weeping woman is also reported
Bay Village -
Huntington Playhouse
Two ghosts are reported, and the lights turn themselves on and off
Bowling Green -
Joe E. Brown Theatre
The hat room is said to be haunted by a ghost nicknamed "Alice"
Centerville -
Town Hall Theatre
Lights go off and on, cold spots are reported, and Abraham Lincoln is said to
haunt the window of the top bedroom.
Chillicothe -
Majestic theater
Ghostly screams are reported
Delaware
- The Strand Theater
A malevolent ghost haunts this movie theater, locals claim,
It has been spotted in the lobby, concession stand, backstage, and roaming about
the seats. A ghost they've nicknamed "Rodney" likes to mess with the
theater equipment. There are phantom smells reminiscent of a former owner,
as well.
Morbid
Travel Tip: Visit the Allen County Museum in Lima, OH to see a large
collections of Objects Swallowed By Psychiatric Patients
(this was formerly the State Hospital for the Criminally Insane). The museum
also boasts a dandy Albino Animals Collection.
Columbus -
Schmidt's Sausage Haus
This former slaughterhouse and meat packing plant is haunted by a "friendly old man" who is reflected in a mirror. Guests feel something brush against them when no one is there and chairs are strewn out of place in the empty banquet room. Footsteps are heard from the vacant upstairs floor. 6800 Schrock Hill Court tel: 614.523.0900
Brunswick -
Johnny's Pub and Grill
Salt and pepper shakers fly across the rooms, freezers open themselves at this
eatery. 1817 Pearl Rd
Lafayette
- The Red Brick Tavern
This once very affluent restaurant served 6 American presidents: John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Warren G. Harding. At one point, the building served as a school, and as a house for 2 different families. The daughter of one of the families was jilted by a suitor, became depressed, sewed a sampler that read "remember me", then did herself in. The sampler still hangs in a hallway, and it has aged unusually to a burgundy red color. This forlorn girl of days past has been seen in upstairs windows, heard creaking about in the upper floors, heard whispering, and flips the lights on and off. 1700 Cumberland Street (US 40) tel: 1-800-343-6118
Dayton
- Amber Rose Restaurant
A young spirit named Chickee, the dead daughter of a former owner from 100 years ago, is said to play phantom music and brake dishes; she reportedly likes to make mischief. 1400 Valley Street tel:(937) 228-2511
Maumee
- The Chadwick Inn
Formerly a five and dime, and later a brothel, it is reported to be haunted by it's original whiskey drinking owner named Levi, and by the apparition of a woman, hanging by the neck from the rafters. 301 River Rd
Somerset
- The Clay Haus Restaurant
The building was built in 1812; ghosts include ghostly men and
women seen on the steps, a ghost of a man standing outside of the "blue room"
dining area, phantom knocks on the back door and unexplained noises.
Oakley
- Habit's Cafe
The former owner of this building shot and killed his policeman business partner (in crime) in the basement. Later, the same owner was shot to death in the back alley behind the (then) tavern. Today, a flittering apparition is seen in the basement, and things get mysteriously thrown across the room. Batteries for some reason go dead all the time when brought to the basement. 3036 Madison Rd tel:631-8367.
Marietta
- Levee House Cafe
This coffee shop is formerly the site of the Hotel LaBelle, a
seedy hotel and brothel on the river front - mostly catering to barge rats and
riverboat workers. At the turn of the last century, a "proper" gentleman
from the town took a liking to the place and it's girls. His son found out
about his late night excursions to the place, and Puritanical as he was, went
there one night with a freshly honed axe to avenge his poor cuckolded mother.
He waited in the closet until his old pop hopped on top of some unsuspecting
whore, and took dad's head off with the axe, and fled. He was tried and
acquitted by his peers, as it was a "justifiable act of passion" on his part.
His dad, however, still haunts the building, and has been spotted in the dining
rooms - the blue room and the upstairs conference room.
Coshocton
- The Old Warehouse Restaurant
This building is reportedly haunted by an old woman and a small
child, as well as an old - timey policeman who walks around outside. One
Coshocton County Police officer recounted on an Ohio hauntings website that he
had been investigating in the building one night when a door was found open, and
heard someone run, fling open a door on another floor, and flee the building -
the other officer outside saw no one leave. 400 N Whitewoman St
tel:(740) 622-4001
West
Middletown - The Tavern at Gunkel's Mill Bridge
An old miser and his wife ran this tavern many years ago,
and had a stash of money hidden around the grounds. When the woman died,
two "helpful" relatives showed up there to assist him in running the
place. Soon thereafter, the old man disappeared, "gone back east"
according to the two men who were now running the establishment. They soon
left - probably when they located his stash of money - and the place went to
ruin. Howls and screams were heard for years from the crumbling building.
Finally, when they demolished the place, a wall was torn down to reveal a
chained up skeleton. Ever since, the hauntings have stopped.
Toledo -
Club Bijou
This was formerly a stopover of the Chicago mafia during prohibition; During it's days as the "Esquire", reportedly mob - related murders took place here. One of the male ghosts that has been seen here is supposedly that of a Mafioso named "Billy" who locks employees into the offices and has been seen as a shadowy figure. The other male ghost is said to be of a man who died of AIDS in the basement in the early 80's. 209 N Superior St tel:(419 ) 243 - 5911
Lancaster
- Hawk's Taverne
at the Mill
This restaurant and bar was formerly a oil rig supply warehouse and warehouse grocery store. Odd activity includes phantom footsteps in the empty building, an apparition of a man in brown, and a haunted basement.431 South Columbus Street tel:740-654-6423
Columbus -
Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus 
The massive clock outside of this popular hangout is stopped at
10:05. As the story goes, in 1909, a gigolo was stabbed to death beneath
the clock by one really pissed off girlfriend of his, and he bled to death
there. The clock allegedly stopped when he died... (cue the spooky
Halloween music...) So, of course, the pub attributes their ghostly
activity to him. Stories are vague, but on account is of a bright orb, and
another is that of a woman's apparition - said to be the murderess, who later
"froze to death"
Chillicothe
- Crosskeys Tavern
A series of strange occurrences at this tavern got the locals to start referring to "Harold", who turns the lights on and off and throws drinks. 19 East Main Street
Toledo -
Maumee Bay Brewing Company 
Formerly the ritzy "Oliver House", this historic building served as a wartime hospital during the Spanish-American War. The haunting has taken place in the pool room and hallway, where a man in archaic military dress has been seen. Oh, and by the way - built on an A.I.B.G. 27 Broadway tel:(419) 243-1302
Abbeyville -
train bridge on Abbeyville Road
A story of a teeenage girl tossing her baby over the side to conceal her
pregnancy is blamed for stories of crying babies and cars stalling on the bridge
Akron -
Norton/Rogue's Hollow Bridge
Various stories of tossing a baby over the bridge (one story is of a witch who
was knocked up by a married man) gives way to stories of phantom babies' cries.
Arrville - Mt.
Eaton Road
According to one reader of "the Shadowlands": "When you go down mt. Eaton
Road, there is a haunted cemetery hidden down a long driveway. When you go there
at night, there are these huge gravestones that glow bright green. If you touch
them and they turn blue, they are at your house murdering you family. If it
turns pink, they are right behind you and are very dangerous. If you run they
will chase you until you pee your pants. Literally." Mmmmm K.
Ashland - Route
42 going towards Mansfield
The tunnel supposedly sucks you car in if it is shut off and in neutral.
Bainbridge -
Chagrin Valley Athletic Club
Weird sounds of a cracking whip and a crying little girl are reported here. Said
to formerly be a schoolhouse in the nineteenth century.
Batavia -
abandoned church
Orbs, the sounds of screams, sounds of phantom cars are reported here. It is
said grass wont grow in the spot where the church was. On the
entrance ramp to state route 32 leaving Batavia there is an access road to the
left where an old car dealership used to be; follow that road to its end take a
left and follow the trail to the old chimney standing by itself in the field
Beaver Creek -
Carpenter Road
A man who hung himself in the 1970's along here is said to appear and moan
Bowling Green -
Holcomb Road
Local legend says a horrible school bus crash claimed a bunch of Catholic
schoolchildren and thus the area is now haunted by glowing red eyes; people
claim that little stick dolls appear hanging from the trees, writing appears on
rocks, dead animals are found, and clothing is scattered about the area. The
schoolbus driver's face is said to appear in a tree. There is supposedly a
ghostly reenactment of the wreck on occasion. just off of 199
near Bowling Green
Bradford - Site
of destroyed sanitarium
Said to have orbs... on one website a woman reports, however, "i am a life long
resident of bradford ohio our town historian has never heard about the
sanitarium sight or of its location"
Brown
County/Fincastle - School House foundations
A crumbling schoolhouse is said to have ghosts of children, and a man with a
lantern. Located off State rt.62
Chillicothe -
Train Tunnel/ Schrader Road Tunnel
A mother and baby who were killed by a train are said to haunt the tunnel
bridge.
Cincinnati -
Buffalo Ridge
A phantom bride is reported as well as the sounds of a car crash that happened
along this road.
Near East
Liverpool (Calcutta) - Spruceville Ghost Town
When the reservoir and canals collapsed on the Sandy and Beaver Creeks in 1870,
the village of Spruceville became a ghost town. Very old legends say that the
young daughter ("Gretchen") of an Irish (in some stories Dutch, some English)
immigrant died of malaria (in some stories drowned) here and still haunts, and
is considered benevolent. The ghosts of Native Americans were said to appear in
some photos. The bridge over Beaver Creek is said to be haunted by a jilted
bride named Esther, especially on August 12th. Off of
Spruceville Road is a campsite, where there is a trail that leads about 1/2 mile
to the canals.
Cincinnati -
Abandoned Subway Tunnels
Former workers haunt the platforms and tunnels of a partially built subway that
was scrapped after the Great Depression.
Cincinnati - Eden
Park
A ghostly woman in a black silk dress haunts the gazebo
Fayette
County - Cherry Hill Road
This southern Ohio road is the subject of much folklore, including stories of a headless horseman. As the story goes, a wealthy Virginia landowner named Stephen Decker was brutally murdered on the stretch of road by a highwayman. His ghost, minus a head, is seen looking for his stolen saddle bags, or laying in the middle of the road.
Greenville
- McMecham Road
Location of a sacred burial ground, many of the homes on this road are said to be haunted, and "shadowy figures" have been said to chase walkers off of the road, as well
Greenville
- The boulder on West Water Street
An Indian girl who was raped by soldiers, and then committed suicide, is said to be buried near here and haunts the area.
(Disclaimer: it is upon the reader of this site to use good judgment in frequenting the places listed herein; it is not the responsibility of the proprietor of ghosttraveller.com if a reader commits an illegal act, such as trespassing, based upon what he or she reads here. It is the reader's responsibility to research the given areas discussed in this forum prior to visiting, and to ensure that it is not illegal to visit said place prior to visiting, or to obtain permission from the owner prior to visiting)
Bibliography
The Shadowlands : an invaluable resource on the net for ghost hunters !!
Weird Travels, The Travel Channel
Travel Channel Secrets, The Travel Channel
http://hotels.about.com/od/hauntedhotelsatoz/
http://columbusoh.about.com/cs/entertainment/a/haunted.htm
http://www.ohioexploration.com/index.htm
http://www.forgottenoh.com/Haunts/restaurants.html
http://www.shadowseekers.org/roscoevillage.html
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/index.html
http://www.paranormalknights.com/Ohioghost.html
http://us.2.p4.webhosting.yahoo.com/gb/view?member=legionws
http://www.deadohio.com/beavercreek.htm
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/3596/
