Most Haunted Places In Ohio

Haunted places in Ohio do not seem hard to come by in the slightest. However, if you want to experience places that are actually haunted, instead of made up crap, then you found the right list. Here I will discuss 6 of the best, most haunted places you could visit in Ohio. Make sure to pack a night and fresh underwear.

Gore Orphanage

There is no actual building here anymore, just the remains of what once used to be an orphanage. In the 1800s there was an orphanage ran by “ Old Man Gore”. One night there was a fire, many believe it was started by an employee who had a grudge against Old Man Gore, while others believe it was just an accident. Sadly, many of the children could not escape the fire. Now they haunt the land where the building once stood. There have been stories where people see ghost children and hear baby cries when in the area. Everyone who drives there has had some kind of experience where when they come back to their vehicle, there are little handprints on the windows. 

Reformatory Road

Mansfield Ohio is one of the most well-known haunted places in Ohio. Many people know it for the “Ohio State Reformatory”, which was in the movie “Shawshank Redemption”. However, the hauntings start when you turn on Reformatory Road. As people drove down the road, they said they would see a woman in bright clothing walking up and down the side.  Before the state owned all the land, there was a family that owned the land across the street from the reformatory. The daughter of the owner was a woman who spoke what was on her mind, wore what she wanted and many people believed she was weird. Instead of living in the mansion, she lived in a shack down the road. When the family sold the land to the state, the daughter still lived in the shack and many believed that she had a share of the money. Unfortunately, a group of people killed her because of it, but it has never been found out if she had the money.

Mansfield Reformatory

After driving down the road a bit, you will eventually reach the reformatory. This is known as the scariest place in Ohio. This well- known prison is visited by many due to the popularity of “Shawshank Redemption”, which used the prison for most of the movie. The prison shut down due to the overpopulation and mistreatment of prisoners. It is now open for tours, but there have been so many ghost sightings, every ghost catcher has been there. One of the common sightings is in the basement. “The spirit of a 14-year-old who was beaten to death in the basement has been spotted lingering among the decaying basement walls. Also spotted, is a guard who gives off sinister vibes.” 

The Bissman Building

The Bissman Building is another haunted place in Mansfield, also known from “Shawshank Redemption”. This was used as the site of The Brewer Hotel in the movie.  The building is only haunted by one ghost. A little girl, named Ruthie, was killed and stuffed into a pickle barrel. I am going to spare you from the rest of the details. However, she is said to have killed the man that killed her in an elevator when it malfunctioned. And his ghost is the most seen, heard, and felt. It is a dark feeling that you really never want to feel again after you feel it once. 

Franklin Castle

This is known to be the most haunted house in Ohio. Located in Cleveland, this house has a violent history. The first owner of the house, Hannes Tiedemann, is said to have killed several people in this home, including his own niece. Witnesses who have been in the house say they heard babies crying. While passersby believe they have seen a woman in black in the window. This is said to be the mistress of Tiedemann, he killed her on her wedding day when she was supposed to marry another man. In 1913, the local German Socialist Party purchased the house. During this time, they often rented out part of the home. One night a nurse was there taking care of a sick lawyer, she said she heard footsteps and a baby crying. After recanting the story, she said she will never go back to that house. Finally, the Romano family purchased the house. They had six young children, and you know what they say about children and seeing ghosts. One day they came running downstairs, wanting to get a cookie for their new friend. A little girl they met upstairs. Their mom went to find her, but she was nowhere around. Could it have been Tiedemann’s niece? The Romano’s said they heard organ music playing throughout the house, footsteps, babies crying and people talking. Not to mention their children playing with their “imaginary friends”. As of today, the Franklin House’s owners are not letting people tour it, but all you have to do is get lucky and walk past it. You might see a woman in black.

See Also

8 Benefits Of Aloe Vera You Didn’t Know You Needed

Ridges Asylum

The Athens Mental Health Center was built in 1867. It had over 544 patient rooms, but by the 1950’s it became overcrowded by 3x the amount of rooms they had. People would admit family members for the worst reasons. There was not enough care for every person, sometimes one nurse would have to care for fifty patients. So eventually, the treatments just became torture. In the ’80s and ’90s, the hospital slowly became part of Ohio University. Part of it is now used as a museum for the school. However, many people have reported seeing ghosts running around. Hearing yelling and screaming when no one else is around. The scariest part of all is the stain of a woman on the top floor. Margaret Schilling went missing, December 1, 1978, and her body was not found until January 12, 1979. Somehow, she locked herself in a ward that had not been used in many years, when she was running from the nurse. She had many mental disabilities and could not yell for help. She passed away due to being in a ward that had no heat, during the coldest part of winter. As the police moved her body, they noticed the stain of her body on the cement floor. It is still there today. Tours of the building are year-round but happened most around Halloween. 

Haunted spots throughout Ohio have given me several genuine frights. If you attend any of these places, you are doing so at your own risk. I will not be held responsible for any mishaps that may happen… Did I forget any really haunted places in Ohio? If so, let me know in the comments below!