Athens County Hauntings & Legends

Athens

Hanning Cemetery - Part of the group of "pentagram" cemeteries, Hanning Cemetery is said to be haunted by the ghost of Ohio University student David Tischman.
Hope Drive Apartments - Witnesses have seen a clown-like person running into the wooded area and hearing a circus siren. Residents have been locked out of their apartments and have heard mysterious tapping noises that seemed to communicate with them.
Mound Nebo - The Koons family once lived in this area and were said to be able to communicate with the dead. Many strange occurrences happened in their home and many townspeople accused them of being Satanists. Today it is said that Mount Nebo is still plagues by paranormal activity left over from the Koons' days of talking to the dead.
Ohio University - Site of multiple hauntings. See below for details.
Simms Cemetery - Simms Cemetery is said to be one of the most haunted sites in the United States. The cemetery is said to move, making it difficult to find. It is located way off the road on a desolate and beaten path, so many who have searched for it cannot find it and those that have found it can easily get lost when they try to return. The name of the cemetery comes from Judge John Simms, who is buried there. He was the judge and executioner in the area and would hang the guilty from a tree in the cemetery. It is said that rope burns can still be seen on the tree. Simms himself haunts the area, telling trespassers to "Get out!" People have reported seeing ghostly bodies hanging from the trees late at night. The cemetery is also at the tip of a group of cemeteries in the area that, if you connect them all together, form a pentagram.
Stroud's Run - A ghostly buffalo is said to be seen drinking from the stream at Stroud's Run. The buffalo, later named Stroud, was the last wild buffalo in the area. A law was passed that stated no one could kill Stroud, but some members of either the British or French army killed the buffalo anyway. Locals murdered those responsible while they were sleeping at their camp. One local took the buffalo's skull, hid the army's money in it, and buried it nearby. The skull nor the buried treasure have ever been found.
The Ridges - Formerly the Athens Lunatic Asylum, The Ridges closed as a state mental institution in 1993. It is said to be haunted by many of the former patients and some staff. A ghost named Mary is said to walk the halls late at night, as do many other patients. Witnesses have reported seeing darting shadows and seeing people standing behind them in mirrors only to turn and see no one there. One story in particular is very chilling. On December 1, 1978, a female patient went missing from one of the active wards. A maintenance worker found her body in the abandoned top floor in ward N 20 on January 12, 1979. The ward had been used for patients with infectious diseases and had not been used for years, so no one thought to look there. By the time they found the woman, she had been dead for weeks. She was apparently playing a hiding game with the employees, locking herself in the room She took off all her clothes, piled them in the corner and lay down on the floor only to die of heart failure. After her body was removed, it was discovered that her body left a stain on the concrete floor. It is believed it had something to do with the way sunlight hit the body during decomposition, causing some time of chemical reaction. Click Here to see the OES' paranormal investigation of The Ridges.
West State Street Cemetery - This entire cemetery is said to be haunted by many of the souls whose bodies are buried there. A large angel statue near the entrance of the cemetery is said to move and frequently sheds tears. The angle was placed in remembrance of the unknown soldiers buried in the cemetery.
US Route 50 - Three eyewitnesses observed an enormous UFO while traveling in their van along US Route 50 West in 1983, just outside of Athens. The three claimed to have been energized for hours after the sighting.

Coolville

Bethel Cemetery - It is believed that Bethel Cemetery is haunted by Civil War soldiers. It is also strange to note that most of the graves face south, which isn't a normal layout for a cemetery, and many of the graves are sunken. The cemetery is always cold, even during hot summer days. (Credits: Jennifer Lance)

Millfield

Old Millfield Inn - Built in 1811, this now abandoned inn is haunted by two ghosts. One is said to be the ghost of a slave named Luther, who died there of an infected wound when the building was part of the Underground Railroad. Since his death, his spirit has been seen floating about the home, dragging his damaged leg. The other ghost of the inn is a bootlegger named Sam. He was killed in a drunken state when his illegal still exploded. Witnesses have reported drunken laughter coming from the inn.
Old Millfield Mine - This mine was the scene of a series of explosions in the very early 1900s. A cemetery that had been opened only a week earlier in Chauncey was filled in one day because of the explosions. It is said on the disaster's anniversary, of you know where to stand, you can feel the ground shake underfoot followed by muffled sounds of hoof beats. Screams can also be heard before the fire catches up to the souls, when everything becomes silent.

Nelsonville

Airplane Hollow - In the 1950s-60s, a small airplane transporting a man, his wife and child crashed in a hollow just north of Nelsonville. The plane was not found for a few weeks. The man and his wife died on impact, but the baby lived only to starve to death. It is said that on some nights if you park your car near the woods where the crash occurred, you can hear the baby crying.
Doctor's Hospital - Also known as Saint Mary's Hospital, nuns that used to work there are said to haunt the place. The nuns used to march every night, making sure that all the patient's doors were closed before performing their ritual. It is said that the nuns continue to march in death, usually right before a patient dies. One nun in particular haunts the hospital. Many patients and other nuns saw her doing her rounds after her death. When she had died, roses filled her room as she loved roses and grew them in the hospital garden. Now in the administration office, which used to be her room, one can occasionally smell the scent of roses.

New Marshfield

Haines Cemetery - Haines Cemetery is one of the cemeteries in the region said to form a pentagram around Athens. It is said to be haunted by a Civil War soldier who went crazy and killed his entire family.

Ohio University

Alpha Omicron Pi House - Once the Zeta Tau Delta House, and later the Sigma Nu House, it was once a stop on the Underground Railroad when it served as a private residence. During that time some townspeople found out it was a stop on the railroad and stormed the house, killing the one slave they found hiding there. The slave's name was Nicodemus. He is now said to haunt the house frequently. There was an uptick in activity for some reason between 1972 and 1973.
Brown House - Donated to Ohio University by long time resident Millie Brown, she would enjoy watching the town's children play outside her window. Her ghost can sometimes be seen peering out the window, watching you walk by. Ghostly sounds of her pool can sometimes be hears as well, even though the pool is no longer there.
Bush Hall - The spirit that haunts this all-girl dormitory is said to turn water faucets on and off and likes to mess around with the lights. The marble sounds present in Jefferson Hall also plague Bush Hall, along with the sound of dripping water.
College Green - The buildings on the West Green are said to be haunted because they were built atop an Indian burial ground. The river that once ran through the area can sometimes be heard and the chants of Indians can be heard at times. The West Green is also said to be haunted by a headless buffalo named Stroud. Stroud was killed and beheaded, his shull used to hide a treasure.
Convocation Center - More commonly referred to as the Convo, this building is home to OU's basketball team and used as a dormitory. The Convo is said to be haunted by quite a few ghosts, one of which was a RA who was killed by her boyfriend. She is said to still walk the halls, making sure that students are safe. One of the ghosts here is that of a student who died while sleeping and embraces any student who sleeps on the bed where she died. The ghost of another room likes to throw things out of the closet and opens and closes the closet door frequently.
Crawford Hall - Crawford Hall is said to be haunted by the spirit of a student named Laura who fell to her death from a fourth-story window in the 1990s during Easter. Soon after her death lights began to flicker and doors would slam and open. This was especially true for the first floor. A RA was awakened one night by the shadowy image of a girl at his door. She said, "I'm sorry I've woken you," and then closed the door. When the RA went out into the hall, no one was there. He later learned that is room was the spot where Laura had hit the sidewalk. Students have also reported having trouble playing the Bob Marley tune "Laura" in the hall.
Cutler Hall - The sole ghost of this hall, in use since 1816, resides in the bell tower. Not too many other reports come from this building, which is surprising given its age.
Delta Tau Delta House - Strange poltergeist activity was rumored to plague the house when some of the fraternity brothers stole a tombstone from Simms Cemetery and kept it there as a souvenir. Once the tombstone was returned to the cemetery, the activity ceased.
Jefferson Hall - While students were exploring the attic of the building in 1996, they discovered a woman in 1950s dress sitting at a desk in an unused room. They tried to talk to her but realized she was transparent and floating above the ground. The students took off only to return a few minutes later with their RA to find the door locked and no one inside. Many strange things began to occur after this discovery. Toilets flush by themselves, lights turn on and off, and the sound of hundreds of marbles hitting the floor above you can be heard. One witness saw the toilet paper unroll itself in the stall next to her, and then unroll by itself in her stall.
Shivey Hall - A female resident of the hall was said to have a strong attraction to Hanning Cemetery back in the 1970s. She was assumed to be a former witch being called back to her roots in the cemetery, where occult activity would often take place.
Washington Hall - This hall is haunted by an entire basketball team of ghosts. It is said that after a high school girls basketball team visited the university, they were all killed in a bus accident. They seemed to enjoy their time at OU so much that they all decided to take up residence in the hall after their death.
Wilson Hall - This building is at the center of a pentagram formed by connecting five cemeteries in the region and is said to be one of the most haunted buildings on campus. Located on the West Green, not only was it built on top of the Indian burial grounds, it was also built atop an old cemetery. Most of the hauntings here are centered around the fourth floor where students have reported seeing apparitions, hearing voices, mysterious slamming of doors, and flying objects. There are other reports throughout the building of cold spots and banging noises. Reports also say that the face of a demon sometimes shows up in the wood grain of a dorm room door where a girl, believed to be possessed, killed herself.