This is the hauntings list for Athens County. Remember that some of the places listed are merely legend or hearsay, but many are genuine and documented haunts. If you know of any more hauntings or legends for this county, please submit them to our Hauntings Submission Page.

 Athens

• Hanning Cemetery - Part of the group of "pentagram" cemeteries, Hanning Cemetery is said to be haunted by the ghost of OU Student David Tischman.

• Mount Nebo - The Koons Family once lived in this area and where 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 the home of many paranormal activities left over from the Koons' days 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; but it is actually located way off the road on a desolate and beaten path. 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 in Stroud's Run. The buffalo, later named Stroud, was the last buffalo in the area, and a law was passed that no one could kill it. Some members of either the British or French Army killed the buffalo anyway, and locals murdered those responsible while 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 treasure buried with it has been found.

• The Ridges - Formerly a state mental institution, The Ridges closed in the 1980s. It is said to be haunted by many of the former patients there. One in particular is very chilling. On December 1, 1978 a female patient went missing from one of the active wards. They found her body in the abandoned top floor in ward N. 20 on January 12, 1979. This ward had been used for infectious patients with diseases and had not been used for years, so no one thought to look there. By time they found the woman, she had been dead for weeks. Apparently she was playing a hiding game with the hospital employees, locking herself in the room. She took off all her clothes and piled them in the corner and lay down on the floor, only to die there of heart failure. After her body was removed, it was discovered that her body left a stain in the concrete on the floor. It is said that it had something to do with the way the sunlight hit it and the decomposition of the body. A ghost named Mary is also said to walk the halls at night, as do many other patients who died there.

• 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 angel was placed in remembrance of the unknown soldiers buried in the cemetery.

 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 the south, not a normal layout for a cemetery. Many of the graves are sunken. Oddly, the cemetery is always cold, even in the summer. (Thanks to Jennifer Lance for submitting this haunting).

 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 of a bootlegger named Sam. He was killed while in a drunken state when his illegal still exploded. Witnesses have reported drunken laughter coming from the inn.

• Old Millfield Mine - In the very early 1900s, this mine was the scene of a series of explosions. The cemetery that had only been opened a week previously in Chauncey was filled in one day because of these explosions. It is said that on the disaster's anniversary, if you know where to stand, you can feel the ground shake underfoot, followed by muffled sounds of hoof beats. Screams can also be heard and as the fire catches up with them, everything becomes silent.

 Nelsonville

• Airplane Hollow - In the 1950s-1960s 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 on, only to starve to death. On some nights, it is said that if you park your car near the woods where the crash occurred, you can hear the baby crying.

• Doctor's Hospital - Known to many 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 march in their death, right before a patient dies. One nun in particular haunts the hospital. After her death many patients and other nuns saw her doing her rounds. When she had died, roses were filled into her room as she loved roses and grew them in the hospital garden. Now in the administration office, which was once her room, one can occasionally smell the scent of roses.

 New Marshfield

• Haines Cemetery - Haines Cemetery is one of the cemeteries in the region that form the pentagram around Athens. It is said to be haunted by a Civil War soldier who went crazy and killed his whole 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 was a private residence. During that time, the townspeople found out that it was a stop on the railroad, storming the house and killing the one slave they found. His name was Nicodemus. He is said to haunt the house frequently with a spike period between 1972 and 1973.

• Brown House - Donated to Ohio University by long time resident Millie Brown, she would enjoy watching the towns 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 heard also, 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 messes around with the lights. The marble sounds present in Jefferson Hall also plague Bush Hall as well as sounds 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 the 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 by Confederate Soldiers as they passed through the area during the Civil War. It is said that the soldiers hid their money in Stroud's head when they were captured by the Union.

• 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 an RA who was killed by her boyfriend. She is said to still walk to halls, making sure that the students are safe. One of the ghosts here is that of a student who died while sleeping and who embraces any student that sleeps on the bed where she died. In another room, the ghost 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 during Easter in 1993 from a fourth-floor window. Soon after her death lights began to flicker and doors would slam and open. This was especially true for the first floor. An 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 his room was the spot where Laura had hid the sidewalk. Students have also reported that they have 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 it's 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 back 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 that she was transparent and floating above the ground. They took off only to return a few minutes later with their RA, only to find the door locked and no one inside. Since that discovery, many strange things have began to occur. 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.

• Shively 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 cult 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 that 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 in the middle of the pentagram made 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 one of the cemeteries from the nearby former mental institution. Most of the hauntings here are centered on 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 a 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.