Erie County Hauntings & Legends

Castalia

Castalia Cemetery - It is said if one drives their vehicle through the cemetery at night, the vehicle will stall and you will hear yelling and screaming coming from the center of the cemetery. If you see smoke after the yelling and screaming stops, you will see your own gravestone on the way out of the cemetery.

Huron

Darrow and Barrows Intersection - The sounds of a deadly car accident can be heard occasionally at the original intersection of Darrow and Barrows Roads. The intersection was redone a few years ago, so the new intersection is in a different location. (Credits: Brenda Pole)

Kelley's Island

4-H Camp - The cabins of the 4-H Camp are said to be haunted. Things move around when no one is nearby, voices can be heard by the deaf, and people sometimes report seeing dark figures walking on the beach only to disappear in the blink of an eye.
Quarry Ghosts - During the 1840s, Datus Kelley ran a very successful limestone quarry beneath Lake Erie from the island. A foreman ordered a blast in the wrong place and the whole tunnel collapsed. Many of those who died were never found. Their ghosts are said to haunt the remaining tunnels beneath the lake. Rumors say their spirits pull down ships, and many believe they were responsible for the 1936 sinking of the Sand Merchant. Five of the twenty-four survivors described feeling like they were being pulled under the water by unseen hands.

Milan

Milan Cemetery - Abbot's Tomb is said to be haunted. Supposedly if one goes up and knocks on the door, the Abbots will chase you away. Many orbs have been seen in the cemetery, especially around the tomb. A cross-shaped tombstone in the cemetery sometimes mysteriously glows at night.
Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum - Reports of strange noises and mysterious music are common. Angel-like figures are sometimes seen and young children see people when no one is there.

Parkertown

Portland Road - Drivers have witnessed a man riding a 10-speed bicycle across Portland Road from the quarry. One driver slammed on her brakes and heard a slight thud. She stopped to investigate and found no one; the street was dark and empty. (Credits: Julia Enderle)

Sandusky

Cedar Point Amusement Park - A ghostly woman could sometimes be seen riding the military horse of the old carousel. It is said to have either been the wife of the man who carved the horse or a woman on her honeymoon. It was said the horse could not be photographed without mishap. Employees reported hearing music coming from the carousel at night and occasionally found it spinning backwards. Employees had also reported finding the horses in different positions when opening the park. Some even believed the carousel originated from Michigan and was used by Al Capone to torture people before their bodies were dumped into the lake. Too bad the carousel was sold to a park in Pennsylvania. The old Hotel Breakers is also said to be haunted. A balcony where a couple made a suicide pact is haunted. The guy jumped to his death while the girl hang on to the ledge and lifted herself to safety. Females have reported feeling a strong pull towards the balcony as the ghostly guy tries to pull them into eternity. A girl committed suicide in the shower of one of the hotel's rooms. People staying in the room often hear crying and their shower turns on and off on its own accord. The ballroom is haunted by mysterious music and ghostly dancers. Pictures move by themselves in the hotel's Friday's restaurant. The ghost of a little boy who drowned in the water just beyond the patio of the Breakwater Cafe has been spotted occasionally. (Credits: Brenda Poole and Jacob Freimark)
Cholera Cemetery - This lakefront cemetery is haunted by victims of cholera who were unconscious and buried alive. The cemetery went untended for many years due to people afraid of being infected. The spirits who haunt the place are said to be vengeful.
Dollar General - The Dollar General store at the corner of Huntington Road and Cleveland Road is said to be haunted. Before the store was built, the Keller family mansion stood on the property. By 1922, all of the Keller family had tragically died. Elias, the father, died of an illness and his wife and three children later died in a boating accident. Two weeks after their death, an arsonist set the mansion on fire and it was burned to the ground. Today there have been sightings of apparitions along Huntington, in Dollar General, and in several homes along the road. A driver witnessed a little girl holding a doll in her hands along the road. When the driver slowed down to ask if she was okay, the little girl disappeared. Spectral music can be heard in the parking lot and odd lights are seen. Witnesses have also reported seeing figures in the parking lot, only to vanish before their eyes. One eyewitness reported hearing a voice say, "Mrs. Keller, Mrs. Keller, let me get that for you," while in the parking lot. The only other person in sight was more than 500 feet away.
Lyman Harbor - Now the site of restaurants and nightclubs, the Lyman Boat Works occupied the site in the 1930s. A ghostly figure has been seen walking down the hallway of the Jumping Jupiter nightclub. Mysterious voices are heard and cold spots felt in the hallway as well. Patrons and workers at the Blue Heron dining area have reported feeling their hair tugged by unseen hands.
Mix 102.7 FM - This building houses Sandusky's WLEC, WCPZ and WMJK radio stations. The building was once an Army barracks and is said to be haunted. Lights turn on and off, weird noises are heard, and near where a piano once set, shuffling cards are heard. A former station engineer nicknamed Pinky is believed to continue his job from beyond the grave, sometimes tinkering with electronic equipment.
River Well House - The McGreen family was given a large sum of money as a gift in the 1800s. They argued among each other as to what they would do with the money. They finally decided to leave the money outside in their wagon over-night until they determined what to do with it. When they awoke the next morning, the money was gone. Mister McGreen was so angered that he killed his entire family and then hang himself in the well. Mysterious happenings had occurred in the house ever since. Doors opened and closed by themselves, pets refused to enter the dining room and plants would never live in the home. Small fires would start themselves in the fireplace and door handles often wiggled. Shadowy figures darted around the house and images could be seen outside of a huge picture window. The house itself mysteriously burned to the ground in 1970, but the well remains...nothing will grow within a 10-foot radius of it.
Sand Hill - Legend says that British soldiers killed the occupants of an Indian camp at this location while the men were out hunting. When the hunters returned to find the massacre, they tracked down the soldiers and brought them back to the camp. The soldiers were tortured, scalped and burned at the stake. It is said that on an early fall night when the moon and clouds are as they were that night you can not only see the flames but also hear the screams and smell of burning flesh as the event happened. On other nights, you can see the Indian camp as it was the night just before they were murdered.
Sandusky Mall - There are reportedly restless spirits walking the corridors of the mall late at night. A township police officer reported seeing a mysterious red light at the mall's main entrance when sitting in the parking lot around 1:30 AM completing paperwork. As he approached the doors, the light disappeared. He contacted mall security who stated they were on the other side of the building, a near ten minute walk. An associate cleaning the fragrance table at Kaufmanns felt as if someone was standing behind her. She turned, thinking it was her relief for break, and a brush of cold air hit her and she fell to the ground. Disembodied voices have been heard from the women's side of American Eagle. A woman's scream can be heard around midnight in front of Mastercuts and a noose has been found several times in the storage area of Cheers. A ghostly woman wearing a red dress has been reported near the center court, but she disappears when approached. She is the most common sighting at the mall. She is usually spotted facing the Elder Beerman store, as if waiting for someone to come out. A child told his mother that he was speaking to a lady in a red dress at the Kalahari/Kasper Off Road Adventure play area. An overnight security guard had also witnessed the lady in red and actually called police, thinking she was an intruder. The guard stayed hidden in a corner behind Hot Topic waiting for the police to answer the phone. When they answered, he began to speak and the lady turned towards him. As he was backing away, the lady moved towards him, disappearing into the Suncoast Studio door. The security guard no longer works for the mall. Other witnesses have seen a headless hitchhiker waiting outside Kaufmanns and a car with no driver has been spotted zooming down Sandusky Mall Boulevard. It is said the area was used by gangsters to commit murders, including several men and at least to women, one of which was called the woman in red who was a dancer at a local speak easy. Also, in 1976 as the mall was being finished, a tornado hit the middle of the mall and rumor has it a woman stocking one of the stores was killed by a wall that fell on her. These two events could explain some of the mall's hauntings.
Sandusky State Theater - The theater is haunted by at least four different spirits. One eyewitness reported seeing a ghostly figure wearing 1920s-era clothing walk across the stage as she was cleaning the balcony. The light blue glowing figure stopped, looked at her, and vanished. An employee who was mopping the floor heard footsteps walking on the floor and turned to see footprints being made on the damp floor. Another incident occurred in the projector room, that still has its original 1928 units. During a performance one evening, the projectionist heard someone whisper, "Change the focus." When he turned, no one was there. He went back to work only to hear the same whisper several more times until the projector suddenly stopped.
Sleep Inn - Employees have reported they feel as if they are not alone when walking the halls on the third floor at night. The television in room 317 will turn on and flip through channels by itself. A laundry attendant was trapped in room 315, as the locks are on the inside and the doors open to the inside, but it would not open. Housekeepers cleaning room 324 have periodically seen the curtains in room 312 fluttering, but when the room is checked, the AC unit is off and the room vacant. Doors slam shut and footsteps can be heard when employees are on the third floor alone. Whenever they call out or go to see who's there, the hall is empty.

Vermilion

Devil's Heartbeat - Actually located in Lorain County.
Gore Orphanage - Actually located in Lorain County.
Kelm House - This house was a very dilapidated abandoned home off Risen Road. It was said that the house was cursed, but no one knows why. The house has since been torn down and a new house stands in its place.
Maple Grove Cemetery - Legend says an angel statue in the cemetery is both haunted and cursed. Supposedly if one looked into the angel's eyes, they would begin to glow. That person would die shortly after this. Due to the many teenagers going to the cemetery at night on 'ghost hunts' and to crew around, the caretakers removed the statue.