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Baldwin Run - The
wooded area at the intersection of Marietta Road and State Route 188
is said to be haunted by the spirits of those killed at an inn that
used to occupy the site. A reformed pirate by the name of John
Baldwin built the inn in the early 1800s. Often times, travelers
stopped at the inn on their way to and from the farm market. It was
not uncommon for those carrying large sums of money to come up
missing after a visit to the inn. John and his accomplices is said
to have murdered those with a lot of money and bury them in the
woods nearby. The inn and the ground it stood on has been haunted
ever since.
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Beck's Knob - Part of
the Schallenberger State Nature Preserve, Beck's Knob is said to be
haunted by a man who shot himself there. Known as Hermit on the
Knob, his ghost carries a lantern as he walks from the knob to a
nearby creek.
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BIS House - In 1899,
a sixteen-year-old maid named Gail Parish and her father came from
Athens County to work for the family of the mansion. Her father, a
blacksmith, hired a young man named Johnny Kelly to assist him in
the smithy. Gain and Johnny became lovers. When her father and the
owners of the mansion discovered the romance, they forbade the two
from ever seeing each other again. In a craze, Johnny broke into
Gail's room one night and slit her throat with a shaving knife.
Using her blood, Johnny wrote "If I cannot have you, no one can," on
the stairwell. It is said that Gail's calico dress sometimes appears
in the closet.
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Clarksburg Schoolhouse
- Just outside of Lancaster, this schoolhouse was said to be haunted
by a man who was thought to have been killed by stagecoach robbers
who ran rampant in the area. The school's bell tolled by itself,
mysterious noises and the sound of horse hooves could be heard near
the school at night. Once a man walking home reported being chased
by a huge black dog. When he reached the schoolhouse, the dog
vanished.
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County Infirmary -
Most recently occupied by the Fairfield County Department of Health,
this old building was constructed between 1828 and 1840 is said to
be haunted. Many people who have worked in the building have
encountered people talking late at night, when no one was supposed
to be in the building. The second and third floors are said to be
haunted by a ghost named "Willy." A ghostly woman wearing 1800s
style clothes and her hair in a bun has been spotted as well. Many
employees are afraid to go into the attic, where old health
department records are stored, due to a coldness and strange feeling
about the place. The woman's restroom on the second floor is also
avoided due to the same feeling.
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Crawfis Institute -
Built in 1889, this former school and teacher's college is often
misidentified as an old mental institution or hospital. The building
sat vacant for a number of years and is supposedly haunted by a wide
variety of ghosts. It is now a private residence.
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East King Street Residence
- This home is haunted by at least three ghosts. One is a little
girl who plays with children living in the home. A man who wears a
brown suit has been seen, as well as the nanny of the little girl
who appeared as a skull and boney hands. Cold spots are frequent and
children's toys operate by themselves.

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Hawk's Tavern at the Mill
- This former warehouse turned restaurant is said to be haunted.
Workers have reported hearing mysterious footsteps and some have
seen a ghostly man in brown attire. The basement is also said to be
haunted.
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Madison Avenue Home -
A home near the corner of Madison and Sixth Avenue is reportedly
haunted. It is said that there was a fire there in the early 1900s
where two children died. Some people who have slept in the home
claim to have felt the children sleeping in bed with them.
(Credits: Heather Howard)
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Mudhouse Mansion -
Perhaps the most notorious haunting in Fairfield County is that of
Mudhouse Mansion. During the Civil War, a general had supposedly
kept slaves in an outbuilding during the night. It is said the
slaves dug their way out and went into his house one night,
murdering his entire family. The ghosts of the family are supposed
to haunt the place. Some say that this was the original home of
Bloody Mary (you know...the legend that when you look in a mirror
and say her name five times, she is supposed to appear behind you).
A word of caution, the property owner has been known to shoot at
trespassers and has police and security guards to patrol the
property frequently.
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New Lexington Road -
Ghostly bells and shotgun blasts can be heard as you drive down New
Lexington Road. It is said that many years ago, a boy walking down
the road with his unloaded shot gun passed a church with no bell.
Minutes later his mother heard the blast of a shotgun, followed by
church bells ringing. She hurried down the road only to find her son
dead of a gunshot wound to his stomach, his shotgun still unloaded.
It was never known if the boy somehow shot himself or of some more
sinister act was committed. From that day forward, the sound of a
shotgun followed by church bells ringing can be heard, almost
nightly.
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Pleasant Valley - The
area known as Pleasant Valley is said to be haunted by an old hermit
and his mule. He is most often seen carrying a keg of rum and
singing a song. He is believed to be the ghost of a man who went
off-course one night and disappeared into a swamp.
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Samuel Bush House -
Also known as the Herbert M. Turner Residence and Spook Hollow, this
house is located at 1934 Cold Spring Drive just north of Old
Columbus Road. Built in 1806 and expanded in 1830, a ghostly
horseman is said to haunt the valley where the house sits. It was
said that he had a buried treasure in the area between the quince
and apple orchard. Both of those landmarks are no longer in
existence. There is a family cemetery located on the property as
well. The horseman is said to ride through the valley at night,
protecting his treasure. The house was abandoned for sometime in the
1950s, but is occupied once again.
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Still House Hollow -
This story dates back to the 1850s when a man named John Ornsdorf
disappeared. His horse arrived at his home in Lancaster with his
blood and pieces of his body on it. A search party traced the blood
trail to a man's house named Crowley. Upon inspecting the home,
neither Crowley nor Ornsdorf were anywhere to be found. The search
party did report finding a dead yearling calf in a back room and the
smell of sulfur was strong. Ever since, sightings of a human-like
calf have been reported, sometimes even jumping on the back of the
horse and riding along. These sightings especially occurred between
the years of 1850 and 1880, when Foglesong Road closed. Since the
closure, the hauntings seemed to have subdued.
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Stone Wall Cemetery -
This cemetery is said to be haunted. Legend says that if you climb
over the wall during the night and walk around the wall so many
times, the ghosts will try to pull you in. People have also reported
seeing odd things within the confines of the cemetery.
