There are several legends and ghost stories surrounding the Moonville Tunnel. This first story is the most popular and familiar in relation to the tunnel. On a dark night in the late 1850s, a brakeman was killed by a train. He was drunk after playing cards with some others, and while walking through the tunnel, attempted to stop the train by swinging his lantern back and forth. It didn't work and he was hit by the train and decapitated. His ghost is now said to haunt the tunnel, swinging his lantern back and forth for eternity. This legend even inspired it's very own Bluegrass Song. America's Most Entertaining Bluegrass Band, The Rarely Herd, wrote a song entitled "Moonville Brakeman". You may download the song in it's entirety below.

The second story is of a young lady who was on her way to see her lover in Moonville. As she was crossing the train trestle, she was struck and killed by a train. Her ghost is said to roam the old train trestle, looking for her head. Since the trestle is no longer there, we're not too sure where she's going to haunt now. Perhaps she will float along where the trestle used to be, or maybe she'll haunt the old stone bridge that now crosses the creek. There were two other recorded deaths at or near the Moonville Tunnel, but we're not too sure if there are any legends surrounding them.

We did get very high EMF reading within the tunnel, and our first attempt for EVP failed when the tape snapped in half near the middle of the tunnel. If there was something there, it sure didn't want us to hear it. In June of 2003, we returned to Moonville hoping to finally get some EVP. We were not let down. Not only did we get a few strange occurrences on tape, one of the members actually saw the ghostly lantern for himself and others witnessed a dark shadowy figure at the western end of the tunnel. We also experienced lighting changes in the tunnel, becoming slightly darker for brief instances of time. A female member experienced extreme cold-chills and pictures taken near her showed a blue orb. While she was taking EVP, a voice said "I got you." Below are the pictures that we took, a fully interactive 360º panoramic picture from within the tunnel, EVPs that was recorded, and video of an unknown floating object. Website visitor Michelle Schrader sent us a remarkable photo of a possible apparition at the tunnel taken in October of 2004. The photo is below, but Click Here for her full story.

We returned to Moonville Tunnel with a documentary team on October 19, 2004 around 6:30pm to conduct a paranormal investigation. The tunnel was unusually dark when standing at it's center due to the fog that had rolled in. After walking the entire length of the tunnel and not picking up any out-of-the-ordinary readings on the EMF Meter, we decided to stand in the center of the tunnel with the lights out. A few minutes passed as we stayed quiet, trying to capture EVP. We had heard a sound coming from the Raccoon Creek end of the tunnel, but it was most likely water dripping from the ceiling. As everyone was looking in that direction, the OES Founder looked to the other end and witnessed a dim light. He informed the group of eight people about the light, but as with many things paranormal, the light disappeared as soon as everyone turned to look. As the group stood looking toward where the light had been seen, there was a sudden scuffling sound of someone or something coming down the hill just outside of the tunnel. The very distinctive footsteps went to the middle of the gravel path and starting sprinting directly towards the entire group. At first, thinking it may be someone playing a prank, two people turned on their flashlights and shinned them in the direction of the running. The running immediately stopped and nothing was seen. The OES Founder and the head of the documentary crew walked to the end of the tunnel, not seeing the source of the running. However, there were other signs of paranormal activity taking place. When the two reached the end of the tunnel, the temperature dropped a measurable 10-15ºF to 40ºF and the EMF Meter was at the top of the scale and not budging. There was a very thick static electricity feeling in the air and the fog so thick that one couldn't see 10ft front of oneself. As the rest of the group arrived at the tunnel's end, a very strong smell of musk cologne overwhelmed everyone. The thick fog, the coldness, and the smell dissipated after about one minute. An EVP was captured by the documentary crew, the voice stating "Come Closer" just before the running was heard. It was truly one of the most intense moments the OES has experienced while conducting an investigation.

 Inside Tunnel: A 360º photo from the inside of the tunnel.

Note: Files are large and may take a few minutes to load. To control, click & drag the photo in the direction you wish to view. "SHIFT" zooms in and "CTRL" zooms out. You need a minimum of QuickTime 3.0 to view panoramics. To get the latest version, Click Here.

 Screech: Just after turning off all lights, this eerie sound of a train rounding a curve was recorded.

 I'm Kind of Cold: This EVP was recorded just after a member made a loud noise. It says "I'm kind of cold."

 Unknown Floating Object: This video shows some kind of unknown object, apparently floating in front of the camera. It is probably just a bug, but then again, maybe not.

 Ball of Light: This video was taken on 3/4/2005, just before we left. It is a ball of light that passes the camera. Notice that everyone in the video is already facing the opposite direction, so it's probably not a flashlight.

 Apparition: A possible apparition peering from behind a bush to the right of the screen. Taken along the path to Moonville Tunnel. Video submitted by TJ Smith and requires QuickTime Media Player.

NOTE: A small browser plug-in called Microsoft Silverlight is required to play all videos on the OES site. The plug-in works with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari and is compatible with PC and Mac. Click Here to download the latest version.

 Moonville Brakeman: A bluegrass song recorded by The Rarely Herd. It is on their 1998 album "Coming Of Age."