This is the hauntings list for Scioto 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.
Friendship
Dead Man Hollow - Dead Man Hollow is in an isolated part of woods near the right fork of Twin Creek. It's name comes from a small tombstone that reads: "HT Aug. 13, 1824. A.D. Dead M." The person buried there is believed to be a traveling salesman. It is said that he was killed and robbed while making his way through the wilderness on a footpath. A flood in 1832 washed away some of the grave, revealing some jewelry. Legends about the area have persisted for more than 150 years. It is said that if you enter the hollow, you can hear whistling and ghostly footsteps following you.
Lucasville
Edgewood Nursing Home - The ghosts of the former owners haunt the nursing home. They are often seen floating up and down the hall, going right through walls.
McDaniel Hermit Place - The haunting in this area has went back to at least 1896, when the Crowe family witnessed an apparition ran across the path in front of them. Reports said that the place had been abandoned for a few years after the tenants heard moaning and saw headless men roaming the yard at night. A group of men were organized to investigate the haunting, but it is not known if they ever found anything. The shack where this haunting occurred is long gone and is now a wooded area that surrounds a prison.
Scioto County Joint Vocational School - There have been reports of footsteps and whispering in the Taylor building where many of the adult classes take place. Lights turn on and off by themselves, computers seem to have a mind of their own, and there is odd activity in the elevator. (Thanks to Amber Stewart for submitting this haunting).
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility - Ever since the longest prison riot in US history, the Easter 1993 Lucasville Riots, mysterious happenings have occurred. More than twenty prisoners and guards died in the riots. Five prisoners were sent to death row because of the deaths. Now guards have heard doors slamming and have seen strange shadows passing by them in the blocks where the riot occurred. One guard saw a prisoner walking the block after lockdown. The guard went in pursuit of the prisoner, only to find that he had disappeared.
Minford
Blake Hollow Tunnel - It is said that when the tunnel was being built, a workman fell into the cement and was never recovered. There is now a mark in the middle of the tunnel where his remains lay entombed. Visitors have experienced strong gusts of wind in the tunnel, almost enough to knock one over. A mysterious voice asking for help has also been heard. (Thanks to Kyle Boldman and Jeremy Brickey for submitting this haunting).
Portsmouth
Dry Run Pond on Creek Road - A ghostly small child with a ponytail has been seen pacing up and down the hill, and then running into the woods whenever a car approaches. Legend says that she was killed in a house fire on the hill many years ago. Some have heard her laughing and playing at night.
Hallmark Care Center - Residents on the second floor complain about being kept up all night by "little black children sitting on their beds". Doors open and close on their own, water faucets turn on and off by themselves, and children laughing and playing in the attic.
Journey Within Book Store - This bookstore has lots of paranormal activity. A man reportedly fell (or was pushed) to his death from a third floor window. An apparition that roams the halls matches the description of the man who fell. During lectures, books have fallen into the laps of those in attendance. People have claimed to have been touched by a ghostly presence while on the second floor. Glimpses of dark shadowy figures have been reported. The laughter of children can sometimes be heard on the third floor when no children are present. Paranormal investigators have recorded great EVPs from inside the store.
Main Library - A woman by the name of Grace is said to haunt the balcony area, which is closed off from the public. She is believed to be a former employee or a person who fell to her death from the balcony. The ghost of a homeless man who died in the library is sometimes seen among the stacks. Lights go on and off by themselves and books are mysteriously rearranged. The hauntings are confined to the older part of the of the library.
Memorial Hospital - The stairwell leading down to the morgue is very haunted by moans and cries for help. In a room where a man who was hostile against religion, religious pictures are routinely knocked over and bibles thrown to the floor.
Mitchellace
at 830 Murray - The ghosts of two brothers who killed themselves
after their shoe company went bankrupt haunt this building. The first brother
jumped to his death from a fifth story window. Devastated by the loss of his
brother, the second brother killed himself by jumping off the roof onto some
railroad tracks that run next to the building. Reports say that you can
sometimes hear screams on the fifth floor and a breeze blowing. Apparitions of
the brothers have also been seen on this floor. The company currently in the
building does not have anyone working directly on the fifth floor because of the
haunting. Some employees have even refused to go beyond the third floor.
National City Bank - Workers have reported seeing the image of a man with dress and hat style of the 1950s following the second floor hallway in the morning. He is always seen coming from the stairway door. Those who've seen him feel that he was ill and wet as if from rain.
White Lady Point - This place overlooks the Ohio River. One October night in the 1800s, the crew of the paddle-wheeler Kanawha Gal heard the screams of a woman while docked on the Kentucky shore. The next day, a hunter found the body of Mary Fisk in the woods. Her cabin was found a bloody mess, and her six-year-old son was missing. A single bloody handprint was discovered, and it was said to be the hand of a giant. Her neighbors buried her body since her husband was gone on a hunting trip. Since then, hundreds of people have seen Mary's ghost with her arms outstretched and mouth open, screaming. She has also been seen floating along the waters along the bank.
West Portsmouth
Peach Orchard - Nooses, animal heads, and cult symbols have reportedly been found in the area. Witnesses have described hearing screams and even found a missing girl's purse there once. (Thanks to Amber Davis for submitting this haunting).
