Haunted Columbus
Date: October 2004
JOHN KAZALIA
About.com Writer
If you get sick from eating too much candy on Halloween, Doctors North Hospital might be a scary place to go. Nurses there report that when they get really busy, a nurse comes in to help. Problem is, that nurse died years ago. She died of a heart attack while on duty; hospital staff say she sometimes returns to the room she died in and people still report that room gets mysteriously cold for no reason.
If you’re headed through Fayette County, watch out for the Headless Horseman of Cherry Hill. The book Buckeye Legend says: Cherry Hill — the very name makes children shiver in southern Ohio. People tell all manner of tales about Cherry Hill. People [in Fayette County] are forced to take the Cherry Hill Road, but it’s been getting spookier recently and it’s where the headless horseman rides. (Buckeye Legends, p. 125)
Who is the Headless Horseman? Legend says it is Stephen Decker, a rancher from Virginia who was robbed and hacked to pieces on Cherry Hill.
To this day, a headless Decker can be seen on moonless nights, riding around Cherry Hill looking for his stolen saddlebags and his head. Some locals report seeing a body lying in the middle of Cherry Hill Road; but when they stop to move the body out of the way, their hands pass right through. So beware of the Headless Horseman on a dark Fayette County night.
The series of books Haunted Ohio tells tales of many bizarre incidents reported around Central Ohio and the state. From faceless hitchhikers to haunted colleges, these four books collectively give hundreds of bone-chilling tales from around the state. They can be purchased online at www.invink.com.
There are lots of places in Central Ohio that are reportedly haunted. Such as the Berliner Bike Path, haunted by a few ghosts of the six kids that drowned in 2001 and other ghosts of those who were murdered here. Or Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery where the “Lady in Gray” still walks and leaves gifts of flowers behind usually on the grave of an unknown soldier. And the Walhalla Ravine off N. High St. where a man is said to have murdered his wife and daughter. You can read about these local legends and more at www.ohioexploration.com.
Copyright © 2004, About, Inc.
Thanks to Jessica Lane for sending us the information about the article. Another thank you to John Kazalia, writer for About.com, for referencing the OES in his article about hauntings in Central Ohio.