Ohio's Historic Haunts

by James A. Willis

Many of Ohio’s historically significant locations have developed a reputation for being haunted. While it might be almost impossible to prove the validity of the paranormal tales that surround them, one thing is clear: ghost stories help to keep history alive. But the questions remain: How did these stories get started? More important, are any of them tied directly to actual historic events? And do any facts support the ghost lore?

Rather than rely on second- and third-person accounts, author and paranormal researcher James A. Willis sat down with the owners, employees, and patrons of Ohio locations that are said to be haunted—the Arts Castle in Delaware, the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum, the Haunted Hydro in Fremont, Loveland Castle, the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, the Zanesville Community Theatre, and many others. After conducting more than 200 hours of one-on-one interviews, Willis was able to piece together unique histories for each location, including eyewitness accounts from people who believed they experienced paranormal activity.

But Willis wasn’t content to stop with first-person accounts. He also brought high-tech “ghost-hunting” equipment into each location and spent a night attempting to collect empirical data to see if he could experience a paranormal encounter himself. What were the results of these vigils? You’ll have to read the book to find out! Come along on a journey with Willis as he travels to the crossroads where history and folklore collide, and visit the fascinating Ohio locations where the past comes alive—in more ways than one!

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Supernatural, Ghost Stories

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Not since the Headless Horseman went charging through Sleepy Hollow has something come out of the Hudson highlands of upstate New York as thrilling and chilling as author and paranormal researcher James A. Willis. Fueled by a steady diet of boo berry cereal, Creepy Magazine and late-night Vincent Price movies, Willis soon developed a taste for the unexplained and quickly began seeking out all things strange and spooky.

When he wasn’t trying to coax the boogeyman out from under his bed for a photo shoot, Willis pondered such eternal questions as what happens to us when we die is there life on other planets, and what possesses someone to decorate their house with 1,001 milk jugs?

In 1999, after spending more than 15 years chasing after ghosts and visiting crybaby bridges, Willis moved to Ohio and founded The Ghosts of Ohio (ghostsofohio.org), a nationally recognized paranormal research organization. Willis has grown the organization to well over 35 members in three divisions throughout the state: Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

In 2004, in what seemed to be destiny, Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, the brainchild’s of the Weird US series of books, approached Willis and asked him to contribute to their latest volume, Weird US. To date, Willis has been involved with 6 books in the Weird US series. He is the co-author of Weird Ohio (2005) and Weird Indiana (2008) and was also a contributing author to Weird US (2004), Weird Hauntings (2006), Weird US II: The ODDyssey Continues (2008), and Weird Encounters (2010). Willis’ unique and offbeat writing style was officially recognized in 2006 with his induction into the Grand Order of Weird Writers.

In addition, Willis has been a contributing author to several books in the Armchair Reader series, beginning with Weird, Scary & Unusual (2008) and continuing with several books released in 2010: Armchair Reader Goes Hollywood, Armchair Reader’s All about Ohio, and The Mammoth Armchair Reader. 2011 marked the release of Willis' latest collaboration with Armchair Reader, Haunted America. For 2012, Willis released Haunted Indiana, his first work with Stackpole Books. In the fall of 2012, Willis' The Big Book Of Ohio Ghost Stories was unleashed.

Look for Willis' next book, Ohio's Historic Haunts, to be released in late summer of 2015.

A sought-after public speaker, Willis has given presentations throughout the United States, during which he has educated and entertained tens of thousands of people of all ages in crowd sizes ranging from 10 to well over 600. He has also been featured in more than 50 media sources, including CNN, USA Today, Columbus Business First, Midwest Living, The Canadian Press, and even the Kuwait Times. He is also currently a contributing author to Mysteries Magazine.

Willis currently resides in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and daughter, a Queen-loving parrot, and three narcoleptic cats.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but too stale in regard to the stories told. I'd like to see a broader reach when it comes to areas of the state that are addressed. Still it's good for research and it's easy to read.

[Sallee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical details were quite interesting but like most of the "haunt" books, most of the time the evidence is not much in most investigations. Maybe because the spirits are tired of being harassed?

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was an amazing book! It not only gave us the ghost stories connected to the buildings in Ohio, but gave us the history of the buildings. I felt as though I learned a lot of interesting things about the haunted buildings in Ohio that made me want to visit them just because of the history and not of the ghost stories. I also love how the author of the book did not seem to lie or try and make anything happen. The author was honest about what he found, and when he found nothing, he said he found nothing. He did not lie and say yeah, our sensors were going off when they did not. I would recommend reading this book!

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't believe in ghosts whatsoever. I'm an extreme skeptic when it comes to anything and everything paranormal. Despite this, I found this book utterly enjoyable. While the novel focuses on ghosts, what truly takes the spotlight is the history behind these events. Willis does a phenomenal job talking about the supernatural without sounding like any of the many subpar reality tv shows about ghosts on the market. He leaves room for doubt in all of his supposedly paranormal findings. All in all, this is a delightful read that I recommend to anyone interested in Ohio's ghost stories, or Ohio's history.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way he set up each of the locations stories. History first, experiences next, equipment he used and reports from each of the "vigils." He also included photos and his style of writing was casual and easy to read. I've read all of the Haunted Ohio books and some other books on ghosts of Ohio and James introduces us to some new places, along with some others we've heard of, so I liked the variety as well. A great book for those who are thinking about joining the "ghost hunting" groups.

[Autumn Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book! I like that the author gave a history of each place before going into the ghost stories and the paranormal setups. I also like how Mr.Willis gave us an honest summary of what went down at all these haunted places in Ohio. If he was not picking up or detecting anything, he told us. He did not lie and say that he did. I also like that he talked to people locally and those who were connected to the history of the places or with the ghost stories themselves.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Particularly interesting to me because two theatres that I’ve performed in are featured. Also, one chapter has multiple references to experiences of my husband and daughter. This seems to be very well researched and honest when results are less spectacular than ghost hunters hoped for.

[Steve Wolcott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a history book than a ghost book. Willis gives the history of the various haunted places and the ghost stories that are attached to the buildings. But 95 percent of his overnight vigils in each place turn up nothing. But since I love history I enjoyed the book.

[Faith Littleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time following the story.

[Alesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved learning about some of the history of Ohio whether paranormal stuff actually happened or not, I found the historical aspects of each place very intriguing and enlightening.

[Laura Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was actually very good

[Elizabeth Duhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The topic was of interest, but I found myself sometimes pushing to continue. Some parts of the book are stale, and any person reading may end up stopping.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Kind of disappointed that there wasn't more evidence. Overall good very detailed. I really enjoyed reading this.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaguely disappointing. I wanted to read the bit about Zanesville, a ghost story I had never heard of, but did not find it all that interesting. I also don't feel Steubenville should've been included in the Northeast Ohio section since it isn't in Northeast Ohio. More like Central Ohio. This book was not my cup of tea.

[Amanda (TheBookwormAdventures) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I appreciated the historical aspect he incorporated. However, I felt the list of all the equipment before each investigation was unnecessary.