Ohio University in Athens is is said to be the most haunted college campus in the entire country. The quaint town of Athens sits in the southern most reaches of Ohio in the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian mountains have a very long history of tales of magic, spirits, and strange, unexplainable events.
Athens is one of these places nestled in the Appalachians that seem to have its fair share of ghostly happenings and stories.
The numerous legends centered around the town of Athens include everything from restless spirits haunting old homes, and Ohio State University, to several stone angels in the local cemeteries who weep tears of blood. Along with these strange tales there is the legend of the headless train conductor around the a certain stretch of train track around Lake Hope who tries to flag down passers-by with his lantern. This particular story goes back to the very early part of the 20th century when the citizens of the town of Moonville, which sits on the outskirts of Athens, were quarantined because of a sever measles outbreak. Food, medical, and other supplies in the little town were running low and this poor fellow went out to try and flag down a train to bring help. Unfortunately, the train struck the man, severing his head, and he has haunted that particular stretch of rail every since.
Haunted houses abound in Athens as well. One of these homes is said to be cursed because of a local college professor. It is said that he murdered his wife and shoved her body into one of those large steel drums then shoved this drum into a lake after punching it full of holes to try and make it sink. However, the ploy did not work and somehow the drum has ended up in front of his old house being used as a flower pot. It will not leak, no matter how much water is poured into it and it always returns to the spot that it sits on in spite of any attempt to discard it. The spirit of the murdered woman is said to still be lingering at the house as well. In another house there dwells the spirit of an old woman who would not ever leave her house when she was alive. After her death, her spirit never left either and people report seeing her staring out of the second story bedroom window.
On the campus of Ohio University is the Zeta Tau Alpha house. This is one of the oldest houses in Athens and legend has it that during the years of the Civil War, it was used as a hiding place for runaway slaves and was part of the Underground Railroad. The legend goes on to say that Confederate soldiers once raided the house and murdered a runaway slave named Nicodemus, who was being hidden in the basement. Since that time many residences of the house have reported seeing a black man in ragged clothes wandering through the house, doors opening by themselves, as well as moaning and banging sounds coming from behind the walls where the runaway slaves once hid. Along with these noted places are the many cemeteries dotting the town where reports of strange specters roam amongst the headstones and the statues of angles weep.
So, if your ever in Athens, Ohio, and are in the mood for some ghost hunting, you may want to check out these spooky spots of haunted Athens, Ohio.
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