Did you know that R.L. Stine, renowned author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street phenomenon, was born in Columbus? #yesColumbus. This Halloween season, we’re taking a cue from the Ohioan himself and seeking out places in Columbus that give us, well, goosebumps. Join us if you dare.
The spooky season is upon us, so grab your friends, crack open a pumpkin beer and turn on those ghost detector apps you pretend you don’t have. Columbus is home to several haunted historic sites, and we’ve got the inside scoop of what you may (er, may not?) see. If you’re a mom or dad reading this, treat yourself to a parents' night out and leave the little ones at home. There are plenty of fun ways to celebrate Halloween as a family in Columbus.
Source: Kelton Hosue Museum & Garden Facebook
Kelton House Museum & Garden
Built by Fernando Cortez Kelton in 1852, Kelton House Museum & Garden is as spooky as it is sophisticated. After housing multiple generations of Keltons until 1975, this Greek Revival and Italianate-style mansion was donated to Columbus. It reopened as a museum in 1979 with impressive displays of the family’s 19th-century furniture, paintings, china, silver, crystal, books, music boxes, family photographs and sculpted Victorian gardens, and is currently owned and operated by the Junior League of Columbus.
Despite the makeover, the home’s storied past isn’t put to rest – literally. Fernando’s son, Oscar, who was killed in the Civil War, is often spotted smoking in the garden in full war uniform. After bringing Oscar’s body home, Fernando fell out of a second-floor window, broke his femur and eventually succumbed to his injuries. Before he died, six men carried Fernando to his bedroom. Staff frequently report seeing the ghosts of those men walk upstairs, as well as Fernando’s daughter, Anna, wearing a burgundy dress and weeping over her family's deaths. We can only hope these eight ghosts are also responsible for the unexplained whispers, rearranged furniture and closed doors opening on their own, or there may be another past resident lurking.
Source: Green Lawn Cemetery
Green Lawn Cemetery
Did you know the second-largest cemetery in Ohio is right here in Columbus? Unsurprising for a place filled with over 150,000 dead bodies, most of whom are governors, presidential families, veterans and prominent politicians, Green Lawn Cemetery is believed to be rife with spiritual activity. Its largest mausoleum, Hayden Mausoleum, holds the remains of successful banker Charles H. Hayden and his extended family. Knock on its chained doors and someone just might knock back from the inside.
Source: Ohio Statehouse
Ohio Statehouse
It’s no wonder Ohio Statehouse is haunted. Before it became the meeting place of Ohio’s highest-ranking politicians, it was a Civil War Hospital built by Ohio Penitentiary inmates during a cholera epidemic. The ghosts here run the gamut. Think: Civil War soldiers, prisoners who died during construction, a weeping “Lady in Gray,” a dancing Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Bateman, a senate clerk who left the office at 5 p.m. sharp, every day, for 52 years. Go at 5 p.m. on any workday, and you might see lights flicker as a cold chill fills the Statehouse corridors – it's a sign Bateman is still lingering.
Thurber House
When an insane asylum mysteriously burns down next to your house, lock your doors and stay inside. Unless you live at Thurber House – a nonprofit literary center and museum that was once the home of the late author and cartoonist James Thurber – where staying outside might actually be wiser. Thurber and guests alike have reported appearances by a male ghost, phantom footsteps, a broken clock that started working out of the blue and books thrown at passersby seemingly out of thin air. These ghoulish antics are believed to be the work of dead asylum fire victims or the ghost of a man who shot himself at Thurber house after he caught his wife having an affair. No matter the source, they inspired Thurber to write The Night the Ghost Got In and spurred Ghost Hunters to film an episode about the house in 2010.
Source: Columbus Ghost Tours
Columbus Ghost Tours
Can’t decide where to go? Let the paranormal historians at Columbus Ghost Tours lead the way. To keep everyone in suspense, the itinerary is always a total surprise – but historic sites and tales of 200+ years of murder, horror and Ohio’s haunted history are guaranteed. There are multiple tours to choose from, from private “Beezlebus” bus and public “Booze and Boos” tours to nighttime tours of Green Lawn Cemetery and Downtown Columbus.
Now that you’ve got goosebumps, share them with us, too. Tag your phantom photos with the hashtag #FallinCbus, and download the CBUS Rewards App to check in and earn points as you explore the city’s spooky side.
