Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA sealed 1941 stone observation tower in Kettering's Hills and Dales MetroPark, where 16-year-old Peggy Harmeson was struck and killed by lightning in 1967
1930 S Patterson Blvd, Kettering, OH 45409
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free park admission; MetroPark open to the public
Access
Limited Access
Park trails through wooded terrain; tower exterior accessible on foot; tower interior permanently sealed
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1941 · 1941 WPA-Era Stone Observation Tower · Death of Peggy Harmeson by Lightning Strike (1967) · Permanently Sealed Following 1967 Fatality · Hills and Dales MetroPark Historical Structure
The Lookout Tower was constructed in 1941 as part of the Hills and Dales MetroPark development in Kettering, just south of Dayton's city limits. Built from local stone in the rustic style common to Depression-era and early wartime public works, the tower was intended as an observation point overlooking the park's wooded terrain.
The structure acquired its more ominous nicknames — Witch's Tower and Frankenstein's Castle — through decades of local storytelling, a process common for isolated stone structures in Ohio parks. By the 1960s, the tower had developed a reputation as a place for after-dark visits by teenagers.
On a summer night in 1967, 16-year-old Peggy Harmeson and a companion entered the tower to take shelter from a storm. Harmeson was struck by lightning inside the structure and died. The Journal-News documented the incident and the local dark-history tradition that followed. Following the death, park authorities permanently sealed the tower's doors. The sealed structure remains accessible from the exterior — the park trails still pass by it — but no entry is possible.
The Dayton Unknown local history blog, which documented the tower's real history in 2014, helped clarify the factual record amid the accumulated legends, confirming the 1967 lightning strike as the documented event underlying the tower's haunted reputation.
Sources
The death of Peggy Harmeson in 1967 transformed the Lookout Tower from a curiosity with spooky nicknames into one of southwest Ohio's better-known paranormal sites. The core legend, documented by the Journal-News, holds that the apparitions of Harmeson and her companion appear near the tower during electrical storms — connecting the legend directly to the method and circumstances of her death.
The tower's physical character reinforces its reputation: the sealed doors, the stone construction, the isolated position on the park trail, and the fact that lightning is what made it dangerous rather than any human violence give it an unusual quality among haunted sites. The structure is dark and inaccessible in a park that is otherwise welcoming public land.
The Destination Dayton tourism board cites the Witch's Tower as one of the Dayton area's notable dark-history sites, and the location draws visitors who combine a park hike with the historical and paranormal dimension. The trail access makes it more approachable than many ruins-based destinations, while the sealed entrance maintains the tower's forbidden quality.
Notable Entities
Hike through Hills and Dales MetroPark to the 1941 stone observation tower, locally nicknamed the Witch's Tower and Frankenstein's Castle. The tower's doors are permanently sealed following the 1967 lightning death of Peggy Harmeson. The structure is visible and photographable from the exterior, set within the park's wooded trail system.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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