Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA Ross County railroad tunnel where local lore insists an infant's cries echo at night, drawing visitors to a documented stop on the Chillicothe ghost walk.
Schrader Rd, Chillicothe, OH 45601
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access; Chillicothe ghost walk tickets required if visiting as part of the organized tour.
Access
Limited Access
Rural road and unpaved area around the tunnel; uneven ground.
Equipment
Photos OK
Ross County Folklore · Ohio Crybaby Tunnel Tradition
Ohio has accumulated a substantial number of 'crybaby' sites—bridges, tunnels, and road overpasses where local tradition holds that the sounds of an infant can be heard, typically explained by a story of a child's death at or near the location. Schrader Road Tunnel in Ross County is among the better-documented examples in the southern half of the state.
The tunnel is a railroad underpass rather than a road tunnel, carrying tracks over or under Schrader Road in a rural section of the county southwest of Chillicothe. The site draws visitors independently and appears as a stop on the Chillicothe ghost walk, an organized public event documented in recent years, which indicates the tunnel has established a foothold in the region's organized dark-tourism circuit.
Ohio Exploration Society's Ross County paranormal survey includes the Schrader Road Tunnel in its coverage of the area's sites, noting visitor reports of infant-like crying sounds and cold spots. Haunted Hocking, a regional documentation site, includes the tunnel in its listing of Ross County haunted locations.
No specific historical event tied to an infant death at the tunnel has been verified in local records. The legend belongs to the broader folklore category that attaches to liminal structures—tunnels, bridges, road underpasses—throughout the Ohio countryside.
Sources
The core legend at Schrader Road Tunnel is auditory: visitors report hearing the sound of an infant crying inside the tunnel, particularly at night. The sound is described as echoing and difficult to locate precisely within the enclosed space. In some accounts the sound stops abruptly; in others it continues even after the visitor enters the tunnel.
Secondary reports describe cold spots localized within the tunnel passage, a phenomenon reported across multiple crybaby-tunnel sites in Ohio and commonly attributed in paranormal literature to supernatural presence. Several accounts describe a faint red glow visible at the far end of the tunnel after dark, though no consistent explanation for this is given in the documented accounts.
Ohio Exploration Society's Ross County documentation mentions reports of murdered women at the site in addition to the infant legend, though these secondary accounts are less consistently reported and appear to have accumulated alongside the primary crybaby tradition. The original event underlying the legend—if any—has not been confirmed through historical records.
Walk to the railroad tunnel on Schrader Road in Ross County, one of the classic crybaby-tunnel sites in central Ohio. Local lore describes an infant's cries echoing through the tunnel after dark, along with cold spots and occasional reports of glowing red lights at the far end. The site is a listed stop on the Chillicothe ghost walk and is documented by multiple regional paranormal organizations.
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