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Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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A preserved 1868 county infirmary and poorhouse on 30 acres in Bowling Green, Ohio, now a museum on the National Register of Historic Places with a decades-long tradition of reported apparitions from former residents.
13660 County Home Road, Bowling Green, OH 43402
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Low admission fee; check woodcountyhistory.org for current rates. Free First Friday events periodically.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat grounds, paved paths, historic building with period-appropriate interiors
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1868 · Wood County Infirmary, 1869–1971 · Lunatic House, 1885 · National Register of Historic Places, 1979 · One of few preserved poorhouses remaining in Ohio
The Wood County Infirmary was constructed in 1868 and opened in 1869 at what is now 13660 County Home Road in Bowling Green, Ohio. It served as the county's primary institution for those needing public assistance — the poor, elderly, mentally ill, and physically disabled — for more than a century.
In 1885 a separate structure known as the Lunatic House was built on the grounds to house residents with mental illness, many of whom had previously been held in inadequate jail conditions in Perrysburg. The infirmary operated as a largely self-sufficient working farm, with oil wells on the property supplying heating and lighting until 1904. On average, 70 to 80 residents lived there; during the Great Depression the population swelled to roughly 140.
The facility closed as an infirmary in 1971. After a period of neglect and vandalism, historian Lyle Fletcher led advocacy efforts to preserve the buildings. By spring 1975 the structure reopened as the Wood County Museum. The National Register of Historic Places recognized the property in 1979. Today the museum operates 30 or more exhibits across the main building and historic outbuildings — including a pest house, hog barn, ice house, and log cabin — interpreting the social history of the county poor farm and its residents.
The museum preserves unusual historical artifacts, including physical evidence connected to the 1881 murder of Mary Bach, documented as part of the county's social history record.
Sources
The Wood County Historical Museum's paranormal reputation grew organically from its history as a poorhouse and asylum. Staff and visitors began reporting unexplained encounters after the building reopened in 1975, and by the early 2000s the location had been featured in Chris Woodyard's 'Ghost Hunter's Guide to Haunted Ohio' (Kestrel Publications, 2000).
The most consistently reported apparition is known as 'Bert,' described as a former resident — a physically and mentally handicapped man — who has been seen walking the grounds and hallways, pulling a small red wagon and occasionally singing hymns. A second figure, 'Agnes,' appears in a white nightgown, most often in the museum's interior spaces. Multiple staff witnesses have described a shadowy male figure striding toward the front entrance and disappearing before reaching the door.
In 2002, 2003, and 2004, paranormal investigators Michelle and Michael Colson — working with students from Bowling Green State University — conducted formal investigations and produced a documentary DVD, 'The Haunted,' sold in the museum gift shop. The BG Independent News documented the museum's 2017 policy change, in which the board voted to end special paranormal investigation bookings, citing museum director Dana Nemeth: 'It's not appropriate use of county employee time to supervise such activity.' The museum now emphasizes historical interpretation over paranormal tourism, though the folklore tradition remains well-documented.
The reported phenomena — apparitions of identifiable former residents in period-appropriate dress, sounds of dishes and movement in closed rooms — are consistent with the residual and intelligent apparition archetypes commonly attributed to long-occupied institutional sites.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Explore 30+ exhibits covering the building's history as a poorhouse and lunatic asylum, the lives of former residents, and Wood County social history. Outbuildings include a pest house, hog barn, and ice house.
Arranged group tours led by museum staff covering the infirmary's history from 1869 through the 20th century. Tours address the documented folklore tradition of apparitions associated with former residents.
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