The Most Haunted Places in Ohio

Ranked

1. 

   1. Franklin Castle Cleveland · Haunted House / Historic Home · Family Comfort: Moderate

   Hannes Tiedemann, a German-born grocer and banker, built Franklin Castle in Cleveland between 1881 and 1883; several family members died during his ownership, though none died inside the house. The haunted reputation took shape in the 1960s, when a family there from 1968 to 1974 described cold rooms and music from the third-floor ballroom when empty.

   5 original accounts · documented across 3 decades, 1968-2016 · retold in 1 later publication

   Disputed by a historical authority Wikipedia's account states the human bones discovered in a closet in 1975, one of the house's most famous pieces of evidence, are believed to have been planted by a later owner to publicize his ghost tours of the property.

2. 

   2. Madison Seminary Madison · Asylum / Hospital · Family Comfort: Low Visits by guided tour only

   Madison Seminary opened as a boarding school in 1846, became a home for Civil War widows and Army nurses in 1891, and served as a mental-health annex from 1962 to 1975. A 1962 sale advertisement described the building as 'May Be Haunted.' The reputation drew two 2019 television productions, A&E's Ghost Hunters and Travel Channel's Destination Fear, whose crews described voices, shadow figures, and unexplained contact; the building runs as a ghost-hunt venue.

   5 original accounts · documented across 5 decades, 1977-2019 · retold in 5 later publications

3. 

   3. Thurber House Columbus · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: High

   HauntBound identified six distinct published accounts at this museum site, across four kinds of published source. One later publication retells those accounts. Reported phenomena include phantom footsteps.

   6 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1915-2022 · retold in 1 later publication

4. 

   4. Punderson Manor Newbury Township · Haunted Hotel / Inn · Family Comfort: Low

   HauntBound identified nine distinct published accounts at this working hotel, across four kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and cold spots.

   9 original accounts · documented in 1978 · retold in 4 later publications

5. 

   5. Moonville Tunnel McArthur · Outdoor / Natural Site · Family Comfort: Low

   HauntBound identified two distinct published accounts at this outdoor site, across five kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and disembodied voices.

   2 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 2003-2012 · retold in 3 later publications

6. 

   6. Arnold's Bar and Grill Cincinnati · Haunted Dining / Bar · Family Comfort: Moderate

   Arnold's Bar and Grill has operated continuously since 1861, making it Cincinnati's oldest bar, and during Prohibition owner Elmer Arnold reportedly distilled bootleg gin in a second-floor bathtub, now the Bathtub Room. A presence tied to the Bathtub Room is attributed to that Prohibition-era bootlegger. Visitors also report footsteps and door movements upstairs after hours, voice recordings captured during investigations, and sudden cold sensations near the room.

   2 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 2017-2020 · retold in 1 later publication

7. 

   7. Twin City Opera House McConnelsville · Theater / Performance Venue · Family Comfort: Moderate

   HauntBound identified four distinct published accounts at this working theater, across five kinds of published source. Six later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and disembodied voices.

   4 original accounts · documented in 1960 · retold in 6 later publications

8. 

   8. Cincinnati Music Hall Cincinnati · Theater / Performance Venue · Family Comfort: Moderate

   HauntBound identified six distinct published accounts at this working theater, across four kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and disembodied voices.

   6 original accounts · retold in 3 later publications

9. 

   9. Buxton Inn Granville · Haunted Hotel / Inn · Family Comfort: Moderate

   HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this working hotel, across six kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and cold spots.

   5 original accounts · retold in 3 later publications

10. 

    10. National Museum of the United States Air Force Dayton · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: High

    HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this museum site, across four kinds of published source. One later publication retells those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and disembodied voices.

    5 original accounts · retold in 1 later publication

Superlatives

Most documented counts published accounts. The ranking also weighs how many decades those accounts span and how independent they are, so the place with the most accounts is not always the place ranked first.