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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Franklin Castle ranks #1 in Ohio's new haunted index

A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, Franklin Castle in Cleveland ranks #1 in HauntBound's 2026 index of Ohio's most haunted places. The index ranks 209 Ohio sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Franklin Castle ranks #1. Hannes Tiedemann, a German-born grocer and banker, built the High Victorian Eclectic stone mansion between 1881 and 1883 in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. Five separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1968.

A family who lived in the house from 1968 to 1974 described cold rooms in otherwise heated spaces, a child crying carried from the carriage house, and faint music from the third-floor ballroom when it was empty. Cleveland author William G. Krejci, who wrote Haunted Franklin Castle, found that none of the Tiedemann children died inside the building, contrary to long-circulating retellings that tied the activity to their deaths.

Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Franklin Castle, 4308 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, is open for scheduled guided tours and overnight stays for guests 21 and older, by appointment.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/ohio/The fact sheet, with Cleveland numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/ohio/Photo: Franklin Castle, on the fact sheet.A short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Franklin Castle ranks #1 in Ohio's new haunted index
A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, Franklin Castle in Cleveland ranks #1 in HauntBound's 2026 index of Ohio's most haunted places. The index ranks 209 Ohio sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Franklin Castle ranks #1. Hannes Tiedemann, a German-born grocer and banker, built the High Victorian Eclectic stone mansion between 1881 and 1883 in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. Five separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1968.

A family who lived in the house from 1968 to 1974 described cold rooms in otherwise heated spaces, a child crying carried from the carriage house, and faint music from the third-floor ballroom when it was empty. Cleveland author William G. Krejci, who wrote Haunted Franklin Castle, found that none of the Tiedemann children died inside the building, contrary to long-circulating retellings that tied the activity to their deaths.

Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:
Franklin Castle, 4308 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, is open for scheduled guided tours and overnight stays for guests 21 and older, by appointment.

For media:
The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/ohio/
The fact sheet, with Cleveland numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/ohio/
Photo: Franklin Castle, on the fact sheet.
A short version follows.

About HauntBound: HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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Short version

SHORT VERSION

Franklin Castle ranks #1 in Ohio's new haunted index

Franklin Castle in Cleveland ranks #1 among Ohio's most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. Hannes Tiedemann built the High Victorian Eclectic mansion between 1881 and 1883; a family living there from 1968 to 1974 described cold rooms, a crying child in the carriage house, and music from an empty third-floor ballroom. Cleveland author William G. Krejci, who wrote Haunted Franklin Castle, found none of the Tiedemann children died inside the building. Franklin Castle offers scheduled tours and overnight stays for guests 21 and older.

Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/ohio/

SHORT VERSION
Franklin Castle ranks #1 in Ohio's new haunted index
Franklin Castle in Cleveland ranks #1 among Ohio's most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. Hannes Tiedemann built the High Victorian Eclectic mansion between 1881 and 1883; a family living there from 1968 to 1974 described cold rooms, a crying child in the carriage house, and music from an empty third-floor ballroom. Cleveland author William G. Krejci, who wrote Haunted Franklin Castle, found none of the Tiedemann children died inside the building. Franklin Castle offers scheduled tours and overnight stays for guests 21 and older.
Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/ohio/