Monday, April 28, 2014

Hauntings: Xenia, Ohio


Xenia (Ohio)

Xenia, Ohio, has a population of about 25,000 people—and plenty of ghosts, too!

Blue Jacket Amphitheater. This outdoor theater is named for Shawnee Chief Blue Jacket, who fought hard defending his tribe against the white settler incursion and assaults by the army.  Members of the audience as well as actors have reported seeing the ghosts of Indians in the woods around the amphitheater.

Crybaby Bridge. There are several bridges in the vicinity of Xenia that have the misfortune attached to them and have become known as Crybaby Bridge.  One is a bridge on Wilberforce Clifton Road where a father supposedly dropped his baby into the river below. When near the bridge, people have reported seeing apparitions, hearing strange sounds, and feeling as though they were being watched.  Also, according to the locals, a fisherman at the James Barber Road Bridge pulled a baby’s skeleton out of the river, and since then, many people have reportedly heard the sound of a baby crying.

Eden Hall. One of the most historical buildings in Xenia is Eden Hall.  Strange lights sometimes glow in unused portions of the house, and doors have been known to open and close by themselves.  Child-sized footprints have appeared in the dust, and mysterious music and voices commonly wake guests.  The family members who lived there are said to haunt the place along with an ill-tempered woman who haunts the third story and likes to knock objects onto the floor.

Old Veterans Children's Home. This orphanage was in operation from 1870 – 1997, and although it’s closed now, reports of spectral children laughing and playing are common.

Spring Hill Elementary. Xenia's Spring Hill Elementary School is said to be haunted by the ghost of a teacher murdered over 100 years ago.  A pale, barely discernable figure roams the grounds, and the locals believe it’s the teacher, looking for her murderer.





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57 comments:

Andrew Leon said...

cool bridge

Heather R. Holden said...

Aw, Crybaby Bridge makes me sad...

Sophie Duncan said...

That's a scary collection of spooks. Ghosts of children are especially sad, since they had no chance to experience life.
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
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Melancholy and Menace said...

Stories of child ghosts always creep me out so much more, just as children in horror movies and books do.

It must have been hard finding a haunting beginning with X :)

Natalie Aguirre said...

Must be a little scary for some of the kids going to a haunted school. You've found such interesting places to spotlight. Thanks.

Beth said...

Well, that's creepy.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's a lot of hauntings in one area.

Rajiv Sankarapillai said...

Ghosts in Ohio !

Bish Denham said...

I looked up Xenia, it's not all that big a town to have so many haunted places. I like that at the orphanage the sound of children laughing and playing can be heard.

Michelle Wallace said...

I also have the word Xenia in my X-post... but it DEFINITELY has nothing to do with ghosts... LOL
Nice to see you representing X over at Medeia's place... yay!
(I'd love to enter your giveaway but I have a love-hate relationship with Mr. Rafflecopter... it's a long, long story...)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Ooh, can you imagine watching a show outdoors and then seeing shadows (or whatever) peeking at you from between the trees? Now, that makes for a great scene!

Sheri at Writer's Alley

Home of Rebel Writer CREED 2014
Mighty Minion Bureau Team #atozchallenge

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I like that the sounds of children laughing are being heard.

Rhonda Albom said...

Interesting town. Makes me sad to read of a father who threw his baby into the water. Also, I wonder if I would want my children to go to a haunted school.

Meradeth Houston said...

Note to self: don't move here! I'm not much for ghosts,tyvm! :)

Stephanie Faris said...

Something about covered bridges is especially spooky! Hearing a baby crying would make it even creepier.

Al Diaz said...

That bridge reminds me the one in Disney's movie of the headless man. Must be very creepy at night.

messymimi said...

Even the most innocuous looking places can have a scary or sordid past, can't they?

WE said...

Interesting information, thanks for sharing.

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Jennifer Hawes said...

My sister-in-law used to clean the Octagon House in Watertown, WI. Every morning she would rake a portion of the pebbles smooth near the cellar and by afternoon, there were always tiny footprints in the gravel! She showed me. Scary!! I've heard a lot of covered bridges seem to be haunted.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Crybaby bridge makes me feel very sad.

Robin said...

I love covered bridges. That said, it just breaks my heart that someone would throw a baby off of a bridge. Ghosts aside, that is just terrible.

cleemckenzie said...

Xenia has more ghosts than you'd expect in all of Ohio. The bridge story was horrible, but it's a story to tell.

Julie Flanders said...

Ooh this town is close to me and I had no idea about these hauntings. I think Clancy and I will take a road trip there this summer.

Julie Flanders said...

Meant to say too - when I was a kid this town was struck by a terrible tornado in 1974. Dozens of people were killed and most of the town was leveled. I wonder if there are some hauntings from that now too.

Crystal Collier said...

This is the 3rd post I've read about Xenia, but definitely my favorite. I love how no matter where you go, you can find ghost stories, and you've brought us some amazing ones through the challenge.

True Heroes from A to Z

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

There was almost the identical bridge in Sussex, New Brunswick until a few weeks ago. Flooding took it down. What a shame.

Sherry Ellis said...

Wish I would've known about this when I lived in Ohio. It might've been fun to see these creepy places!

mooderino said...

Those 25000 people must be plenty freaked out. sounds like there's something spooky going on round every corner.

mood
Moody Writing

Kate Larkindale said...

I don't suppose very many people choose to move to a creepy place like this. No wonder the population is so small!

Unknown said...

If I were ever to visit this town, I would definitely pass by the theatre. It think it would be so cool to watch a movie at night with the chance of seeing a ghost!

Unknown said...

I wonder if anyone runs a ghost tour? That's a lot of spectral activity for such a small place! http://www.hjblenkinsop.co.uk

stephen Hayes said...

I love covered bridges, even haunted ones.

Inger said...

I'm glad my traveling days are over, I don't think I would like to end up in that town on a dark night.

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

Bridges and ghosts, a great combination for any story. I could almost feel someone looking over my shoulder while I was reading your post.
Gail visiting for AtoZ

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

just wonderful! Everything you do is so atmospheric! thanks! jean

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

A lot of ghosts for such a small town. Ghost stories are tunning through my head. What great ideas. Not great for the little ones, but maybe their stories should be told.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Umm, that should be running. :(

Chrys Fey said...

Ghosts fascinate me. I would love to go to Xenia, Ohio to explore some of these haunts.

Birgit said...

Amazing how small towns have so many ghosts or spirits. If I could I would visit these places. I need a lot of time off from work:) My dad was a firm believer in ghosts and had his own stories to tell.

Jenn said...

So cool. Love ghosts. :)

http://jenniferfischetto.com

Ava Quinn said...

Yikes! That's quite a collection of haunted spots. I'd never heard of a haunted school before.

Jocelyn Rish said...

I just saw you featured over at Medeia's blog - congrats! Very cool that you were able to find a real X place without having to fudge it. And what a lot of hauntings there - the crybaby one is especially sad.

Unknown said...

Crybaby bridge creeps me out!

Leslie S. Rose said...

Crybaby Bridge - best bridge name EVER. This place sounds like creep central.

Unknown said...

I live near Ohio, one state over. Sometimes I think about tribal people that used to live here before the settlers arrived. I should think about that more; the Native Americans abode in this land for thousands of years before America even had a name. Incidentally (or not), I read a novel recently that's narrated by a ghost who has to help a young man survive high school before God will accept his spirit into heaven. It's an interesting book you might like it: called "Far Far Away" ---not at all hokey like I made it sound : )

Loni Townsend said...

"spectral children laughing and playing are common." But if they're happy ghosts, why are they ghosts?

Unknown said...

I hate the thoughts of child sized ghosts... how sad. But who am I to say sad or not I guess now that I think about it... I dont know...Maybe theyre quite happy?

Unknown said...

Spring Hill Elementary School was not haunted by a murdered teacher over 100 years ago. First of all, Spring Hill School is no more - it was demolished a few years ago due to asbestos. Second of all, the school was built in the late 1940's, so there's nothing that could have happened 100 years ago. I grew up in that neighborhood and went to Spring Hill K-6. It makes for a nice story but it's just not true.

Unknown said...

The original Spring Hill school was built in 1893 and was located at the corner of Fayette and Chestnut. It was demolished some time after the "newer" location was built on Ormsby. The Friends Church was built on the land. The original building was beautiful and I definitely recommend googling it. The style was much in the same manner as the Apostolic church that stands adjacent on the corner of High and Chestnut. This was the location that the teacher who was murdered was rumored to be haunting.

The old OVCH home was purchased by Legacy Ministries. Most of the main original buildings are still present including the old hospital and Chapel. One of the creepiest places I have ever been, is the old auditorium which now serves as the lunchroom for Xenia Christian Schools. Point is some of these places can still be visited. Unfortunately, the old barn that housed an electric chair, burned down about a decade ago. It could be seen from 35 bypass and had a huge American Flag hung from it after 9/11.

I worked at Blue Jacket for many years as a teenager and I can honestly say that I never seen anything weird nor did I ever hear a good story from a co-worker. However, the ghost Indian and ghost horse stories are fairly common online.

There is quite a few covered bridges in the Wilberforce-Clifton area and, unfortunately, most are no longer in service. I believe that there is 2 that you can still drive through. The longest covered bridge in this area was the bridge on Jacoby Rd which traversed the Little Miami River near Goes Station. As far as I understand it, this was crybaby bridge. It was destroyed by arson in 1970, which would explain why so many of those bridges are supposedly it. Also, I have heard more ghost stories regarding Jacoby Rd than anywhere else in the Xenia, OH area. There has been multiple reports of cars chasing people away only to then disappear and ghostly apparitions being seen walking in the road.

Unknown said...

George Henry - Thanks very much for the insider knowledge and the true details of the town and the hauntings. Great info! :)

Unknown said...

Also, it is interesting to note that the area of Xenia and the township surrounding it was called Blackfoot's village and served as the the capital of the Shawnee Native Americans in this area on a number of occasions. Since this was also the hoNmnerrr of the great Chief Cornstalk, it is likely that Xenia is also the birthplace of the great warchief Techumseh.

Xenua is where the frontiersmen Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone were both captured. It is said that Kenton was sentenced to run a total of 9 1/4 mile gauntlets in which he would be beaten by a variety of clubs and whips. A gauntlet sentence meant almost certain death, Kenton broke free of the gauntlet after running it 6 times, but was captured and had a hole hammered into his skull.

He was eventually adopted by the Shawnee who admired his perserverence, as was a captured Daniel Boone. Kenton was given a name that translated "man who was condemned To burn at the stake", which they had also attempted unsuccessfully 3 different times. Boone was given the name "Big Turtle". Both would eventually escape and play pivotal roles in American history.

The Shawnee were relocated to Oklahoma where there is still a sizable population to this very day.

Unknown said...

George Henry - My goodness, Xenia has such a colorful history! And a really long history too, considering it originally was home to the Shawnee. Thanks very much for sharing the details. :)

Unknown said...

That school has since been tore down.

Unknown said...

George Henry's information is indeed very accurate. I live very near where the first Spring Hill School was located (sorry, no apparitions walking the streets!). There is so much history in this little town established in 1803! I was actually looking for additional information on a house just outside of town on US 35 East that is supposed to be the most haunted location in the area. It was a part of the underground railroad but instead of a safe haven it was where slaves were held that were being returned to their owners. I have never heard of any sightings as a result of the 74 tornado.

Unknown said...

Thanks for commenting, Jennifer! It's great to hear from someone who actually lives there. I'm relieved to know there aren't any ghosts actually walking the streets. (It's fun to imagine it though!) I hope you find info on that house outside of town. Have a great day!

Jessica Stinson said...

I live in Xenia Ohio and at the old Orphanage is a school now and I went there. the auditorium is rumored to be haunted because of multiple children hanging themselves. I have to say, it is haunted. There have been multiple reports of foot and leg injuries on the stage underneath where the children hung themselves. At first, I didn't believe it, but then it happened to me. I injured my ankle on the stage in my freshman year of high school.

Jessica Stinson said...

I live in Xenia Ohio and at the old Orphanage is a school now and I went there. the auditorium is rumored to be haunted because of multiple children hanging themselves. I have to say, it is haunted. There have been multiple reports of foot and leg injuries on the stage underneath where the children hung themselves. At first, I didn't believe it, but then it happened to me. I injured my ankle on the stage in my freshman year of high school.

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