Ohio's 'most haunted town' is home to 3 spine-chilling sites. Read if you dare
A town older than the state of Ohio is likely to have a lot of stories behind it, and a Warren County village founded in 1797 has plenty of them – ghost stories, that is.
Some travel to Waynesville for its notoriety as one of the best antiquing locations in the Midwest. Others for the annual Ohio Sauerkraut Festival. But it's also a popular tourist destination for ghost hunters and those seeking paranormal experiences, with some people even calling it Ohio's "most haunted town."
According to Linda Morgan, board president for Waynesville's Museum at the Friends Home, you may be spooked by some random bumps and creaks in the old buildings, but the spirits in the sites around town tend to be friendly.
"The buildings have all had a long history. Different people have lived in them over the years and have different stories," Morgan said. "There’s no ghosts that come out and scare you and do evil things to you."
The Southwest Ohio village of 2,700 boasts more than 15 haunted sites. Here are some of the spookiest places to visit in Waynesville – if you dare.
Hammel House Inn
Workers at the Hammel House Inn, a hotel founded in 1822, have reported strange happenings throughout the centuries.
A foggy figure of a man in Room 4 is one of the more common sightings. Local legend says a young traveling salesman checked in at the hotel long ago, but never checked out. He disappeared without a trace and some say the innkeeper murdered the man and dumped his body in a well.
An unseen girl can also sometimes be heard crying from the basement. Other instances of children crying have been reported in basements and tunnels that were part of the Underground Railroad, according to a Warren County blog post.
The Hammel House Inn is located at 121 S. Main St.
Stetson House
A 19th century family business credited with creating the first American cowboy hat is behind Waynesville's Stetson House.
In 1861 and 1865, John Stetson visited his sister Louisa Stetson Larrick at her Waynesville home. Stetson had already been cut off from his family's hat-making business and his health was suffering, but while visiting his sister, he reportedly made the first-ever cowboy hat.
Despite making millions of dollars in his lifetime, he left Larrick only $60. She's reportedly seen in a high collared dress and old fashioned gloves at the Stetson house doorway and meandering around nearby stores.
The Stetson House is at 234 S. Main St.
Friends Boarding Home
Now housing the museum, the former Friends Boarding Home was established in 1904 as a retirement home for elderly Quakers.
Sounds of ladies clattering around and making cooking noises can be heard. However, the building no longer has a kitchen. Again, Morgan, the museum board president, stresses these spirits mean no harm.
Museum at the Friends Home, the former Quaker boarding house, is located at 115 S. Fourth St.
Tours offered for Waynesville haunted sites
Museum at the Friends Home still has tickets available for its haunted tours in October.
More information can be found at www.friendshomemuseum.org and on the museum's Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Waynesville is Ohio's 'most haunted town.' Here are 3 sites to visit
