Hocking Hills
Ghostly Haunts
Haunted Ohio.....Haunted Hocking
The Appalachian hillsides are filled with the whispers of
legends and stories centering around events unexplained. For as many of
those who will turn a cold shoulder to these tales, there are countless others
who will feel the chill of goosebumps run along their arms at just the mere
thought of seeing a ghost or finding a cache of treasure beneath the earth.
This page is for both the nonbelievers and the believers
of a haunted Ohio.
It is for those who are skeptical so they may take an adventure just to prove
the tale wrong and perhaps find something in the meantime. And it is for those,
too, who might just believe enough to experience the thrill of seeing something-but then realize maybe they didn't want to see it in the first place.
Moonville Tunnel
No trains have passed through the
towns of Hope, Moonville or Ingham for well over twenty years but nearly hidden behind years of thick forest growth, the old
Cincinnati and Marietta Railroad tracks still run noiselessly through this
section of southeastern Ohio. But the locals here in Vinton County say the
railway tracks aren't the only remnants of the iron furnace days still
hanging around. In fact, stories tell of a railway brakeman that haps
by the old Moonville Tunnel in the dark of night...
It seems that back around 1859,
after stopping in Moonville, a brakeman for the railway had been passing his
break time away with a lantern in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the
other. He fell asleep and some time during the night, he was awakened by the
sound of his train leaving the depot. Unsteadily, he arose, stumbling on to
the train track and falling beneath the wheels of the train. The brakeman
never recovered from his injuries and the ghost of the man is said to be
seen stumbling down the tracks within the tunnel with lantern in hand, still
trying to catch the train before it leaves Moonville Station.
Getting there: From State Route 93-Take State Route 56 to
State Route 278 south-following the signs toward Lake Hope State Park. You
will pass the iron furnace on the right and then the park lake. After the
lake, make the first left on to Wheelabout Road. Almost immediately, the
road will fork-veer to the left side of the fork. Follow this road until you
get to a metal, one-lane bridge crossing over Raccoon Creek. Just before the
bridge and on the left, you will see a pretty well-worn dirt trail that will
lead along the bottomland and then up a gravel incline to the old tracks.
The Moonville Tunnel is on the left. Watch out for poison ivy all along the
trail!

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