If exploring abandoned, long-forgotten places is your thing, then you’ll definitely want to discover some of the many creepy ghost towns in Ohio. (Be sure to check out our previous articles for even more abandoned places in Ohio.) From abandoned coal mining towns to intentional ghost towns, Ohio has its fair share of eerie, empty towns that will bring out the explorer in you.
(Please note: Trespassing may be prohibited in some of these areas, so proceed at your own risk and always use caution. If an area looks like it is private property, be mindful and please do not trespass.)
Screenshot via Google Maps
Grab a friend or two, start at the ghost town nearest you and work your way to the others. To view the Google Map of the trip (complete with exact locations and addresses of the destinations) in a separate tab or window, click here.
Screenshot via Google Maps
- Boston Mills (Peninsula)
Weird Ohio
Andrew Borgen/Flickr The former town of Boston Mills was largely abandoned when residents were ordered to leave to facilitate the establishment of Ohio’s only National Park. Nonetheless, the abandonment of this area has resulted in spectacular lore like its abandoned and spooky “Highway to Hell.” No wonder locals have nicknamed Boston Township and its villages “Helltown.” You’ll find this site in Summit County.
- Ghost Town (Findlay)
Ghost Town Findlay, Ohio/Facebook
Ghost Town Findlay, Ohio/Facebook OK, so this isn’t exactly the kind of ghost town you’re probably thinking of… But Ghost Town in Findlay, Ohio is too cool to pass up. Created by the Galitza family, this unique roadside attraction in Findlay features a replica of an 1880s-era ghost town that was first open to the public in the 1950s. Today, the ghost town has been restored after a period of abandonment and even features arts and crafts vendors and antique and flea market vendors on select dates. You’ll find this spooky site at 10630 County Road 40 in Findlay, Ohio 45840.
- Tadmor (Vandalia)
Jim Grey/Flickr
Jim Grey/Flickr Within Taylorsville MetroPark near Dayton you can hike (via the Buckeye Trail) to remnants of what was once an important transportation town until the flood of 1913. The canals that were once used as part of the Miami Erie Canal in the 1800s became obsolete, and the railroad was moved to higher ground after the flood. History abounds in this spot near 2000 US-40 in Vandalia, OH 45377.
- Utopia
Briles Takes Pictures/Flickr Along the banks of the Ohio River in Clermont County you’ll find what some consider to be a ghost town, although the town is still home to some residents. RoadsideAmerica.com refers to the small unincorporated community as one of the “phalanxes” (or social communes) established in America in the mid-19th century. Drive through the dead-end street town yourself and see if it really is an authentic ghost town — or haunted, as many claim it to be. You will find this spot in southern Franklin Township of Clermont County.
- Moonville (McArthur)
Robert Batina/Flickr
Mike/Flickr The abandoned coal mining town of Moonville in southeastern Ohio (Vinton County) was founded in 1856, when the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad ran through the area’s woods. One structure of the town that remains today is the Moonville Tunnel; a haunted tunnel where legend asserts that the ghost of a man who was killed instantly by a train passing through the tunnel wanders along the track bed near the old tunnel at night. You can visit the tunnel off of Hope-Moonville Road in McArthur, OH 45651.
- Carpenter’s Mill (Delaware)
Jeff Walters/Flickr Very little is left of this early 1800s mill town in Delaware County. Stone bridge pillars and the skeleton of Bieber’s Mill are all that remain of this long forgotten town. The ruins of the old mill (pictured), which was built in 1840, sit along the Olentangy River in Delaware near the Ohio Wesleyan University. You will find this hauntingly striking spot at 4919 Chapman Rd #4801 in Delaware, OH 43015.
What do you think? Are you up for this road trip to creepy ghost towns in Ohio? Tell us your thoughts and your past ghost town experiences in the comments!
Weird Ohio
Andrew Borgen/Flickr
The former town of Boston Mills was largely abandoned when residents were ordered to leave to facilitate the establishment of Ohio’s only National Park. Nonetheless, the abandonment of this area has resulted in spectacular lore like its abandoned and spooky “Highway to Hell.” No wonder locals have nicknamed Boston Township and its villages “Helltown.” You’ll find this site in Summit County.
Ghost Town Findlay, Ohio/Facebook
OK, so this isn’t exactly the kind of ghost town you’re probably thinking of… But Ghost Town in Findlay, Ohio is too cool to pass up. Created by the Galitza family, this unique roadside attraction in Findlay features a replica of an 1880s-era ghost town that was first open to the public in the 1950s. Today, the ghost town has been restored after a period of abandonment and even features arts and crafts vendors and antique and flea market vendors on select dates. You’ll find this spooky site at 10630 County Road 40 in Findlay, Ohio 45840.
Jim Grey/Flickr
Within Taylorsville MetroPark near Dayton you can hike (via the Buckeye Trail) to remnants of what was once an important transportation town until the flood of 1913. The canals that were once used as part of the Miami Erie Canal in the 1800s became obsolete, and the railroad was moved to higher ground after the flood. History abounds in this spot near 2000 US-40 in Vandalia, OH 45377.
Briles Takes Pictures/Flickr
Along the banks of the Ohio River in Clermont County you’ll find what some consider to be a ghost town, although the town is still home to some residents. RoadsideAmerica.com refers to the small unincorporated community as one of the “phalanxes” (or social communes) established in America in the mid-19th century. Drive through the dead-end street town yourself and see if it really is an authentic ghost town — or haunted, as many claim it to be. You will find this spot in southern Franklin Township of Clermont County.
Robert Batina/Flickr
Mike/Flickr
The abandoned coal mining town of Moonville in southeastern Ohio (Vinton County) was founded in 1856, when the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad ran through the area’s woods. One structure of the town that remains today is the Moonville Tunnel; a haunted tunnel where legend asserts that the ghost of a man who was killed instantly by a train passing through the tunnel wanders along the track bed near the old tunnel at night. You can visit the tunnel off of Hope-Moonville Road in McArthur, OH 45651.
Jeff Walters/Flickr
Very little is left of this early 1800s mill town in Delaware County. Stone bridge pillars and the skeleton of Bieber’s Mill are all that remain of this long forgotten town. The ruins of the old mill (pictured), which was built in 1840, sit along the Olentangy River in Delaware near the Ohio Wesleyan University. You will find this hauntingly striking spot at 4919 Chapman Rd #4801 in Delaware, OH 43015.
To check out some other creepy sites in Ohio, be sure to also take our Ultimate Terrifying Ohio Road Trip.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: 4820 Chapman Rd, Delaware, OH 43015, USAAddress: Moonville Tunnel, Hope-Moonville Rd, McArthur, OH 45651, USAAddress: Utopia, OH 45121, USAAddress: 2000 US-40, Vandalia, OH 45377, USAAddress: 10630 Co Rd 40, Findlay, OH 45840, USAAddress: Peninsula, OH 44264, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Creepy Ghost Towns In Ohio June 28, 2020 Nikki Rhoades Can I visit any abandoned places in Ohio? Ohio is a vast state, with nearly 45,000 square miles of landscape awaiting exploration. It’s also an old state, the seventeenth to be admitted to the Union… and, of course, boasting a history of indigenous tribes that spans centuries. Combine that vast history with such a significant landscape and you are sure to find an abandoned place or two. You can visit some abandoned places in Ohio to this very day, including the Mansfield Reformatory and Squire’s Castle. The latter, you’ll find, is more beautiful than spooky. Are there any urban legends in Ohio? One can’t explore haunted places in Ohio without wondering about local legends. Visitors and locals alike can’t help but encounter urban legends in Ohio, as this state is full of them! The Circleville Letter Writer is an infamous tale that lovers of true crime speculate about to this very day, and Gore Orphanage is a story nobody in Northern Ohio can grow up without hearing. There is, however, a bit of history behind most urban legends. In the legend of the Melon Heads, children with inflated skulls, more creature than human, tormented the local community. History can’t ignore, however, that there was a local boy with an enlarged skull that had a passion for sneaking up and scaring people. Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in Ohio? As you’re exploring the wonderful world of weird Ohio, you can’t help but indulge in a few of our haunts. There are many haunted restaurants in Ohio, but none are quite as unsuspecting as The Golden Lamb. Also operating as an inn, this haunted destination is luxurious and warm. No wonder spirits like Sarah Stubbs have chosen to hang around!
The OIYS Visitor Center
Creepy Ghost Towns In Ohio
June 28, 2020
Nikki Rhoades
Can I visit any abandoned places in Ohio? Ohio is a vast state, with nearly 45,000 square miles of landscape awaiting exploration. It’s also an old state, the seventeenth to be admitted to the Union… and, of course, boasting a history of indigenous tribes that spans centuries. Combine that vast history with such a significant landscape and you are sure to find an abandoned place or two. You can visit some abandoned places in Ohio to this very day, including the Mansfield Reformatory and Squire’s Castle. The latter, you’ll find, is more beautiful than spooky. Are there any urban legends in Ohio? One can’t explore haunted places in Ohio without wondering about local legends. Visitors and locals alike can’t help but encounter urban legends in Ohio, as this state is full of them! The Circleville Letter Writer is an infamous tale that lovers of true crime speculate about to this very day, and Gore Orphanage is a story nobody in Northern Ohio can grow up without hearing. There is, however, a bit of history behind most urban legends. In the legend of the Melon Heads, children with inflated skulls, more creature than human, tormented the local community. History can’t ignore, however, that there was a local boy with an enlarged skull that had a passion for sneaking up and scaring people. Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in Ohio? As you’re exploring the wonderful world of weird Ohio, you can’t help but indulge in a few of our haunts. There are many haunted restaurants in Ohio, but none are quite as unsuspecting as The Golden Lamb. Also operating as an inn, this haunted destination is luxurious and warm. No wonder spirits like Sarah Stubbs have chosen to hang around!
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Ohio is a vast state, with nearly 45,000 square miles of landscape awaiting exploration. It’s also an old state, the seventeenth to be admitted to the Union… and, of course, boasting a history of indigenous tribes that spans centuries. Combine that vast history with such a significant landscape and you are sure to find an abandoned place or two. You can visit some abandoned places in Ohio to this very day, including the Mansfield Reformatory and Squire’s Castle. The latter, you’ll find, is more beautiful than spooky.
Are there any urban legends in Ohio?
One can’t explore haunted places in Ohio without wondering about local legends. Visitors and locals alike can’t help but encounter urban legends in Ohio, as this state is full of them! The Circleville Letter Writer is an infamous tale that lovers of true crime speculate about to this very day, and Gore Orphanage is a story nobody in Northern Ohio can grow up without hearing. There is, however, a bit of history behind most urban legends. In the legend of the Melon Heads, children with inflated skulls, more creature than human, tormented the local community. History can’t ignore, however, that there was a local boy with an enlarged skull that had a passion for sneaking up and scaring people.
Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in Ohio?
As you’re exploring the wonderful world of weird Ohio, you can’t help but indulge in a few of our haunts. There are many haunted restaurants in Ohio, but none are quite as unsuspecting as The Golden Lamb. Also operating as an inn, this haunted destination is luxurious and warm. No wonder spirits like Sarah Stubbs have chosen to hang around!
