10 Haunted Ohio Hotels: The Most Haunted Places in Ohio
Scare up some fun with these haunted Ohio hotels and B&Bs
With Ohio’s long history and wealth of historic buildings, it’s no surprise that we have our share of ghosts as well. And with such a wide selection of historic hotels, you can bet that some of the most haunted places in Ohio are hotels. We pulled together a list of the coolest and creepiest haunted Ohio hotels and bed and breakfasts. Are you brave enough to stay overnight at one of these spooky spots?
1. The Buxton Inn, Granville, Ohio
Also on our list of stunning historic hotels in Ohio, the Buxton Inn is rumored to be haunted. Built by Orrin Granger in 1812 as an inn and tavern, it also served as Granville’s first post office and as a stagecoach stop.
While you’re there, you can also reserve a haunted tour, which takes you through areas not normally open to the public.
The Ghosts:
The first ghost spotted in the Bxuton Inn was the first owner, Orrin Granger. Other ghosts include the Lady in Blue, rumored to be former innkeper Ethel “Bonnie” Bounell, Major Buxton, for whom the inn was named, and even a phantom cat seen slinking along the halls.
Hotspots:
There’s been strange activity like footsteps and doors opening on their own reported in the Inn’s basement, where stagecoach drivers would often stay during their stopovers in the past.
However, the ghostly presence isn’t limited to the basement. Rooms 7 and 9 are said to be the strongest focus of activity, with apparitions appearing, and one patron reported a ghost cat showing up to cuddle and purr in the middle of the night. Guests have reported strange phenomena throughout the hotel, like their names being called out, and invisible footsteps.
2. Punderson Manor, Newbury, Ohio
This sprawling 1920s English Tudor style mansion was originally built as a private home, and now lives on as Punderson Manor hotel. The mansion has belonged to the State of Ohio since the 1950s, and it opened as a lodge in 1966. After closing for renovations in 1979, the manor reopened and has been welcoming guests again since 1983. In addition to ghost hunting, there’s golf, tennis, basketball, swimming, boating, fishing, as well as sledding, snowmobiling or cross-country skiing in winter.
The Ghosts:
There are at least a dozen different sightings over the years, but the apparitions have not been identified. The creepiest sighting was witnessed by a group of people who saw a man in “lumberjack” clothing hanging by his neck from a rope in the dining room.
Hotspots:
Guests have frequently reported phenomena in the tower suites, in particular the Windor Suite.
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3. Park Hotel, Put-In-Bay, Ohio
This grand Victorian house has welcomed guests to Put-In-Bay island since the 1870s. Originally named Deutsches Hotel, the Park Hotel was quite luxurious, attracting wealthy clientele who came to vacation on the island.
The Ghosts:
Guests have reported the apparition of a woman, nicknames “The Governess”, who especially likes to appear to children in the hotel. She’s said to have died from a fall down the hotel steps. Another local legend says that one of the early owners of the hotel died by suicide and still haunts the property.
Hotspots:
The Governess has appeared in public places around the hotel, and room 14. Guests in multiple rooms have seen the male apparition, and he’s been seen looking out the window of room 17 as well. The entire hotel is very active, with sightings in the lobby and bar, as well as ghostly ballroom music.
4. Hotel Millersburg, Millersburg, Ohio
Hotel Millersburg saw its first life beginning in 1824 as a tavern and stagecoach stop. With some new construction, it began functioning as Central Hotel in 1847, and has been continuously operating ever since.
The Ghosts:
Guests have reported seeing the apparition of a well-dressed elderly man, as well as disembodied footsteps.
Hotspots:
Items have been moved around in rooms, the elderly ghost was seen walking in the lobby, and lights have been seen flashing in unoccupied rooms.
5. Hotel Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio
Built in 1918 on the site of a hotel that burned to the ground, the Hotel Lafayette seems pre-destined for haunting.
The Ghosts:
Durward Hoag, former hotel manager, is said to have hung around Hotel Lafayette after his death. He often flickers and explodes light bulbs, and manifests by flashes of bright light. Elevators sometimes open on their own, and small objects are rearranged as well.
Hotspots:
Mr Hoag is said to be most active on the third floor, where a wing named in his honor, though he’s been sighted in other areas of the hotel as well.
6. Rider’s Inn, Painesville, Ohio
Dating back to 1812, Rider’s Inn has a storied history. It sheltered runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad, later served as a retreat for returned Civil War soldiers, and even hosted a speakeasy during the Prohibition.
The Ghosts:
Suzanne Rider, the third wife of Inn owner Joe Rider, died tragically just weeks after they were married, and is said to haunt the property. Guests have also seen soldiers in either Revolutionary or Civil war era clothing.
Hotspots:
The solider is purported to stand at the windows and wave, while Suzanne has been seen all around the Inn, though in one specific incident she supposedly answered the door and ushered guests inside!
7. The Golden Lamb, Lebanon, Ohio
As the oldest hotel in Ohio, The Golden Lamb has seen more than its share of famous guests, including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Daniel Webster, and 12 American presidents. It’s a fantastic Ohio hotel in it’s own right, but there’s also been death and tragedy in the hotel, with some of those individuals still lingering.
The Ghosts:
Guests have sighted a girl who may be Sarah Stubbs, the niece of the hotel manager in the 1800s, or possibly Eliza Clay, a girl who died of a high fever at the hotel in 1825.
The ghost of Charles R. Sherman, an Ohio Supreme Justice who died at the inn in 1829 is purported to appear in the hallways as a “grey, gaunt man” and conjures the smell of cigar smoke.
Though there’s no word on any sightings, Clement Vallandigham ironically accidentally shot and killed himself in his room at the Golden Lamb in 1871, while attempting to prove that a man whom his client was accused of shooting shot himself accidentally.
Hotspots:
There doesn’t appear to any particular area to hunt for ghosts here, as activity has been spotted all over the hotel.
8. Colonel Taylor Inn Bed & Breakfast, Cambridge, Ohio
The Colonel Taylor Inn Bed & Breakfast was built in 1878 as a private home for Colonel Joseph Danner Taylor, an influential 19th century educator, attorney, business leader, and politician. Today, the impressive Queen Anne style mansion serves as a bed and breakfast.
The Ghosts:
Colonel Taylor and his wife are purported to haunt the premises, watching over their former home.
Hotspots:
Apparitions have been spotted on the stairs, and occasionally even shaking beds, though the spirits are said to be friendly.
9. Spread Eagle Tavern & Inn, Hanoverton, Ohio
The supremely cool Spread Eagle Tavern & Inn is considered one of the area’s finest examples of Federal Period architecture, and we can’t help but appreciate it as well. The Tavern was built in 1837 and is said to have been a part of the Underground Railroad, with a tunnel in the basement to prove it. Today, the Inn hosts guests in five period decorated rooms named after US presidents.
The Ghosts:
Numerous ghosts are said to haunt the Inn, including an 8 year-old girl who died in a fire on the premises, the ghost of an escaped slave, and Olevia Nicholas, the daughter of a former owner who committed suicide by hanging herself outside one of the windows.
Hotspots:
Olevia has been seen walking the hallways, and pulling covers off of guests in sleeping in her former bedroom. The other ghostly inhabitants have been seen in public areas of the hotel.
10. A Georgian Manner Bed and Breakfast, Logan, Ohio
The stately home occupied by A Georgian Manner Bed and Breakfast sits on Lake Logan in the gorgeous Hocking Hills area (one of our favorite Ohio parks!). A murder is said to have occurred in the house, when John Engle was purportedly poisoned by his wife, via strychnine in his morning coffee. She was charged, but acquitted of the crime.
The Ghosts:
John Engle, poisoned by his wife, is said to appear to guests of the B&B, along with ghosts of a man and children in period clothing.
Hotspots:
The man and children have appeared on the front lawn, and one guest reported a spirit hovering above her bed.
