Ohio Folklore

For our second rebroadcasted episode, come listen to Ohio Folklore's most downloaded tale, the legendary Ohio State Reformatory.

Most Ohioans know well the venerable institution called Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield.  It served as the backdrop for the 1994 seminal film, The Shawshank Redemption.  Had the movie been shot elsewhere, the state would have demolished this historic structure.  How fitting that this movie's message is one of redemption and hope against all odds.  It resonates deep within us.

Tourists from all over the world come to visit this remarkable place.  Some come for the history.  Some come for the pop culture influence.  Yet many come to fill their curious minds and hearts.  They seek to know what lurks in the shadows, what hides behind iron bars.

Come hear the tales of three individuals with unique knowledge of the place.  Hear the paranormal experiences of a tour guide, a ghost hunter and a volunteer.  Come learn what draws them...what has drawn so many.

Lastly, hear the tragic tale of a supposed resident ghost, the spirit of a young man who was executed in the very electric chair now on display.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

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And as always, keep wondering...

In honor of Black History month, come hear one of Ohio Folklore most downloaded episodes, Ripley, Terminus of the Underground Railroad.  


Most of us have heard tell of the Underground Railroad, the secretive movement that spirited enslaved peoples northward, toward freedom.  Yet few Ohioans know of the integral role of one tiny town on the bank of the Ohio River.

Meet Ripley, Ohio.  History has dubbed this quaint village a "terminus of the Underground Railroad."

Come hear intriguing stories of a secret society of abolitionists who aided those seeking freedom.  And most compelling of them all, hear the daring tales of one John Parker, a former slave who risked life, limb and his very freedom to rescue desperate souls waiting on Kentucky's banks.

To them, Ohio was a promised land...

If you enjoy this episode please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

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And as always, keep wondering...

OSU’s main campus in Columbus is known for many things.  It’s the home of world class sports teams.  It’s the home of a public institution compared to ivy league universities for its excellence in higher education.

Few know that it’s also said to be home to a host of spirits who’ve lingered long after their earthly demise.

Come hear the tale of the most spotted ghost on campus, The Pink Lady of Mirror Lake.  She’s been seen gliding over the landmark’s surface for many decades.  She’s known to haunt nearby Pomerene Hall.  Rumor has it, her husband, a professor, took his own life at this place, more than a century ago.

Historical records bear that out.  But that ain’t even the half of it.

Come hear what this lore has to teach us about our own faulty assumptions.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

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And as always, keep wondering…

Werewolves are the stuff of nightmares and of 1960’s horror films.  Werewolves aren’t the subject of documented Ohio sightings, chronicled in newspaper articles, right?

Few Ohioans have heard the account of the half wolf/half human creature that once terrorized the small city of Defiance, Ohio in 1972.  The tale itself, had almost faded into obscurity.  

Until now.

Come hear the insights of one cryptid researcher, Lyle Blackburn, who has devoted his life to chronicling tales of unknown creatures spotted across the country.  Turns out, he has a lot to say about this case’s yet unexplained events.

It’s a folktale in the making.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

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And as always, keep wondering…

Special thanks to author and researcher Lyle Blackburn for his contributions to today’s episode.  You can find his website here: http://www.lyleblackburn.com/ 

Ohio has no shortage of lore attached to prisons.  Our most famous haunted correctional facility, the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, tends to hog the spotlight when it comes to legendary Ohio prisons.  However, one institution in the southeastern corner, is often overlooked.  

The Boys Industrial School, known today as the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster, harbors a unique past.  Its revolutionary influence on our juvenile justice system remains today. 

And, it appears, the spirits of those who once lived and worked there, remain as well.  Come hear the tale of one former corrections officer, Mr. Nathan White, and his unexplained encounters while working in the location’s original buildings.

It seems some spirits were never released.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

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And as always, keep wondering…

Insane asylums evoke images of straight jackets and padded cells.  There, deranged and forgotten souls were doomed to a life of isolation and anguish.  It’s no wonder that these structures are steeped in tales of ghostly sightings.  Perhaps some tortured spirits were never discharged.  Many of us claim to have encountered them.

The Athens Lunatic Asylum, known today as The Ridges, is a case in point.

Come hear the tales of two locals with unique insights and unusual experiences of their own.  One, Mr. Steve “Tebes” Caul spent his childhood living there with his psychiatrist father and family.  The other, Mr. Matt Box, recalled summers working the grounds around the looming structure.  Their personal memories add depth to our understanding of this storied place.

Come learn of an effort to identify the names of those former patients who rest in graves adjacent to the property.  Click here to connect with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and their worthy cause to restore and engrave broken headstones: https://namiathensohio.org/get-involved/the-ridges-cemeteries/   

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:
 
 

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And as always, keep wondering…

Museums are known for holding all sorts of important objects.  Some museums, however, hold something not usually visible… something of the spiritual realm.  These places are fertile grounds for folklore to take root.

Such is the case with the United State Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Come hear the personal experiences of famed author of Ohio ghost tales, Ms. Chris Woodyard.  Her renowned 5-part series, Haunted Ohio, introduced many Ohioans to folktales which spring forth from our backyards.  In today’s episode, she offers keen insights into the ghostly sightings at the largest military aviation museum in the world.

Come hear the heart wrenching true tale of a group of men, who gave all they had in support of our freedom.  Many believe their spirits can still be found near parts of the wreckage of their WWII B-24D bomber.

We owe all veterans and active military members a debt of service.  Let us remember their sacrifices as we approach Veterans Day on November 11.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

Ohiofolklore.com

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And as always, keep wondering…

A special thanks to author Chris Woodyard for her participation in today’s episode.  You can find her extensive collection of ghostly tales at her website here: http://hauntedohiobooks.com/ 

Come hear an Ohio folktale that springs forth from true crime history.  The spirits of those murdered, and the murderess herself, is said to linger in this unassuming, modest farmhouse. It still stands in a state park.  You can walk up to the stoop for yourself and peek in the windows.  Perhaps the souls of those lost there yearn to have their story heard.  

In 1896, Ceely Rose was a developmentally disabled young woman.  While her mind was underdeveloped, her heart craved the love of a romantic partner.  She wanted a family of her own, just as others her age were acquiring.  

She would have it at any cost.

Come hear the tales of one writer, Mr. Mark Sebastian Jordan, and his nearly lifelong interest in the story.  It inspired him to write a play and book on the subject.  It’s inspired countless others to ponder the meaning of this history, and the hauntings which continue, 125 years later.

It seems Ceely is still looking for love…

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can find Ohio Folklore at 

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And as always keep wondering…

Special thanks to Mark Sebastian Jordan for his contributions to today’s episode.  His book The Ceely Rose Murders at Malabar Farm can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Ceely-Rose-Murders-Malabar-Crime/dp/1467146188/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_1?dchild=1&keywords=celia+rose+murders+mark+sebastian+jordan&qid=1633270527&sr=8-1-fkmr3

Bridges represent so much to us.  They make the impassable, passable.  They connect us to the wider world.  Yet in folklore terms, bridges are magnets for ghosts.  Countless “crybaby bridges” dot the landscape of our great state.  We share and reshare tales of disembodied voices and misty shapes rising over the water.  

So you might think this episode is just another trite tale of a haunted bridge.  Thank again.  

Come hear the tale of the Bloody Bridge near St. Mary’s.  This legendary story has been published in local newspapers for more than 160 years.  It’s been written into a high school musical.  This wrenching narrative, a love triangle turned lethal, has captured the imaginations of Ohioans for generations.  

Locals believe the tortured spirits of those lost, remain.  They erected a plaque, set in stone, to proclaim a history still very much alive.

Special thanks to Ms. Alysia Hatfield and Mr. Warren Bowery for their personal insights on the subject.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can find Ohio Folklore at 

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And as always, keep wondering…

Covert Affair - Film Noire by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100795

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Many Ohio folktales spring forth from darkened woods.  The claim is that wild territories harbor menacing creatures lying in wait.  Kirtland’s legend of the Melonheads is no exception.  Rumors abound of small, childlike humanoids with bulbous heads and jagged teeth.  Unsuspecting motorists, left disabled on the side of country roads, are said to fall victim to their predatory attacks.

It seems some cryptids aren’t shy at all.

But that’s not all that’s strange about Kirtland’s reputation.  Come hear the true story of a cult, born of religious zealotry.  One former group of local residents found themselves ensnared by a very real evil force.  The consequences proved deadly.  Their impacts are felt yet today.

Come explore these fiendish phenomena, real and imaginary, and what they have to teach us about ourselves.

If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform.  You can also find Ohio Folklore at:

Ohiofolklore.com

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And as always, keep wondering…