Hamilton, Ohio, has a handful of ghost stories. Some of these stories are variations on urban legends, while others sound more original. Take a look for yourself, and see what you think.
The Butler County Fairgrounds are believed to be haunted by a man who killed himself there. Supposedly the man walked into a bathroom one night and calmly shot himself in the head. People now claim to see the man’s ghost wandering through the fairgrounds, still bleeding from the head. I have to say that I have been there several times in the past, and have never seen anything unusual.
Stories are also told about the Fort Hamilton Hospital. Employees claim to see the ghost of a man walking through the hallways, and some believe this is the former director of the hospital. He is most often spotted in the ICU area, where they see him not only standing there, but also see his image in the monitors.
The man seems so real that nurses have been known to attempt a conversation with him before he disappears. Others have heard the man talking softly, or heard him moaning in rooms where there are no patients.
Maude Hughes Road in the area is also rumored to be haunted, so much so that it is sometimes known as the Screaming Bridge. The story claims that a couple was out on the bridge one night when the car died. The girlfriend stayed behind while the man went to find help. He returned to find his girlfriend hanging from the bridge. No one is quite sure what happened next, but the man died on the same spot that very night.
Some claim that if you park your car on the same bridge, you can hear the entire events of that night. You will hear the couple talking, hear her scream, and if you continue to wait, you will eventually hear the man scream too.
Oddly enough there is a variation on this story. The other version claims that the woman and man were arguing in the car as they drove over the bridge. Unable to handle the argument, she jumped out of the car and somehow fell off the bridge. This version claims that if you sit on the bridge, you will hear the sounds of a couple fighting.
This one sounds very similar to an urban legend, mainly because we are not given any facts, nor is there any proof that the events actually happened. I also have to say that if I heard a ghostly conversation, I wouldn’t wait around to see what happened next.
Rose Hill Cemetery is also plagued by a ghostly urban legend. According to the stories there is a female ghost who haunts the cemetery. Those who have picked her up claim that the woman disappeared from the car. Others claim that the woman died on her prom night while trying to find a ride. Either way, this is a story that circulates around hundreds of cities and towns around the world.
Hamilton is also home to the largest family mass murder in history. The event unfolded in 1975, and some claim the event was so horrific that the house is still haunted today. A 42-year-old man named James was staying with the family for awhile when he decided to murder his entire family.
Police arrived to find that the slightly strange older man had murdered his entire family: his brother, mother, sister-in-law, and several children. All told, James had killed eleven people on that sad and fateful day. The family’s possessions were auctioned off to the public, and the house left empty. Despite trying to sell the house, stories of ghosts and hauntings have made that impossible.
A small handful of people have attempted to buy the house over the years, and most have experienced some odd and unusual things there. People have seen shadows inside the house, and witnessed the lights turning on and off on their own. Others claim to still see the bloodstains on the floors, and that the stains will not come out.
Hamilton has its share of odd stories and haunted places, and some such as the Ruppert House may be as gruesome as they come.
Sources:
http://theshadowlands.net/places/ohio.htm
www.forgottenoh.com/Counties/Butler/maudhughes.html
