Got a Spooky Story?

Know of any good haunted house or ghost stories about Marion that belong on this web site? What about an urban legend or weird local landmark? Contact us at spooks@spookymarion.com

There are also a few stories that we would like to add but have been unable to find any substantial information on. If you know anything about any of the following stories, let us know!

  • The house on the northeast corner of South Greenwood Street and Mount Vernon Avenue. Supposedly it’s haunted.
  • A ghost that haunted the (now razed) East Lawn Manor on Route 95.
  • The ‘wolf man’ who was supposedly sighted in Marion County during the summer of 1972. An account of this appears in Chris Woodyard’s book Haunted Ohio III, but we were not able to track down any original sources for this story

50 thoughts on “Got a Spooky Story?

  1. How about the Harding Memorial hauntings? As a child we squeezed thru the bars to the inside of the memorial, and went up the ladder to the inner ring of the top of the memorial…only to hear voices of ghosts that resided there????

  2. Sorry, just now saw that you asked if anyone who knew anything about it. All I remember is that someone was murdered there and no one lived there for long. However, the people who live there now have lived there for years. Great website btw!

    1. That’s a story around town that I’ve thought about looking into for a long time. I heard that she was buried standing up? But of course, that could just be a rumor.

      1. My dad grew up in Marion and he took me to the gypsy grave a couple years ago and he told me that she was buried standing up because she was pregnant out of wedlock. This was either because of a gypsy tradition or because it was a Catholic cemetery and that was the only way the church would let her be buried there – he wasn’t sure which. I don’t know if that helps or not.

  3. Yes, the old Teroff mansion on the corner of N. Greenwood. I remember it well. I lived in Marion from 1987 to 1990 a little over 3 years. There were stories about it then but none verified. I attempted to verify them and I went into that old house with a friend. I have some very interesting things to report. No voices, no sounds, but there were some strange things.

    Do you know, is that house currently occupied? Drive by and take a look. Stop in and knock on the door. That should tell you. This fact may or may not lend some veracity as to whether or not it is haunted. Let me know. I will write my story about this place and the day I walked through in in 1988. It’s very compelling.

    1. I would love to know more about this house. I have heard ‘stories’ since I was little but don’t know what is true.. Please, if you have any information, can you share? Who lived in the house? Did anyone die there?

    2. “The house on the northeast corner of South Greenwood Street and Mount Vernon Avenue. Supposedly it’s haunted.”
      Nope: I lived there as a very young teenager many years ago, maybe in the mid 1950’s. It was not haunted, it had good vibes and was a happy place to live. Sorry!

  4. Anyone have any stories about hauntings in Meeker? I lived in a haunted house there as a child and years later my brother and sister-in-law lived in the same house and she had very similar experiences to those I had as a child even though she had never heard me talk about it. Just wondered in anyone else has heard anything or have had any personal experiences about a house on Agosta-Meeker Rd.

  5. We used to be rude and go out and mess with the Mongoloid’s. Never found any at the Benzler House, though. Was always at the old Marion Airport…. I will say the barns at the Benzler house will send some chills up your back, but no more than a lot of the stories. Most people are scared before they get there, and so yes, if you hear a noise or anything, your mind will play games on ya.

    1. Do you have specific location on the Benzler house? I went to it when I was younger and in high school and it seems that every person I ask about it has never heard of it. Does anyone know its specific location?

  6. I grew up in Marion and enjoy reading about those old stories.I have a story about the house I grew up in. The house is on 243 Pearl St. My family moved into it in the 60s. Shortly after they lost a son when a drunk driver hit the family car. We always heard strange noises in the house. My parents have passed away, but I have heard stories that no one can stay there and the house sits empty. I would like to find out the history of this old house before my family moved into it.

  7. My husband does not believe in haunted places. He would love to help anyone with investigating anywhere in Marion or surrounding areas. He feels it’s just your imagination getting the best of you. He believes there is a logical explanation.

  8. My ex and I moved to a duplex at 368 Windsor St. in September of 1975. We lived upstairs. I was expecting a baby. I was prone to afternoon naps when I was home alone. I would doze off and be awakened to the sound of children laughing and playing. It sounded as if they were in the nursery. The first time I got up, looked out the windows and saw no children. No one else ever heard anything downstairs either. I am sure they all thought it was my imagination or a pregnancy thing. It happened every time I was alone during the day and dozed off. Anyway, on Christmas Day of 1975, we went out to my in-laws to have dinner and open gifts. When we got home that night, we heard a knock on the door. It was the neighbor from downstairs. She said all she heard all evening was kids running around upstairs and laughing and yelling. When I told her we had been gone all evening, she got a funny look on her face and went quickly downstairs. I heard them several times after that until my daughter was born in March of 1976. Never heard anything after that nor did anyone else to my knowledge.

  9. I lived in a house when I was 9 or 10 in Marion at 210 Reed Ave, and there was an old man who haunted the house. He would try to scare me as a kid. I don’t know if the house is still haunted – they remodeled the house after we moved out.

    Itrustme0420@yahoo.com
    Tai Naylor

  10. I want to know the full story of the gypsy grave in St. Mary’s Cemetery on the west side across from the Marion Cemetery. I’ve been there but don’t know the full story.

  11. My parents moved into a house at 574 East Center St. almost a year ago. They are believers that there is a logical reason for everything, so when I moved in with them and began experiencing strange things I couldn’t explain, I started looking things up about the house, but so far I have found nothing! Its very frustrating – things have happened in the house in such a short time and there’s no explanation. I would love to have somebody check it out because I know I’m not crazy, and I’ve actually been touched and had a lot of weird things go on. One night my dad heard sounds from his phone, and the phone was not being used at the time. Dad said it was a man, and dad was joking with him. See, dad doesn’t believe in the supernatural. But the man on the other end of the line (this was no call) told my dad he was “Brewer” the ghost upstairs. My dad laughed at him and the man responded, “You’re stupid.” And the voice was gone all of the sudden. If anybody knows anything about this house please contact me. I would really appreciate any information.

  12. I don’t know if anyone lived over on Darius St. here in Marion, but I did, on 604 Darius. I lived there from age 15 to age 16. That house was extremely haunted. People who lived there before my family did things they shouldn’t. They played with ouija boards and opened up doors that never should have been opened. My bedroom at the time was painted all black. My mother had painted over it, but not the closet door. While living there my dogs would sit at the bottom of the stairs and growl, and they would not go up there. We were never told about the house or what had happened in the house, but my parents just shook it off and didn’t pay no mind to it, but when I moved back in there in 2003, that’s when things really started to happen. My dogs were thrown down the stairs. Things would open up and slam shut, always around 3 a.m. I can remember my room was always the coldest out of all rooms in the house. I would wake up to my cross being upside down and my pictures of the Lord on the floor. I watched dark shadows leap from the recliner chair to the bathroom down stairs. Now call it fake if you want, but lets see you move in to that house and live there because that is one house I will not move in to or raise my family in. It caused my dad to try to hang himself out back in the tree.

  13. I’m interested in learning more about the house on Fairground Rd. that was abandoned. I lived in Fairpark and friends and I would go into that house and there was a barn on the land?

  14. Did you know that there is yet another haunted house on Cherry Street? In fact, it is right next door to “Delores” and “Tina’s” house. It is 345 Cherry St.

    A German immigrant by the name of Ernst Dennig built the house for his family in 1885. He was a carpenter by trade and in March of 1903, he was doing some remodeling work on the second floor of the Haberman Hardware Store on N. Main St. He inadvertently stepped backwards into the open elevator shaft and witnesses state that as he fell to the basement floor he simply said: “Oh my.” Those would be his last words. He was rushed home by ambulance and died later that evening.

    His wife, Mary, died in the home in March of 1910. She was 53.

    Louise Willoughby died in the house in March of 1933. Like Mary Dennig, Louise was also 53 years old.

    A man by the name of Oris Buyer bought the house in 1966. He died in Phoenix, Arizona, while visiting family in March of 1985.

    A young lady by the name of Virginia Fabian was the most recent person to have died in the house at 345 Cherry Street. She died in March of 2008.

    To say the house is haunted is stretching the definition a bit. Having lived there for almost 15 years, I have never seen any apparitions, self-opening cupboard doors, flying books or anything of the like. However…quite a few people who have been in the house have witnessed sounds and voices coming from the second floor. There are bangs that are loud enough to make you think a 900 pound safe had been dropped on the floor. There is the sound of children laughing and playing during the day. You will hear their footsteps running about as if they were playing a game of tag. There is knocking on the walls and the sounds of things like toys falling on the floor.

    I had two dogs while I lived there. One evening a couple of us were sitting in the front room watching television. The dogs, both of whom were sound asleep on the floor, were woken up by something that I did not hear. They woke up at the same moment, in a start, and stared at the ceiling for a second before running to the bottom of the stairs and staring upward as if waiting for someone to come down.

    The most unnerving part is when the house is quiet. On several occasions I have heard a child’s voice calling from the top of the stairs: “Dad. Dad. Daaaad!”

    I’ve researched the history of the house, all of its owners and the lives of all of their children. While 4 people may have died there (all in March), not one of them has been a child. So, why does one hear the sound of children upstairs…? I have no idea. But it’s spooky.

  15. My great grandfather was acquitted for a murder in the 30’s. It was fault of the court. He killed a man that was having an affair with my great grandmother. Would love to chat more about it with you! I have news paper clipping and other stuff. Very interesting!

  16. My son has worked at The Ok Cafe for 5 years and told me when he’s alone he feels like he’s really not. There are noises as if someone is there working. He’s so used to it that it doesn’t scare him – it’s just eerie. He thinks it’s the owner that killed himself years ago because he was a workaholic like my son. Just wanting to know if you have heard anything. And OMG what about the Pleasant Acres Trailer Park? Heard anything about that place yet? Now I am here to tell you that the elderly live there and some pass away there. My blessed grandma did. She lived in one mobile home and my mother in another almost across from one another Lot 4 and 28. I have stories and so does my mother. And there are quite a few elderly people who absolutely know it’s haunted but don’t know what to do about it. One morning, as soon as the sun started to rise, I heard MOVE! And my blanket was thrown off of me. That’s just one story…there are more. And when my mom was moving from there a woman who lived near her told her the place is haunted, that she’s seen and heard ghosts. Yep! I use to cut through the neighbors yards at night to go from moms and grandma’s and well… try it sometime you’ll be surprised. Let me know if you’ve heard anything. I’m just “dying” to know. And God bless and protect you.

    1. Hi Tami, no I’ve never heard anything about either the OK or Pleasant Acres. But I’m always on the look out for new stories! Thanks for dropping a line! -Josh Simpkins

  17. I was wondering about the big old 2 story house on State St. It was an ugly purple for many years. It sits on the corner of State St. and ?. Its been 40 years since I’ve lived in Marion, and I just cant remember the streets anymore. And it was painted a lighter color the last time I passed it a few years back. Has anyone else ever had bad things happen to them there? When I was a kid we always heard it was haunted and of course as kids you get spooked. After I got into my teenage years, I dated a guy, and his sister moved into that house. One night we had all been out and met back up later at “Debbie’s” house. It was just several siblings and me and Debbie’s 2 small baby toddlers in the home. It was in the winter time, maybe about 1975-1976, and we all were in the living room. Debbie put her kids to bed, and then she came out to the living room where we were sitting there chatting. About 5 minutes later we suddenly heard this big cracking sound. It was the sound of someone slapping someone else. Just then Debbie’s son started crying, and we all ran in to see what had happened. At first we thought that maybe the kids had been playing around instead of being in bed. To my surprise, there was a man-sized hand print, with welted marks on that baby boy’s cheek, and his sister was asleep like nothing had happened. Needless to say, it scared me and I left that house right then and there and will never go back there. I get home from time to time, and if I go by that house, I get the heeby jeebys. I have a faith in God and am sure there’s something evil in that house! Over that past ten years I have had the opportunity to speak with Debbie, and she told me no one ever believes her when she tells them that about that series of events! I saw Debbie years later, and she didn’t recall who I was at first, but when I told her about that night, she remembered.

      1. If you cross the over pass on State Street heading North, it would be on the right hand side of the street, the farther corner crossing the street, and not to far from the overpass. Also the was a Baptist Church that was around the corner and down block or so, on the same side of the street that the house would sat on. I am trying to find someone who remembers that house.

        1. There is also an apartment, or was, 176 S. Main Street. It’s an apartment a family lived in and back in the early 70’s, and the step dad was charged for killing the step daughter. She disappeared after going to the library according to him, which was right down the block. I have head from several people that lived there, the little girl still is there and you can hear toys and stuff, her talking. Sadly they found her like a week later i think down close to Silver Street or out that road that Silver runs off of. She was like 6 yrs. old. I am sure there are articles coving that tragic event.

      2. The house on the corner of Farming and State, a lady named Bert owned it for many years and rented it out. She also owned a brick place where the moose is that’s now torn down. Very nice lady but people always messed with her and made fun of her and would steal from her and throw stuff in her yard because she was fat. She painted the house purple and green back in the 70s to get back at all the people who picked on her.

  18. I lived in a house Bain Ave., and it was very much so haunted by a little girl I saw on my night vision baby monitor. I know of two other people who lived there prior to me who saw the same exact little girl. My 2 year old would talk to her in the early mornings, and I would get so scared that I would run in the room and get my babies. I would love for you to investigate that because I talked to the person who owned it, and apparently I’m the only person who has mentioned it, although the previous tenants have definitely seen what I saw. Things would fall off the fireplace mantle, and heavy things would fall and break in the attic. Please look into that because I would love to hear the story on that. I could feel her walk past me and look at me in front of the landing on the stairs.

  19. I went to the tall grass trail a few months ago and now I have been getting these weird scratches and weird feelings. I heard a voice while I was on the trail and no one else was there. I have been seeing weird figures through out my house and my friends have been harmed as well. Is it possible that a ghost from the tall grass trail followed me home? Can anyone please send me some history on the place if that is possible. Thank you

  20. Josh, when I was just entering high school we moved from Marion back to Waldo. Our house had two entities: #1 was a boy who was electrocuted in one of the bathrooms in the home in the 50s and #2 was a dog of the Pekingese variety. I’ve been told various stories about the boy helping people by raising stuck windows; but with my sisters and myself, he just liked to hide things from us. Some things we never found, while others we found years later. The Pekingese liked to wander the halls, and you could here its nails clicking on the floor and his asthmatic breathing when he was on the move. He liked to crawl in bed with my mom or myself. These things went on for years.

    The house was originally built at the turn of the 20th century and was the home of Dr. Pettibone. It was at that time a beautiful Victorian with two balconies and a third floor maid’s quarters (and sometime infirmary). The house now sits empty and the eventual disposition is up in the air. My family hear that it may be torn down. Which is sad considering the history, but as far as historical value, it has very little as it had been remodeled in the 50s into a 3 apartment building with a rock front. You can still see where the original dumbwaiter was located on the second floor, but the first floor location was covered up with a closet. One of the original balconies remain but the railing was covered in concrete. The original coal furnace was converted and was still in use when we lived there.

    The doctor’s office was located at the south side of the property on N. Marion Street, but was moved to the rear and further south onto another property. It was eventually remodeled into a larger home.

    1. I am Ruth L’s sister, and she failed to tell you about the things that happened in the house beyond things going missing or being moved. I was home alone one day, and I heard water running on the third floor. I went upstairs to find the bathtub that we used as storage was filling up with water. This wouldn’t be unusual if the faucet was intact, but all the handles were removed. I had to run to the second floor to get pliers to turn the water off. The tub didn’t have a plug so why was the water filling the tub? I didn’t think about why the water was on until after I turned it off then I was freaked out. A year later, I heard water running again and I went to that same bathroom to find the water running in the sink. I didn’t think this was unusual because the sink was used daily. We had heard through the years that the teenage boy that died was in that tub when he accidently knocked a radio into the tub and electrocuted himself. Our dog would sit at the bottom of the steps and growl. He did not like going to the third floor. Our Mom would hear someone calling “Mom” when she knew we were all at school. All and all I think this boy liked having 4 girls living in the house because he never did anything harmful but only mischievous.

  21. What about the house that used to be on West Center? I always heard a piano playing. They tore the house down and built a gas station called the Purple Martian. It’s now a dilapidated car lot with no movement. Any stories about that?

      1. The lot is south of the Warehouse Restaurant. The house was adjacent to the restaurant’s driveway until it was razed in the early 60’s. There was a turn of the century two-story brick warehouse / office on the lot behind it that was just as creepy as the house.

  22. Spooky Marion is a great site. Love the history as well as the scary stories. I wanted to ask if anyone has a story about Harding’s ghost appearing at the offices of the Marion Star. A friend of mine worked in the printing area during the late night shift, and one night when he was working, he looked up and Harding was standing there. He couldn’t move. Harding turned his head and looked at him, right into his eyes and my friend took off. He still worked at the Star for some time after this but never saw Harding again. They would hear many strange noises though. Thought you might find the story interesting. Please let me know if you have heard of anyone else seeing or hearing anything at the Marion Star. My friend would really like to know.
    Thank You,
    Diane Martin

  23. I lived at 186 Silver St. for almost 4 years, and I witnessed a few things.

    First I thought it was me, but then me and my niece were sitting in the living room and on of my sconces just came out of its holder on the wall and landed in the middle of the floor and did not break.

    Also, it always felt like someone was crawling into bed with me.

    My 3 1/2 year old granddaughter stood at the bottom of the steps twice on 2 different occasions and pointed up the stairs and said, “Who is that, Mimi?”

    The cops showed up at my door saying there was a 911 call that came from inside the home. I explained it was just me and my granddaughter. The cop then asked me to get my phone, so I retrieved my cell phone and he called dispatch, and they said it was a land line. I explained I did not have a land line!

    A couple more things: my boss owned the house and he had heard stories from previous tenants but didn’t think too much about it. But since we were friends, he took someone into my home to check things out. So he and this person went in my home they had some kinda of meter. While they were sitting on my couch, they could see across the room where it looked like someone was sitting in the chair. They also went upstairs and said that whoever was in the house should show them a sign if wanted us to leave. The meter went crazy! The lady who was with my boss said she felt the presence of an older man and little girl.

    I had a friend move in with me, and he was in bed one night and the covers on the bed were picked up from his feet and moved.

    I am real good friends with a guy who grew up in this home and he told me his 11 day old sister died in it. He told me not to interact with them.

    After I had the house cleansed, it got quiet for awhile, but later it always felt like someone was walking behind me…

  24. I saw a query about the house on the corner of S. Greenwood St. amd Mt. Vernon Ave. asking if it is haunted. It is not! I lived there for about three years back in the 1950’s and never felt anything strange or scary, nor did my parents. I would be interested to hear of any stories about the place.

  25. We lived in the brick duplex on the corner of Mt. Vernon and S. Greenwood. The backyard backs up against the large white house on S. Greenwood. My children were 1 and 3 years old at the time and used to play with a “girl that jumped off the roof”. They’d complain about her being in the closet at night and even though I’d firmly shut the door every night, it’d be open in the morning. There was also a little alcove off the side of the living room where the kids kept their toys. At night toys would start playing that had been turned off or balls/cars would roll across the floor. It never felt malicious.

  26. There is also a haunted house on the corner of Blake and Toledo in Marion. My mother stayed here with her grandmother when she was younger and a ghost used to come and visit in their bedroom and sit in their bed. There were also issues with washing coal dust off of the walls and it coming right back.

  27. Information on true crime for Marion Ohio, these are available through the Epsy file, which is a remarkable resources on the Death Penalty in Ohio.

    These are two death penalty cases that are linked to Marion Ohio, one concerns an attempted robbery of the Islay Dairy Store, which appears to still be standing in Downtown Marion.

    The second concerns a LaRue resident named Samuel Tannyhill who was convicted of a murder in Fremont. He wrote his life story / confession while in the Old Ohio Penitentiary Annex.

    https://archives.albany.edu/concern/daos/2f75rs28m?locale=en
    https://archives.albany.edu/concern/daos/v979vk51r?locale=en

      1. Might be a little difficult to find, but Tannyhill wrote his life story while he was in the Prison Annex (Death Row), I’d call it an autobiography, but its not that long. Its an interesting document. I read it once, if I find it again I will send you the link.

        There is also a death penalty case from Northeast of the Marion Fairgrounds. Victim was named Henry Foos who lived on what was known as the “Harvey Road” which I could not find on a historical map. I contacted the Marion County Historical Society, they think it was along Kenton-Galion Road, the man convicted was Everett Koons from Nelsonville in Athens County. He had just been paroled from the Ohio Penitentiary for manslaughter in Athens County.

  28. What about a house at 381 S. Greenwood St.? Is of haunted? My friend is having some things happen to him there.

  29. I have no doubt in my mind that Sawyer-Ludwig Park out on White Oaks Rd. is haunted. It used to have a sanatorium there. I have also heard that the Masons used to have meetings out there. I have family who were Masons, and although I never knew specifics, I know they believed and indulged in some dark stuff. My friends and I had the brilliant idea to go out there one night, and it was one of the scariest experiences I’ve had – only second to an experience that we had out at the Salem House.

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