According to Andrew Henderson, co-author of the book "Weird Ohio," Ohio is home to hundreds of haunted locations. While there are a number of haunted hotels that are no longer open for business, there are six whose doors remain open to this day. These hotels are located close to Ohio's major cities: Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.
The Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza opened its doors to the public in 1931. The hotel is haunted by a ghost called the Lady in Green. She has been seen in two main areas of the hotel -- the mezzanine and the hall of mirrors. Her husband, a construction worker, died while helping build the hotel in the 1930s. The lady in green wanders the halls hoping to recover her lost love.
Situated in the small city of Lebanon between Cincinnati and Dayton, the Golden Lamb is one of Ohio's oldest hotels. The hotel was built in 1815. A number of ghosts reside in the Golden Lamb, one of which is the ghost of Clement L. Vallandigham, who was a congressman from Ohio during the Civil War period. Vallandigham accidentally shot and killed himself in a room at the Golden Lamb. The room is now known as the Vallandigham dining room. His ghost roams the hallways of this historic hotel.
A second ghost who resides within the walls of the Golden Lamb is that of a little girl named Sarah. Sarah grew up at the hotel when it was managed by her uncle in the mid-1800s. Sarah died of old age, but returned to her childhood home as the ghost of a little girl.
The Buxton Inn is located in Granville, Ohio, a small city approximately 20 miles east of Columbus. Many ghostly sightings have been reported over the years since the inn was built in 1812. One such ghost is that of Orrin Granger, who built the inn. Another ghost haunting the Buxton Inn is that of Major Horton Buxton. The inn was named after the major and operated by him for a time.
While some ghosts have been identified, there have also been sightings of unidentified ghostly figures at the Buxton Inn.
Situated within Punderson State Park to the east of Cleveland, the Punderson Manor Hotel has had a number of reported hauntings. A past fire at the hotel killed a number of children, the ghosts of which have been spotted or heard at the hotel by guests and employees. There have also been a number of reports from guests of noise coming from above them when there was no room there. Night-shift employees claim they have seen lights going on and off and doors swinging open, as well as hearing voices and footsteps when no one is around.
The Candlewood Suites Hotel is located in the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted. Guests and employees have reported supernatural phenomena such as lights turning on and off, cool breezes, shadowy figures and the feeling of icy fingers on an employee's neck. The ghost is that of a lady found dead in the nearby woods after she committed suicide.
The Hotel Breakers is located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Built when the park was just a beach resort, the hotel is haunted by a guest named Mary, who hung herself in a room located on the second floor. Employees and guests have reported disturbances, noises and problems with electronics.
