TinWiki: Athens, Ohio

Athens, Ohio is a small community in the Southeast part of the state. Aside from being the home of Ohio University, Athens also has a reputation for being one of the most haunted places in America. For years, Athens has been plagued by stories of ghosts, satanic cults and various odd occult religious groups. These groups have spawned many of the legends and lore that are attributed to Athens and its numerous surrounding graveyards.

Athens is said to be a vortex of spectral and ethereal energies.

The Ridges

The Ridges or Athens Mental Health Center was built in the late 19th century and was the virtual prison to the vast number of people who were condemned to spend their lives inside. Many of the residents were subject to cruel and unusual experiments which were oftentimes used to try to cure minor incdents of hyperactivity or depression.

The site is home to graveyeards filled with the remains of past inhabitants. Where the majority of the graves are marked correctly, there is a small circle of nameless graves off to the side. Apparently, this is where some unfortunate patients were placed in secret. This is a supposed hotspot for cult gatherings.

When the facility was shut down in the 1980's, the remaining patients were let out onto the streets of Athens and vanished into the landscape.

Marge

While the facility was still in operation, a deaf and dumb female named Marge escaped from her room while the place was in operation and disappeared within. As time passed, part of her section was walled off, trapping her inside. Her remains were discovered some time later as she had been hiding in the attic of the building and had starved to death. The outline of her body can still be seen on the floor of the attic where she laid down and died. If the outline is washed away, it will always come back.

Campus Hauntings and the Cemetary Pentagram

These are alleged hauntings that took place in various different locations on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Wilson Hall

Wilson Hall is one of the oldest buildings on the campus of Ohio University, and surprisingly, there have not been any recorded reports of unexplained phenomena in this building. It has been speculated that this is due to the five major cemeteries of Athens, where various different cults have held rituals, which form a pentagram. According to the pagan traditions, pentagrams create safe zones that are free from paranormal activity, especially in the center, which is exactly the spot where Wilson Hall was built and stands today.

Jefferson Hall

Jefferson Hall is allegedly haunted by a woman who was the former caretaker of the hall. In 1996, two new students from Jefferson Hall decided to explore their dorm. While walking around upstairs they came across a room that they knew was unused, but the door was wide open. Looking into the room, they noticed a woman, dressed rather conservatively, sitting at an old desk in the opposite corner of the dark room. The students addressed her and then apparently realized what they were really seeing. The residents noticed that the woman was not only transparent, but was also floating a couple of inches above her chair. Upon seeing this, they panicked and ran to their floor warden. When they returned with their warden to where they had seen the woman, the door was not only closed, but locked as well with no signs of anyone having been there.

Other phenomena reported by students from the top floors of Jefferson Hall include the sounds of screaming children in the halls late at night and the sounds of marbles dropping hundreds of times on the attic floor which is for janitors only.

Washington Hall

Washington Hall is said to be haunted by some female players from the OU basketball team that had died in a bus crash after returning from a basketball camp they attended during the summer at Ohio University. Numerous residents have reported hearing basketballs being dribbled, laughing and talking in the hallways, especially in the arch that connects Washington and Read Hall.

Crawford Hall

Crawford Hall is supposedly haunted by a student who, in 1993, was sitting on her window on the fourth floor of her dormroom. She somehow lost her balance and fell to her untimely death. In the following Spring of '94, residents supposedly began to experience paranormal anomalies. Lights would turn on and off by themselves, and items would disappear and reappear several days later. One evening, one of the residents lay down to take a nap after dinner. Knowing that his roommate would be returning a bit later, the resident left the door cracked and turned off the lights. As he drifted off to sleep, he soon was awakened by the door opening and the light from the hall pouring into the room. A female was standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the lights. As she entered the room, she sat next to the resident on the bed and said words to the effect, "I'm sorry, I've woken you". The resident was groggy having just woken, and as he tried to assure her that it was alright, she wasn't listening to him, almost as if she wasn't even aware of him. She allegedly got up, left the room and closed the door behind her. The resident was somewhat confused, since he was sure he knew just about everyone in his complex and he had never seen this person before. Not sure if he had dreamed the whole incident, he went to talk with his resident assistant. He swore again that he had never seen the woman before, but that he felt odd when she was near. As he described his visitor and her appearance, the RA began to become alarmed, as he knew that the boys room marked the exact spot where Laura had landed outside exactly one year before.

 

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