PODCAST · society
Ohio Folklore
by Melissa Davies
Hello and welcome to Ohio Folklore. I’m your host, Melissa Davies, and I’m delighted to serve as your guide through some of Ohio’s most treasured, and often misunderstood, folk legends. We’ll explore locations that have inspired a sense of wonder, awe and mystery. We’ll scour historical facts to lay out what can be known. We’ll explore oral histories from local people who’ve had first hand encounters with the places and legends themselves. And, lastly, we’ll consider the unexplained, the unresolved, the missing pieces. What keeps a legend alive is a mix of critical ingredients. You’ve got to have a sense of uniqueness, of being out of place. You’ve got to have an element of significance, of a message that speaks deeply in its universal truth. But lastly, and most importantly, you’ve got to have that feeling of curiosity, of a puzzle with a few vital pieces missing. Our minds want to fill it in, to make it whole. And that, my friends, is where folklore is born. It’s is a col
Episodes
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The Unsolved Murder of Rebecca McClung in Mason
Most Ohioans know the community of Mason for one claim to fame -- the destination of summer thrill seekers, Kings Island. But for those more keen on local history, it’s also known for a haunting, unsolved murder. The building in which it occurred, at 101 E. Main Street downtown, stands yet today....
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The Legend of Death Hole, Hocking Hills
Most of us come to Hocking Hills, Ohio’s most treasured park, for its rugged beauty. With scenes unlike anywhere else in the state, newcomers are often stunned by towering rock formations and plunging waterfalls. It’s no wonder this place draws so many year after year. One lesser known landmark…
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(Rebroadcast) Fallsville Christmas Ghost
Just in time for the holiday season... An Ohio Folklore Christmas Classic Around the holidays, most Ohioans are wrapping presents, baking cookies and decorating the tree. One ancient holiday tradition often gets left out, however. It’s the ritual of sharing ghost stories around the winter…
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(Rebroadcast) Bloody Bridge of St. Mary's
Just in time for Halloween, a classic Ohio Folklore episode is rebroadcasted. Take another delve into this timeless ghostly love story that lingers on... Bridges represent so much to us. They make the impassable, passable. They connect us to the wider world. Yet in folklore terms, bridges are...
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(Rebroadcast) Moonville Tunnel
Come listen again to one of Ohio Folklore's most popular episodes! One monument to an era gone by once laid hidden in the overgrown hills of Ohio’s Vinton County. Thanks to the efforts of countless local enthusiasts and state ODNR officials, this antiquated railway tunnel is now easily reached.…
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(Rebroadcast) Port Clinton, Prohibition and the Haunted Island House Hotel
Planning that annual trip to the Lake Erie shore this summer? Better take another listen before you go... Most of us think of Port Clinton as a summer tourist destination. Indeed, it is. And yet, it's so much more. Few know of the haunted structure that sits on the corner of Madison and Perry...
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(Rebroadcast) Serpent Mound
In honor of the upcoming summer solstice on June 21, 2022, come hear one of Ohio Folklore's most downloaded episodes. Then click this link to plan your visit to this year's Summer Solstice Celebration: https://www.serpentmound.org/fullschedule/ When we think of history in Ohio, most of us…
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Battle of Buffington Island
When most of us think of the Civil War, we picture grand Southern plantations and epic battles with names like Gettysburg and Antietam. Even many Ohioans fought in the conflict, no actual battles happened within our borders, right? The ghosts of the Battle of Buffington Island may beg to differ…
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(Rebroadcast) Portage County UFO Chase
For this month's rebroadcast, we turn to an oldie but a goodie. First released in April 2019, this tale stands as the most compelling UFO lore to ever come out of the Buckeye State. If you haven't heard it yet, what are you waiting for? Early before dawn one April morning in 1966, in rural county...
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(Rebroadcast) The Untold Legend of Annie Oakley
In honor of Women's History Month, take another listen to the episode devoted to one of Ohio's most revered daughters, Annie Oakley. When we Ohioans think of Annie Oakley, we think of a petite woman in fringed leather, staring down the barrel of a long gun, at a target soon to be decimated. Her...
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(Rebroadcast) Ohio State Reformatory
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...
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(Rebroadcast) Ripley, Terminus of the Underground Railroad
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...
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Ghosts of Mirror Lake and Pomerene Hall at OSU Main Campus
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...
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Defiance Werewolf
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...
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Boys Industrial School in Lancaster
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…
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Athens Lunatic Asylum (aka The Ridges)
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…
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Hauntings at the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton
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...
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Ceely Rose House at Malabar Farm State Park
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...
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Bloody Bridge of St. Mary's
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…
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Melonheads & Cult Slayings: Kirtland's Lore
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...
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Piatt Castles
Among Ohio’s many tourist destinations, the Piatt Castles situated in Logan County are truly treasured. Their native limestone blocks and intricately painted ceilings transport visitors to another time. Some come for the history, some come for the aesthetics. Few expect to have the kind of deep...
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Cincinnati's Music Hall
Cincinnati’s Music Hall, a venerable art institution known for wowing audiences with beauty and talent, is also a known for its other-worldly reputation. Patrons and staff alike have sighted ghosts for more than 150 years. All this has cemented the building’s role in Ohio’s folkloric history.…
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Dublin's "Cursed" Memorial Golf Tournament & The Legend of Chief Leatherlips
The crown jewel of professional golf in Ohio is the Memorial Tournament, held every spring at Dublin’s Muirfield Village Golf Club. This renown course, designed by Jack Nicklaus himself, has long been rumored “cursed.” More often than not, it seems, this storied contest suffers inclement weather,...
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Gilboa's Haunted Cholera Cemetery
Feeling weary of our never-ending pandemic lives? The fatigue was well known to our ancestors, who suffered infectious diseases with even less knowledge and fewer treatments than we have available today. The tiny town of Gilboa, Ohio in Putnam County holds key information as to how just one small...
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The Demise of Pretty Boy Floyd
Pretty Boy Floyd. It’s a name you’ve no doubt heard. Perhaps you know him as the depression-era outlaw, whose reputation for bank heists is as legendary now as it ever was. We count him among historic bandits who’ve inspired a rare kind of admiration. Did you know, however, that this notorious...
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Ohioans Lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a maritime tragedy known to many. The sinking of this mighty Great Lakes freighter in November, 1975, remains fresh in our memories. The reason, however, is more personal than some Ohioans know. For many of our friends and neighbors, this disaster wasn’t just...
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Moonville Tunnel
One monument to an era gone by once laid hidden in the overgrown hills of Ohio’s Vinton County. Thanks to the efforts of countless local enthusiasts and state ODNR officials, this antiquated railway tunnel is now easily reached. In fact, it’s handicap accessible. All who dare can now visit the...
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Port Clinton, Prohibition & the Haunted Island House Hotel
Most of us think of Port Clinton as a summer tourist destination. Indeed, it is. And yet, it's so much more. Few know of the haunted structure that sits on the corner of Madison and Perry Streets. The Island House Hotel is a rumored home for lost spirits, including a famous mobster, sheriff and...
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Trumbell County UFO Sightings
Many Ohioans have claimed to spot something unexplainable in the skies above us. Tales of mysterious flying objects seem as numerous as the stars themselves. It's easy to brush off such claims from individuals. However, when dozens of citizens and police officers report the seeing the same…
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The Toledo War
All the wonders that come from our own Glass City (from Mud Hens baseball to Tony Packo's famous hot dogs) were once destined to spring forth from Michigan (gasp!) soil. That's correct, by all rights legal and geographical, the city of Toledo and lands due west were once deemed within the borders...
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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...
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Birdman of Appalachia (aka Mothman)
The legend of the Mothman stands unique among Ohio’s folktales. It’s a shared piece of lore with neighboring West Virginia. The story has drawn thousands, literally. Every year, hordes of tourists descend on this rural spot along the Ohio River. They pay homage to the winged beast, known to all…
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The Untold Legend of Annie Oakley
When we Ohioans think of Annie Oakley, we think of a petite woman in fringed leather, staring down the barrel of a long gun, at a target soon to be decimated. As one of Ohio’s most celebrated daughters, Annie Oakley’s fame lives on a century after her death. She’s the subject of musicals, movies...
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Ghostly Legacy of John Kerr
Many Columbus residents and visitors enjoy a day trip to North Market, the sprawling food hall that's every foodie's dream. This downtown landmark has existed since 1876. Few realize the hidden lore beneath this storied location. Below cement and asphalt lie the remains of the city's founding...
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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…
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South Main School
Some folktales are well worn in, like an old pair of sneakers. We've heard the stories so many times, they become part of our cultural history. But sometimes you're just lucky enough to get in on the ground floor. Come hear one legendary story in the making. South Main School was established in...
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Serpent Mound
When we think of history in Ohio, most of us consider the past two to three hundred years. Few know that one location in Ohio's southern hills holds prehistoric secrets that have yet to be explained. The Serpent Mound of Adams County. Come hear the tale of the world's largest effigy mound, here…
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Coyne Incident
Few historical accounts of Ohio UFO sightings are more compelling than what has become known as the Coyne Incident. It was a cloudless October night in 1973 when an Army Reserve helicopter in the skies about Mansfield nearly collided with an unknown craft. The four military men aboard would soon...
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Ashtabula Train Disaster
Come hear the latest episode of Ohio Folklore! Few Ohioans know the tale of the Ashtabula Train Disaster. When it happened on December 29, 1876, it was the worst train accident in US history. Today, a monument in Chestnut Grove Cemetery stands testimony to the horrors of that night, which have...
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Ottawa County Spook Lights
For more than a century, residents and visitors to Ohio’s Ottawa County have witnessed unexplained balls of light rushing toward them while parked on rickety old bridges. Many know the phenomenon as the legend of Elmore Ghost Rider… the glowing spirit of a local man who lost his head in a...
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Rogues Hollow
Few Ohioans know the tale of Rogues Hollow, a small tract of wilderness in coal territory. It became known for its lawlessness and unbridled violence during the 19th century. Its history provokes scenes reminiscent of the Wild West. All this, here in our own backyard.Come hear the story of one…
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Utopia
Utopia exists. Not just as a concept, or some philosophical idea. No, Utopia is a tiny speck of a town off the northern bank of the Ohio River.Come learn the intriguing story of how this little village has drawn philosophers, dreamers, religious devotees and venture economists. But was Utopia…
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Legend of the Fiddler's Green
Long before the Civil War, in the quiet darkness of moonless nights, lonesome fiddle music could be heard wafting over the surface of the Ohio River. The source of the melody was unknown to some. But to others, it brought the promise of freedom and the protection of one pledged to shelter...
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Fallsville Christmas Ghost
Come hear the latest episode of Ohio Folklore! Around the holidays, most Ohioans are wrapping presents, baking cookies and decorating the tree. One ancient holiday tradition often gets left out, however. It’s the ritual of sharing ghost stories around the winter solstice. It’s that darkest time…
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Egypt Valley
Egypt Valley is a state park unlike any other in Ohio. Many who’ve visited for the first time compare its beauty to the wilds of Yellowstone. The attraction this place has for so many is clear. But what’s often unexpected, is an eerie tension that hangs in the air. Some claim to have seen spirits...
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Gore Orphanage
The legend of Gore Orphanage is a story many Ohioans already know. None have heard it told quite like this.Come hear the truth. Come learn the origins of this mystic place in rural Lorain County. Come discover the allure this location has for more than a century.Come find what it means to connect...
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Ohio Penitentiary
Not many Ohioans have heard of the Ohio Penitentiary, a storied prison once located in downtown Columbus. Through is nearly 150 years in operation, its riots, infectious epidemics and a catastrophic fire took the lives of countless prisoners. That might account for the ghostly screams often heard...
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Cincinnati's Ghost Ship
Climb aboard the USS Sachem, a once glorious yacht built in 1902, now decaying off the southern bank of the Ohio River. When a group of kayakers discovered her in 2009, they had no idea of the tales she held. Only when she was properly identified did we come to understand the role she played in...
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The Ghostly Disappearance of Ronald Tammen, Jr.
Ron Tammen, a Miami University sophomore, vanished from his dorm room one cold April night in 1953. Although he'd never be seen or heard from again, his ghost would take residence and be spotted by countless students. The secrets surrounding Ron's disappearance remain. Come hear the facts of what...
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Franklin Castle
The ghostly reputation of a turreted residence on Cleveland's west side has haunted Ohioans for more than a century. The stories that surround Franklin Castle are a mix of fact and fiction. Did a murderous father kill his children within its walls? Were a group bootleggers gunned down there?Come...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Hello and welcome to Ohio Folklore. I’m your host, Melissa Davies, and I’m delighted to serve as your guide through some of Ohio’s most treasured, and often misunderstood, folk legends. We’ll explore locations that have inspired a sense of wonder, awe and mystery. We’ll scour historical facts to lay out what can be known. We’ll explore oral histories from local people who’ve had first hand encounters with the places and legends themselves. And, lastly, we’ll consider the unexplained, the unresolved, the missing pieces. What keeps a legend alive is a mix of critical ingredients. You’ve got to have a sense of uniqueness, of being out of place. You’ve got to have an element of significance, of a message that speaks deeply in its universal truth. But lastly, and most importantly, you’ve got to have that feeling of curiosity, of a puzzle with a few vital pieces missing. Our minds want to fill it in, to make it whole. And that, my friends, is where folklore is born. It’s is a col
HOSTED BY
Melissa Davies
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Ohio Folklore have?
Ohio Folklore currently has 62 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Ohio Folklore about?
Hello and welcome to Ohio Folklore. I’m your host, Melissa Davies, and I’m delighted to serve as your guide through some of Ohio’s most treasured, and often misunderstood, folk legends. We’ll explore locations that have inspired a sense of wonder, awe and mystery. We’ll scour historical facts to...
How often does Ohio Folklore release new episodes?
Ohio Folklore has 62 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Ohio Folklore?
You can listen to Ohio Folklore on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Ohio Folklore?
Ohio Folklore is created and hosted by Melissa Davies.
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