Legends and Hauntings

There are a number of reported hauntings and local legends that circulate around Licking County.

Legends

First National Bank

Popular legend states that the well known face carved into the doorway of the former First National Bank Building at 1 S. Park Place belongs to Adam Kiesel. In 1868 Kiesel was a failing businessman who reportedly set fire to his grocery shack that stood directly east of the bank. He was tried for arson and acquitted, but many locals were thankful that he had burned down unsightly structures from the public square. The architect who designed the bank building Thomas D. Jones carved this face as a reminder to Kiesel's public service to the bank and the community. Other sources say the face may be that of Puck, the mischievous wood sprite immortalized in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream , but locals like to attribute it to Newark's first arsonist.

Jailed Marshal

Believed to be the oldest building in Newark, the downtown office of Aldridge-Mead Chiropractic was once a general store 200 years ago. Legend states that although there was prohibition, the owner of the general store made and sold his own whiskey. Because this was illegal at the time, a marshal came into the town to arrest the owner. The owner who was beloved by the townspeople, was accidentally shot by the marshal when a fight broke out between the two. The marshal was thrown in jail, but later when some of the men got drunk, the dragged the marshal out of jail and hanged him on a telephone pole, at the corner of Second Street and South Park Place.

Coca-Cola Bottle

Local legend claims that the famous design for the Coca-Cola bottle was designed by Alexander Samuelson, while he lived in Newark and worked as the superintendent of the Everett Glass Works in 1913. The bottle was inspired by a simple drawing of a coca bean in the Encyclopedia Britannica . The American Bottle Co. in Newark was one of the first to begin production of the bottles and the design was patented in 1915. Other sources state however that the actual bottle was designed by Earl R. Dean who worked for the Roots Glass Co. in Terra Haute, Indiana with Samuelson after he left Newark.

Underground Railroad

History recounts that a old cabin located off Brushy Fork Road, in Newark, was once a safehouse on the Underground Railroad. Slaves began escaping slavery to the North in 1793, after the first Fugitive Slave law was passed in Congress. The house is near the bed of the Erie Canal and the railroad, which were two popular avenues in the days of the Underground Railroad.

Buffalo Bill Cody

Back in the hills of Licking County stands Cody's Knob, believed to be the home of Isaac and Mary Ann Cody, parents of William Frederick Cody, more famously known as 'Buffalo Bill'. Though nothing remains of the original cabin, the homesite stood off of National Road, about a mile or two from Jacksontown. Although Buffalo Bill was born in Iowa in 1846, his parents lived in Ohio before he was born.

Lincoln's Hat

Legend states that President Abraham Lincoln once left a hat in Newark while he was passing through on his way to Washington D.C. for his inauguration. In March of 1861, a strong storm came through the city and swept the silk top hat off of Lincoln's head and deposited on the farm of Daniel Z. Forry. When he arrived at Newark's Union Station, he was missing his hat and admitted it had been lifted of his head. Lincoln's hat still remains in the Forry family today, secured in a vault of the First National Bank.

The Black Hand

Described as the most well known legend in the county, the legend of the Black Hand tells the origin of the hand that once marked a cliff along the Licking River near Toboso. The legend originated through a contest about the beautiful Native American princess Ahyoma (or Ayohmah). Two men, Wacousta and Lahkopis, had a competition for her hand in marriage to see who could bring her the most scalps. One version states that the the younger warrior Lahkopis bested the elder Wacousta by one scalp. Wacousta, his pride wounded, supposedly chopped off his hand off with a tomahawk and through it against the cliff before disappearing into the forest. Another version recalls that Wacousta was the winner, but the princess still prefers Lahkopis and the two run away together. Wacousta pursues the couple and a fight ensues where Lahkopis cuts off the hand of Wacousta before they all tumble off of the cliff. Wacousta's hand clung to the wall where is blackened and remained as warning to the tribe. Despite the legends, the hand-print no longer remains and was destroyed in 1828 during construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal.

Hauntings

The Captain's Ghost

Canal Street in downtown Newark stands where the Erie Canal once ran through Newark. As a result, many captains would stop to eat and drink in Newark and stay in the rooming houses. One captain who was staying in the Dent Building was robbed, murdered and thrown out of the window into the canal. Legend has that after that, the building could not continue to be used as a rooming house because the "Captain's Ghost" still walked the second floor, restless because his murderers were found.

The Buckingham House

Now occupied by the Licking County Historical Society, the Buckingham House once belonged to Judge Jerome Buckingham. When it was moved from its original location near Park National Bank and the old Carroll's Department Store to its present location beside the Heisey Museum off of West Main Street, there were a number of strange accidents that accompanied the move. The truck's axle bent, pieces of the home fell and it took much longer for the home to be moved and secured. After it was finally installed, caretakers and guests have witnessed some spooky incidents around the home. Judge Jerome's private bedroom is always drafty because legend claims his presence is still there, and some say you can hear footsteps coming down the hall. Also sometimes doors and windows open and close all by themselves, despite being locked. A curator has claimed to see muddy footsteps in the hall that ended mysteriously in the dining room, and in 1996 a bride at a wedding receptions is believed to have seen Jerome's specter at the top of the staircase. Moreover, the current location of the house stands where Newark's original graveyard stood, the Sixth Street Cemetery.

Hudson Avenue Bomber Crash

The legend of the 1942 Bomber Crash on Hudson Ave that killed eight men, continues to linger on years after the crash. The current owner of the home on Hudson Ave believes that spirits of two men killed in the crash maintain a presence in her home, specifically Captain Lawrence Lawver and Col. Douglas Kilpatrick, the co-pilot and pilot of the crash. She has noticed that the spirits routinely tilt picture frames on the walls and break light bulbs. Bobbi Fyre, the owner of the home has reported that her son has seen the ghost of Kilpatrick in the mirror and even interacted with him.

Prospect Place

Locals claim that an old mansion, known as Prospect Place in Trinway, is haunted. Built in 1856, the 29 room mansion currently houses the G.W. Adams Educational Center, a nonprofit organization established in 2005 by the current owner and decedent of the builder George Adams. People have claimed to hear voices and footsteps, and many have seen full body apparitions. Some of the legends include: the ghost a bounty hunter, murdered by the servants in the hall, who wanders the halls looking for lost slaves; the ghost of a servant girl who fell from the balcony; and the ghost of Anna Adams-Cox, the daughter of George Washington Adams who died in 1924. Prospect Place was featured on a 2010 episode of Ghost Hunters, and served as one of the stations for the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.

Pine Bluff

An old house on Pine Bluff Road near Fallsburg, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a crazy dentist who murdered his family and buried them in the back yard. People have claimed to see balls of floating light around the property or inside the house itself.

Buxton Inn

The Buxton Inn in Granville, is one of the most well known haunted locations in Ohio. The inn was built in 1812 by Orrin Granger, and originally known as "The Tavern", a mail delivery depot and stagecoach stop on the Columbus-Newark line. It is believed to be the oldest continuously operating inn in Ohio. The name was given by a Major Buxton, who operated the inn from 1865 to 1905. Another owner, Ethel (Bonnie) Bounell who ran the inn from 1934-1960 is one of the inn's more famous ghosts, who died in the inn in Room Nine. Known as "The Lady in Blue" multiple witnesses have seen her cross the outdoor balcony between the upper story rooms then vanish. The current owner of the inn has also felt her presence and even smelled her perfume when sitting in Bounell's old office. Others have also reported seeing the presence of Major Buxton around the inn, and a room full of men where the coach drivers had once ate and slept.

Johnstown Witch

The legend of the Johnstown Witch is that of Sarah Lovina Emerson, a young girl buried in the Concord Cemetery in Johnstown in 1846. Sarah tragically died of a house fire at the age of 13. A number accounts about the fire have circulated over the years; the first was that she was deranged and set the blaze herself; it was set intentionally by an intruder; or her long skirt caught on fire from an oil lamp. After her death, Sarah's parents sold their house and left the county. Sarah was known to have 'fits', which have populated legend and some believe that she had special powers, and have led visitors to leave presents on her grave as gifts to please the "Johnstown Witch".

Denison University

Two buildings on Denison's campus are said to be haunted. The first building is the Chamberlin Lodge, which is used for student housing. Many reports have recounted a ghostly presence that puts a hand on someone's shoulder. The William Howard Doane Library is another location on the campus that has reported a supernatural presence. The library's seventh floor, which now holds the university archives, was once a study room used by students to work, and perhaps nap. According to the legend, a ghostly woman in a long dress would carry a ruler and hit students if they fell asleep.

Licking County Children's Home

The Licking County Children's Home is one of the known haunted locations in downtown Newark. One legend surrounds its cemetery, on East Main Street. The story maintains that a man was killed in the graveyard in the early 1900s and his ghost can be seen walking across the field. The home for orphaned children closed in 1975, and was used by the Licking County Genealogical Society from 1975 to 2000. A ghostly presence could also be felt in Room 209. Members of the Genealogical Society attribute most of the hauntings to "Old Willie" a six year old named Willie Brown who died of consumption (tuberculosis) in July 1890.