Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Stories a place tells about itself, passed down and still repeated.
Hinckley Township, OH
Hinckley has celebrated the supposed annual return of turkey vultures every March since the 1950s, creating one of Ohio's strangest recurring local traditions. Buzzard Roost in Hinckley Reservation is the public viewing area associated with the event, where Cleveland Metroparks continues to welcome visitors looking for the returning birds.
Camden, OH
This rocky cliff along Paint Creek has been called the Devil's Backbone since at least 1877 and has accumulated stories involving Bigfoot, hidden mines, missing skunks and a supposed curse. A Legends & Lore marker now stands at Herbert & Patricia Wagers Memorial Park, where visitors can also use the public walking and hiking trails.
Columbus, OH
A large storm-drain tunnel beneath North High Street has acquired the nickname Gates of Hell and a collection of urban legends involving deaths, strange noises and supposedly supernatural encounters. The tunnel itself is drainage infrastructure and should not be entered; treat this as a view-from-public-ground folklore stop only.
Oxford, OH
Harry Thobe was a stonemason and famous Miami University superfan who built the house at this location and maintained a stone fountain on campus until his death in 1950. Legend says that calling Thobe's name near the former fountain site may produce an answering echo; the Legends & Lore marker is at his former Chestnut Street home, so view it from the public right-of-way and do not disturb the residence.
Boston Township, OH
Federal land purchases around the former village of Boston in the 1970s left vacant buildings that helped fuel later urban legends about "Helltown," including stories of satanic churches, chemical disasters and mutant creatures. Most of the sensational landmarks described in those stories are gone or were never what the legends claimed, so Boston Mill Visitor Center in Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the legal public anchor for the story and visitors should not trespass on closed structures or private land.
Columbus, OH
Ohio State folklore says an art student became trapped in a Hopkins Hall elevator overnight and left frantic handprints behind while trying to escape. Versions of the story claim a mysterious handprint still reappears on the exterior of the building; the site is on a public university campus, though visitors should not disrupt classes or enter closed spaces looking for it.
Kirtland Hills, OH
Stop on King Memorial Road, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Marion, OH
The Merchant family grave at Marion Cemetery is topped by a roughly 5,200-pound granite sphere that has slowly rotated on its pedestal over the decades. No definitive supernatural explanation is needed for the movement, but the visibly shifting stone has become a longstanding cemetery mystery; visit respectfully during cemetery hours.
Kent, OH
A five-piece outdoor sculpture by Brinsley Tyrrell, professor emeritus at Kent State, made in 1980-81 and inspired by twisted dry wood near his home. After stints elsewhere in Ohio it was installed permanently near Henderson Hall in July 2011.
