Tales of old spirits and the places they lurk are scattered throughout Southeast Ohio. One of the most notable is the Moonville Tunnel, the last remnant of a murky past. Moonville was one of the many small mining towns that sprang up in the mid 1800s, nestled into the same hills into which the miners dug. There was never more than 100 people living there at any given time, according to its website.
By the 1950s the town was abandoned. The tunnel, which requires a hike along some spotty trails and crossing a creek to get to, is all that’s left. Tales of spectral sightings are common and the old tunnel still draws visitors. Those brave enough to find the haunt are said to encounter any four of the ghosts that linger there. These include a brakeman, an engineer, a bully and a lavender lady.
Just past the tunnel, an old cemetery can also be found. Many of the graves have sunk back into the ground, leaving nothing but an indentation to mark their resting place. At least 13 people were known to have been buried there, most of them with the last name Coe. What’s left of the old mining town is worth the trip, as long as you’re not afraid of those little old ghost stories.