The visitor center at lock 38 on the Ohio & Erie Canal is rumored to be haunted. A lot of people think that the spirits of the dead still linger near the canal. Many of the park's visitors have witnessed strange lights and some have claimed to see a ghost near the building. The area was once known as Hell's Half Acre.
History
The Canal Visitor Center was originally a locktender house for lock 38 and was built in 1827. Half of the building later became Ma Parker's Tavern. The place was wild and frequented by travelers and canal workers looking for alcohol and prostitutes. The location soon got the nickname Hell's Half Acre and was used until the 1970s as a biker hangout until the National Park Service purchased it. It is now a museum and visitor center.
Haunted History
There have been many deaths in the canal over the years. Most of them happened during the canal's construction. Two ghosts are believed to haunt the opposite sides of the canal near the visitor center. They were presumably lovers and continue to look for each other. Many people have seen odd lights while walking on the towpath. Some of them claim to have encountered the canal's ghosts.
Location
The Canal Visitor Center is located at 7104 Canal Road, in Valley View, Ohio.
Be sure to check out John's other columns:
Akron Paranormal Examiner
Cleveland Haunted Places Examiner
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive email updates when a new article is published. Join John on Facebook, follow on Twitter, or connect on Google+. For more information on the author, visit his website.
Many locations that are listed in John's Hunting the Haunted series require permission to visit or investigate. Most of these places are patrolled by the authorities and trespassers could face fines or possibly even be arrested.
Copyright © 2013 by John Albrecht, All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without permission from the author. Partial reposting is permitted with a link back to the original article.
Comments