Haunted Hometown: Akron's Top 5 supernatural sites

HistoryThe Ohio and Erie Canal began construction on July 4, 1825 in Newark, Ohio. Construction lasted through 1832. When completed, the canal was 308 miles long with 146 locks. The canal was used to haul freight and supplies from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Railroads eventually took over freight hauling in 1861 and the canal was soon abandoned.Most of the canal was destroyed on March 23, 1913 when a major storm flooded the waterway. In this disaster, 479 people were killed statewide, 5 of which perished in Akron.Haunted HistoryThere are countless ghost stories involving the Ohio and Erie Canal. Akron has quite a few of them and one involves a weeping woman in white. The crying ghost has been reported near Lock 3 Park and behind the Akron Civic Theater. When people get closer to the spirit, it disappears.LocationLock 3 is located at 200 South Main Street, in Akron, Ohio. HistoryThe Indian Signal Tree is a bur oak tree that was once used by Native Americans for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers. They removed their canoes at this tree and carried them eight miles south to Summit Lake. The trail tree stands over 100 feet tall and spreads nearly 75 feet. It is one of the oldest landmarks in Summit County and is believed to be over 300 years old. The tree is shaped like a candelabrum and the mystery that people wonder is, was the tree formed naturally or by Native Americans?Haunted HistorySome hikers on the nearby Chuckery Trail have witnessed odd lights and other strange occurrences. Most people believe that the area is haunted by Native American spirits. A few of the park's visitors have witnessed the ghosts that wander the trails near the tree.LocationThe Indian Signal Tree is located in the Cascade Valley Park Chuckery Area, at 837 Cuyahoga Street, in Akron, Ohio. History On Tuesday, July 21, 1964, part of the Tallmadge Parkway collapsed during a thunderstorm. Velma Shidler, her daughter, Claudia Shidler, and a neighbor, Janet Lewis were traveling on the roadway when it caved in. Their car fell into the hole in the road. A passerby, a college student, Hugh O’Neil, and an Akron Patrolman, Ronald Rotruck went into the crater to rescue the victims. They eventually rescued Velma and Janet, and while trying to rescue Claudia, the two heroes perished. Claudia and Ronald’s bodies were found in the crater, while Hugh’s body was found in the canal.The Tallmadge Parkway was later renamed Memorial Parkway in honor of the heroes and victims.Haunted History Pedestrians and avid bike riders along the scenic Ohio & Erie Canal trail, sometimes catch a glimpse of the fallen heroes. Some say they're still searching for the victims and watching over the trail.Location The site of the Tallmadge Parkway collapse is located near the Memorial Parkway Trailhead, at 499 Memorial Parkway, in Akron, Ohio.View the list »
Sara Cope at Summit Lake

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Not a lot of Akron's residents know about their hometown's haunted history. Many of them may have forgotten the tragic events that happened in their neighborhood. Some people have their very own ghost stories to tell. Here is a list of Akron's top five supernatural sites.

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5. Memorial Parkway
One summer in the early sixties, during a thunderstorm, three inches of rain fell within an hour causing part of the Tallmadge Parkway road to collapse. Three people lost their lives during the downpour and were washed away into the canal below. Today, some people say the location is haunted.

4. Indian Signal Tree
Most of us have encountered an old creepy tree or two when we were kids. The Indian Signal Tree is the king of scary looking trees in Ohio. Some say that the old oak may very well be haunted and that the land that surrounds the tree is visited by Native American spirits.

3. Ohio & Erie Canal
Nearly every inch along the Ohio and Erie Canal is rumored to be haunted. Ghosts and spirits seem to be drawn to the man-made waterway. One of the ghosts is spotted near Lock 3 in downtown Akron. Witnesses have encountered a weeping woman dressed in white and as they get closer, she vanishes.

2. Y-Bridge
Over a hundred people have sought the end by plunging from the Akron All-America Bridge into the valley of death below. Local residents beneath the bridge are often haunted by the memories of sadness, and occasionally get a glimpse of the restless spirits roaming their backyards.

1. Summit Lake
If you visit Summit Lake, you might meet the ghosts of Akron's former Million Dollar Playground. The beaches of this lake used to be an amusement park but now it is home to crime, poverty, and maybe even to a few ghosts or two. When visiting this haunted lake, fear the living and not the dead.

Click View The List to read the history of each haunted location.

Be sure to check out John's other columns:
Akron Paranormal Examiner
Cleveland Haunted Places Examiner

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Many locations that are listed in John's Haunted Hometown 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 re-posting is permitted with a link back to the original article.

View the list
  • History On Tuesday, July 21, 1964, part of the Tallmadge Parkway collapsed during a thunderstorm. Velma Shidler, her daughter, Claudia Shidler, and a neighbor, Janet Lewis were traveling on the roadway when it caved in. Their car fell into the hole in the road. A passerby, a college student, Hugh O’Neil, and an Akron Patrolman, Ronald Rotruck went into the crater to rescue the victims. They eventually rescued Velma and Janet, and while trying to rescue Claudia, the two heroes perished. Claudia and Ronald’s bodies were found in the crater, while Hugh’s body was found in the canal.The Tallmadge Parkway was later renamed Memorial Parkway in honor of the heroes and victims.Haunted History Pedestrians and avid bike riders along the scenic Ohio & Erie Canal trail, sometimes catch a glimpse of the fallen heroes. Some say they're still searching for the victims and watching over the trail.Location The site of the Tallmadge Parkway collapse is located near the Memorial Parkway Trailhead, at 499 Memorial Parkway, in Akron, Ohio.
  • HistoryThe Indian Signal Tree is a bur oak tree that was once used by Native Americans for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers. They removed their canoes at this tree and carried them eight miles south to Summit Lake. The trail tree stands over 100 feet tall and spreads nearly 75 feet. It is one of the oldest landmarks in Summit County and is believed to be over 300 years old. The tree is shaped like a candelabrum and the mystery that people wonder is, was the tree formed naturally or by Native Americans?Haunted HistorySome hikers on the nearby Chuckery Trail have witnessed odd lights and other strange occurrences. Most people believe that the area is haunted by Native American spirits. A few of the park's visitors have witnessed the ghosts that wander the trails near the tree.LocationThe Indian Signal Tree is located in the Cascade Valley Park Chuckery Area, at 837 Cuyahoga Street, in Akron, Ohio. 
  • HistoryThe Ohio and Erie Canal began construction on July 4, 1825 in Newark, Ohio. Construction lasted through 1832. When completed, the canal was 308 miles long with 146 locks. The canal was used to haul freight and supplies from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Railroads eventually took over freight hauling in 1861 and the canal was soon abandoned.Most of the canal was destroyed on March 23, 1913 when a major storm flooded the waterway. In this disaster, 479 people were killed statewide, 5 of which perished in Akron.Haunted HistoryThere are countless ghost stories involving the Ohio and Erie Canal. Akron has quite a few of them and one involves a weeping woman in white. The crying ghost has been reported near Lock 3 Park and behind the Akron Civic Theater. When people get closer to the spirit, it disappears.LocationLock 3 is located at 200 South Main Street, in Akron, Ohio. 
  • History Connecting downtown Akron to the North Hill neighborhood, over the Little Cuyahoga River, is the Akron All-America Bridge. The bridge is a viaduct, locally known as the Y-Bridge, splitting Ohio Route 261 into a one-way Y-shaped pair as it approaches downtown. Completed in 1982, the bridge replaced the 1922 North Hill Viaduct, which was closed in 1977 due to a collapse that killed three people.Since 1922, over a hundred people have jumped to their death. A project to fence the bridge, costing almost $10 million was completed in the winter of 2011. Still, even fenced, it doesn’t thwart off jumpers. A man fell to his death just a few months later.Haunted History Just over the fence, beneath the Y-Bridge is the Elizabeth Park Valley neighborhood. Cascade Valley residents sometimes observe lost souls wandering their backyards. In search of something, these sad spirits roam around waiting for the next jumper.Location All-America Bridge is located on Ohio Route 261 and Main Street, in Akron, Ohio. 
  • History Summit Beach Park in Akron, Ohio, opened on July 4, 1917. During the 1920s it was one of Ohio's most profitable amusement parks. Summit Beach Park closed on Labor Day, 1958. Presently, the area of Summit Beach Park is now a city-operated community center, and located nearby is a low-income government housing project run by the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. AMHA operates the 241-unit Summit Lake Apartments. With crowds of thousands of people daily, the park was also known as Akron's Million Dollar Playground. The park featured the Crystal Pool, the largest mosaic tile pool in the world, Hilarity Hall, the country's largest fun-house, and a dance hall called the Wisteria Ballroom.What once was the home of a popular beach and amusement park is now home to crime and poverty. Most of the homes and businesses in the lakeside community are now boarded up.Haunted HistorySupposedly, spirits of children who drowned here, roam the banks of the lake. Nearby residents claim to hear children laughing and playing. A ghost of a clown is said to be present here as well. Allegedly he burned to death in a tent fire.LocationSummit Lake is located at 380 West Crosier Street, in Akron, Ohio. 
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, Cleveland Haunted Places Examiner

John Albrecht, Jr., is an author, documentary filmmaker, and an amateur inventor. He has been a paranormal investigator for over 10 years, five years with the Truth Hunters, his own organized team. Having had a paranormal experience in 2001, he has been looking for answers ever since. John...

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