Haunted Hometown: Peninsula's Top 5 supernatural sites

HistoryThe Indigo Lake is a man-made lake that is located within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The land was originally the site of Gray's Quarry. On December 27, 1974, the National Park Service took over the quarry. It was later filled in with water by park officials.The land was once used by Native Americans. Today, it is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The lake is a stop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and the Ohio & Erie Canal towpath trail passes through the area.Haunted HistoryMost of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is allegedly haunted. Native Americans that once lived on the land are believed to haunt the Indigo Lake and the land surrounding it. Many visitors have observed odd things at the lake. A lot of them have seen strange floating lights and a few of them have even have heard voices. Others have witnessed strange shadows and some people have seen the lake's ghosts.LocationThe Indigo Lake is located within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, at 4300 Riverview Road, in Peninsula, Ohio.HistoryOriginally known as Cassidy Cemetery, the Mater Dolorosa Cemetery was first used by the Doud and Cassidy families for their family plots. The Irish families eventually donated it to the Bishop of Cleveland. The Bishop later gave it to the Mother of Sorrows Church for the church's congregation to use. The cemetery was officially established in 1869 and renamed by the church.A few decades later, the government began taking most of the land in the area by eminent domain. The land was used for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Adjacent to the cemetery is the park's Happy Days Visitor Center. It was built in 1938. Due to the Helltown stories and legends, people have been trespassing and vandalizing the cemetery for decades. There are over twenty burials but some of the headstones have been vandalized and destroyed.Haunted HistoryA lot of park visitors and hikers believe that the cemetery and nearby trail is haunted. Strange lights have been seen at night. Fleeting shadows and a ghostly white figure are the most common phenomena witnessed. A ghostly face on one of the headstones seems to glare back at people when they look at it.LocationThe Mater Dolorosa Cemetery is located next to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's Happy Days Visitor Center, off of Route 303, in Peninsula, Ohio. HistoryThe Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1836 when Hermon Bronson let the township share some of his land for a town cemetery. The earliest known burial on the property was in 1824. Eventually in 1850, Bronson deeded the land to the township. Up until then, grazing farm animals in the cemetery was a common sight.Haunted HistoryAmong the many veterans buried at Cedar Grove, a witch was also believed to be laid to rest in the cemetery. Supposedly, the tombstone that marks her grave has been struck by lightning so many times that it is starting to melt. A few local residents believe that they have seen the witch's ghost.LocationThe Cedar Grove Cemetery is located at Route 303 and Emerson Street, in Peninsula, Ohio. View the list »
John Albrecht at Everett Covered Road Bridge

Community Issues newsletter

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

Related topics

Advertisement

5. Cedar Grove Cemetery
Numerous Ohio cemeteries have stories of a witch or two that are buried in them. One of the graves at the Cedar Grove Cemetery supposedly contains one of these witch's graves. Visitors say that the graveyard is haunted by the witch and her tombstone gets struck by lightning so often it has started to melt.

4. Mater Dolorosa Cemetery
There is a cemetery in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that is believed to be haunted by the spirits of the people buried there. Some people have witnessed a ghostly white figure while hiking the nearby trail. Others have seen a man's face glaring at them from one of the headstones.

3. Deep Rock Quarry
The Deep Rock Quarry in the Cuyahoga Valley Metro Park has had a reputation of being haunted for years. The quarry was used to build the Ohio & Erie Canal and the whole area surrounding it has many ghost stories and legends. Some visitors claim to have witnessed strange phenomena while exploring the park. Many people have reported seeing the quarry's ghosts.

2. Indigo Lake
The Indigo Lake is rumored to be haunted by Native American spirits. The lake is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Park visitors have witnessed strange things in the area. Many of them have witnessed odd lights and some have even seen a ghost.

1. Everett Road & Covered Bridge
There is a road that goes through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that many people think is haunted. With stories of shadow people, to a ghostly hitchhiker, to a woman in white, this is one creepy road. Folks who cross the bridge might find themselves part of the Helltown legend.

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

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 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
  • HistoryThe Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1836 when Hermon Bronson let the township share some of his land for a town cemetery. The earliest known burial on the property was in 1824. Eventually in 1850, Bronson deeded the land to the township. Up until then, grazing farm animals in the cemetery was a common sight.Haunted HistoryAmong the many veterans buried at Cedar Grove, a witch was also believed to be laid to rest in the cemetery. Supposedly, the tombstone that marks her grave has been struck by lightning so many times that it is starting to melt. A few local residents believe that they have seen the witch's ghost.LocationThe Cedar Grove Cemetery is located at Route 303 and Emerson Street, in Peninsula, Ohio. 
  • HistoryOriginally known as Cassidy Cemetery, the Mater Dolorosa Cemetery was first used by the Doud and Cassidy families for their family plots. The Irish families eventually donated it to the Bishop of Cleveland. The Bishop later gave it to the Mother of Sorrows Church for the church's congregation to use. The cemetery was officially established in 1869 and renamed by the church.A few decades later, the government began taking most of the land in the area by eminent domain. The land was used for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Adjacent to the cemetery is the park's Happy Days Visitor Center. It was built in 1938. Due to the Helltown stories and legends, people have been trespassing and vandalizing the cemetery for decades. There are over twenty burials but some of the headstones have been vandalized and destroyed.Haunted HistoryA lot of park visitors and hikers believe that the cemetery and nearby trail is haunted. Strange lights have been seen at night. Fleeting shadows and a ghostly white figure are the most common phenomena witnessed. A ghostly face on one of the headstones seems to glare back at people when they look at it.LocationThe Mater Dolorosa Cemetery is located next to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's Happy Days Visitor Center, off of Route 303, in Peninsula, Ohio. 
  • HistoryThe Indigo Lake is a man-made lake that is located within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The land was originally the site of Gray's Quarry. On December 27, 1974, the National Park Service took over the quarry. It was later filled in with water by park officials.The land was once used by Native Americans. Today, it is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The lake is a stop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and the Ohio & Erie Canal towpath trail passes through the area.Haunted HistoryMost of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is allegedly haunted. Native Americans that once lived on the land are believed to haunt the Indigo Lake and the land surrounding it. Many visitors have observed odd things at the lake. A lot of them have seen strange floating lights and a few of them have even have heard voices. Others have witnessed strange shadows and some people have seen the lake's ghosts.LocationThe Indigo Lake is located within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, at 4300 Riverview Road, in Peninsula, Ohio.
  • HistoryThe Deep Rock Quarry is a 73-acre national park located within the Cuyahoga Valley Metro Park system. It contains Lock 28, the deepest lock that was used on the Ohio & Erie Canal. The Berea sandstone blocks that were taken from the quarry were used to build the locks along the canal. In 1879, Ferdinand Schumacher purchased part of the quarry to use for mill stones. The mill stones were used at Akron's American Cereal Works for processing oats. Deep Lock Quarry later became a Metro Park in 1934.Haunted HistoryThe Deep Lock Quarry is rumored to have paranormal activity. Many of the park's visitors have claimed to have heard and seen strange things that they could not explain. Some people believe Native American spirits linger in the area. Canal workers that died building the canal are often spotted.LocationThe Deep Rock Quarry is located at 5779 Riverview Road, in Peninsula, Ohio. 
  • HistoryEverett Road travels through the Everett Historical District. The rural village is located within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The land was once used by the Hopewell Native Americans to bury their dead. Construction workers built Everett Road over the prehistoric tribe's burial grounds.Haunted HistoryEverett Road is believed to be frequented by a few supernatural travellers. A ghostly hitchhiker has been spotted roaming the road. Some people have witnessed a black shadowy figure between the bridge and the church. Several park visitors claim to have heard horses and a wagon crossing the covered bridge and upon investigation, there is nothing there. Others have heard a baby crying and have seen a woman in white near the bridge. Some of the stories of the Hell Town legend involve this haunted road.LocationEverett Road is located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and it spans from Medina Line Road in Medina, Ohio to Riverview Road in Peninsula, Ohio.
View the list
Suggested by the author:

, 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...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...