In November 1904 readers of the New Philadelphia, Ohio Daily Times were treated to a story about a haunted Tuscarawas County church and cemetery. While the newspaper story never mentioned the name of the community or the church itself, it did share some of the stories associated with the haunted location and the effort of the community to reclaim the ground from the spirits that haunted it.
In the latter years of the nineteenth and early years of the twentieth century, superstition still lingered in the countryside not far from New Philadelphia. Despite some of the modern world’s growing skepticism toward spirits and ghosts, many settlers from Europe carried with them a deep-rooted belief in the supernatural. Their stories and fears lived on in small, isolated communities and none more telling than the one surrounding an abandoned church and graveyard just miles from New Philadelphia.
The old church had collapsed under the weight of years and weather, leaving behind only rotting timbers and forgotten graves. Locals cleared the grounds of debris, but their efforts seemed to awaken something more unsettling. Soon talk began to spread of a wandering spirit that roamed the hillside cemetery, appearing beneath the trees and startling any traveler foolish enough to pass by after dark. Fear grew quickly, and the tale took on new life as it passed from mouth to mouth.
One story in particular captured the imagination of the community. A local boy told of a traveler who, one moonlit night, allegedly met the ghost face to face. The apparition, bathed in eerie light, demanded a handshake when parting. When the man’s hand met that of the alleged spirit, he was said to have felt a searing pain and blisters appeared on his skin. The child recounted the tale, convinced it was true. Even the most level-headed residents hesitated to dismiss it entirely, and soon few dared to approach the desolate graveyard after sunset.
As fear of the site grew, the once-sacred ground fell into further neglect. Fences collapsed, cattle strayed through the burial plots, and the place was left to decay. Those who mocked the superstition from afar found endless amusement in the residents’ terror, joking about witches and ghostly lights. Yet for those who lived nearby, the chill of the place was apparently all too real. No local resident would pass through alone, and even in daylight they felt uneasy walking the road that wound past the allegedly haunted grounds.
By the time the article appeared in the paper, reason began to reclaim what fear had conquered. The township trustees finally restored the cemetery, repaired the fences and brought order back to the ground. With the return of care came calm and the whispers of ghosts grew fainter. The newspaper article reported that the hill was peaceful once more, and argued that what once terrified a community was likely only the shadow of their imaginations. The residents who experienced the haunting believed otherwise.
© Noel B. Poirier, 2024.
Tuscarawas County Stories 