By Tina R. McSwain
On the road again…
This time to Ohio. My CAPS team members and I are off to our first haunted destination, Prospect Place in Trinway, OH. We should arrive for our investigation around 7pm Friday evening. This family mansion is quite imposing as it sits alone on a hilltop. A most foreboding and outright creepy place. It was built in the 1850’s and was used as part of the underground railroad, offering the escaping slaves a safe haven as they made their way to Canada and true freedom. It is reported to be the ghostly home of the lady of the house, as well as a young girl. The barn is said to harbor a more sinister presence, a bounty hunter who found himself on the end of a hangman’s noose in a mock trial followed by swift local justice. We’ll try our best to capture some evidence of the spirit world. Maybe the essence of a fleeing slave or an injured passenger from a horrible train wreck that occurred nearby.
We’ll then make our way on Saturday to Mansfield, OH and investigate the Bissman Building in downtown Mansfield. This family owned business has a few ghost stories of its own. A mysterious ghost girl named “Ruthie”, as well as an unfortunate gentleman who lost his life on his last day of work at the building. On the day of his retirement, he had forgotten an item and got back on the elevator to return to his office to retreive it. The elevator malfunctioned and fell, beheading him.
There’s an old theatre just across the street, and we’ve been told we’ll get a shot at it too. Almost every old theatre you hear of is said to be haunted. This one is no exception.
Finally, we’ll end our “Ghosts of Ohio” tour at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. OH. For some of us, this will be our second trip to this infamous prison. I for one, had an encounter in the Assistant Warden’s living quarters. I heard footsteps coming from the room to my left, then they walked right up to me. I also saw a series of lights near the ceiling of the room for which I have no explanation. This is the facility that was used in the filming of The Shawshank Redemption. Prisons are famous for their paranormal activity. Hopefully, we have a few new experiences of our own.
Stay tuned for our results…