Ohio's Once-Thriving Railroad Community Is Now An Abandoned Ghost Town With A Haunted, Eerie Tunnel

Hidden in a remote area in Vinton, Ohio's most forested county, is an abandoned ghost town known as one of the scariest places in the state. That's no small feat, considering Ohio is home to some very haunting but picturesque abandoned ruins. But the poetically named Moonville should perhaps be renamed to the Dark Side of the Moonville, considering the number of ghost stories and strange occurrences linked to this once-thriving railroad community. Located between the town of Mineral and Lake Hope State Park, the settlement of Moonville no longer stands except for a few overgrown and hidden building foundations, a cemetery, and the infamous Moonville Tunnel, an eerie and haunted place that has become a must-visit for anyone interested in the paranormal or downright creepy.

In the early 1800s, the region was home to just two families, but that changed when one of them offered their land to the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad Company. The company laid down 8 miles of tracks through the area in 1856 to transport the area's coal, clay, and iron, and to connect Southeastern Ohio to Cincinnati. A small town sprang up named Moonville, either for the store owner, Mr. Moon, or for the sight of the moon rising above the tunnel that the railroad company built. At its height, about 100 people lived in Moonville and built houses, a general store, and a saloon in the middle of the thick woods. But the town was abandoned fully by 1947 after the mines closed, and now its only residents are its ghosts and intrepid visitors willing to risk a run-in with the 1800s spirits haunting this spooky place.

So far, it's a typical ghost town story: natural resources are discovered, a town is built, the resources run dry, the town dies. So, what makes the Moonville Tunnel so special, paranormally speaking? Well, back then — as now – the only way to get to the town was to walk the railroad tracks or catch a ride on the train, which led to a number of accidental deaths. Besides that, conductors and brakemen were prone to die accidentally on this particular 8-mile track, and about 27 people (that we know of) died in the narrow Moonville Tunnel after being caught by an incoming train. 

Locals speak of a handful of spirits haunting the tunnel, like Baldie, a bully known for throwing stones at people both in his life and death, and the Lavender Lady, who was hit so forcefully by a train that her body flew out of the tunnel, leaving behind only her lavender-scented spirit. Others have seen figures of men with lanterns waving people through the tunnel. In fact, there were so many strange lantern sightings in the decades after the town's abandonment that trains were often forced to make emergency stops until a proper signal light was finally installed in 1981.

Although Ohio isn't the state with the most abandoned towns, the legends and atmosphere of the Moonville Tunnel make it a worthy stop for anyone interested in the creepy, historic, or both. The railroad tracks were removed in 1988, so curious visitors can now safely check out the graffiti-covered tunnel and see for themselves whether it's haunted or not. Perhaps you'll even capture one in a photo or video, as seemingly inexplicable figures and faces have popped up in images of the tunnel for years.

The ghost town of Moonville is about a 2.5-hour drive from Cincinnati and just under 1.5 hours from Columbus, the overlooked Midwest city that's becoming a hot culinary destination. To reach the Moonville Tunnel, you have to walk 1.1 miles on an out-and-back gravel path, although you can also continue for longer if you want to do a bigger hike. While you can explore the tunnel on your own, a Moonville historian also offers guided haunted night hikes, where you can learn about the history, folklore, and legends of the area. Additionally, there's an annual Midnight at Moonville festival in mid-October, a family-friendly day and night that includes haunted trails, wagon rides, and ways of exploring the area's history and its Appalachian identity.

If you want to dig deeper into the ghostly atmosphere of Moonville, you can head to the cemetery that's less than a 5-minute walk from the parking area. This small graveyard has 13 tombstones from the 1800s, including those of the Coes, the family that gave their land to the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad Company and sparked the building of Moonville itself. You'll see coins and trinkets left as offerings on gravestones, and if you hear voices echoing from the cemetery, it's probably not a ghost; the site is a hangout for local teens, following the time-honored tradition of youths drinking in cemeteries.