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Oak Hill Cottage
Mansfield, Ohio
The Oak Hill Cottage was built in 1847 for John Robinson and his wife who lived in the house for fifteen years and raised five children. The house boasts seven gables, five double chimneys and seven marble fireplaces. Oak Hill changed hands several times until 1864 Dr. Johannes Aten Jones bought it for his wife Frances. The Jones’ raised four daughters in the house. The fifth child died during infancy. The Jones family occupied the home for over one hundred years and some of the furnishings on display belonged to them. Paranormal activity has become commonplace in the Oak Hill Cottage. In one of the upstairs rooms the apparition of a little boy makes himself known. He is believed to be one of John Robinson’s sons who died in the house. He isn’t the only ghost seen in the house. A woman in 1800s clothing, believed to be the ghost of Mrs. Jones, has also been spotted on the staircase and wandering around the house straightening pillows, and cleaning away dust. The chandelier on the main floor has been known to flicker on and off almost in a rhythmic pattern. Some people that enter the house for a tour can only get as far as the parlour and have to leave the house because of the eerie feeling they get from being inside.
Franklin Castle
Cleveland, Ohio
Franklin Castle was built in the late 1800s for grocer and banker Hannes Tiedemann. The four-story gothic building at one time boasted thirty rooms and a ballroom on the entire third floor, and is now one of the most haunted buildings in Cleveland. Hannes Tiedemann, who lived at the house with his wife, mother and children, had the reputation of being a harsh, strict man. Many people believed that he was abusive towards his family and that he also had something to do with all the mysterious deaths that took place while he was living there. In 1861 his first daughter Emma died from diabetes, followed not long after by Tiedemann’s mother, Wiebeka. The next three years would see the deaths of three more children. People began to wonder if the deaths were natural as Tiedemann had them believe. Following the tragic deaths, Hannes began construction on the castle adding secret passageways, hidden doors, secret rooms and tunnels. It is in one of these tunnels that Tiedemann allegedly hung his thirteen year old niece from the rafters. He is also said to have murdered a servant girl on her wedding day in the front tower. The other version of the story is that his mistress was accidentally strangled in that room. Past owners have claimed to hear the sounds of a woman choking coming from the room and it has also been reported that while in the room people have felt like they were being strangled. The bones of dozens of babies were found in one of the secret rooms, and were rumored to be from botched medical experiments. Luise Tiedemann, Hannes’ wife, died in 1895 of what was reported as liver disease and shortly after Hannes sold the castle to the Mulhauser family. The following summer while strolling through the park, Hannes suffered a massive stroke and died. In 1913 the house was sold again to a German Socialist Party whose members were believed to be Nazi spies. Stories are told about the twenty or so members that were shot and killed in one of the secret rooms. They occupied the house for fifty five years, renting out rooms to people who need a place to stay. James Romano along with his wife and children were the next to move into the house. Mrs. Romano reported on a number of occasions that her children had been playing with some other children upstairs. Possibly the ghosts of the Tiedemann children. She also reported the sounds of footsteps running along the floors upstairs and the sound of organ music. There was no organ in the house. She also reported hearing strange voices coming from the third floor. The Romano’s believed their house was haunted and consulted a catholic priest. When he refused to perform an exorcism they contacted a paranormal research group. During the investigation of the group’s members quickly fled the house and was clearly traumatized by something they had witnessed inside. The Romano’s sold the house in 1974 to Sam Muscatello, who began giving tours of the old castle. Sam also experienced the paranormal phenomena that plagued previous owners. He witnessed the apparition of a woman in black, objects began to mysteriously disappear and there were the constant eerie sounds throughout the entire building. Muscatello began searching for Tiedemann's secret passageways and rooms and stumbled upon a skeleton behind a secret panel in the tower room. After this discovery he became very ill and had to sell the castle. The castle changed hands a few more time over the years and each owner experienced something paranormal. There have been many reports of chandeliers spinning uncontrollably, children crying, extreme cold spots and mysterious vapours that materialize in some of the rooms. Many people have claimed to see a woman dressed in black through one of the castle windows. It is believed to be the ghost of either Tiedemann’s mistress or the servant girl who both died in the house.
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