Ghosts of the Kelton House: Columbus, Ohio

The Kelton House in Columbus, Ohio's historic Town Street District is a beautiful old Italianate home.  It was built around 1852 by pharmaceutical and dry goods wholesaler, Fernando Cortez Kelton and his wife, Sophia. The Keltons, who were staunch abolitionists, made their mansion into much more than a home. It was a refuge for both freed and fugitive slaves, serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad. 

The Kelton House stayed in the family until the death of Fernando and Sophia's granddaughter, Grace Kelton, in 1975.  Grace was a renowned interior designer and preserved the history of her family home and much of its Victorian-era furnishings.  Upon her death, she willed the house to the Columbus Foundation for use in educational purposes. Today, the Kelton House is run by Columbus' Junior League, and operates as a museum.  It's a popular venue for school field trips as well as local weddings...and it would seem as if the Kelton family were still around, keeping watch over their property!

According to an article from Columbus Monthly website, dated 6 February 2014, quite a few ghosts have been heard, spotted and felt in the home.  Experiences began in 1976, immediately as the former residence was being renovated into a museum. It was not uncommon for workers to return to work in the morning and find that furniture they had moved the previous day had been moved back to its previous spot.  Tools and supplies would also move around on their own, or go missing altogether.  Once, the burglar alarm went off by itself.

Sophia Kelton

It wouldn't be long before the ghosts of the Kelton family would actually start to show themselves.  One volunteer was locking up one night when she noticed a woman watching her from an upstairs window.  She later identified the mysterious woman from a portrait of Sophia Kelton.  Another volunteer may have also seen Mrs. Kelton; while speaking to a group of museum visitors, she noticed a woman slip into a room across the hall.  As this area was off-limits, she went to find the woman and ask her to leave.  However, there was no one in the room---only a feeling of peace throughout.

Sophia isn't the only ghost of the Kelton House.  Another volunteer ran into what she believed to be a tall gentleman in the hall.  She looked up to apologize to thin air.  Another male entity seen on the property is a man dressed as a Union soldier.  He is believed to be Oscar Kelton, who died in battle during the Civil War.  A child ghost dressed in Victorian-era clothing rounds out the bevy of apparitions one can witness while visiting the Kelton House today, and your normal ghostly activity such as unexplained footsteps, whispering, and other sounds is ever-present.

It would definitely seem as if the Kelton family were still around, keeping an eye on their beautiful property that over the years, was a place of refuge to so many seeking freedom. If you find yourself in the Columbus area, make plans to stop by...you might just catch a glimpse of Mrs. Kelton guarding her home, or even a glimpse of Oscar finally made it home from war...in spirit form.

*The Columbus Monthly article quoted above was written by Josie Rubio, and originally appeared in the October 2003 issue of Columbus Monthly.

*Photos are from the Kelton House Museum website's Gallery

The Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus, Columbus

By WarthPhoto.com, via TheThirstyMuse.com

I'm taking a day trip to Columbus, Ohio over Memorial Day weekend, so obviously, I'm busy adding as many haunted locations as possible to the itinerary!  In order to kill two birds with one stone, I've chosen a haunted restaurant at which to dine!

The Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus is an institution on Columbus' High Street.  The building was erected in 1897 as Bott Brothers' Buffet and Billiards, a tavern and gentleman's saloon that sold cigars as well.

On a cold February evening in 1909, Colonel Randolph Pritchard, known to all as a womanizer, sat in the candlelit tavern.  He was summoned to the door and what he found there would change his life forever; in fact, it would END his life.  A woman was waiting for him, and as he approached her, she revealed a knife that she used to stab the Colonel over and over again.

Trying to summon help, the Colonel stumbled toward the doorway of the tavern and fell, bleeding to death in the snow.  His attacker, who many believe was a spurned lover, made her escape in a waiting coach, leaving no trace except for two dainty footprints in the snow.  The time of the murder was 10:05 p.m....a time that would be forever ingrained in the memory of those in the city, as the restaurant's large outdoor clock mysterious stopped, its hands frozen in time marking the hour of the Colonel's death.

Years later, building on that story, the tavern was renamed The Clock.  Today, it's known as The Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus, offering an upscale array of American cuisine and over a dozen specialty brews. And, while most people probably come for the food and the spirits...I'm going for the uh, spirits, lol.

As the legends go, the restaurant is haunted by both the Colonel AND his murderer.  The Colonel is seen manifesting as a brilliant ball of light throughout the facility.  But, his killer makes her presence known in a slightly more subtle way.  On snowy February evenings, especially on the anniversary of the stabbing, patrons and staff alike have observed two dainty little footprints appearing in the snow before their very eyes!  These phantom footprints fade as mysteriously as they appear, proof that the young woman is doomed to never leave the site of her greatest sin.  She was never caught, and her identity is not known, but many believe that she died the night of the murder, possibly freezing to death out in the winter storm that tore through the city that evening.

I personally haven't had much luck finding ANY historical evidence to support these claims, and several websites that cover the story claim that its just a nice legend...and a good back story to explain why the clock was broken and to draw in customers.  I'll let ya know what I find out in my travels!

Happy Haunting!

Scaring Up "Ghosts" at the Ohio Penitentiary

GHOST SCARE WORKED WELL

GUARDS AT OHIO "PEN" TRY NOVEL FORM OF DISCIPLINE

Columbus, Aug. 11.  The guards of the Ohio Penitentiary have decided on the "ghost scare" as a sure cure for misbehaved colored prisoners and attempted their first experiment with ghosts Saturday night.  The experiment worked to such good purpose that the prisoner experimented upon nearly went into hysterics.

Many of the colored prisoners are habitual criminals and spend most of their time in solitary confinement much to the annoyance of the guards in charge.  One of the guards conceived the idea of giving a "ghost scare."  Throwing a sheet over his head he went into the cellar about 11 o'clock and proceeded towards the cell of one of the men confined.

With a yell that could be heard all over the big prison, the colored prisoner fell to the floor begging for his life and moaning as if he was about to die.  The guard thinking that his man had enough went away, but the prisoner could not be quieted.  He threw himself about and appeared to be in such agony that medical attention had to be called to quiet him.

In a short time the news that ghosts were about the prison was known to all of the prisoners, who had heard the scream of the scared man, and sleep was impossible the rest of the night.

The plan worked so well that the colored population have vowed that they will be good for all time to come and have promised the guards that if they will keep the ghosts away they will have no more trouble on their account.

It is the plan of the guards to try the "scare" as often as the occasion calls for.  If it works again as it did Saturday night the "solitary" will be a deserted place for a long time to come.  Many tricks have been used, but none of them has had the effect of the one lone ghost.

The subject of the experiment is in good condition again, but does not know the ghost he saw was not real.  Much comment on the mysterious ghost is passed, and when the occasion requires the men to go near the cellar they waste no time in getting by the supposed headquarters of the whiteclad spirits.

From:  The Evening Independent [Massillon, OH].  11 August 1909

Above is a REAL newspaper article about the former Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio.  The prison opened in 1834 and served the incarcerated of the Buckeye State until 1984.  It was demolished in 1998 after housing decades of famous prisoners, suffering devastating riots, and even surviving through one of the worst prison fires in history.

I picked this particular article to include in the Friday Night Funnies section of this blog because despite it being pretty cruel and unusual punishment, it appears to come off as an absurdly simple joke.  However...I can't help to wonder if there isn't something a LOT more sinister hidden in this little ghost prank.  Obviously it bothers me that only the "colored" population was targeted for this experiment.  And...it doesn't take a genius to make the connection between that little fact and the "sheeted" ghost of the article...

Haunted Travels Take Me to the Greater Columbus Antique Mall

Photo from Yelp

Several times I've brought up the issue of serendipity in my ghost research and my uncanny ability to always just be in the right place at the right time.  My research has always been so significantly aided by strange coincidences...so much in fact that I sometimes truly believe that there are forces at work influencing me in order to have their stories told.  The circumstances under which I became acquainted with the Greater Columbus Antique Mall is just another example of this crazy journey my life has taken me on.

When Aaron told me he was going to Columbus to do some work on a friend's gaming system and to attend a retro-gaming convention, I had no intentions of tagging along.  I had previous commitments here and figured that there wouldn't be much to keep me entertained in regards to the gaming theme of the trip.  But...Aaron lured me away with the prospect of visiting one of my favorite used bookstores, Half-Price Books, so I gave in and agreed to the trip.  Even though we had a full day planned, while I was waiting for Aaron to come pick me me up Saturday morning, I did a quick online search for haunted places in Columbus.

The first location that jumped out at me was the Greater Columbus Antique Mall, located on S. High Street. Aaron showed up before I started reading about the history of the location and why it was believed to be haunted, but I made a mental note of what street it was on, since Aaron DID say he wanted to hit some local antique stores while in the area.

Saturday didn't go exactly as planned, and we didn't really have the time to cram in everything that Aaron had envisioned.  After spending the early part of the afternoon at the convention and working on his friend's arcade machine, we decided we'd try to hit up one bookstore, and then we'd all go out to eat together, including our friend's wife and two kids.  His wife suggested an awesomely unique bookstore called the Book Loft that was nearby.  It wasn't the cheap, used bookstore that I had planned on, but that didn't matter since this place was the coolest place I have ever seen!  Spanning a full city block, the Book Loft was 32 rooms crammed with books and related merchandise, all housed in a pre-Civil War era building in German Village, which over the years served as a saloon, general store, and nickelodeon theater.  I picked up a few ghost DVDs and books, including a book on Haunted Columbus.

Photo from The Book Loft Homepage

We drove down there with our friend, and met his wife and kids there.  From there, we took separate cars on to our next stop...the Ohio Deli and Restaurant, which was featured on Man Vs. Food.  Our friend's wife had printed us out the directions to the restaurant, which was a blessing because when Aaron typed the address in the GPS, it wasn't there!  Still, we managed to get lost, since Mapquest didn't take into account that the road we were supposed to take in the opposite direction was a one-way street.  In our turned around state, we actually accidentally passed a large, creepy school, which I wasn't surprised to see featured in my new Haunted Columbus book as being built on the site of the former county poorhouse....because ya know...that stuff just happens to me.

Photo from Trip Advisor

Finally making it to the road we needed to be on, I was thrilled to see that the restaurant was on the same road as the haunted antique store!  We passed it, and I made Aaron promise to return after we ate.  Unfortunately, the store was already closed for the day, but we did get out to take some photographs, and of course, as soon as we got home, I started digging a little deeper into the legends of the building.

Most of what I found online was from several years ago, so this is definitely a location that I'd like to look into a little deeper, including an in-person visit, but I did find out that the building was built in 1889 as a private residence.  It served as two different funeral homes throughout the 1920s and 1930s, then did a stint as the Elks Lodge #37 throughout the 1940s-1970s.  In 1979, Pat and Fred Altevogt turned it into an antique mall.  Today, the store boasts anywhere up to 70 vendors...and probably just as many ghosts!

As we sometimes see with antique stores, as stock comes and goes, so does the nature of the paranormal activity.  Still, it seems like there are some ghosts that stick around no matter what.  According to one news interview, it all began when Pat gave a tour of the store to a woman who was apparently psychically sensitive.  This woman saw a man in the basement area who she was shocked to discover was the same man shown in a photograph that hung in Pat's office...a photo showing a former employee in front of the building during its tenure as a funeral parlor.  This man, who is described as wearing a brown suit and having a handle-bar mustache, has shown himself to many other visitors over the years, and is said to have been an embalmer in the 1920s.

There is also a woman seen wearing a Civil War era yellow gown and a rather sinister fellow in a black cape, whose apparition actually caused an employee to quit on the spot.  Security alarms pick up the sounds of glass breaking, thumping, and cups rolling around so often that the owners don't even bother to check anymore.

Children are heard playing with toy cars upstairs in the attic, and have even been known to talk to one of the vendors who rents space there.  Orbs have been seen by the naked eye going through doors, a back room smells of death, and one upstairs room in particular is avoided by some patrons due to a feeling of being choked.  My favorite story is about a long wooden bench where several people have heard the sounds of elderly women gossiping.  Near that bench, around an old vending machine, there has been the scent of Italian food.

Over the years several paranormal teams have investigated the building and at least one group got an interesting video.  Someday in near future I hope to return to Columbus and get a chance to fully explore this location for myself!

Sources:
The Lantern 
Forgotten Ohio/The Other Paper
Ohio Exploration Society
TV10