We can’t let Halloween pass without a spooky story sent in by a reader who encountered something a little strange while out walking on the Heart of Ohio Trail.
The trail, which runs from Mount Vernon to the southwestern corner of Knox County, follows the bed of what was once the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus railroad. Like many old railways, it has been converted to a paved multi-use trail, beloved by walkers and bicyclists and now forms part of the Ohio to Erie Trail, stretching across the state.
History Knox reader Susan wrote in to share something mysterious that happened to her one day when she and her husband were walking on the trail, as they often do. Since Susan doesn’t move as fast as her husband, they had split apart to later rendezvous before they left. When she returned to the parking area near the intersection of Henry and Thayer Roads, she decided to keep going for a bit.
“One evening, as I returned to our parking spot,” Susan writes, “I was still feeling comfortable enough to continue walking so I went further south across Thayer Road for a short distance and turned around to head back in the direction of the parking area. I was the only one there. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to check to make sure I wasn’t in someone’s way.”
I think we can all relate to that, hearing a sound behind you on a trail and turning to make sure you’re not in the way if the visitor is approaching at a quick clip. But on this occasion, Susan had a very strange experience when she turned to see who was approaching.
“There was no one there,” Susan said. “I kept on walking past the parking area and the footsteps continued to follow. Every time I turned around there was no one there. I did not feel threatened, but I did feel that I was not alone.”
This is the stretch of the trail near the intersection of Thayer Road and Henry Road, with Dry Creek running off to the north, between the trail and Ohio 3/36. Appropriately for a creepy happening, it happens to be mile 13 of the Heart of Ohio Trail.
Has anyone else heard or seen anything in that spot? It was of course a railroad for many years, but that doesn’t mean people didn’t walk along it, even when it was in use by steam engines.
And now it’s been empty of trains for decades, so there have been plenty of walkers who could have left a ghostly trace.
Have a happy Halloween and keep safe out there.
