#1020 Ghosthunting Ohio

Ghosthunting Ohio, John B. Kachuba, 2004, photos, websites, addresses of sites to visit, no index or bibliography, 256 pp $15.95

I was delighted to see this book, which doesn’t revisit the same old stories, but delves into a number of new and intriguing sites. Out of the 30 sites listed, 10 of them were new to me; Kachuba has collected some fresh stories from the well-known places. The author has done his homework: visiting and photographing the sites and interviewing witnesses. He amiably tries dowsing for ghosts, visits with psychics and spirit mediums, hears tales of ouija board communications, and finds orbs in his photos. The ghostly cat that played with a very real ball of paper at The Old Tavern in Unionville, also haunted by a little boy with a harmonica. The “corner ghost”, a lady in Victorian clothing seen only out of the corner of witnesses’ eyes at The Lofts Hotel in Columbus. Medina Steakhouse & Saloon haunted by “Anna”, a female ghost who put out a fire and “Frank Curtis”, a handyman who hung himself in the building. The “Lady in Green” at the Netherland Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati. If I have a quibble, it is that there is no index, bibliography, attributions, or references, except for a collection of websites, some of which contain the inevitable historically inaccurate or sensational material found on the web. Several stories originated with other sources, including myself, possibly collected from excerpts circulating on the internet. Overall, a refreshing book from a curious yet skeptical “regular Joe.”