As Halloween approaches, students have geared up to visit the famous and paranormally active sites in Ohio. However, Bowling Green State University students seeking a good scare don’t have to travel far. 

Although the state is known for its cornfields and typical Midwest qualities, some residents aren’t aware of the legends that haunt their own backyards, even on campus. 

Chi Omega Sorority 

According to the Ohio Exploration Society, the old Chi Omega Sorority house, which is no longer on campus, was haunted by a girl named Amanda. Legend has it she pledged in between the 1940s-50s and was accidentally killed in a railroad track initiation. Her presence was so prevalent that sorority members had a special bedroom known as, “Amanda’s Bedroom.” 

It’s rumored that she would lock and unlock doors and knock on walls. If she felt disrespected, items would mysteriously fly off of shelves or pictures would fall from walls. 

It was tradition for members to reserve a spot for Amanda in the annual portraits. In 1986-87, the sorority forgot to leave a space for Amanda, which resulted in the photo routinely falling off of the wall. 

Kohl Hall

As one of the oldest buildings on campus, Kohl Hall reportedly used to have a bakery on the first floor. The Ohio Exploration Society said a boy named Joey worked there and one day a fire broke out. Joey never came out. 

It is said that Joey likes to play tricks on the residents, including hiding personal items, randomly locking doors, electronic devices becoming unplugged and making strange noises in closets. Some have even reported hearing knocking on their door only for no one to be there. 

Sourced from ohioexploration.com 

Potter House

Just south of BGSU on Potter Road, tragedy struck a local family in the 1970s. According to the Ohio Exploration Society and BGSU Blogs, the Minton family moved into what is now known as the Potter House. Unfortunately, the father murdered the mother and children before committing suicide. 

The spirits of the family never left the house and there have been reports of objects flying, stairs creaking and cabinet doors flying open. There were also reports of a dark figure being seen as it walked from the field to the house. The house burned down in 2003 and all that is left is the barn and storage sheds. 

Columbian House

Fifteen minutes northwest of BGSU’s campus is the Columbian House in Waterville which is subject to its own hauntings. Located at the corner of River Road and Farnsworth Road, Waterville’s Columbian House is no stranger to paranormal rumors. 

The Ohio Exploration Society said that those who have been in the restaurant have reported feeling random cold spots and hearing a fiddle being played in the bathroom. Legend says a woman who was murdered in a second-floor room haunts the building, as well as a ghost named Jenny, who moves furniture upstairs, pinches people and plays pranks on the employees. 

Levi & Lilacs

North of campus is Levi & Lilacs, a restaurant that has its own share of important history and hauntings.Located at 301 River Rd, Maumee, Levi & Lilacs is one of the oldest buildings in Lucas County. Now a restaurant and bar, it was once home to the Lucas County Whig Party. 

The restaurant’s website said it was then turned into an Inn in 1840, where future presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes stayed. According to legend, a tunnel in the basement of the building was once a stopping point for the Underground Railroad and in the 1900s, a route to smuggle in alcohol from Canada during the prohibition. 

Folklore claims the original owner Levi Beebe who purchased the land in 1828 and built the building in 1837 still haunts the premises. There have also been reports of a ghostly woman who walks around spreading the smell of lilacs. 

Skeptics, believers and thrill-seekers can all check out these places, if they dare!