Historic Licking County Jail

A castle-like pink sandstone jail designed by J. W. Yost and opened in 1889. The sheriff's family lived in the front of the building while 32 cells sat in the back. It operated until 1987 and is linked to at least 22 deaths — three sheriffs and 19 inmates.

The jail's most dramatic historical event was the lynching of detective Carl Etherington in 1909. Etherington, an Anti-Saloon League detective, shot a local saloon owner in self-defense and was taken to the jail for protection. A mob stormed the building, dragged him out, and hanged him from a telephone pole on the courthouse square -- 58 participants were later indicted. His spirit and those of other violent deaths echo through the building. The "dungeon" area is a hotspot where visitors are touched, have their clothes tugged, and have witnessed heavy chairs thrown across rooms by invisible forces. Full-body ghosts have been seen, and bone-chilling EVP recordings capture voices from empty cells, chanting, and cell doors slamming. Ghost Adventures featured the jail in 2014, bringing national attention to this actively haunted location. The building now hosts ghost hunts and the seasonal Jail of Terror haunted attraction.