Kelton House Museum

Kelton House in Columbus, built in 1852 as an Underground Railroad stop, is haunted by at least five spirits including Oscar Kelton in his Civil War uniform, his father Fernando (who died in the bedroom after retrieving Oscar's body), and a neighborhood girl named Susie who crashes weddings she was never invited to.

Neighbors kept calling the Kelton House asking if they were hosting a Civil War reenactment. They were not. The man in the yard wearing a Union uniform was Oscar Kelton, who died in battle in Mississippi in 1864.

Oscar served in the 95th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His father Fernando traveled south to retrieve the body and, during the trip, fell from an upper window at a downtown office building and suffered a severe head injury. Doctors Sterling and Gay treated him at the scene. Fernando was carried home to the Kelton House by six men, up the stairs, and into the bedroom where he died 36 hours later. His funeral was held in the front parlor. Staff today report seeing shadows of multiple figures moving up the staircase, always in the same direction, as if carrying something heavy.

Fernando Cortez Kelton built the house in 1852 in the Greek Revival and Italianate style. It sits on East Town Street in Columbus, and the family occupied it for over 120 years. The Keltons were active abolitionists, and the home served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. At least two family members died inside the house. Grace Bird Kelton, the last Kelton to live there, died in 1976, and the home was donated to the Junior League of Columbus.

The paranormal activity kicked into gear almost immediately after Grace's death. Motion sensor alarms triggered nightly around midnight. Interior doors that had been secured were found standing open, though every exterior door remained locked. This pattern repeated for years.

A guest once photographed herself in the antique shaving mirror in Fernando's bedroom. When the image developed, a blurry figure of a man stood behind her near the window. Museum director Jeff Lafever confirmed the figure resembled Fernando's portrait but was wearing a hat Fernando is never depicted in.

Lafever himself has smelled a woman's perfume while alone in the house. Staff attribute this to Grace, who appears to check in on their work from time to time. The general consensus among employees is that Grace approves of how her home is being maintained. When she does not, a closet in the upstairs hallway opens overnight despite being blocked with a chair.

Anna Kelton, Fernando's eldest daughter, lost her brother, her father, and her newlywed husband within two years. Staff report a woman in a burgundy dress pacing the back parlor, seemingly unable to settle, which they associate with Anna's grief.

Then there is Susie. A neighborhood girl who died around 1960, Susie reportedly appears at weddings held at the Kelton House. She shows up on the guest list of nobody, a child running through the property during receptions. Executive director Susan Richardt once fielded a call from a former bride who asked, "Oh my gosh, was that Susie in the yard at our weddings?"

Other visitors have reported being pushed or pulled in the upstairs hallway. A red stain once appeared on a white couch and faded before witnesses could react. Cigarette smoke materializes and vanishes instantly in rooms where nobody is smoking.

The staff at Kelton House do not treat any of this as frightening. They describe the encounters as non-threatening and embrace the house's haunted reputation alongside its historical significance. The museum runs a Victorian mourning event around Halloween that recreates Fernando's funeral in the parlor where it originally took place.

The Kelton House Museum and Garden is open for tours on East Town Street in Columbus. The Underground Railroad history alone makes it worth visiting, but the ghost stories are what bring people back for a second look.