Moonville Tunnel

An abandoned railroad tunnel deep in Zaleski State Forest, left behind when the mining town of Moonville vanished by 1947. The tunnel itself is still there, drawing hikers and investigators to one of the more remote haunted spots in Appalachian Ohio.

Moonville Tunnel is considered the most haunted place in Appalachia. The most famous ghost is that of Frank Lawhead, a train engineer who died in a head-on collision near the tunnel in 1880. Visitors report seeing his ghost walking along the old railway bed carrying a lantern, forever warning of danger on the tracks. Other spirits include a woman who fell from a train and a brakeman killed while switching tracks. Witnesses describe glowing orbs, mysterious mists, and the spectral light of a swinging lantern approaching through the darkness of the tunnel. The isolated location, surrounded by dense forest and accessible only by hiking trail, adds to the eerie atmosphere. Some visitors have captured photographs showing strange lights and figures that weren't visible to the naked eye. The tunnel has become a pilgrimage site for ghost hunters throughout Ohio.