Thurber House

The former home of James Thurber, where the author lived from 1913 to 1917, now a literary museum and writers' center. It sits next to the grounds of the former Ohio Lunatic Asylum cemetery, which probably doesn't hurt its haunted reputation.

The house gained notoriety through James Thurber's own humorous ghost stories, including "The Night the Ghost Got In," based on his experiences living there. However, staff and visitors report that the hauntings are no joke. Footsteps are heard on stairs when no one is present, doors open and close on their own, and strange shadows move through rooms. Some have reported seeing a figure resembling Thurber himself, still wandering the halls of his former home. The proximity to the old asylum cemetery has led some to speculate that spirits from that dark period of medical history may also visit the property. Whether the ghosts are figments of literary imagination or genuine supernatural presences, Thurber House maintains its reputation as one of Columbus's most haunted locations.