Drive our gently rolling hills and quiet villages and experience
Haunted Preble County Ghost Ride
Preble County
is just 35 minute drive from Dayton, 50 minutes from Cincinnati, bordering Richmond, IN, is a quiet rural county...or is it? ......
Taffy's Cafe on Eaton's Main Street is in an old Victorian bulding. In the part of the building was a a jewelry store. The previous owner died under "unusual circumstances.."* The old store was part of the Peterses' home and this is where the haunting still occur...
It was the year of the creature, "1977". A sheriff's report states that two thirteen year old boys at the Robert's Bridge encountered "this terrible odor like rotten meat" and heard something walking behind them. They turned and there was "this large creature with dirty brown hair. They further described it as about 9 feet tall and weighing about 500 pounds. It appeared to have white eyes." Although standing upright, it's long arms nearly reached the ground...."It made a sound similar to a cross between a bird and squealing tires from an automobile."...*
Morning Sun's Haunted Church Organ
Located in the southwest corner of the county is Morning Sun's Haunted Church Organ. Back in the 1940's....*
Devil's Backbone of Camden
Devil's Backbone - This gorge along Paint Creek is said to be haunted by Miami Indians who died there. The Miami Indian Chief Red Turtle placed a curse on the valley when he was being driven out by white settlers. Throughout the 1800s, settlers blamed the curse and ghostly Indians for many deaths there.
More on Miami Indians of Ohio
More on Shaunee Indians of Southwest Ohio.
Map of Haunted Eaton
Taffy's Cafe on Eaton's Main Street
Taffy's Cafe on Eaton's Main Street is in an old Victorian bulding. In the part of the building was a a jewelry store. The previous owner died under "unusual circumstances.."* The old store was part of the Peterses' home and this is where the haunting still occur...
Eaton Library
It happened on July 8, 1909 at closing time in the new (1905) library building on Decatur and Barron Streets. Mrs. Lida Griswold was employed as the first permanent librarian in 1901. She was the victim of a shocking tragedy on July 8, 1909. According to the newspaper, Harry Rife, a rejected suitor, accosted her in the library, shot her to death in front of her son and then attempted suicide. He was convicted of murder and died in the electric chair in 1910. The new library was built where the old library building resided. 
Who is it that continues to disturb the computers in the library office?
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Who is it that continues to disturb the computers in the library office?
. Mound Hill Cemetery
Mrs. Griswald's tombstone is the Mound Hill Cemetery in section 13. During the recent ghost tour, participants in Mound Hill Cemetery by Lida Griswolds' grave encountered this strange fog that swept by them on that otherwise very clear night.
Preble County Courthouse
The Preble County Courthouse stands as a memorial to local Architect Harvey Hiestand who designed it. Built in 1918, it originally housed the courts, sheriff's office and county jail. It was also the scene of a tragic event. A little child was said to have fallen down from the top floor to the marble floor below. Their have been continued stories of the lower blinds moving in the Recorder's Office.....*
Fort St. Clair
Fort St. Clair was established in 1782 to protect the area against the treat of the Miami and Native Americans. It served as an important garrison and supply depot between Forts Washington and Jefferson. Future President William Henry Harrison, who was serving in the army at the time, helped erect the fort. On November 6, 1792, 200 Indian Warriors led by Little Turtle attacked 100 mounted Kentucky riflemen who had camped outside the fort. Six of the soldiers died. The battlefield and those soldiers graves remain intact today on the site. Fort St. Clair was also a major supporting post in 1874 when General "Mad" Anthony Wayne finally defeated the Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The fort is haunted by two apparitions. One, a soldier that people refer to as "bloody bones". And the other is a Native American who has been "seen dancing below the graveyard near the ravine." ...*
More on Fort St. Clair
Robert's Bridge
It was the year of the creature, "1977". A sheriff's report states that two thirteen year old boys at the Robert's Bridge encountered "this terrible odor like rotten meat" and heard something walking behind them. They turned and there was "this large creature with dirty brown hair. They further described it as about 9 feet tall and weighing about 500 pounds. It appeared to have white eyes." Although standing upright, it's long arms nearly reached the ground...."It made a sound similar to a cross between a bird and squealing tires from an automobile."...*
Was it a prank? A local farmer and police officer reported "two prints were discovered along Seven Mile Creek. They had five toes and measured 14 inches long by 7 inches wide. The stride was roughly 6.5 feet.
Brown Memorial Library
The library was opened September 28, 1935.
The building was the former home of the Dr. W. G. Brown family. Their daughter, Miss Anna Brown, bequeathed it to the village of Lewisburg for specific use as a library in 1934. In her will, she gave the property and all of her family's books, numbering about 400, to be used for a public library. The original building dates back to the late 1800's and has undergone remodeling projects in the mid 1950's and 1974. An addition was added in 1989, completing the structure as it is today. Apparently Miss Brown liked her library kept in the manner of the libraries of her time. Miss Brown does not approve of the current trend for children's decorations in the library. The Cincinnati Paranormal Investigators have determined that it is very likely her pulling tacks out of ceiling displays to show her disapproval. And that cold breeze that pushes the ceiling decorations horizontal, is not a draft.
Brubaker Bridge
The historically registered Brubaker Bridge, built in 1887, is located on Aukerman Creek/Brubaker Road, just 1/4 mile northwest of the village of Gratis off of State Route 122. In the 1930s a group of teenagers were driving to a from a party. They were involved in a terrible car accident near the Brubaker Bridge. Brubaker Bridge is located on State Route 121. It is thought that it occurred at night and being in a rural area, there were no witnesses to the crash. The twelve victims were not discovered until later that night by a neighboring farmer. Their bodies were identified and eventually given proper burials by their respective families. However, the last body was never recovered.
Not much time passed when the farmer who discovered them was crossing Brubaker Bridge when his car suddenly died. He reported hearing 13 distinct knocks on his car before he could finally start his car again.
It still happens that cars will unpredictably stall as they cross Brubaker Bridge, and some even report hearing knocking 13 times on their car.
This material was gathered by Preble County District Library Staff. For further readings on hauntings in Preble County, we recommend Chris Woodyard's Haunted Ohio series.
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