Ghosts Do Not Rest in Fairport Harbor, Ohio

On the shore of Lake Erie, located halfway between Cleveland and Ashtabula, Ohio, is the village of Fairport Harbor. Originally a bustling and growing shipping community, the town of around 2800 people began as a manmade harbor protecting the Grand River. Could the ghosts of Fairport Harbor's legendary history of shipping, sailors, bars and prostitution still haunt places within this small town?

One well-known haunted location is the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse. Being the nation's first lighthouse to become a museum, the Fairport Harbor lighthouse tower and museum building were both re-built in 1871, to replace the original, decaying structures built in 1825. Not only do some believe that two former lighthouse keepers, Captains Butler and Babcock, still keep watch over the grounds, but that Mrs. Babcock's ghostly cat still prowls the keeper's house. Having been seen by several people as a "wispy gray spirit," the mummified, ghost-cat's body later was found by workers in a basement crawlspace. Today, the cat's remains are on display in a glass cabinet within the fascinating museum.

One group of paranormal enthusiasts decided to visit Fairport Harbor recently, and found themselves surprised by the level of spirit interaction that took place while visiting one evening. Ghost box audio recordings made by them at the Fairport Lighthouse seem to indicate the spirits are alive and well there.

Within walking distance from the haunted lighthouse and located on High Street, is a little pub called Chef Fritz' Roadhouse. A fun, little neighborhood hangout, Chef Fritz apparently had a rough past during the times when numerous area bars competed for the business of thirsty transients. Two murders are believed to have occured at this long-established watering hole, which formerly was home to an upstairs brothel serving sailors and others who travelled through Fairport Harbor. One prostitute, "Mary," was raped, murdered and disposed of in the nearby Grand River. Her ghost has been reportedly seen within Chef Fritz' Roadhouse over the years, along with other female and male spectres. One friendly ghost whom the proprietor calls "Steve," was a former constable who was shot to death there in the late 1800's. In fact, the owner of Chef Fritz willingly shares his ghost stories with visitors who are brave enough to come into his haunted establishment.

When near Fairport Harbor in northeast Ohio, be sure and pay a visit to one or both of these haunted landmarks. If you are up for a ghost hunting adventure, you'll be glad you did.