Staley Road: A Local Haunting

On a dark night years ago, a man named Staley murdered his family and servants before killing himself. Now, when you drive by his property at night, the electrical system in your car will short out, and if you're lucky, you might even see the ghost of Staley moving around his house.

Bethel Township doesn't have much; a drive-thru, a gas station, and a school that houses elementary school through high school. The one thing this small town in Miami County, Ohio does have, is a ghost story; one that passes down through every generation of students at Bethel High School.

Depending on how you heard the story, determines which story you know. Those outside the area know the story above, and those inside know a completely different story. In "our" version, Staley did not have a family, and lured local children into his barn. Parents finally discovered the truth, and rushed to his property where they discovered the dozens of children's bodies littering the barn.

Nearly all of the legends center around that barn, visible just after turning onto Staley Road. The barn itself is impressive, from an architectural point of view but hardly worth inventing entire legends. Staley Road is more terrifying, with its deep twists, and trees that curve over the road blocking out the sun. Many a group have found themselves wandering down the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the spirit, and some claim to have had paranormal experiences.

The only problem with the legend is that history does not match the story. There was a man named Elias Staley, and he did live in Bethel Township on what is now called Staley Road. He married, raised a family, and opened a mill in 1818. He didn't murder his family, evidenced by his son Andrew who later took over operations of the mill. The Staley Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because it is one of the oldest mills in the state of Ohio, and one of the few existing double water-wheel mills in the world.

At some point, you begin to feel some sympathy for the man who now owns the barn. He lives directly across from the street, and for years has watched people parking on his property, photographing his barn, and basically being a nuisance, usually in the middle of the night. Some unlucky ghost hunters, myself included, have experienced the watchful property owner firsthand. It shouldn't be surprising that he eventually sought legal action. Following the publication of Weird Ohio, which featured pictures of the road and stories about the barn, he sued the publishers after trespassing rose significantly.

I was raised in Bethel Township, and heard the story of Staley Road from my older brother. As inquisitive teenagers, we frequently drove down the street, convinced that at any moment, we would see the ghost of Staley. The oddest experience we ever had though, was the night out emergency lights turned on by themselves and would not stop until hours later. Was it the result of something supernatural, or simply an electrical short?

Prior to writing this, I decided to take a trip back down Staley Road and seeing it through the eyes of an adult was quite different than seeing it as a teenager. There was still something unsettling about the area, but nothing unusual happened except that I think I may have discovered the legend's origin.

Staley Road is one of the oldest roads in Bethel Township, with unmarked sharp curves and areas where visibility more than a few feet is nearly impossible. Its isolation made it a prime location for teenagers looking for some alone time. Maybe one of those young couples saw something one night, or maybe a boy told his girlfriend that to scare her into his arms, or maybe parents simply created the story to stop their children from traveling down the dangerous road. Whatever the true origin is, we will probably never know.

There are many people who claim to have seen or experienced something on Staley Road; the ghost of Old Man Staley, blood running down the walls of the barn, cars malfunctioning, Satanic cults practicing in the woods, and ghosts of all shapes and sizes. But for every person who claims to have seen something, there are twice as many who have not.

If you do decide to visit Staley Road, be very careful. I recommend going during the day, if only because the road is easier to navigate then, and you are more likely to see what's directly in front of you. Staley Road is scary enough during the daylight hours.