The Ghosts of Prospect Place: An Historic Ohio Home

When George Willison Adams finished work on his home in 1856, he had no idea that the house would one day be labeled one of Ohio's most haunted places. Yet that's exactly what happened to Prospect Place. http://www.prospectplace-dresden.com. All proceeds from tours of the home go right back into the maintenance, and restoration of the property itself.

George Adams was born and raised in Virginia, a place where his abolitionist views made him less than popular. Virginia at the time, was a state where slavery was not only accepted, but considered a right and privilege. To escape the tyranny, and attitudes, Adams moved north into Ohio, bringing with him his son George Wilson Adams.

The elder Adams built two flour mills in Muskigum County, in the area now known as Trinway. Working with his brother Edward, the two men quickly became reputable and wealthy by shipping goods with river boats. As soon as he was old enough to help, George Willison Adams joined the family business; riding with the cargo, and later taking over the day to day operations. Adams would later serve as the director of a railroad company, and would help build a large suspension bridge in the area.

Construction began on Prospect Place in 1855, and was finished the following year. At the height of the Civil War, Prospect Place was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, a distinction that earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Runaway slaves from the South frequently stayed in the basement of Prospect Place, before moving further north.

When Willison Adams died in 1879, the house passed along his family line. His wife moved to Zanesville with one of their daughters, leaving Prospect Place in the care of their oldest daughter Anna, and her husband William Cox, of whom many of the ghost stories are based.

William and Anna had lived in the house for some time when he suddenly, and abruptly disappeared. He left Prospect Place, beading to Zanesville. Cox made one stop in town, and passed along money to a friend to make a payment on an account of his in Zanesville. Cox claimed that he needed to go to Columbus, and wouldn't have time to make it to Zanesville as well. After that, he seemingly disappeared.

A few years later, former resident Jennie Adams claimed to have spotted him in San Francisco, California. She stated that he was with another man, and pretended not to know her. It seems a likely possibility that she was mistaken in her belief, and the man actually was not William Cox. Oddly enough, the description she gave of the man he was traveling with, perfectly fit the description of another man seen with Cox. Cox had been in Columbus, Ohio the week before he disappeared with a man. He checked into a hotel with the man, but would not allow his name to be registered.

That opens up an entirely new range of possibilities as to his disappearance. Cox may have had financial troubles, and his 'friend' was hoping to get his money returned. A different, and more plausible explanation is that Cox's traveling companion was in fact, his lover. Homosexuality was highly frowned upon during this time. If Cox was gay, he would have only had two options; run away to hide, or continue to keep his sexuality hidden. No matter what the truth behind his disappearance is, he was never seen again despite numerous searches by his wife and son.

Prospect Place sat empty for a number of years, before being purchased by the Cox Gravel Company, owned by the Cox family. David Longaberger, owner of the Longaberger Basket Company later purchased the property, hoping to preserve and restore it. Unfortunately he passed away before work could be finished, and it fell into the hands of the Company. A descendant of George Adams inquired about purchasing the property, and Longaberger readily agreed. That same descendant has done a large amount of work on the house, and even offers ghost tours for those willing.

The ghosts of Prospect Place are an interesting mix, well worth the trip to Dresden/Trinway for one of the ghost tours. One ghost haunts the old barn. The barn literally rose from the ashes; an arsonist burned down the original house, and Adams used the remains to build a three story barn, while creating a new house identical to the first. The barn featured areas for livestock, storage, and living space for farm workers.

The barn has a story that is partly true fact, and partly urban legend. According to legend, a bounty hunted arrived on the property to seek runaway slaves. Adams and the hunter squared off, and when Adams pulled a gun, the bounty hunter retreated. Ranch hands working on the farm then followed the hunter, held a mock trial, and hanged him in the barn. Fact tells us that the face off between the two men did occur, but a murder in the barn is unsubstantiated.

That doesn't mean that the barn isn't the center of many ghost tales relating to Prospect Place. Not only does the barn have its own ghost, but it has a violent ghost. The murdered bounty hunter is said to haunt the barn, and touch visitors. According to their website, some have also caught a man in dark clothing on video recordings taken in the barn.

The biggest, and most famous ghost story relating to Prospect Place, is that of a girl in white who fell out of a window, and died after landing on the ground. Its said that the girl was sick in her room during a party at the house. She tried to find her way to her mother, grew disoriented, and fell out of the window, or off the balcony in her room. Some also say that her body was kept for several months in the basement of the house, because the ground was too cold to open. Given the rudimentary equipment at the time, bodies were often kept like this when the ground was frozen. According to some, the little girl was the adopted daughter of Anna and William. Her ghost has been seen near the old balcony, and wandering through the upstairs of the house.

Anna Adams-Cox is another ghost said to roam the halls of Prospect Place. After her husband disappeared, she discovered that there wasn't enough to survive, giving yet another theory as to his disappearance. He was known to host large parties, and spent Anna's money as if there was no end in sight. When he disappeared, she was forced to sell anything of value, from the copper roof, to the home's furnishings. Her spirit is now seen wandering the house, as if looking for her louse of a husband. William himself is sometimes spotted walking through the house.

There are also ghosts at Prospect Place with connections to the Underground Railroad. A former slave who died in the house is rumored to haunt the basement. Visitors occasionally hear her crying in the basement, or claim to have seen her there.

As is the case with most haunted houses, there are more rumors than facts. When George Adams first moved to Ohio, he lived in a smaller house with his first wife. Not long after her death, he remarried a younger woman who insisted they move. Its easy to understand her position, no one would want to live in a home their spouse shared with another love. Yet legend insists that she saw the ghost of his first wife, was even threatened by the apparition, and forced George to move.

There's also rumors as to the true arsonist who burned down the original Prospect Place. Some claim it was a Native American woman, who warned the elder Adams about purchasing the property, due to the burial grounds on the land. When he refused to heed her warnings, she set fire to his home. There's no explanation for why she waited so long before plotting her revenge; it seems it would have been easier to burn down the house during construction, and stop it completely.

A local bricklayer, George Blackburn, was accused of setting the fire, tried, and convicted. He was sent to the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he had once worked during construction, and simply walked out one day. He moved back home, and was killed during a failed robbery attempt. A farmer arrived home to find Blackburn sneaking out the back door and promptly hit the man in the head with an ax. Strangely enough, he doesn't haunt the area.

Despite the stories, Prospect Place is a beautiful historic building. If you're in Ohio, it might be worth a side trip to see it for yourself. For more information, or to schedule a tour, visit their website at