The Moonville Tunnel in Ohio - As Spooky as Ever!

If you are from Ohio, or happen to be visiting our beautiful state I would strongly recommend taking a trip out to the Moonville Tunnel . This place is pretty creepy and requires patience if you are not familiar with the area. The Moonville Tunnel is located in Vinton County, Ohio. It is a part of the Zaleski Forest. This is a very desolate area. That alone makes it creepy if you are not used to this kind of seclusion. There are seriously like no houses around here! I am not going to give out detailed directions . If you are seriously interested in visiting Moonville you will research this on your own! I merely would like to give you some history and I would like to share my own experiences from Moonville.

The town on Moonville was born after the Cincinnati and Marietta railroad laid tracks thru this area in the late 1800's . Moonville was a mining town with about 100 residents. Legend has it that an illness overtook the town. The trains were ordered not to stop in Moonville. It was quarantined.The people of the town began to get worried when they started to run low on supplies. You must understand that even in present day this is a very out of the way, lonely , isolated area. The people came up with a plan they would send some one out to stop the train outside of the tunnel and not in the town. The man was late getting there. Some people say he was sick. Some say he was hung over from a night of drinking. I am not positive, but if they were running out of everything would they have had liquor ? Who knows? Anyway, the man who was to stop the train ran to the tunnel and he saw the train approaching. He was desperate and determined to catch the train. He knew the conductor would not stop unless he was outside of the town. He frantically ran into the tunnel and was killed by the approaching train. The conductor did not see him.

Moonville was not around for very long. It was the end of the mining era. The residents abandoned the town and moved on. Most of the original residents are buried in the cemetery which is very close to the tunnel. If you attempt to drive up the winding steep gravel and dirt road please use caution! The tunnel its self is very cool. It is definitely scary. It is frequently visited by the local college students. It is graffiti covered. You will see beer cans. I have heard it is a popular hunting spot also so be cautious if you go out in the fall! People around here also say satanic rituals are preformed there, but I can't give you a reliable source on this claim. Inside the Moon ville Tunnel is a memorial plaque that states repairs were made in1903/1904 . The tunnel is in good shape for being neglected out in the woods . The trains no longer run here . It is somewhat easy to get to, if you are adventurous. You must cross a beautiful stream on rocks to get across as the bridge has been removed. The stream is called raccoon creek and the water is a pleasing inviting and color of greenish blue.You will see the tunnel before you must climb down to cross. There is really no trace of the town. Many years ago I guess you could see a few foundations from the houses but I have looked and didn't see them.

The tunnel itself is definitely haunted. There are as many local ghost stories as you can imagine on the subject. For the most part all stories are of a man in the tunnel at night. Sometimes he has a lantern, sometimes he walks behind you and if you run he will chase you. Sometimes the train its self seems to have returned. You must run out of the tunnel to avoid it. Other reports are of a lantern, but no one is holding it. The last time I was at Moonville there were no vehicles around but I kept hearing footsteps behind me, and then someone would laugh... I would look and see nothing. Then I would hear that shrill creepy laugh again.The other only freaky experiences I have had there involved people. On my first visit you could not cross the creek it was flooded . As we were approaching our car out of no where 2 men came out of the woods and said " Hey come on! You can get across down here!" They had no vehicle . They certainly weren't hikers. I got the heck out of there! I hope that if you are in the Nelsonville area or the Vinton County are you will stop by and check it out. It is definitely less intimidating in the daylight. If you want a good scare go at night. You can camp there if you are into being freaked out. I know I would not!!