history
Before Kings Island dominated the landscape in this area, a small nondescript cemetery sat along the road surrounded by a picket fence. Some of the headstones in the cemetery date back to the mid 1800s, and some of the words on the headstones have faded to the point where they are illegible.
Today the cemetery seems like an anachronism surrounded by modern wonders. On one side of the cemetery is the main road. On another side stands the Great Wolf Lodge, a large indoor water park and hotel. And on the remaining two sides are Kings Island Amusement Park and the parking lot. This small cemetery seems dominated and almost forgotten amid all of this development. Perhaps it is this domination that has encouraged ghosts to come out. Perhaps the ghosts just don’t want to be forgotten.
ghost story
The most famous ghost from this small cemetery is a young girl. She is often seen in Kings Island itself in the area between the water park and the amusement park, but she is also seen in the cemetery. People will see her standing inside the wooden fence, looking out toward the amusement park. Many times when people see her, they only see her out of the corner of their eyes on the way out of the parking lot. By the time they realize that it’s too late at night for a girl as young as she to be inside the little cemetery, they have past her.
Other people will feel unwelcoming presences when they are inside the cemetery, or they will feel like they are being watched. At night, people will often see shadowy figures moving throughout the cemetery, especially when they are driving out of the park through the exit near the cemetery.
visiting
The biggest obstacle to visiting this cemetery during the day is parking. It costs money to park in Kings Island’s lot, and there is really no parking anywhere else near the small cemetery. It seems the only options are to park down the street at the theater or pay for parking at the amusement park.
Once you are parked, you still might face some obstacles. Although there are no signs that say anything about the cemetery closing at dark, it is possible that the cemetery is off limits at that time. Kings Island is heavily guarded after closing, so it is likely that you will be approached by security if you are in the cemetery after hours.
If you are visiting the park itself, the cemetery might be a stop to consider on your way out or in. I personally wouldn’t suggest you go to the cemetery in the middle of the night when Kings Island is closed. I went once in the middle of the day during the off-season when Kings Island was closed for the winter. I was not approached by anyone while I was there.
MIAMITOWN CEMETERY
Corner of Mill Street and State Route 128, Cleves, OH 45041
directions
Take I-74 to exit 7 (SR-128 Cleves/Hamilton). Take SR-128 north toward Wendy’s and BP. The cemetery will be on your left. Just past the cemetery, turn left on Mill Street. There is diagonal parking alongside the cemetery.
history
The current cemetery is a conglomeration of several other cemeteries that have been combined. On the north side of Miamitown, there is a street called Cemetery Road near the Village Pump antique store. There was once a cemetery here, but it was moved. The headstones were moved across town to the new cemetery, but when workers attempted to move the bodies, the old wooden caskets broke apart, and they decided that moving the bodies would be too difficult. The headstones remain at the current cemetery but the bodies have been paved over and are still underground at Cemetery Road.
Another cemetery, which was located where the elementary school sits today, was moved across the street to the churchyard (see Miamitown Elementary chapter in the Schools and Public Buildings section of this book). This time both the bodies and the headstones were moved. Unfortunately, there were many unmarked graves in the original cemetery so when they dug up the ground to build the school, they dug up piles of bodies. They had no idea who these people were, so they simply reburied the bodies across the street at the current cemetery without markers.
Further, a caretaker who once worked at the current cemetery didn’t like broken headstones in his cemetery, so whenever a headstone broke, he would tear it out of the ground and throw it into the Great Miami River. The section of the graveyard that is today the municipal cemetery, the area closest to the old Methodist Church, is completely full despite the fact that there are hardly any headstones in the area.
ghost story
Various paranormal phenomena occurs at the cemetery. People will feel very uncomfortable while they are here, especially at night. They either will feel as if they are being watched, or they will feel chills crawling up and down their spines. Other times, people will actually feel an icy finger touch them on the back of their necks. Shadowy figures will also roam throughout the cemetery and then vanish.
The most famous ghost of the cemetery, however, is a little girl in a white dress. When people see the little girl, she will often vanish immediately or linger until the witness approaches her.
visiting
This cemetery is open throughout the night, so you do not need to worry about legal issues after dark. The haunted area is the section between the Methodist Church and the blacktop road that wraps around the church in the shape of an ‘L’. The remainder of the cemetery is private—known as the Miami Cemetery—and officially closes after dark. If you stay on the church side of the road, you are free to search for ghosts throughout the night. Just make sure you are respectful while inside the cemetery gates.
MILLVILLE CEMETERY
2289 Millville Avenue, Hamilton, OH 45013
directions
Take I-75 north to I-275 west. Take I-275 to the Colerain Avenue exit. Take Colerain Avenue/US-27 north past Ross until the road seems to dead end in Millville. At this point there is a sign saying that Oxford is to your left and Hamilton is to your right. To the left is Millville Oxford Road and to the right is Millville Avenue. Turn right onto Millville Avenue and follow this road for a couple miles. Millville Cemetery will be on your right. There will be a bright blue sign near the road.
history
Millville Cemetery is much older than it appears. Most of the headstones look relatively new, but this cemetery dates all the way back to 1822. Its newer appearance is probably due, at least in part, to the fact that it is now the only active cemetery in the immediate Hanover Township/Millville area. The cemetery averages more than sixty burials a year so many of the headstones are new. Many of the original headstones from the early to mid 1800s are lost among the newer ones.
In 2005, the Board of Trustees of Hanover Township purchased more land to expand the cemetery, which should be able to add new graves until at least 2045.
ghost story
Millville Cemetery seems to be a hotbed of paranormal activity. Perhaps this activity is due to the clash between the spirits of the older graves and the new burials that happen every year. Perhaps the older spirits are concerned that they will be forgotten, so they make themselves known.
People will often see full apparitions in the cemetery. While the encounters most often happen at night, they have been known to happen at dawn or dusk or during cloudy or rainy days. Two apparitions are seen most often. The first one is an old man that people will see walking aimlessly around the cemetery. The old man will roam around for a while, seemingly looking for something and then will vanish. The second apparition is that of a young girl, who is seen standing near one of the trees near the front of the cemetery. She always stares out toward the field to the west of the cemetery.
Visitors also talk of seeing strange