To the average onlooker, Ohio might not seem like that exciting of a place.
But the truth is that there’s actually a lot of stuff about the state that might surprise you.
Ohio is full of interesting history.
And even though you don’t hear about it a lot in the news, a little bit of digging in the history books will reveal tons of fascinating facts.
In fact, in this blog post, we assembled five of our favorites—just because they were so wild and surprising that they were totally worth writing a blog post about.
So fasten your seatbelts, and keep your arms and legs inside at all times—because we’re about to take a trip through history.
Let’s dive into it.
1. The State Contains A Bunch Of Ancient ‘Mounds’
Interestingly, tribes of ancient settlers have left more than 6,000 burial mounds and forts throughout the Ohio state region.
The largest of these is known as the Miamisburg Mound, which is technically the largest conical burial mound in the state, and possibly the largest in the eastern United States.
The history behind these mounds is pretty interesting.
When European explorers first arrived in the area, back in the 1600s, they found a number of Native American tribes settled there.
Among them were the Shawnee, Wyandot, and Miami tribes.
But these were not the tribes who are credited for building the ancient mounds.
Instead, it is believed that they were built sometime between 500 BC and 1650 AD by Adena, Hopewell, and Fort Ancient Native American Cultures.
2. There’s A Haunted Orphanage
Whether or not you believe in the paranormal, this story is fascinating.
According to folklore, there was once an actual orphanage in the area of Vermillion, Ohio.
This orphanage was located along Gore Orphanage Road and was named the Light of Hope Orphanage.
It’s said that the orphanage closed its doors in the early 1900s.
However, some weird and unusual stories about the orphanage have drifted through history.
Plus, strange noises and ghost sightings happen regularly along Gore Orphanage Road—leaving people to wonder what actually happened at the orphanage, and whether or not it may have been a more ‘sinister’ place than people realize.
3. The Witches Tower
This story is interesting—though perhaps not as interesting as some people claim it is.
The folklore goes like this:
Hiding in a forest near Dayton, Ohio, there’s a tower that’s often called The Witches Tower, or even Frankenstein’s Tower.
There are all kinds of urban legends and folklore that swirl around about this location—but the truth is actually a lot less mysterious.
The real story behind the tower is that it was indeed the site of an unfortunate death.
A girl named Peggy Harmeson died here in May of 1967. At the time, she was 16 years old. She and her boyfriend reportedly sought refuge in the tower during a thunderstorm.
But unfortunately, lightning struck the tower during the storm—killing Peggy and leaving her boyfriend badly injured.
4. Walhalla Road
Ohio has a surprising number of ghost stories and haunted street stories for being such an otherwise ‘normal’ state.
And the legend of Walhalla Road is one such ghost story.
According to this story, there’s a unique Geographic niche in North Columbus—a windy road called Walhalla Road.
According to the folklore, at night, passersby are haunted by the ghosts of a man who killed his family before committing suicide beneath the road’s bridge.
Types of hauntings vary on this road—but there are so many stories that it truly becomes difficult to ignore.
Could it be real?
Is there any way to know for sure?
5. Medical Marijuana Is Legal
Another interesting fact about Ohio is the fact that recreational marijuana is still illegal—while medical marijuana is legal within the state.
You’ll just need to get a medical ID card to present at the dispensary if you want to buy marijuana legally in the state.
If you need to get a card, you can use resources like this medical marijuana card service to streamline the process.
Conclusion
There you have it.
Five surprising facts about Ohio’s history that are interesting to know.
Now, you’ll be well-equipped for your next Ohio visit.
