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.
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 [born
abt 1790 Maryland, died 1866 Miami, Ohio] , and he did live in Bethel Township
on what is now called Staley Road. He married Hannah Ritter in 1826, raised a
family [between 1832-45], and opened a mill in 1818. He didn't murder his
family since they can be traced through the census returns of 1850-1930. 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.
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.
Sources
Jennifer
Eblin
(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/366498/staley_road_a_local_haunting.html)
www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20090320/
US Federal Censuses
www.familysearch.org
www.ancestry.co.uk
NB: The webmaster has
slightly modified Jennifer Eblin’s article.
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The Staley Grist Mill of Bethel, Ohio