LIMA — You don’t need to spend big money traveling to haunted hospitals or cornfields to get your annual Halloween thrill.
We have our own haunts right here in Lima.
The ninth Annual Lima Lantern Tour was held in downtown Lima Friday night. The event features a historical tour of several buildings in Lima each year. For those who didn’t want to walk, a riding tour was also available on an old-fashioned trolley provided by the Regional Transit Authority. The event is an annual fundraiser for Downtown Lima, Inc.
“It is a very interesting, very interactive tour,” said Cara Stombaugh with the Lima-Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “There is alleged folklore or ghost stories at each one. It is great for those that enjoy spooky folklore or for history buffs.”
Bob Cook, one of the guide tours, provided patrons with many interesting stories on the walk. At the first stop in front of Veterans Memorial Civic Center, he pointed out that the rumors of tunnels underneath the city streets of Lima were true.
“During the John Dillinger trial, the tunnels were used to get witnesses or people appearing in court to the courthouse,” Cook said.
The building that now houses Cullen Art Glass on Main Street formerly was a department store owned by Robert Jones, who then left the store to his Thomas upon his death. A chiseled-in-rock picture of Robert is on top looking down.
“It was so his father could keep an eye on things,” Cook said.
Cook reported that employees have reported the building haunted several times over the years. In one reference, an employee was working on a mosaic in the art studio at 3 a.m. He heard the front door rattling and the alarm going off that someone was trying to get in. However, when he walked up to the front, the door was shaking but no one was there.
“Needless to say, that worker said he would not work at 3 a.m. anymore,” Cook said.
At the Center for Human Services building on Main Street, Cook reported that no one had gone in the basement for nearly 30 years. People finally finding the courage to check it out found several large, white spiders the size of a person’s hand.
“They had been trapped down there in the dark,” Cook said. “Some of them were actually taken to Ohio State University to be identified.”
Cook also spoke of reported noises, footsteps and doors slamming shut on the unoccupied fourth flour at the Wingate Lima Hotel. The law office on 119 N. West St. also has several reports of apparitions of ladies dressed in early 1900s wear appearing occasionally. The building formerly was a funeral home.
“We have all kinds of stories right here in Lima,” Stombaugh said.
At 2 p.m. today, the event also will host paranormal expert James Willis at the Civic Center. Willis will host his Weird Ohio show and talk about his investigation of the building that now houses the Lima Literacy Council, which is reported to be haunted.
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