Labor Day Skies from Mount Pleasant Lancaster,Ohio

Joe Todd reporting from Lancaster,Ohio.. When the Grand Kids were here we climbed Mount Pleasant including “Devils Kitchen”, went on a trail ride at Spotted Horse Ranch,and then a canoe trip down the Hocking River. I’ll never be the same LOL….

A SKYWATCH FRIDAY POST

Modern Lancaster is distinguished by a rich blend of 19th-century architecture (best evidenced in historic Square 13, part of Zane's original plot) and natural beauty (best evidenced by the famous Standing Stone, today known as Mount Pleasant) with all the typical modern accoutrements of a small-medium-sized American city.

That is my Grandson Nate in the upper photo. From Wikipedia::” A famous Lancaster landmark is Mount Pleasant, a 250-foot (76 m) high sandstone bluff called "Standing Stone" by earlier Native American peoples. It is located in Rising Park, a large city park on the city's north side. It is possible to climb to the top of Mount Pleasant by following a short marked trail from the park through the woods that cover the bluff's other sides. There is also a cave known unofficially as "Devils Kitchen" in the front in which braver people are willing to climb about 20 feet (6.1 m) using only shallow "bear claws". Experienced rock climbers have climbed the sandstone face of the bluff many times as well. Once one has reached the top, there is a lookout area from which one can see over great distances, and take in not just a panoramic view of the nearby Fairfield County fairgrounds and much of the city of Lancaster, but the changing landscape of Central Ohio as well—from the relatively flat farmlands north of Lancaster to the wooded hills lying south of the city.” You can also get to DEVILS KITCHEN FROM the top down using a metal staircase. ( As a kid I went up those “bear claw” steps once.

A sky shot from the “KITCHEN” taken on a different day

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out Skywatch Friday for some great skies from around the world.

Technorati Tags: MOUNT PLEASANT,LANCASTER,OHIO,DEVILS KITCHEN

Visual Proof “The Ghost’s At The Haunted Moonville Tunnel in Zaleski State Forest, Vinton County Ohio, Are Artists”

 In the previous post I showed you the trail to the Moonville Tunnel.Now I’m going to show you the tunnel in a little different “light”. There are some really great articles/blogs about the tunnel and it’s history that I think are really great if your interested in this type of thing as I am. I’ll share these links with you. Hopefully this post is something new. (kind of hard to do anymore) ( Link to Map of area)

The above photo shows both ends of the “haunted” tunnel and the middle. The day I visited the temp was 92 degrees but once you got within 20 feet of either end of the tunnel the temperature started to drop fast, and once you were inside the tunnel there was at least at 10 degree difference in temperature. Just Ghostly LOL.

“The ghost of the Moonville Tunnel is one of those legends that's based on historical fact but has been distorted by telling and retelling over the years. The major story is that someone--an engineer, a conductor, a brakeman  a signalman?--was crushed under the wheels of the train that used to go through the place.” READ MORE Let’s take a closer look inside the tunnel:

 Some say they have seen the Ghost of the brakeman swinging his kerosene lantern in the Moonville tunnel

  “When the Haunted Hocking Investigation Team made a preliminary visit to Moonville Tunnel. They came across several unexplained events including physical evidence. Twice, the EMF detector spiked briefly.” READ MORE

(Maybe Ghostly self portraits LOL.) “1. On March 29, 1859 a Marietta-Cincinnati railroad worker fell onto the tracks outside the tunnel and was hit by a train. 2.  In 1905 a young woman was walking home along the tracks when she was killed by a passing train. 3. In 1936 a man was murdered at the inn that sat to the right of the tunnel.” READ MORE

A little history from the OES visit to the Moonville Tunnel on April 6, 2002. “Moonville is in Vinton County along the Raccoon Creek in the densest wooded area in Ohio. Founded in the 1850s, Moonville was a mining town along the Marietta - Cincinnati Railroad. The coal mined in Moonville was used to supply the many furnaces in the area including the Hope Furnace. Moonville reached its peak in the 1870s, and totally disappeared by the 1930s with the exception of the Moonville Tunnel and the Moonville Cemetery.” READMORE (Actually nearby there is also the Kings Switch Tunnel which I haven’t been to yet)

This was tough to find. There is a sign by the side of the road with an arrow pointing into the woods but NO TRAIL. There were only two headstones that I found. Also, a little more info on the trail; “Moonville Rail Trail Association, a non-profit organization, was established in April of 2001 in order to build and maintain the muscle-powered Moonville Rail Trail system. The Moonville Rail Trail will extend from Red Diamond, which is near the Village of Zaleski, through the hills of Vinton County and end in scenic Athens County near Grosvener. They hope to establish a trail system that will connect to the Athens County Hockhocking Adena Bike Path.” READ MORE

Reporting from the Moonville Tunnel Joe Todd says, “Thanks for stopping by.”

Technorati Tags: HAUNTED,MOONVILLE TUNNEL,ZALESKI,VINTON COUNTY

Take a second to listen to “The Hell-Bound Train” on the sidebar. There are also several Youtube videos related to Moonville and Zaleski you might be interested in. When I was there I also found hundreds of butterflies just outside the entrance to the tunnel.

A My World Tuesday post

Labor Day

Have a safe Holiday

I’ll let you know how the “Trail Ride” with the Grand Kids turns out. You know it has been a long time since I was on a horse. LOL

“Peter J. McGuire (July 6, 1852 - February 18, 1906) He is credited with first proposing the idea of en:Labor Day as a national holiday in 1882.”

Technorati Tags: LABOR DAY

Moonville Tunnel..Zaleski State Forest all near Lancaster,Ohio

THE HOCKING HILLS IS A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT

Near Lancaster,Ohio in the Hocking Hills area of S.E. Ohio one can find Zaleski State Forest

THANKS ODNR

Where one can find the Haunted Moonville Tunnel “Deep in the backwoods of Vinton County stands the Moonville Tunnel, a relic from an era long gone. The town it is named for was born when the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad was built through the coal- and iron-rich woods of southeastern Ohio in 1856. At its peak in the 1870s, the town boasted a population of more than 100--almost exclusively miners and their families.”Click on above link to read more. For the purpose of this post ( Watery Wednesday ) a few photos of the trail and bridges to the Moonville Tunnel.

I just crossed Raccoon Creek on the one lane bridge in the distance and parked my car on the side of the road ( Wheelabout Road, Township Highway 18.) About 200 paces down the trail which was once the railroad tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad you once again come to Raccoon Creek which you must cross in order to get to the tunnel.

Yes that is the way across

 After crossing the creek it is about 200 more paces to the Moonville Tunnel which you can just barley see the entrance to in the next photo. 

In another post We will explore the tunnel itself which is not only haunted but……… in the mean time explore our watery world at Watery Wednesday

Technorati Tags: MY QUALITY TIME,MOONVILLE TUNNEL,ZALESKI STATE FOREST,WATERY WEDNESDAY,LANCASTER OHIO GOLF,HOCKING HILLS

Ohio Amish Country

A close to HOME (LANCASTER,OHIO) vacation for That’s My World Tuesday

Be Careful Driving and make sure to check out Lehman’s Hardware (Check out this Link)

Shreve,Millersburg,kidron,Holmesville: Takes more than a day and bring your appetite. LOL… Linda was much happier when I got out of jail.

See Ya Next Time

We didn’t travel this way but it sure made my mind wander

VACATION FROM A FEW YEARS BACK

Technorati Tags: OHIO AMISH VACATION,MY QUALITY TIME,LANCASTER OHIO,LEHMAN'S HARDWARE