Moonville Tunnel is a single-bore railroad tunnel cut through a sandstone hill in Vinton County, about 45 minutes from the main Hocking Hills hiking areas. It's the last significant structure standing from a small coal-mining town that existed for less than a century, and it's widely considered one of the most haunted places in Ohio.

The Town That Disappeared

In the early 1800s, just two families — the Fergusons and the Coes — lived in the hollow. The Fergusons farmed; the Coes ran a gristmill and sawmill and discovered coal on their land. When the Cincinnati and Marietta Railway pushed through in the 1850s, Moonville Station was established. The name, according to local tradition, came from watching the moon rise over the tunnel.

Small mining communities grew along the tracks. At its peak, Moonville had about 100 residents. People walked the railroad tracks to commute between communities for work, social visits, and supplies — a dangerous practice on an active rail line. Between the tunnel, two trestles over Raccoon Creek, and the trains themselves, the body count grew. Local research has documented over 20 deaths along this stretch of track from newspaper accounts and oral history.

The coal mines started closing in the early 1900s. Families left. The last family departed in 1947. By the 1960s, all buildings were gone. The railroad tracks were eventually removed and replaced with packed gravel trail. Today, only the tunnel, the cemetery, and foundation stones hidden in the woods mark the site.

The Ghosts

The Engineer: Theodore Lawhead, an engineer for the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad, was killed when his train collided head-on with another near the tunnel in the 1880s. Visitors and railworkers reported seeing a figure holding a lantern, walking alongside the tracks and through the tunnel.

The Brakeman: A railroad worker killed in the line of duty whose ghost is said to wave a lantern at approaching trains — or, now, approaching hikers.

The Lavender Lady: A woman reportedly seen near the tunnel, associated with the scent of lavender. Origins of this story are less documented than the railroad worker ghosts.

The Bully: Described in local folklore as a townsman who terrorized the community in life and continues to in death.

These stories have been collected and documented by Jannette Quackenbush, a local author and folklorist who has written multiple books on Moonville and Hocking Hills ghost stories, including Haunted Hocking Hills and the Little Book of Moonville.

Visiting Moonville Today

The Moonville Rail Trail is maintained by the Moonville Rail Trail Association. The trail from the parking area to the tunnel is flat, packed gravel, and relatively easy — about 0.3 miles to the tunnel from the nearest trailhead. The path through the tunnel is unpaved but passable for strollers and wheelchairs with some care.

The iron bridge at the entrance has become a destination itself — visitors leave locks as mementos. Beyond the tunnel, the trail continues along the old rail corridor toward Zaleski and Lake Hope.

Getting there: The tunnel is in a remote area of Vinton County. Follow directions carefully and download a map before you go — cell phone service is essentially nonexistent. Look for a gravel parking lot adjacent to an old iron bridge. The road in is narrow and winding with steep dropoffs.

Moonville is about 15 minutes from Lake Hope State Park and 45 minutes from Ash Cave. It pairs well with a visit to Lake Hope for hiking, fishing, or the lodge dining room.