Haunted Ohio: The Ghosts of King's Island in Mason
As a teenager growing up outside of Dayton, Ohio, there were few places I loved more than King's Island. Well, maybe Americana, but that's a different story. It was common for one parent to drive down and drop us off and another one to pick us up at the end of the day. I believe season passes were around $50, which was cheap for a summer of fun. Back then though, it was Paramount's King's Island, complete with rides named after popular movies like Top Gun and Face/Off. Little did I know that my favorite place was home to multiple ghosts.
King's Island was the brainchild of Gary Wachs. Ralph Wachs owned and operated a small theme park in Cincinnati called Coney Island, which opened in 1870. While Coney Island was popular, it was also in a terrible location. Every time the Ohio River flooded, the park ended up under water. The biggest of those occurred in 1964. So much rain fell that the flooding left parts of the park under up to 14 feet of water.
Between the flooding and the lack of space to expand, the younger Wachs came up with the idea of opening a new park. Others working for the company shot down his plans, citing money and other concerns. That all changed when word came down that a Hollywood celebrity (Fess Parker) planned to build a new amusement park in Kentucky, which would pull away some of the local traffic.
The Taft Broadcasting Company bought the entire Coney Island company in 1969 – in part, because the company wanted to advertise its new Hanna-Barbara products – and purchased a large plot of land in Warren County. Some of the land sat on the remains of the old Kings Mills. Founded in 1884 by the King Powder Company and Peters Cartridge Company (also haunted!), Kings Mill struggled when both shut down. It suffered again when the College Football Hall of Fame left. Today, it's just a census-designated place.
To honor Kings Mill, the Taft Broadcasting Company decided to name the new theme park in the town's honor. The company moved some of the Coney Island to the new park when construction started in 1970. Cedar Fair bought King's Island in 2006 from CBC along with all of the other Paramount Parks.
While some of my favorite rides are still there, others like King Cobra are long gone. Cedar Fair also stripped the film branding from the park, changing the names of rides. The old Top Gun, for example, is now Flight Deck. One thing the company didn't change was the small cemetery located outside.
Deaths at King's Island
Unlike Disney parks – where allegedly they move guests off-site to claim they never had a death on park grounds – King's Island was the was where several people took their last breaths. The first of those was the 1976 death of an employee.
It's hard to imagine an amusement park like King's Island having a safari, but it did back in the 70s. Some workers were known as Safari Rangers. According to Coaster 101, Lion Country Safari was the first attraction that charged guests an additional fee to visit. Later called Wild Animal Safari and Wild Animal Habitat, it featured a monorail that drove guests around a two-mile track to get closer to the animals.
The Safari Rangers were employees tasked with leading the monorail and telling guests about the animals. Though I read it remained open through the 1990s, I have no memories of the attraction at all. The land used for the enclosures is where Banshee, Flight of Fear, and Firehawk now sit. Son of Beast was also there until the park realized it was one of the worst and most painful coasters of all time and shut it down.
A 20-year-old man working as a Safari Ranger hopped out to use the bathroom and, somehow, didn't see the lion stalking him. I've seen him called both Johnny and Jack. He barely had time to react before the lion mauled him. Other workers found his body not long after. That didn't lead to the attraction shutting down though. It continued even after baboons escaped and wandered through Mason and a lioness left her habitat to hide in the bushes. King's Island only shut down the animal side when park owners wanted to expand and add more rides. Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati now has some of the original monorail cars on display.
John Harter was the park's next death. Like many other local teens, Harter visited King's Island for one of its Graduation Night celebrations. While playing around in the Eiffel Tower in areas off limits to guests, he slipped and fell down the elevator shift.
One of the saddest deaths occurred in 1991 when multiple people died on the same day. June 9, 1991, was a warm and sunny day. Tim Brenning hit the park with friends, joking and playing around like they always did. Not knowing of an electrical short in the water beneath the Viking Ship, he suffered an electric shock when he tried to splash his buddies. Eddie Haithcoat jumped into the water or save his buddy and was electrocuted. Hearing the commotion, a security guard also attempted to help but fell victim to the same fate. Brenning suffered severe injuries but survived – the other two men died on the spot.
Two victims weren't enough for Black Sunday. Flight Commander was a ride in the park where you went up in a small vehicle and used a control to make the vehicle rotate and move. A woman, Candy Taylor, on the ride fell out the same day and died when she hit the ground below. I heard multiple stories about what happened: she was too big to wear the belt and didn't tell the workers, she took the belt off, or she slipped out of the belt when trying to see what was happening near the Viking Ship. A few former park workers told me she was belligerent and ignored their instructions, too.
King's Island Cemetery Ghost
King's Island ghost stories are so common that Ghost Hunters even came out to investigate. TAPS wanted to learn more about the ghostly little girl spotted in and around the on-site cemetery.
When I was a kid, we made the drive to Cincinnati a few times a year. My parents often chose to stay at the on-site campground rather than an expensive hotel. I can remember walking by the nearby cemetery multiple times heck, I remember having a family reunion at King's Island and actually playing hide and seek in the cemetery before I knew any better.
Often called King's Island Cemetery, its official name is Dog Street Cemetery. The young girl who haunts it is always described the same way with bright blue eyes, blonde hair, and clad in a blue dress. Tram drivers often report seeing her around Water Works when she comes out of nowhere and climbs onto the tracks. She only appears after dark when the park is closed and always disappears before they can react. It's something of a dare to send new workers on tram rides late at night. Many employees like telling stories about the little ghost and nicknamed her, Tram Girl.
She's a common sight to security guards, too. They see her near the ticket office, by some of the restaurants near the front of the park, and in the parking lots. Many claim she's the ghost of Missouri Jane Galeenor, a five-year-old girl buried in Dog Street Cemetery. TAPS and other paranormal groups now refer to her as Missouri Jane. There are rumors she drowned in one of the ponds on the park property by White Water Canyon.
TAPS listed a few stories about Missouri Jane, including guests seeing a girl in an old-fashioned blue dress when they arrive and restaurant workers hearing an unknown presence throw around equipment. Riders on White Water Canyon feel things thrown at them from the woods and hear a child's laughter. On a personal note, I always loved White Water Canyon and can absolutely remember getting pelted by small twigs and branches. I can't say it was a ghost, but I can say riding at night is quite creepy.
Woody
If Missouri Jane haunts White Water Canyon, she may not be alone. Many employees hate working this ride because it's so far removed from the other attractions. Add in the wooded area that surrounds it and you have a recipe for creepiness. The woods insulate the ride, making it one of the quietest in the park and giving way to the Woody nickname. Some also refer to him as Wally.
Stories about Woody claim he was a young boy who died years before the park existed or he was a local boy who drowned in the same water the ride now uses. Observational Tower 2 is a lookout for workers to keep an eye on riders. They often send new workers out there because no one volunteers for the job. They claim to feel someone watching them from the woods, hearing footsteps nearby, and feeling rocks and stones hit them, followed by laughter.
Tower Johnny
While Missouri Jane has some fans, the most famous ghost of King's Island is Tower Johnny. Tower Johnny is supposedly the ghost of John Harter, the Grad Night victim. The story I always heard growing up was that Johnny was acting like a normal teenage boy, in other words, a pain. He climbed inside the elevator shaft of the Eiffel Tower and with their encouragement, climbed all the way to the top. He slipped on his way down, hitting every cable before reaching the bottom. Park workers found him decapitated and missing several limbs.
Not long after his death, workers and visitors started having unusual experiences in the Eiffel Tower. Many people blame the regular electrical breakdowns in the park on him. They can never find a reason why the power went out. Having been there multiple times, I can safely say that power outages are pretty common. Multiple park guests requested help for a young man they claim had blood on his face and a confused expression. By the time they made it back to him, he was no longer there.
Tower Johnny is just as much of a nuisance in death as he was in life. The doors on the elevator cable often open and close for no reason. Guests report hearing moaning noises no one can explain. A popular story claims workers were shutting the tower down for the night when the car dropped from its position at the top of the tower to the middle, something the counterweighs should prevent. A supervisor scolded Johnny and immediately saw the car move back to its original position.
I have a somewhat unusual experience at the Eiffel Tower. During a visit with my boyfriend, he convinced me to check it out, knowing I have a massive fear of heights. While he stood at the cage to look over the park, I kept my back firmly planted against the wall. While thinking about how much I wanted to get back to the ground, I felt a soft touch on my shoulder. Knowing no one was behind me, it just made me want to leave even more.
Fort Washington House
On the waterpark side of King's Island sits a building called Fort Washington House. Local legend says an older man built in by hand and didn't want to sell when the Taft Broadcasting Company started buying up land. He finally agreed on the condition that the house remain as-is as long as the park existed. Once used as a staging space for workers, it is now primarily used as storage.
Those lucky enough to get inside claim it has a creepy and unsettling vibe. Workers recall hearing footsteps when they were the only ones there and finding things moved to new places. Some believe the ghost of the former owner haunts his old home.
Racer Boy
The Racer was always one of my favorite coasters, especially the backward side. Though it only goes one way now, it once let you choose between riding facing the front or riding backward. According to legend, he moved to the park when the Shooting Star ride did. Opened in 1937, Shooting Star was a 2,950-foot-long wood coaster. Coney Island took the old Clipper ride, added new hills and features, and reopened it as Shooting Star.
A young boy took a ride on Shooting Star, sitting by himself in the last seat. By the time the ride made it back, he was missing. After a short search, they found him on the tracks. Stories vary as to whether he climbed out on his own or fell out due to a bad belt. Allegedly, King's Island used two of the cars from the ride when it built The Racer and he came along with them.
Often called Racer Boy, always appears in all-white clothing. Those tasked with running the ride occasionally see him standing close by with a wistful look on his face. Park guests spotted him, too. He never bothers anyone or makes a nuisance, but he's known to scare the daylights out of some who saw him.
The Beast
You cannot go to King's Island without riding The Beast. Thrilling riders since opening in 1972, The Beast was the fastest, longest, and tallest wooden roller coaster in the world. It inspired two books by Ohio native R.L. Stine
and left many guests unsettled about what they saw and heard. Stine's books focus on the strange glowing eyes seen in the woods near the coaster. Some believe the eyes belong to a demon, but others claim it was a local unhappy with the park taking over his land.
A common story I heard was that King's Island never disposed of the Eiffel Tower cables involved in the death of Tower Johnny. Assuming they might be needed again, the park stored them in the nearby woods. There are rumors he occasionally wanders over from the tower, being spotted by employees and visitors. I always heard of a photo taken on the ride that shows him in the background, but no one knows who took it or what happened to it.
The Octopus Ghost
The Octopus is probably a ride that everyone rode at least once. It often pops up at county and state fairs. Hop in one of the cars and have fun dancing around in the creature's tentacles. The one at King's Island is no different except it may have a ghost.
I heard that a man was riding the Octopus and being silly to make other riders laugh. He lost his balance, fell out, and died when his head hit the concrete below. A version I recently came across said he was an older man who had a heart attack and died on the ride. Regardless of his fate, he now haunts the Octopus, which is still open. Guests sometimes feel someone touching them when they're alone. Ride operators often hear a man's voice or catch a glimpse of someone out of the corner of their eye when no one is there.
As a footnote, before the current Octopus opened, a different ride used the same name. This one was pretty different as it was a Ferris Wheel with two levels and cages that kept riders safe. The chains holding several of the cars came loose and sent the cages crashing to the ground and killing five riders. A similar incident supposedly occurred when a cable on the Flying Eagle broke and killed a little boy. I've found no evidence of either of these stories being true.
Locals reported ghosts at King's Island for years. Head to Mason to see if you have the same experiences in this haunted amusement park.
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