While Cincinnati may not be home to Bigfoot, Bloody Mary or Slender Man, the Queen City does possess its fair share of spine-tingling tales.
From Cincinnati's very own cryptid, the Loveland Frogman, to Harambe's lingering ghost and a portal to hell in Blue Ash, these are the most enduring urban legends hailing from Queen City — including at least a few under-the-radar stories.
Read on if you dare.
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Photo: Aron Visuals, Unsplash
Witches tree aka Witch Hill
The tree at the center of this urban legend is long gone, but the story lives on. The Witches Tree once stood in Alexandria, Kentucky. According to legend, three witches were hanged from this tree, and managed to curse the tree before all was said and done. Their curse would allegedly affect anyone who disrespected their tree, whether by spitting on it or cutting it down. The tree no longer stands, and there have been no reports on cursed activity following its destruction.
Artist Rendoring: Tim Bertlink
The Loveland Frogman
Possibly the Cincinnati area’s most famous cryptid, the Loveland Frogman is thought to be a four-foot-tall humanoid frog or toad that prowls around Loveland, Ohio on its hind legs. The first alleged sighting happened in 1955. Then, in 1972, a Loveland Police officer reported seeing something that matched the Frogman’s description, according to legend. But in 2016, after sightings were reported on several Cincinnati TV stations, a second officer called one of the stations with an updated report of the 1972 sighting. Apparently, he had shot a creature two weeks after the 1972 sighting. The creature? A large iguana with a missing tail. Regardless of the Frogman's authenticity, Cincinnati residents are mostly happy to have their very own cryptid (who could totally take Mothman in a one-on-one match).
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Photo: Provided by Kings Island
Kings Island's Vortex Is Sinking
Many coaster freaks have heard that the Vortex is sinking into the ground because Kings Island is built almost entirely on a swamp. Many say this rumor started as an April Fools joke in the 1990s. This urban legend is now a nonissue, given the fact that the Vortex closed in 2019 (for mostly mechanical reasons, not because it had sank inches into the ground). Despite its closure, the Vortex remains a legend among easily persuaded kids who recently crossed the 48-inch height requirement to ride.
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Photo: Jen Buchholz
Tillie the Elephant is Buried Somewhere in Cincinnati
Tillie the Elephant was a part of Robinson Circus, a popular traveling shows in the late 1800s. After her death in 1932, thousands showed up to her home in Terrace Park to celebrate her life. It was a big ado. Schools canceled classes. The newspaper ran a full obituary. An airplane dropped carnations from above the memorial. Since then, it has been a long-standing rumor that she was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery. But according to Spring Grove Cemetery historian Phil Nuxhall, the rumors are false. He writes in his book "Phil Nuxhall's Stories in the Grove" that Tillie’s legs were turned into umbrella stands. And the rest of her? One longtime resident of Terrace Park told WCPO that Tillie was buried in a dry well in Terrace Park.
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Photo: Hailey Bollinger
A Freight Train is Buried in Roll Hill
Many locals have heard whispers about a massive, brand-new freight engine sealed somewhere inside of Roll Hill. The reason for the burial varies with the storyteller. In one version, the engine was owned by James Gamble (of Procter & Gamble Co.), used to pull his private passenger train. One day, for reasons unknown, he gave the order to seal it up inside a tunnel. Why seal a pristine freight engine inside a tunnel? Cincinnatians may never know.
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Illustration: Hailey Bollinger
UFOs Routinely Fly Above Adams County
Perhaps you've also heard the myth that secret government black helicopters routinely buzz Adams County. Whatever version you choose to believe, the truth is nowhere near as exciting. Turns out that, if you're driving around Adams County or even Maysville, Kentucky, you could well expect to see weird lights, fireballs or synchronized blips in the sky at night. Don't rush to dial 911, though. Truth be told, the area is a designated MOA (Military Operational Area), a restricted airspace where Air Force pilots practice mock dogfights. (It is, however, absolutely true about the little green men they've got locked up at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Pass it on).
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Photo: facebook.com/uofcincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is Located in Clifton
This is a geographical myth that won't go away. The main campus does sprawl across Clifton Heights, University Heights, Corryville and Avondale. But not Clifton. So stop saying it. Now.
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Photo: YouTube screenshot
Satan's Hollow in Blue Ash
Blue Ash is known for many remarkable things, like a large 150-foot observation tower at Summit Park, the second location of Over-the-Rhine’s Senate, and a purported tunnel to the netherworld. The story goes that local Satanic groups would meet at a drainage tunnel in Blue Ash to conduct rituals. In doing so, they opened a portal to hell itself. Whoops! The graffiti-tagged abyss has pentagrams and phrases like “Hell lies ahead” sprayed on the walls. Many have reported screams, trapped spirits and apparitions including a demon referred to as “The Shadow Man.” Wanna check it out for yourself? Alas, Satan’s Hollow is on private property. Instead, you might have to settle for checking out Satan’s Hollow: The Tunnel to Hell, a short, 10-minute paranormal investigation “documentary” about the spot released in 2012. It’s on YouTube.
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Photo: Public Domain
The Rumpke Landfill is Home to a ‘Munchkinland’
This West Side rumor might have a tinge of truth to it. Handlebar Ranch is a mythical Colerain Township location in the 13000 block of Hughes Road on the edge of the Rumpke landfill. And apparently, it was home to munchkins — little people who lived in little houses along a dark, winding road (a key element to any good legend) called ‘Munchkinland.’ The little people were rumored to throw rocks at cars in an attempt to scare people away. While there is no concrete answer as to why these rumors started, there are some theories. One of them is Anna Gay Ritter, or "Annie" to her friends. She owned Handlebar, and died in February at age 85, just days shy of 86. One might assume her barely 5-foot-tall frame might have had something to do with it. And for years she lived with the perpetual torment of people driving by her property, shining headlights, squealing tires, and honking horns all through the night.
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Photo: Thanos Pal, Unsplash
The Waxman of Cincinnati
Supposedly, the Waxman is an old Cincinnati man who leaves his house every night at exactly 11:30 p.m. and drives his gold car to the same junkyard. The specter gets his name from the waxy appearance of his face — which must be quite memorable since there have only been a couple of alleged sightings. He is thought to plan his route so that no one can follow him. But you could try. The legend says that if you attempt to follow him, he’ll either ignore you or play tricks to scare you. No big deal!
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Photo: Jesse Fox
A Hill at Devou Park Defies Gravity
At “Gravity Hill” on Ridgeway Court in Covington, a car in neutral just might roll uphill. The legend goes that if you stop at the second telephone pole, put your car in neutral, and take your foot off the brake, your car will go forward, despite the law of gravity suggesting it would roll backwards and downhill. Whether or not this is true is still up for debate.
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Illustration: littlericher73, Wikimedia Commons
The Hook Man of Cincinnati
Almost every town in America has a version of the "Hook Man" story, so of course Cincinnati has its own. As it goes, a doctor and his wife lived with their son on Pond Run Road in New Richmond. It is rumored that the boy was mentally disturbed, and that his abusive parents kept him chained up in the basement. Then, in the mid-1900s, their home was struck by lightning and caught on fire. When authorities arrived on the scene, they found that both parents had died, but all that remained of the boy was a severed hand. Now this child was mentally unwell, homeless, and handless. According to the legend, he began stealing from local homes, and eventually started killing teenagers who were making out in their cars using his hook hand.
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Photo: Jamie Haughton, Unsplash
Monkeys Loose in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Price Hill
There’s nothing better than a stroll through one of Cincinnati’s historic cemeteries on a spring evening. Except maybe one accompanied by a few monkeys. On April 7, 2021, multiple eyewitnesses claimed to lay eyes on approximately five monkeys on the loose in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Price Hill. That evening, Cincinnati Police responded to the incident, reporting that they believed the monkeys to have escaped from a private collection, as CityBeat reported right after the incident is alleged to have taken place. But no missing monkeys were reported. The only thing CPD found in the cemetery was a pair of mating owls, perhaps responsible for the monkey-like noise. CPD also suggested that eyewitnesses may have mistaken wild turkeys for monkeys.
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Photo: Kyle McCarthy, Wikimedia Commons
Harambe's Ghost Still Haunts the Cincinnati Zoo
It’s been more than six years since Harambe died. On May 28, 2016, the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla was shot and killed by zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo in order to save a 3-year-old child who fell into his enclosure. Were the circumstances of this now-famous gorilla’s untimely death traumatic enough to leave his spirit with a sense of unfinished business? Maybe so. Some say that Harambe’s ghost is still with us. Whether it’s lingering around the Cincinnati Zoo property, or just thriving in an afterlife of memes and art installations, Harambe’s presence definitely lives on.
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Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Cincinnati Music Hall is Full of Ghosts
The next time you’re enjoying a performance by the Cincinnati Ballet or Pops Orchestra, wave hello to the ghosts. Just do it. Because according to multiple Music Hall employees over the years, they’re there. The historic Music Hall was built in 1878, partially over a public burial ground. On more than one occasion, workers have discovered human bones during renovations. In most cases, the remains were respectfully re-interred at Spring Grove Cemetery. But the ghosts of those remains? They seem to stick around. Rumors supported by everyone from the late Pops Music Director Erich Kunzel to the Cincinnati Opera CEO and General Director Patricia Beggs suggest that the ghosts of Music Hall are alive(ish) and well.
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