The Ghosts of Prospect Place: An Historic Ohio Home

When George Willison Adams finished work on his home in 1856, he had no idea that the house would one day be labeled one of Ohio's most haunted places. Yet that's exactly what happened to Prospect Place. http://www.prospectplace-dresden.com. All proceeds from tours of the home go right back into the maintenance, and restoration of the property itself.

George Adams was born and raised in Virginia, a place where his abolitionist views made him less than popular. Virginia at the time, was a state where slavery was not only accepted, but considered a right and privilege. To escape the tyranny, and attitudes, Adams moved north into Ohio, bringing with him his son George Wilson Adams.

The elder Adams built two flour mills in Muskigum County, in the area now known as Trinway. Working with his brother Edward, the two men quickly became reputable and wealthy by shipping goods with river boats. As soon as he was old enough to help, George Willison Adams joined the family business; riding with the cargo, and later taking over the day to day operations. Adams would later serve as the director of a railroad company, and would help build a large suspension bridge in the area.

Construction began on Prospect Place in 1855, and was finished the following year. At the height of the Civil War, Prospect Place was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, a distinction that earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Runaway slaves from the South frequently stayed in the basement of Prospect Place, before moving further north.

When Willison Adams died in 1879, the house passed along his family line. His wife moved to Zanesville with one of their daughters, leaving Prospect Place in the care of their oldest daughter Anna, and her husband William Cox, of whom many of the ghost stories are based.