Ghosts Do Not Rest in Fairport Harbor, Ohio

On the shore of Lake Erie, located halfway between Cleveland and Ashtabula, Ohio, is the village of Fairport Harbor. Originally a bustling and growing shipping community, the town of around 2800 people began as a manmade harbor protecting the Grand River. Could the ghosts of Fairport Harbor's legendary history of shipping, sailors, bars and prostitution still haunt places within this small town?

One well-known haunted location is the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse. Being the nation's first lighthouse to become a museum, the Fairport Harbor lighthouse tower and museum building were both re-built in 1871, to replace the original, decaying structures built in 1825. Not only do some believe that two former lighthouse keepers, Captains Butler and Babcock, still keep watch over the grounds, but that Mrs. Babcock's ghostly cat still prowls the keeper's house. Having been seen by several people as a "wispy gray spirit," the mummified, ghost-cat's body later was found by workers in a basement crawlspace. Today, the cat's remains are on display in a glass cabinet within the fascinating museum.

One group of paranormal enthusiasts decided to visit Fairport Harbor recently, and found themselves surprised by the level of spirit interaction that took place while visiting one evening. Ghost box audio recordings made by them at the Fairport Lighthouse seem to indicate the spirits are alive and well there.