LOCAL HAUNTS Ghostly goings-on

Here are some of our local legends, as compiled by staff and correspondents of The Vindicator.
By NANCILYNN GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
UST AS CHARLIE BROWN WAITEDin the pumpkin patch for The Great Pumpkin to appear on Halloween, many area residents wait at roadsides, cemeteries and other places for a ghost or an unnatural sighting.
A diverse group of spirits anticipates your arrival, so respect their territory and visit them at your own risk. They'll make your heart beat faster when you step into the world of the unknown.
Ghosts
Looking for ghosts? Check out the locks at Beaver Street Park in East Liverpool. Follow the Vandergreen train until you come to the Gretchen Lock sign.
As a young girl, Gretchen came to the United States from Holland when her dad got a job as an engineer at the locks. She was extremely homesick and wanted to go home. She became ill and died. Her father temporarily housed her casket in the vault at the locks. On the family's return journey, the ship sank, with her casket. She didn't find peace in death, so it is said that she haunts the locks.
Nearby is Jake's lock or the Camera Shy Ghost. He worked as a caretaker there, carrying a lantern on his evening rounds. One night, he was struck by lightning and fell in the water. Periodically his lantern shines through the water. Legend has it that if you try to take a photo, your camera doesn't work.
At Egypt Road on the Mahoning County line, a toddler ran out his front door as his parents fought. His mother saw him. She ran after him, but when she arrived at a nearby bridge, he had fallen in and drowned. Rumor is that at night you hear the child's cries and his mother's screams as she tries to reach him.
Warren Ghost Walk
The Ghost Walk on Millionaire's Row in Warren stops at City Hall, the former Perkins Family Home, at 391 Mahoning Ave. A servant mysteriously died on the property. Several months later, Bish Perkins, one of the sons, killed himself. Since his parents were often away, Bish's Aunt Lizzie cared for the children. The story is that her spirit can be seen roaming the grounds searching for her nephew.
Some ghosts are just lonely, or they want to hang out with their families.
The story of the Green Man comes from the Hillsville, Pa., area, off Route 224. He was struck by lightning, giving him green-tinted skin. The story goes that local youth would hang out in the woods and drink beer. Without talking, the Green Man would show up and take a beer or two. He was believed to have passed away sometime in the 80s, but according to the story, that even today, when people are drinking in that area, one or two beers go missing and they see a green glow heading back into the woods.
Cortland Opera House, built in 1841, was purchased in 1880 by Solomon Kline and his wife, Elizabeth. More than 100 years later, Dorothy and Erwin Klein worked there as tour guides.
On a drizzly day in 1987, Erwin closed up the building. He went to the auditorium to retrieve his raincoat in the storage room, which also held 200 chairs and 40 folding tables. As he walked through the auditorium, he heard a loud crash as if the chairs had fallen in a domino effect to the floor. When he turned the lights on anticipating a large clean-up job, nothing was out of place.
On another occasion, his wife was the last to leave. She heard heavy footsteps behind her, but no one was in the building.
It is said that the ghost only makes its presence known to people with a similar sounding surname. The ghost is believed to be Solomon Kline checking out what they are doing.
Zombieland
Some tales are meant to scare you; others defy logic. There is an area in Hillsville, off Route 224, that is dubbed Zombieland by local legend. Unnatural occurrences have been said to happen.
The story goes that if you turn your car engine off while it rests on a one-lane bridge near a cemetery, it won't start. Also, a dog appears out of nowhere on the bridge and won't move even if someone or something comes near him. He just disappears.
If you dare to get out of your car and walk into the nearby cemetery, one particular gravestone gives off a beam of light as you walk by. The light fades after you pass it.
At the Hartzell Cemetery in North Benton, on State Route 14 near Lake Milton, lies the grave of Chester Bedell, an agnostic who died in 1908. Before his death, he challenged God to prove His existence by having snakes appear on his grave. Rumor has it that snakes wrapping themselves around cemetery workers' tools delayed preparations at his final resting place. Supposedly snakes are still seen there today.