September 18, 2009

Just Friends

Posted by Megan-Marie under Champaign, Mt. Caramel Friends | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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So last Thursday was weird. I lost some work in the closing minutes of work and then was deeply distracted and had to lug a big heavy book back to my truck I hadn’t been planning on. So I ended up not feeling like retracing my steps and biking back along the path the way I usually do. I started to drive home, but the weather was so nice, I felt incredibly guilty about it, with the weather so nice and all. So I ended up deciding by the time I got home that I would attempt something I’m not going to do again anytime in the rest of my life.

A really long time ago, back when I was a teenager with energy, a friend of mine and I biked down the road I live on about two miles to a particular intersection. Just a few yards from this intersection is the entrance to one of the cemeteries I pass every day when I go to work. I keep meaning to go in there, and yesterday I thought, “Hey, nice day, it’s only about two miles, I know there’s some hills, but I’ve done it once before, it can’t be that bad.” Ha bloody ha ha. Did I mention I live in the Himalayan Mountains? I didn’t think I did, but now I know better. It took about an hour to go the two or three miles that is because I had to get off and walk about five times from the hills. I was so exhausted when I finally got to the cemetery that I thought someone might as well dig me a hole and put me in it. So appreciate these pictures.

Mt. Caramel Cemetery--The Gate

Mt. Caramel Cemetery--The Gate

 Mt. Caramel Cemetery is associated, I assume, with the Mt. Caramel Friends Church which is located immediately across the street from it. It was established in 1833.

It’s located on CR-130. The nearest settlement is a little burg known as Kennard. To get to the cemetery, say you’re driving north on US-68 (toward Bellefontaine). You’ll want to turn right on Herr Rd. When you reach the intersection of Herr and Clark–conveniently the location of Hell Cemetery–keep going straight. You are now on CR-130. It twists and turns a lot, but stay on it. You will need to turn left on CR-223, which merges with 130 for awhile; turn right on 130 to stay on it (which will briefly turn into Champaign St.) The cemetery is on the right side of the road. Hey, I never said it wasn’t remote. Remember what I said about living in the Himalayas? (more…)

 

January 5, 2009

I Keep Doing Dumb Things

Posted by Megan-Marie under Champaign, Kingscreek Methodist | Tags: , , , , |
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cha-kin-1220091499Today, still moving away from Green Lawn, however briefly, I’d like to tell you guys a ghost story! Well, it is my department. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my fans. So here’s a little ghost story about Clark Road in Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio.

Once upon a time, there was a guy, and even though his name was not Jack (I don’t think), he built a house – a beautiful house in the country where he intended to live with his wife and children. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before ;-) Or just go watch The Haunting.

Anyway, while he was building the house or shortly after finishing it, his wife and children died in a train accident. En route? I don’t know–if they were, that really smacks of The Haunting, so I’m inclined to say forget that thread. Who was he? Did he really exist? At the moment, I don’t know, but I promise the Headstoners will return to this topic to let you know the truth on the subject. Right now, the truth is off-topic. What’s on topic is the house that the guy who wasn’t Jack built.

Hell House

Hell House

Satan's Piggies

Satan's Piggies

After the death of his wife and children, the builder of the house set his work on fire and hanged himself from the oak tree in his front yard. However, though he died, the house itself mysteriously did not burn down. It exhibited charring, and yet continued to stand for an indeterminate amount of time. That wasn’t the place’s only mystery–website lore maintained that the suicide’s body could be seen, occasionally, at night, hanging from a branch of the tree that hung over the road, though by the time my fellow headstoner and I made it there to see, the tree had no branches hanging over the road. The house itself was not actually abandoned and appeared to be in use . . . as a barn. A few cute little pigs came out to greet us when we drove by, but we didn’t stay long enough to figure out who might belong to them. Who the heck uses a haunted/abandoned house for a barn?! (There was a cow hanging around, too.)

Still, that was in 2005. Today, Hell House no longer exists, having been demolished by its owners who apparently decided to invest in a proper barn. However, our Clark Road explorations revealed something that we may not have have discovered otherwise: a place we rather fondly nicknamed Hell Cemetery in honor of Hell House. (more…)

 

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