Poasttown Elementary School
Phantom children and ghosts of train wrecks reportedly haunt this Midwestern school building
Poasttown Elementary School’s
Paranormal Claims
- Sounds of a little girl laughing and whistling have been reported
- Visitors report being touched by an unseen entity
- Shadow figures of children are sometimes seen
- Sounds of dragging desks and slamming doors have been heard in the school
- Visitors have reported sounds of footsteps in the building
- EMF anomalies are said to be frequent in the building
- EVPs and other unexplained recordings have been captured by past investigators
Poasttown Elementary School’s
Educational History
Just north of Middletown, Ohio, on an unassuming road dotted with small homes and commercial structures, sits a dusty relic of the town’s educational past: Poasttown Elementary School. And though it’s no longer home to school functions or students’ education, this short brick structure still reportedly hums with paranormal activity.
So, whether you hear a door slam from afar or get a touch from a ghostly hand, a visit to Poasttown Elementary School might just teach you something new about the afterlife.
Timeline of Poasttown Elementary School's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Poasttown Elementary School through the years
1891
Some say hauntings are less about buildings, and more about land, as may be the case of Poasttown Elementary. Long before the school existed, the property was the site of an 1891 disaster when a train derailed off nearby tracks, killing four people and injuring fifty more.
While a tragedy, the 1891 derailment would not be the last train disaster to strike the future site of Poasttown Elementary School. And, the next would be far more devastating.
1910
On July 4, 1910, another rail disaster rocked Middletown when a passenger train collided with a freight train. Nineteen people were pronounced dead at the scene, and scores more were injured. As the region lacked a large hospital, a triage center was built on the future site of Poasttown Elementary.
Over the hours, days, and weeks that followed, more of the injured would succumb to their injuries, reaching a final death toll of 36 lives.
1937
In 1937, the old site of all that death was chosen as the site of a new elementary school. Locals had been served for years by a simple, one-room schoolhouse in town, but the time for grand expansion had finally come. The new, solid brick building was a huge advancement for the town.
The new school building was officially opened on September 7, 1937, furthering education in Middletown.
1938
Despite opening in 1937, the building wasn’t fully complete until 1938. But by then, the building was alive with activity. Students from numerous nearby communities, including Browns Run, Dubbs, and Pike, were all enrolled at the new Poasttown Elementary, bringing the first class’s census to 200 students.
The school would go on to serve dutifully for the rest of the century. But, as often occurs, time and progress eventually left the old school behind.
1999
Closed in 1999, Poasttown Elementary sat empty for five years before being purchased in 2004 by Darrell and Brenda Whisman. The Whismans have worked hard since then to maintain the old building and help bring it back to life. In that time, they and their visitors have reportedly had numerous unexplained encounters in the building.
That’s led some to say Poasttown Elementary is haunted, and many paranormal investigations have taken place at the school in recent years. But what is it that makes this unassuming schoolhouse so spooky?
Ghosts of Poasttown Elementary School
The Whismans have owned and lived in the reportedly haunted school for many years, similar to owner-residency arrangements at other reportedly haunted schools, like the Farrar School in Iowa and Brodhead Manor in Wisconsin. So, perhaps unsurprisingly, many reports of paranormal activity have come from them.
But, many of the ghostly encounters the Whismans have experienced in Poasttown Elementary have since been corroborated by numerous ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts who have investigated the space. Past investigations have turned up strange electrical anomalies causing EMF meters to go off, as well as countless recordings of unexplained sounds and EVPs. Other ghost hunters have claimed to feel uneasy, or like they’re being watched by unseen eyes when touring the school.
Poasttown Elementary School’s Student Spirits
While it may be safe to assume many of the ghosts haunting Poasttown Elementary are train disaster victims from the turn of the 20th century, at least one well-known spirit is reportedly from a terrible accident in the school itself.
According to legend, a little girl was playing near a tall stairwell in the building when she fell down the central shaft, falling at least two stories before landing. While little else is known about this supposed event, the stories suggest the girl died on impact.
Phantom Laughter in Poasttown Elementary School
In recent years, many investigators and visitors have reported encounters with this little girl, who they’ve named both ‘Sarah’ and ‘Cheryl-Ann.’ This little girl ghost is known to reach out and grab people who are passing by.
Her giggling laughter is often heard echoing through the empty school halls, and some have even reported seeing her shadow figure drifting through the building, while others have claimed to capture her shadowy figure in photos.
Noisy Ghosts of
Poasttown Elementary School
Other paranormal claims around Poasttown Elementary have less certain origin but remain undeniably eerie. Visitors report the sounds of desks being dragged across the tile floor, sometimes even being loud enough to hear from lower floors. Other types of strange and unexplainable sounds have been reported, like sounds of whistling, disembodied footsteps and the slamming of doors.
Will Poasttown Elementary School
Teach You to Believe in Ghosts?
Over the years of paranormal investigations and haunted tours, Poasttown Elementary has built a large reputation for itself as one of Ohio’s most haunted places, and possibly the state’s most haunted school. Poasttown’s notoriety has been heightened more recently after a feature on Destination America’s Ghost Brothers.
The school remains busy with paranormal investigations, booking them year-round, as well as hosting flashlight tours and Halloween events to keep the community engaged. And, with each ghost tour and visiting investigation team, the paranormal lore of Poasttown Elementary grows. It sure seems that, to some, the old school’s current motto rings true: “When you leave, you believe.”
