Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
16 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
23 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Ohio McArthur Moonville Tunnel
AO Edited

Moonville Tunnel

The only remnant of a small mining town is an abandoned railroad tunnel that is steeped in ghostly lore.

McArthur, Ohio

Added By
eyepoker1
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Moonville Tunnel   Martin Merriman on Flickr
Moonville Tunnel   Martin Merriman on Flickr
Moonville Tunnel   Justin Masterson on Flickr
An original plaque in the tunnel that has been marred by graffiti.   Justin Masterson on Flickr
  Ceriumcurse / Atlas Obscura User
A shot of the entrance to the tunnel   ExtraMedium / Atlas Obscura User
Inside of the Tunnel   TravelwithAustin / Atlas Obscura User
Approaching tunnel  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Deep within the woods near Lake Hope State Park, the supposedly haunted Moonville Tunnel is one of the few reminders of the small mining town of Moonville which has otherwise disappeared from the map.

Peaking at just around 100 residents in 1870, the town of Moonville, Ohio was never a large place. Consisting of just a few houses along the track, a general store, and a saloon, the tiny mining settlement was far removed from any other town and could only reach them by walking along the active railroad tracks. Largely an unremarkable stretch, the one feature near the town was the concrete Moonville Tunnel. Over the years a number of people died walking the tracks to other towns, at least 26 of which centered around the tunnel over the years leading to the rise of a number of ghost stories surrounding the dark expanse.

Dating as far back as 1880, the ghost stories generally involve the restless souls of railway workers that died on the line. While a number of actual rail workers did perish near the tunnel due to the dangerous methods of controlling the trains, such as brakemen that were made to stand atop the moving train, the hauntings do not seem to be attributed to any one death, but a shifting conglomerate of paranormal culprits that changes along with the story through the decades.

While the ghost stories are unverifiable, the Moonville Tunnel still stands out in the middle of the Ohio woods, creating an eerily isolating reminder that an entire town used to stand near the spot and its legacy still haunts the site as well.   

Related Tags

Haunted Tunnels Railroads Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

Detailed Directions to Moonville Tunnel - Hauntedhocking.com and Moonvilletunnel.net. GPS-: 39.31006,-82.32434 - Stop before the metal bridge on the roadway and park in the gravel pulloffs. This is Ohio Division of Forestry property and there are unmarked trails at the pulloffs. Follow the trail by the boulder along the edge of Racoon Creek. It will wind around through the old town of Moonville (nothing left but a few stones and a couple wells) until you climb a small hill to the railroad and tunnel. If you go past the bridge, you can see the tunnel. There is now a bridge leading across the creek to another parking point.

Community Contributors

Added By

eyepoker1

Edited By

Blindcolour, ljbrown, hayeseevision, Madlogic Mysteries...

  • Blindcolour
  • ljbrown
  • hayeseevision
  • Madlogic Mysteries
  • EricGrundhauser
  • ExtraMedium
  • TravelwithAustin
  • sharonrose979
  • Ceriumcurse

Published

January 11, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Moonvilletunnel.net
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonville,_Ohio
  • http://www.forgottenoh.com/moonville.html
Moonville Tunnel
Township Highway 18
McArthur, Ohio, 45651
United States
39.288504, -82.424711
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hope Iron Furnace

New Plymouth, Ohio

miles away

The Caves of Hocking Hills State Park

Logan, Ohio

miles away

Nelsonville Brick Park

Nelsonville, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ohio

Ohio

United States

Places 232
Stories 22

Nearby Places

Hope Iron Furnace

New Plymouth, Ohio

miles away

The Caves of Hocking Hills State Park

Logan, Ohio

miles away

Nelsonville Brick Park

Nelsonville, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ohio

Ohio

United States

Places 232
Stories 22

Related Places

  • Entrance to Blue Ghost Tunnel.

    Thorold, Ontario

    Blue Ghost Tunnel

    Abandoned for over a century, this chilling train tunnel is now a destination for ghost hunters.

  • Civil War-era tunnel at Lake Accotink Park.

    Springfield, Virginia

    Orange and Alexandria Railroad Culvert

    This little brick tunnel built by Confederate forces was used to conduct surprise attacks on the railroad.

  • Colinton Tunnel

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Colinton Tunnel

    This former train tunnel is filled with lines from a poem crafted by Robert Louis Stevenson.

  • The Mermaid Inn.

    Rye, England

    The Mermaid Inn

    This centuries-old hotel hides a network of secret cellars and passages once used by smugglers.

  • Southern Entrance of Tunnel

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Innocent Railway Path

    The U.K.'s first underground railway line is now a lively thoroughfare for runners and cyclists.

  • Abandoned Eriksdal Train Tunnel.

    Södermalm, Sweden

    Abandoned Eriksdal Train Tunnel

    It was meant to help transport wounded soldiers to a secret underground hospital.

  • Thurgoland Tunnel.

    Thurgoland, England

    Thurgoland Tunnel

    A repurposed railway tunnel with otherworldly acoustic characteristics.

  • Tunnel 33, now collapsed.

    Winter Park, Colorado

    Rifle Sight Notch

    This old train trestle and collapsed tunnel once allowed the railroad to negotiate the steep slopes of the Colorado Rockies.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.