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In terms of
creepiness, Towner's Woods is to Portage County what the Cuyahoga Valley
Park system is to Summit & Cuyahoga Counties...but on a much smaller
scale, of course. Classifying this park is hard. Is it
really a haunted place, or can it be written off as an urban legend and
tossed into the local oddities bin? Vague tales involving
the spirits of a Native American and vengeful pioneer widow, ghost
trains, satanic activity, and unexplained phenomena cloak this
relatively young park in a shroud of mystery.
Towner's
Woods is one of four parks that make up the Portage County Park system.
Located on Ravenna Road in Franklin Township, the most notable aspect
about this park is the 2,000+ year-old Hopewell Indian burial mound
found at the end of one of the hiking trails.
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Very little is
known about the history of Towner's Woods. It is a relatively
new park. The property was previously owned by the Bringham
and Towner families before they sold it to Portage County in 1973.
Before then, the land was used as a sand and gravel excavation site
and dairy farm.
This imposing
building is one of this first things that visitors encounter upon
entering Towner's Woods Park. We're not sure about the
background of this building. Perhaps it was used as part
of the business of the prior owners. In any event, it looked
eerie enough to include a photo here.
On a positive note,
a water spigot and water bowl are located under the stairs
for visitors' thirsty dogs.
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This is one of two
gazebos found along the trails in Towner's Woods. Tales
involving satanic rituals are tied to these locations.
This gazebo, though
eerie-looking in the photo, seems relatively harmless. In
fact, it is a popular location for prom and wedding photographs. |
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This gazebo,
however, is a different matter altogether. |
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On the two
occasions that we visited the park, this gazebo showed evidence of
small fires inside a circle of benches. This picture was taken
from our second trip. Burnt wood is visible underneath the
bench. Interestingly, on our first trip a week before, the
bench in the front was in a different location, and the remains of a
separate fire was found further inside the gazebo.
In any event, this
does not necessarily prove the existence of any occult activity.
For all we know, the fires were probably started by a bunch of bored
kids who have no appreciation for basic fire safety. |
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The entrance to the
trail leading up to the Hopewell burial mound. |
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This photo was
taken from the foot of the burial mound. This site is actually
quite impressive, visually. From the top of the mound, one can
see Lake Pippen below.
In 1932, this mound
was excavated. Archeologists discovered the skeletal remains of 11
Hopewell Indians, along with various artifacts.
According to the
Ohio
Exploration Society, one of the bodies buried here belongs to a
Hopewell princess. It is said that a guardian spirit watches over her tomb and will harm anyone
who disturbs her rest. One supposed incident occurred in the
1950's, when the guardian left strange claw marks on the car of some
teenagers who camped on this mound.
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