Visitors to Thurber House have reported a number of ghostly encounters, from James Thurber's own experience with the mysterious footsteps running up the back stairs, to books throwing themselves on customers, to shadowy figures moving across lighted windows.

Here you'll find an introduction to some of our ghostly encounters. For more information, click the link below to download the complete stories. You also can take a haunted tour of Thurber House and other ghostly Columbus spots each October through the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.

It all began with the night the Ohio Lunatic Asylum burned on November 17, 1868. The Asylum covered several blocks of downtown Columbus, including the area where Thurber House now stands. Seven people died in the fire, and their spirits are said to be many of our ghosts.

The night of James Thurber's ghostly experience was exactly 47 years after the Ohio Lunatic Asylum burned. According to his story "The Night the Ghost Got In," Thurber was in the upstairs bathroom washing his face when he heard the heavy footsteps of a man pacing around the dining table downstairs. He thought a burglar had broken in and tiptoed to his brother William's room to wake him. Thurber and his brother approached the head of the stairs just as the footsteps ceased. Suddenly, they heard the footsteps launch up the steps two at a time, coming straight for them! When they glanced down, there was nobody there, though they heard the footsteps rapidly approaching. Thurber's brother ran to his bedroom, and Thurber ducked into the bathroom and slammed the door at the moment the invisible figure would have reached him.

Some of our recent visitors have ghost stories of their own. One of our Writers-in-Residence saw the shadow of a hefty man cross the window of the attic apartment. When she reached the apartment, there was nobody there, and no sign of a break in. This same Writer-in-Residence also claimed to hear the kitchen cabinets rattling at night throughout her stay.

Whether you have a ghostly experience of your own, or come to hear some of ours, it is clear there are some inhabitants at Thurber House that have remained on beyond their earthly years.