Ohio Folklore
Ohio Folklore
Rogues Hollow
Hello and welcome to Ohio folklore. I'm your host, Melissa Davies. I'm so glad you could join me. Today, we're starting with one listener story of an encounter of a lifetime. Most of us live our whole lives without ever catching a glimpse from behind the veil. Some of us try very hard to achieve this. Ghost Hunters, for example, spend long hours sitting in dark and desolate buildings, talking into recording devices, asking for a sign. A lucky few will hear whispers knocking, or perhaps footsteps. Even fewer will catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure, or perhaps a transparent mist that evaporates before their eyes. The rarest event what's considered the holy grail of ghost hunting is a one on one encounter with a full bodied apparition. Even more rare is discovering the identity of that spirit, learning the person they once were in life. In today's episode, one Ohio folklore listener will share that very experience with us. A few decades ago, Sam Jarvis and his fellow teenage friends headed out on a quest to capture the disembodied cries of a baby. Their target was the crybaby bridge of rogues hollow. They'd heard tell from friends and neighbors that if they drove down a desolate and winding road to the bottom of a local hollow, they'd find a small metal frame to bridge spanning Silver Creek. If they stopped to park their car there and got out, they'd soon hear the piercing cries of a desperate infant. Legend had it done on a winter's night long ago, a mother and her baby were traveling home and their horse drawn carriage. As they crossed the bridge, the carriage slid on the ice and plummeted off the side and into the creek below. The mother died instantly, but her infant survived the initial impact. Although alive, the baby remain trapped inside the carriage. It's desperate cries for help would go unanswered, until they slowly quieted and then see stall together. Countless locals have reported that a ghostly baby still cries for its mother, and that the whales are heard by those brave enough to stop and listen for them. According to Sam story, he and his fellow teenage friends were bored one night, a little ghost hunting adventure would be the cure. They'd soon make the 11 mile drive south from Copley to Doylestown, just west of Akron to arrive at the famed Cry Baby bridge. So you might think that this is just going to be another one of those Cry Baby bridge stories. They're a common folk tale around the country. So many eager Ghost Hunters travel to historical bridges with the hope of hearing a baby's cries. It's certainly what Sam and his friends wanted to encounter. None could have anticipated that they'd stumble headfirst into another legend altogether. Sam now lives near Youngstown, and has of course grown fully into adulthood. But even with the passage of all that time, his haunting experience in rogues hollow that night has remained a mystery. He's longed to understand what it all meant. Let's hear the story from the man himself. I was probably about 16 or 17. I know I had my I had my driver's license, you know, before the fact so I was about 16 or 17. We had been there numerous times before. You know, everybody talked about Cry Baby bridge and hear the baby cry and this and that. And we had been down there probably seven or eight times before that and on the same bridge span and air no baby crying. We've been there at all kinds of weird hours midnight, you know, three o'clock in the morning. We've been there in this particular time. You know, my buddy come up and he goes oh man, because I think we need to take a road trip tonight and I said yes. Let's get down to cry baby bridge again because oh yeah, that's always a fun trip. So we we called our other buddy and he came over and we jumped in my car and stuff. parked the car on the bridge. And we sat there outside the car on the hood of the car for I don't know, we're just talking and having a good time, you know. And then all of a sudden, my one friend goes, who's the head over there. And I'm like, overwhelming because overall the building, and we all turned around and looked. And there's a guy standing there and he had a knife is probably full 13 inches long, just standing there looking at us. And my two friends, they got scared. And by this time, we were, you know, kind of walking around on the bridge. And my two friends got scared, they jumped in my car and took off and left me there. Yeah, they left me. And I was just standing there. And I'm looking at this guy. And I'm like, What is wrong with this, and you can about see through him. Not quite all the way but it was really weird. And I'm standing there and I'm looking at him. And he's looking at me. And all of a sudden he turned towards the building. And he walked, I don't know, probably 10 yards towards the building, and got about three steps in front of it and just disappeared into thin air just gone. My buddies are already down the road, you know, and I'm standing there watch and they didn't even see that. All they seen was the guy standing there with a knife and they got scared and took off. You know, then I'm like, okay, that's kind of weird, you know, and I kind of walked up there and I'm looking around, there's no footprints. Because you know, the soils kind of soft around that area in the woods and stuff. You know, there's no footprints, there's no nothing in you know, I kind of walked up to the building I knew, you know, as the historical society at that time. I do believe they were restoring it. I kind of peeked in the windows and nobody in there. And he just disappeared into thin air. And I go running down the road because my buddy stop down at the stop sign at the end of the road. They're down there screaming for me. Come on, come on, come on. Let's get out of here. He's gonna kill us. And they were scared they took off without you. And then you had this experience of watching this this man kind of disappear. Yeah, yeah. And he just like vanished into thin air just gone. And yeah, I'm just standing there watching light. And I knew what it was, as soon as I seen it, just by the look of it. He looked like he was actually there. But it was just something wrong with it. You know, it just didn't look right. Like I said, you can almost see through it. I don't know, it is just really weird. So you could see through like certain parts of him or what can you say more? What was about it, it was more like a dark. I'd say more like a, you were looking through a really dark dark shadow. And it was like I can't even defense the only thing I can think of to describe it. Like a really dark shadow. Were you able to identify any other features? The Add on like the old colonial type of dress, attire, hat you know, the the old pie and all that this is really weird, you know? And I'm like, as soon as I see me, my guy knew, I'm like, Man, this guy is not for real. You know, this guy's not real. Not in that attire. And my friends, the first thing they thought is, man, this guy's got a knife. We're out of here. They took off. So I'm standing there just watching. I knew there was nothing to be afraid of. You know, this guy comes after me. I'm out of here. I'm jumping over the bridge. But at that point, you know, I grew up around ghosts, how the house I lived in growing up was haunted. So I was kind of used to seeing that sort of thing, you know? And my friends evidently were not and, you know, they, they turned tail and ran and I was like, oh, did you see that guy disappearing? They're like, No, no, man. We didn't see him disappear. We're stupid to get out of here. I'm like, What's wrong with you guys? He had a big knife and I'm like, so you did not didn't? Did you even see how he was dressed. The attire he had on the way he looked? He was not from here. He was a ghost and you're like, Oh man, that's really creepy. Like they were never coming back down here again. stare them after death. Finally went down there with me. You couldn't get them to go back after that. I'd No, no, no, they were they were pretty much terrified after that. Yeah. So you were able to identify, in this situation that ghost was a ghost. Pretty, I mean, right from the start. Yes. Yes. And the picture that I sent you, is there any resemblance that you? Yes, yes, that was definitely the person standing there. Oh, wow. I mean, I know he does have kind of an angular face and all of that. So it's kind of a distinct look. Yeah, yes. I never forget a face and that's one I'll never forget. And he from what I've read about him, he was the original owner and built the the building itself. Oh, wow. And have you been back to that specific location since then? Yeah, I was I had been back there. I took a couple other of my friends that wanted to go down that had never been there. They just moved into the area. And you know, they had heard about it and you're like, oh, man, we want to go check this out. You know, all right. I'll take you down there. And you know, nothing happened in that time. And you know, we sat there on the bridge for hours just talking and nothing happened and when I go okay, well, time to go home. You know, I didn't tell them my experience down there because I don't know if they went with me or not. Some people don't you know, that kind of freaks them out and I just tend to keep some of the stuff for myself and if they see anything you know, then it's you wanted to let them kind of come with an open mind maybe and not freak them out. Like you said ahead of time. Yes, yes. After Sam reached out to me, I started researching the legends of rogues hollow, of which there are many. It's an area of Ohio that's rich in both history and lore. One local by the name of Russell fry published an entire book of legendary stories in 1958, called the history and legends of rocks hollow. A newspaper article published in 1980, referred to the place as ghost village USA. Due to the unending accounts of paranormal activity reported by unsuspecting passers by. The area is dense in vegetation, and natural beauty. It's frequented by hikers, fishers, and outdoorsy types of all stripes. Some areas are so densely forested by trees that sunlight rarely penetrates to the ground. On further researching the area I soon came upon the website for the Chippewa robes, hollow nature preserve and Historical Society. It showcases a fully rebuilt wool mill. It's a replica of the original that was first constructed there in 1828. This current replica completed in 1976 stands as a museum and visitor center. The website for the museum shows a black and white photograph of the man who built the original mill next to the bridge that still spans Silver Creek. This man wears a serious expression, and a period jacket with a high collar and tie. He has a distinct angular face with sunken cheeks and a high forehead. This man, Samuel Chidester, is the spirit our Sam Jarvis claims to have encountered all those years ago. So just who was the Samuel Chidester? And what kind of history could have possibly inspired the growth of an entire Historical Society and the rebuilding of a mill that had burned to the ground in 1880? Although Samuel Chidester, the man as long gone from this Earth, our story suggests that both his spirit and his legacy remain in this rustic, desolate hollow in the wilds of Ohio's NorthEastern corner. COMM let's explore what this story has to teach us. Doylestown, the village nearest to tie dusters mill was officially established in 1827, only a year before the mill was built. At that time, large unsettled portions of Northeast Ohio contained rolling hills and rushing creeks, whose waters were perfect for turning water wheels. Mills for sawing wood, grinding grain and producing wool grew numerous farmers would share their sheep load the raw wool into wagons and Follow them to mills where the wool could be spun into yarn and then sold on the market. It was this industry that Samuel Chidester had in mind when he built his mill. By 1828. This New Jersey born man had already reached the ripe old age of 44 years. He was once widowed and remarried, having fathered five children, who would purchase the plot of land that ran alongside Silver Creek to construct a woolen mill business was good, his reputation was solid. At first Chidester could provide well for his growing family, he would go on to raise an additional eight children there at the mill site. However, none could predict the economic shockwaves that would roll through the area of bending this industry and a way of life. Hydropower would soon be eclipsed by the raw strength of coal once hidden in the surrounding hills, ancient coal or resource very deep, rich with energy would you serve older technologies like hydropower? By 1840, when coal was discovered near Doylestown, the village became overrun with men desperate for work in this burgeoning industry. A kind of coal rush ensued as venture capitalists eagerly hired miners of all sorts. The work was perilous, many lost limbs and some died. The industry was in its infancy, and safety measures were practically non existent. There were a few if any regulations around the extraction, manufacture and distribution of coal. A Clash of industries would soon emerge. Samuel Chidester, and his growing family would stand at its epicenter. The lack of government oversight of the booming coal industry created a kind of wild west atmosphere in Doylestown, and the surrounding areas. At its heyday rogues hollow and the surrounding territory would hold nearly 100 minds. With the hordes of miners came taverns to quench their thirst for drink. Maybe it was the only way to put the danger of the job out of their minds. These miners had to face the knowledge that any day could bring a fatal injury, or the entire collapse of a hurriedly dug mine. But the money was so good. Rogues hollow the coal rich territory one mile south of Doylestown was reputed for its lawless violence and vigilante justice. Many referred to it as the quote toughest damn spot in the USA. Locals from around the region grew fearful of the place, claiming that the devil himself wouldn't enter after dark. Instead of traveling straight through, locals would drive their buggies miles around the whole area just to avoid any problems. It's believed that the Rogues hollow name derives from the rogue spirit of its mid 19th century inhabitants. Its taverns were widely known to support illegal gambling to say nothing of numerous cockfights and dogfights men drunk on both booze and unbridled greed, gambled their wages, all for the chance to claim an even greater share of the riches that were flowing from these hills. Law enforcement agencies avoided patrolling the area they knew after entering, they may never return. Despite its dark reputation, actual recorded deaths within rogues hollow in this time period are no different from neighboring areas. But then, who's to find the body of a man who couldn't pay his gambling debts at the bottom of an abandoned mineshaft? People didn't necessarily die and rogues hollow, they only disappeared, never to be seen again. This depraved society grew up right at the spot where Samuel Chidester had built his mill nearly two decades earlier. He and his children were forced to wrestle with these harsh realities. The once hardworking, hopeful businessman found himself and his family at the center of a brawling anarchistic territory, called rocks hollow. The full bodied apparition witnessed by Sam Jarvis, identified in a photo as Samuel Chidester himself, was walking around the replica of his mill, carrying a large knife Perhaps he was patrolling his property, knowing no officer of the law would offer protection. Perhaps his spirit viewed Sam and his young friends as up to no good. Perhaps he intended to scare them away. It's an act he may have done countless times during his life. Perhaps the spirit of Samuel Chidester is doomed to continue his watch for all eternity. Let's take a look at a couple of the other riveting folktales which still abound about this strange place. Legend has it that the abandoned mines which remain and rogues hollow contain the spirits of dead miners. Locals claimed to hear the echoes of pickaxes emanating from long dormant mine shafts. Some claim to see shadowy mists entering and exiting the minds themselves. Perhaps the most dramatic and most incredulous tale proclaims that the devil himself rides a headless horse past an old oak tree. It said that the devil had taken residence in the area, and inspire the evil that once ensued. They're like all folktales these legends are told and retold. They're added to and amplified. We're left with a mix of history and hype. So what can we know of the truth? What does the historical record teach us? The area's reputation for lawlessness and violence would continue through the early 20th century. As the decades wore on, and local governments grew more established, something had to be done. One article found in the Summit County beacon in 1880. Detailed the Wayne County Sheriff's efforts to establish law and order their newspapers covered the Silver Creek Mine strike that miners had been holding for months. They were protesting unsafe working conditions. That up, the mining companies had taken it upon themselves to hire and transport 100 Unemployed African Americans from West Virginia to replace them. The Wayne County Sheriff caught wind that these men were in route, he feared a bloody confrontation. The striking miners had employed a group of carpenters to erect barricades around the mouth of the mines. In response, Sheriff Coulter sent armed deputies to oversee the destruction of these barricades. The sheriff would then notify Colonel DW Thomas of the eighth regiment of Akron guards to stand at the ready, should they need military reinforcements. With permission from Governor Foster, Colonel Thomas sent his troops in an effort to prevent violence. It worked. Brooks hollows reputation for lawlessness and violence was quelled by the show of force. The African American replacement workers began working in the mines without incident. Reporters called them a quote very good class of Colored People. Executives from the mining companies felt confident that they'd achieved a solution and hiring the African American men. The striking miners were incensed. They touted racist beliefs, claiming that their African American replacements were inferior to them, and that the company would soon realize it. Reporters for their role took a curious mindset toward the group of African Americans. They remarked on their adaptability to work in such tense conditions. They also noted the fervor of their religious services, which they held in the temporary quarters that had been hurriedly built for them. These newcomers had agreed to mined coal at the rate of 60 cents per tonne, undercutting the white miners by 15 cents. By all accounts they were hard working, adaptive, and entrepreneurial. In the end, no violent clash ever surfaced. No blood was ever shed. It seems the presence of military troops helped quell any violent impulses. Despite the peaceful ending to the story. However, rogue hollows unruly reputation would remain. For years later, in 1884, a group of robbers broke into a train depot near Silver Creek Mine. They ransack the place looking for cash deposits that the railroad company was paid for shipping coal that was procured at the mine. There were no such deposits to be found. Frustrated, the group left the depot and broke into the nearest farmhouse by prying open a back window with a crowbar they entered in the dead of night. Empty drawers turned over furniture, looking for something of value. Again, they turn up empty handed. They found the property owner, a disabled 70 year old man lying in bed. They held him at gunpoint and demanded he tell them where he kept his valuables. The farmer and Mr. Peter baman begged for his life. He swore he had nothing of value, that he was a poor and disabled old man. On convinced the men threw him from the bed, ripped off the sheets and turned over the mattress. They'd soon find that the man was telling the truth. Although this group thought nothing of robbing, they weren't murderous. They left Peter Bollman on the floor of his ransacked house. He would later tell the press the entire story. The group of robbers was never identified by authorities. It was believed that law enforcement officials were disinclined to pursue charges against locals and rogues hollow. The fear of retribution was real and palpable. In 1906, a man by the name of Mr. John Evans would lose his life to the lawlessness Of Rogues hollow. The 35 year old coal miner had been enjoying a Saturday night at Samuel Lee saloon and Doylestown. A local farming family by the name of long with Father Cyrus long and his four strapping farmhand sons, had arrived at the saloon around 11pm. They came already drunk, loud and disorderly. One of the sons a 26 year old Ray long became belligerent with Samuel Lee, the saloons owner, he'd approached the drunk and long family and told them they had to leave. The longs for their part weren't going anywhere. As the coral grew louder, Mr. John Evans, a giant of a man, with muscles honed from years of coal mining, stood from his barstool and walked over to the rowdy group. Evans was a regular at the saloon, and was known to offer assistance as a bouncer of sorts. What he hadn't anticipated that night was the fact that Ray long would remove a revolver from his breast pocket. He shot John Evans in the head. The bullet entered his left eye, killing him instantly. The poor man died without even saying a word before being shot. In the pandemonium that followed, Ray long fled the saloon, and made it outside of town before any authorities were summoned to the location. The story went that with the aid of local rogues hollow residents, he made it all the way to Warwick, a town nearly 50 miles south and boarded a train. The fact that Ray long could escape so quickly and effectively underscored the long family's reputation in the community. They were a family to be feared and respected. As the reputation for unchecked violence was well known. And the weeks that followed John Evans murder, the remaining long brothers crowed about how their brother had gotten away with murder. They threatened that any Doylestown resident caught cooperating with the investigation would be handed the same fate as John Evans, in the end, re long was never brought to justice. There really was something to rogues hollows Wild West reputation, after all. So what are we to make of this long forgotten corner of Ohio that had lived on for decades as an unruly and violent outpost who knew that this part of Ohio laid claim to the kind of folklore usually reserved for gunslingers, and cowboys from the 19th century, great American West. Maybe these kinds of tales aren't really tied to a location as much as they're tied to the human condition. The drive to when to gain wealth, and to do it in a way that overlooks others rights is as old as human evolution itself. Cain and Abel could tell you that many among us feel justified in using violence to achieve our own ends. And when you consider the newness of the time, and the promise of a new industry and the riches it brings, it's a hard thing to turn down. Yet some did. One man in particular by the name of Samuel Chidester, he played by the book, building an operating his mill, believing that hard work and determination would bring him success. Can you imagine what he must have felt on watching the community he helped To build descend into anarchy, can you imagine the fear he must have felt the constant state of alertness required to protect his home and his family. It's no wonder his spirit still roams the place, resolute in his nightly watches, willing to confront any intruders. For those of you who want to visit the location yourself, the Chidester mill is open to the public during the summer months from two to 4pm on Sundays. There you can see relics from the original mill and learn even more details about the Chidester family. A rogues hollow festival is held the second weekend of every August and goes tours of the mill and the surrounding area are held every October. During the month of December, you can visit the mill to see it lit by twinkling Christmas lights. There's so many opportunities to experience this unique and mysterious place in case the natural wilderness. It's part of a history long forgotten in this 21st century. So if or perhaps when you go put down your cell phone, find a quiet spot somewhere on the soft ground once trod by vagrants and law abiding citizens alike, settle into the experience and direct your senses to whatever forces may remain there. They have something to tell us if we're just willing to listen this concludes today's episode of Ohio folklore. I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please rate review and subscribe to Ohio folklore on your chosen podcast platform. Ohio folklore can also be found at Ohio folklore.com And on Facebook. And as always, keep wondering