Miamitown, Ohio
The unincorporated community of Miamitown, Ohio dates back to the 1800s and is rich with the history of the early Midwest. Located to the northwest of the more populous Cincinnati, the community has seen its share of disasters and tragedy; including a fire that struck the only church in town, as well as the collapse of the Miamitown Bridge on May 26, 1989. At the time of the collapse, witnesses reported seeing a passenger car and truck tumble into the Great Miami River. Strangely enough, the authorities only located one vehicle, with its two occupants who died in the collapse still inside. Despite witness testimony to the contrary, the reports of another vehicle were dismissed.

Miamitown Ghost Tours
Sibling authors, Michael and Jeff Morris, have been researching accounts of the paranormal and local ghost story legends for years, which resulted in the publishing of their book, Haunted Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio, in June 2009 (see Available from Amazon.com below). The book explores more than 30 reputedly haunted destinations in the southwest area of the state, including the city of Cincinnati and Miamitown, and covers both popular historic sites, as well as lesser-known areas rich with stories of the paranormal.

During their research, the duo noticed that no year-round ghost tours were being offered in the greater-Cincinnati area and that the area's stories and legends were not being given the treatment they deserved. As result, the two set out to correct the oversight and focused their efforts on the community of Miamitown, due to its size, rich history, and variety of haunting tales.

The Miamitown Ghost Tours officially got its start in December 17, 2006 and has been entertaining guests ever since. Stops and stories include the infamous bridge collapse, Miamitown's richest past resident and his 13 children, the fire that struck the only church in town, a stop at the local cemetery, and more. The tour itself is a walking tour that averages around an hour per outing and covers around a half of mile in distance. Working in conjunction with the local community, the local historical society has opened its doors to the brothers to aid in the research and also to host special events. On occasion, Michael and Jeff recruit the paranormal investigators, CAPER (Cincinnati Area Paranormal Existence Research), to demonstrate ghost-hunting techniques and incorporate the equipment throughout the tour.

Since its inception, the Miamitown Ghost Tours has seen the annual attendance increase dramatically, boasting anywhere between 10-30 people per tour and more than 100 guests in 2008 alone. As word of mouth has spread and its popularity has grown, the attendance has exploded and 2009 is shaping up to be a record-breaking year. Apparently the reputed spirits in the area have also adopted the tour as well, as guests and tour guides alike have reported capturing strange phenomena during the tour itself.

The Tour Today
Miamitown Ghost Tours offers the occasional special event (typically around Friday the 13th's and Halloween) in addition to their standard walking tour. Tours run throughout the year. For more information, please visit their Web site below.