The brakeman's lantern Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
County tourism tells of a brakeman who, around 1859, stumbled under a train; his ghost is said to walk the tunnel with a lantern. WOUB profiles a local man who drives tourists there and tells the stories. Sources: Visit Vinton County; WOUB.
Facts below are drawn from the linked sources.
Real history
Moonville was a mining and railroad town that faded away; the tunnel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 (Visit Vinton County).
Ghost stories
These are reported legends, not verified events. The creepiness score (1–5) is Spook Atlas's own editorial rating, not a measurement.
Then and now
No openly licensed photo found yet.
Public access
Open to the public The trail and its tunnels are open to the public 6 am–11 pm every day, and paranormal investigators are welcome; after 11 pm you need a Vinton County Park District special use permit (Moonville Rail Trail Association). Last checked: Nov 1, 2026.
Explore more
- More places in McArthur and Ohio
- More haunted & abandoned tunnels
- More haunted & abandoned ghost towns
- Nearby: The Ridges (Athens Lunatic Asylum) (Athens, OH), TNT Area (McClintic WMA) (Point Pleasant, WV), Tu-Endie-Wei State Park (Point Pleasant, WV), The Lafayette Hotel (Marietta, OH)
⚠️ Please read: This information may be outdated and conditions change. Verify access with the owner or operator before you go. Spook Atlas does not encourage trespassing. Entering private, closed or condemned property can be illegal and dangerous. Report a correction.
Reader experiences
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