They say King’s Island is haunted, because … of course they do.
Perhaps the living love going to the place to experience the fun, the magic, the excitement – so, why not the dead?
Or perhaps it is because it is a major cultural attraction, one with millions of visitors every year, and with that number of people, surely some have died there. Spending the day walking around, experiencing all the various attractions, it can be taxing for the perfectly healthy. I’d be surprised if someone didn’t have a heart attack from that … or from the shock of having to pay for a single ten-dollar hot dog.
Most of us want to think that amusement parks, like King’s Island are safe, fun places where we don’t have to worry about our kids losing their lives … or a limb or two. And, for the most part, they are. Today, these places are run with so many safety measures in place, safeguards that can alert not only the operators but other staff to even the smallest issue … so, yes – I want to say they are safe.
Yet, there are occasionally there is the weird accident, or some kind of weather-related event that nobody really can ever prepare for and from time to time, people do get hurt. But, for some, that might be part of the thrill. When I get on this roller coaster, is everything going to be fine – or will something happen, perhaps a plot point from the movie Final Destination III, it’s fun taking your life into your own hands, isn’t it?
So … where do these ghost stories come from?
Long Before King’s Island…
A long time before the first child ever pooped his pants while riding The Beast (heck, a long time before that child’s grandparents were even born) the area now known as King’s Island was … mostly forest and farmland. Truly, it was a great spot for the early Ohio residents to build a decent abode for themselves, working the land and trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.
While I am not entirely certain where it was, exactly – a wee walk northwest from a spot that is most likely the King’s Island Parking Lot – rested a log cabin called Union. At some point before 1820, a group calling themselves The Union Methodist Society held meetings there, probably because the nearest Methodist Church was so far away.
We’re not entirely sure that they did, except for normal Methodist stuff – but we do know some of the people associated with the Society as their names are listed on official documents and deeds. And, since many of their names appeared elsewhere in the documented history of Warren County, that was all the corroboration we needed.
We also know that a brick structure was built on the Union Log House site in 1834, and then another brick structure was built nearby a few decades later in 1862. (And we know based on public information that this structure cost a grand total of $1,092.85 to build.
The nearest town (and I hesitate to call it that since “town” makes it sound like it was a lot bigger than it was) to the Union Yard was called The Bowyer Community. It was many in this community that would go on to make up the Methodist Society.
Located near both the Union House and the Bowyer community, they erected a small cemetery for their dearly departed.
Over the years, as more and more people moved into the vacinity, further communities developed into villages, even towns (and even a small city here and there). But, the area surrounding the Bowyer Community and the Union House and Methodist Church remained rural, slowly dwindling over time.
By the time the 1960s rolled around and someone had this crazy idea to put a theme park out here in the middle of nowhere, little was left of these original establishments. The major exception being the small cemetery which we now call the Dog Road Cemetery.
In the decade before Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchel would sing about a Big Yellow Taxi, they began to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. This begs the question – what the heck do we do with a cemetery when we need to provide ample parking? The answer – you kind of have to leave it there. So that’s what they did.
Strangely, when I took a very informal and rather unscientific study of people who had been to King’s Island in the previous year or two – few of them even knew the cemetery was there, and even fewer knew exactly where it was.
(For the record – it’s on the north side – between the Parking Lot and King’s Island drive. It’s a bit south of the River Crossing Church.)
Several of the Ghost Stories told about King’s Island originate at, or near this cemetery – where else would you expect to find dead people if not a cemetery?
Most of what I have heard involve the “spirits” of a woman in a flowing white dress, the sort that was all the handmade rage of the early 1800s.
Other stories feature a young girl, somewhere around ten years old, dressed in similar, but age-appropriate clothing.
Both versions feature little interaction between the storyteller and the ghost, so it appears these spirits just want to make their presence known, and once that happens, they tend to vanish from sight, not to be seen again (until the next time someone sees them.)
The Eiffel Tower Ghost
If you are not from Ohio, you may not be aware that Ohio has its own Eiffel Tower – very much like the famous one in Paris – just quite a bit smaller. And, since I’m bringing it up now, it’s safe for you to assume the Eiffel Tower is located inside King’s Island. (It’s right inside the front gate, so its rather hard to miss. It’s also kind of big, so you’ll be sure to see it from the freeway, too.)
On May 13, 1983, tragedy struck the Themepark.
Since this was relatively recent history, I really don’t want to get into all the R-rated, Gory details, but sources tell me he kid’s death was brutal and gruesome. The basic story is that a group of high schoolers were in the park celebrating graduation when one boy decided not to heed the warnings that said, “you probably shouldn’t be in here”, one thing led to another, he fell about two hundred feet to his death.
His ghost, if you can believe in those telling you about seeing it, has been known to appear around Halloween, and close to the yearly anniversary of his untimely death.
The Safari Ghost
Believe it or not, King’s Island used to feature a safari. Think: Jurassic Park, but with Lions and Tigers and Bears (Oh my!) instead of Dinosaurs. Otherwise, the comparison fits.
There are a number of reasons that The Safari went away – one of them is surprisingly not what happened on July 24, 1976. A twenty-year-old “Park Ranger” lost his life when he was mauled by a lion. The “official” version of the story is that the park employee had left the safe confines of his heavily fortified vehicle for a quick pee, but before he could make it back to safety, he was spotted by the lion who did exactly the kind of thing lions tend to do.
The easy way of seeing this is that the employee never should have left his transport – had he just pissed his pants, he would have been embarrassed, sure, but still alive. Yet, it seems, there is a bit more to this story than just that.
Bear in mind that in the middle of the 1970s, what we think of today as “Park Safety” barely existed. All in all, it’s a wonder more people didn’t lose their lives, or a limb, in any theme park, anywhere. When it came to King’s Island Safari – the situation was pretty bad.
Investigations at the time found numerous safety violations, not that there were laws in place to really enforce them, at least not like today.
Eventually it became known that the now diseased park employee had a history of … well, doing things that he wasn’t supposed to be doing, violating what weak security and safety protocols they managed to have back then … so the question kind of changed. With what his supervisors knew at the time – should he have even been allowed to continue working there? At the very least, had managers done more to reprimand the employee, he might not have still been working there when the incident occurred – so does the park share some of the blame?
That’s not an easy question to answer.
It is worth noting here that on May 26, 1982 (six years later) the park’s reputation got a second lion-based hit. This time the employee somehow managed to escape the lion, climb onto the roof of a building and call for help. He was air-lifted to a nearby hospital where he was treated for severe lacerations and minor infections, but at least he is able to tell his wild story to his grandchildren … assuming he has any.
The Safari would remain operational until 1993, when it closed its doors for good. The animals were sent to nearby zoos, and the monorail trains remained in place for a few years, until they ultimately got sold to Jungle Jim’s (store) where they were put to good use.
Much of the Safari land remains untouched, although by now mostly reclaimed by nature, even if a few buildings do remain standing and can be seen from both The Eiffel Tower and Google Maps satellite view.
Several new rides, including The Bat (formerly Top Gun) and Extreme Skyflier (formerly DropZone), Son of Beast, Firehawk, Banshee, and Orion now occupy some portion of what used to be the King’s Island Safari.
Ghosts, usually in the shape of a man assumed to be the Park employee who died has been reported to be seen in various areas. One may see him off in the distance while riding the Banshee, others might spot him while they wait in line for The Bat. He’s usually off in the distance, so apparently this ghost doesn’t like to sneak up behind people and go Boo!
Adventure Port Pond
On June 9, 1991, an underwater pump in the pond outside the Adventure Port area malfunctioned, sending a strong electric current into the water. Somehow, this was completely missed by park employees who were already busy with their day-to-day tasks.
At some point, a park visitor jumped into the water and was immediately being electrocuted. When it became clear that the young man was in distress, and not knowing the exact reasons why, one of his friends entered the water, as did a park employee, all three of whom began showing the signs of electrocution.
Thankfully nobody else jumped into the electrified water to rescue the victims, however by some small miracle, one of the visitors was able to crawl out of the pond and he miraculously survived. The initial victim and the park employee did not.
After a thorough and lengthy investigation, the cause was determined to be an underwater valve. This was one symptom of a problem the park knew about but failed to fix in a timely manner.
King’s Island was fined $23,500.
And, I suppose, they have to live with the fact that they could have prevented two deaths that occurred, including one of their own employees.
The Banshee Ghost
Over the past year, a couple of people have reported seeing a ghost while riding the Banshee ride, appearing on or near the coaster tracks and then disappearing when the riders get close.
This likely stems from a June 19, 2024, incident when a man was killed by the ride. He had successfully completed the ride moments before his death. However, during the ride, he is believed to have lost his car keys while on the ride and went to get them. He entered a restricted section and was struck by a fast-moving ride.
The gentleman was air-lifted to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
The Flight Commander Ghost
A female ghost has been spotted repeatedly over the years in the vicinity of the Flight Commander ride. The most likely source of this potential ghost comes from a 1991 incident where a heavily intoxicated woman (later her blood alcohol level was measured at .30%) fell to her death.
While the effects of alcohol were deemed mostly responsible, state investigators looking into the death did discover a flaw in the ride’s restraints that would allow someone to slip out of their seat into the seat next to them if it had been left empty, which was also likely partly responsible for the fall.
Let’s Talk About Park Safety
If you’ve read everything above, I’m sure you’ll start to notice that ghosts seem to appear shortly after some sort of tragic event – which either could cause the ghosts, or make some people want to think it happened.
It’s also worth noting that not every death that has occurred in the park has led to ghost sightings.
Every place that has a large number of people gathering – be it an amusement park like King’s Island, or a cruise ship, or a sports arena, or a shopping mall … deaths are bound to occur though nobody’s fault. People with medical conditions and the elderly are perhaps among the most common.
Many of the incidents I spoke about above involve, to varying degrees, park employees going against safety protocols, or park patrons going into prohibited areas. So … people doing stuff they probably should have known they weren’t supposed to do, but chose to do it anyway. It would be nice if we lived in a world where a “Don’t You Even Think About Doing This” sign would be enough to deter people from … doing whatever it is, but that is sadly not the world we live in.
All these accidents aside though, I would have to say that King’s Island is still a safe enough place. With the millions of visitors to the park every year – if it wasn’t safe, the incident rate would be much, much higher.
As for whether or not the ghosts are real … well, I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
If you happen to find yourself at King’s Island anytime in the near future, and you see someone that the guys next to you can’t – be sure to let me know, ok?
