The Franklin Castle situated at 4308 Franklin Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio, was built in 1865 by Hannes Tiedemann. This mansion is rumored to be one of the most famous haunted house in Ohio because of the mysterious deaths of the Tiedemann family. Several strange and unexplained phenomena occurs at this mansion, such as strange voices coming from behind the walls and empty rooms, the crying sounds of children, mysterious faces suddenly materializing in the woodwork, and ghostly ectoplasm.
There were rumors, that Tiedemann was responsible of his families death (his mother, wife and four children), even though these rumors unverified because their causes of death seems natural. His 15-years old daughter, Emma died on January 15, 1891 because of diabetes. Few months later his elderly mother, Wiebeka also died. On the next three years Tiedemann bury three more children. After all of his children died, he began adding new rooms, and accessories (gargoyles statues and turrets) on the mansion. Also, there is some speculation that there were hidden rooms and passageways somewhere inside the mansion. However, no one ever found these hidden rooms.
Then, on March 24, 1895, his wife, Luise died from a liver disease. Eventually, Hannes sold the mansion to the Mullhauser family. After Tiedemann died, the castle was sold again to the German Socialist Party. During this time, not much is known about their activities, although many speculate that the party held secret meetings, and even conducted a mass political assassination.
The party later rented out the castle to boarders, one of whom was believed to be a doctor who performed “bizzare” experiments using human specimens. In the 1970s, one owner found skeletons of a dozen babies inside a sealed room. The coroner examined the remains, but could make no conclusive determination. Another owner, Sam Muscatello, reported discovering a skeleton inside a hidden panel. He later became physically ill and invited a local news crew to investigate.
They reported strange events, including spinning chandeliers and equipment that moved on their own. A young girl haunts the fourth floor ballroom. She may be the ghost of a servant who was allegedly murdered, or Tiedemann’s niece. A large blood stain still appears on the marble floor.
The Romano family, who owned the home from 1968 to 1976, claimed they were visited by the ghost of a young girl who interacted with the children. The family later moved out of the house after receiving warnings of a future death by the ghost.
According to the former neighbor that when he was a child, he and his sisters played with three children in a room at the castle. He said, “The next day, our parents took us to the Castle. We met the owner. He allowed us in and we walked through the door we had entered before. However, this time, there was a closed, locked door at the bottom of the staircase. He unlocked it and opened it to show us. The steps looked very old, as if they were not used in many years. The owner informed us that no one uses or even goes up there much anymore.”
In 1999, fire disaster nearly destroyed the Franklin castle, it has been closed and undergoing extensive renovations since then.
Sources:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places: "Ghostly Locales From Around The World" Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger;
Wikipedia - Franklin Castle
Pic Source:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places: "Ghostly Locales From Around The World" Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger page 13
There were rumors, that Tiedemann was responsible of his families death (his mother, wife and four children), even though these rumors unverified because their causes of death seems natural. His 15-years old daughter, Emma died on January 15, 1891 because of diabetes. Few months later his elderly mother, Wiebeka also died. On the next three years Tiedemann bury three more children. After all of his children died, he began adding new rooms, and accessories (gargoyles statues and turrets) on the mansion. Also, there is some speculation that there were hidden rooms and passageways somewhere inside the mansion. However, no one ever found these hidden rooms.
Franklin Castle |
The party later rented out the castle to boarders, one of whom was believed to be a doctor who performed “bizzare” experiments using human specimens. In the 1970s, one owner found skeletons of a dozen babies inside a sealed room. The coroner examined the remains, but could make no conclusive determination. Another owner, Sam Muscatello, reported discovering a skeleton inside a hidden panel. He later became physically ill and invited a local news crew to investigate.
They reported strange events, including spinning chandeliers and equipment that moved on their own. A young girl haunts the fourth floor ballroom. She may be the ghost of a servant who was allegedly murdered, or Tiedemann’s niece. A large blood stain still appears on the marble floor.
The Romano family, who owned the home from 1968 to 1976, claimed they were visited by the ghost of a young girl who interacted with the children. The family later moved out of the house after receiving warnings of a future death by the ghost.
According to the former neighbor that when he was a child, he and his sisters played with three children in a room at the castle. He said, “The next day, our parents took us to the Castle. We met the owner. He allowed us in and we walked through the door we had entered before. However, this time, there was a closed, locked door at the bottom of the staircase. He unlocked it and opened it to show us. The steps looked very old, as if they were not used in many years. The owner informed us that no one uses or even goes up there much anymore.”
In 1999, fire disaster nearly destroyed the Franklin castle, it has been closed and undergoing extensive renovations since then.
Sources:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places: "Ghostly Locales From Around The World" Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger;
Wikipedia - Franklin Castle
Pic Source:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places: "Ghostly Locales From Around The World" Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger page 13
Please don't put your website link in Comment section. This is for discussion article related only. Thank you :)