James Willis

Focusing mainly on my 2015 book with Kent State University Press, this presentation will delve into the connection between actual history and ghost stories, proving once and for all that even if a haunting can’t be validated, ghost stories are part of history. This presentation will also show what happened when I got to spend the night, sometimes alone, inside over 20 historic buildings in Ohio that some believe are haunted.

In 1999, after spending the past 15 years chasing after ghosts, I moved to Ohio and founded The Ghosts Of Ohio, a paranormal research organization dedicated to investigating and researching reported hauntings in the state of Ohio. Today, The Ghosts Of Ohio includes members in three divisions across Ohio, making us one of the oldest and most-active organizations in the state. So, have we found any ghosts in our travels during our decades-long search? This presentation will give audience members a chance to answer that very question as it gives everyone a glimpse inside a ghost-hunting group. That is, if all the ghostly audio, video, and photographs they see and hear don’t frighten them off first!

Since I have been investigating the paranormal since 1985, my research often takes me across the US to some of the most haunted locations in the country. And since no one ever tells me that the corner grocery store is haunted, my travel plans often include my spending the night inside abandoned prisons, hospitals, longforgotten cemeteries, and even a lighthouse or two. For this presentation, I share audio, video, and photographs from some of my most hair-raising investigations, in Ohio and beyond!