Lantern-lit groups will once again wind through the dark limestone corridors of the Ohio Statehouse this October, as the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board brings back its haunted tours for another Halloween season. The tours run four nights across the month, with conductors sharing eerie stories about forgotten figures and unusual events from Ohio's past inside the active seat of state government.
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, known as CSRAB, announced that tickets for the annual haunted tours are now available for $16 per person, sold at the Statehouse Museum Shop in Columbus. According to WSYX3, tours are scheduled for October 16, 17, 23 and 24, each offering four nightly slots at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The tours are open to people ages 12 and up, and parking is available in the Statehouse Underground Garage.
Dayna Jalkanen, deputy director of museum and education at the Ohio Statehouse, said the tours offer a one-of-a-kind visitor experience, according to the same report. She noted that most Statehouse tours focus on history and civics, but the museum and education team uses the haunted tours to share tales of forgotten figures and unique events with a spooky twist.
The Legends Behind the Lantern Light
Among the ghost stories conductors tell during the lantern-lit walks is that of President Abraham Lincoln, who visited the Statehouse in 1859 and later lay in state there in 1865 following his assassination, as thousands paid their respects inside the Capitol during his funeral procession through Columbus. That history, detailed by WOSU Public Media, is credited with inspiring enduring local legends that Lincoln's ghost still haunts the legislative chambers and dances on the Senate floor.
Another recurring figure in the tour's lore is former Senate clerk Bateman, known during his lifetime for his strict dedication to legislative order. Per WBNS-10TV, Bateman's spirit reportedly exits the Senate chamber around 5 p.m., leaving flickering lights and cold chills in the hallways behind him. Tour guides also highlight the legend of a weeping “Lady in Gray.”
A Building Built on Real 19th-Century Hardship
The ghost stories draw on genuine history embedded in the building itself. The Ohio Statehouse was constructed between 1839 and 1861 using convict labor from the Ohio Penitentiary, and inmates left etched graffiti on limestone blocks that restoration crews uncovered during work in the 1990s, according to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.
The Statehouse's construction history adds to the building's darker lore.
Greek Revival Architecture, No Grand Dome
The Statehouse is recognized as a leading example of Greek Revival architecture, per the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.
Unlike most U.S. state capitols, the building features a low cylindrical drum rotunda cupola instead of a traditional grand exterior dome, a design choice associated with Greek Revival aesthetics, as reported by Columbus Then & Now. CSRAB also runs a Museum Education Center.
Costume Rules and a Free Trick-or-Treat Option
Because the tours take place inside an active government building, organizers will confiscate costume pieces that resemble weapons, according to the WSYX3 report. People with accessibility questions or groups bringing six or more children are advised to contact the Statehouse directly ahead of their visit.
Families looking for a gentler option can attend the free Trick-or-Treat Tour on Friday, October 30 at 10 a.m., which lets children in costume explore the Statehouse, collect treats and learn about Ohio's capitol. All children must be accompanied by an adult, per the same report.
A National Rarity in State Capitol Programming
The Ohio Statehouse offers Halloween-themed haunted tours, according to WBNS-10TV, with conductors guiding lantern-lit groups through its corridors. The distinction places the event within a much larger national trend: more than 4,000 professional haunted attractions across the country draw over 12 million visitors during the fall season and generate over $100 million in ticket sales, according to Hoodline, citing data from the Haunted Attraction Association.
The Statehouse's dual identity as both a working government seat and a seasonal Halloween destination echoes its own layered history, one that stretches from Lincoln's funeral train stopping in Columbus to the convict laborers whose names were etched into its limestone walls. It is a building that spends most of the year hosting civics lessons and legislative sessions, and one October each year, hands the microphone to its ghosts instead.
