PICKAWAY – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is getting into the spooky spirit with campfire stories about some of the state’s eeriest spots. The next tale takes place just south of Columbus to Stage’s Pond State Nature Preserve.
Fiery embers once again set the scene for the stories which will be released once a week through October. Telling the tales is Hocking College professor and renowned co-author of books like “Haunted Hocking: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the Hocking Hills and beyond”, Pat Quackenbush.
The third campfire story is centered around a farmer trying to take shelter in a storm. When thunder and lightning struck, the farmer took off in his horse-drawn cart. The storm was so intense, it caused him to miss his turn and flip his cart, horses and all, right into the marsh. But according to some, the farmer still keeps watch on his land.
Stage’s Pond State Nature Preserve is nature’s own monument to the great ice fields which once covered most of Ohio 17,000 years ago. In the spring and fall, Stage’s Pond is a refuge for a wide variety of waterfowl which stop during migration to rest and feed on the pond and marshy areas.
