Helltown, Ohio

Helltown is a legendary name for a small town in Boston Township, Summit County, Ohio, which is actually named Boston. Folklore has long associated the area with Satanists and hauntings. It is widely considered an example of fakelore, as the legends appeared after, and can be explained by, the mass eminent domain seizure of homes in the area during the designation of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

History

Helltown does not necessarily refer to a singular town itself, but rather the northern area of Summit County. This area includes both Boston Township and Boston Village, the two places where most of the legends are said to have taken place.

Boston Village was founded in 1806, and apparently flourished until 1974, when a bill was passed by Gerald Ford that allowed the National Park Service to create a National Park in the county. On December 27th, the National Park service bought several houses with the intent to demolish them. The homes were boarded up and listed as property of the government. Thus rumors began to surface that the government was trying to conceal a chemical spill.

Legends

There are many legends regarding Helltown. The most popular ones regard satanists and an abandoned house in the middle of the woods. Others regard the Boston Cemetery and the Boston Mills Road bridge, which is believed to be a crybaby bridge.

Stanford Road

Stanford Road, nicknamed "The Highway to Hell," features prominently in Helltown's myths and legends. A steep hill and sharp dropoff on the road, leading to a barricade, is known as "The End of the World."

Cemetery

Another popular place for legends is the Boston cemetery, which is said to be haunted. Reports claim sightings of a ghostly man, a moving tree, and grave robbers.

Satanists

Satanists have been said to practice rituals involving animal sacrifice at a Presbyterian church off of Boston Mills Road. More recently, the myth has included the KKK in the place of Satanists. It's also said that an escaped mental patient roams the woods at night looking for victims.

Mutants

As mentioned above, a rumor persists about the town being the site of a chemical spill or a chemical plant explosion in the area. Usually, a butane plant is the cause. This is often used to explain the local legend of the "Peninsula Python", a gigantic snake that wanders the area's woods. However, there has never been a chemical plant or chemical spill in the area. The Peninsula Python myth is actually dating back to when the circus traveled through on the train and a 12 ft snake escaped from it.

Popular Media

In 2008, T. Michael Conroy's independent horror film "June 9" was released. The film was shot largely around Boston and Cuyahoga Falls and is based largely on many of the legends surrounding Helltown. In the film, the name of the haunted town is Boston Mills.

References

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Boston, Ohio
• Gurvis, Sandra (2007). Ohio Curiosities. Globe Pequot. p. 72. ISBN 0762743441.
• Moran, Mark (2004). Weird U.S. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 316. ISBN 0760750432.
• Summers, Ken (2006). Haunted Cuyahoga. Lulu. p. 76. ISBN 9780979106408.

External links

• Helltown information
• Breakdown of the legends of Helltown
• more Helltown information