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Just over a rise in scenic Richland County, Malabar Farm appears in the distance — a stately, historic (and sprawling) main house, rolling hills and fields, and an inviting white barn with horses grazing nearby. The bucolic setting has an intriguing history as the one-time home of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Louis Bromfield and the swanky-yetisolated setting for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s But the impressive compound has darker side, too. It was the site of a Lizzie Borden-like murder scandal 1896, when teenager Ceely Rose murdered her family in a misguided effort to capture the love of a neighbor boy. The rural setting conjures up plenty of other eerie lore, cemented in long-dead legends and myths. As a matter of fact, Malabar Farm — now an Ohio state park — has been called one of the 10 most haunted places in America. That’s why park naturalists are resurrecting the popular Haunted Hikes this month: creepy, outdoor explorations of ghostly tales and whispered legends shared on three autumn Sundays. The free, two-hour walks at dusk take visitors along the lanes by the park’s restaurant, the Big House, the cemetery, and the Ceely Rose House — and reveal tales scary enough that naturalist Lori Morey says they’re geared to adults and older teens. “We get into some supernatural legends and myths from Native Americans and early settlers,” she says, “including tales of Bigfoot and Windigo, and folklore of giants and rolling heads and little beings that live in the woods. On top of that, there are the local tragedies — like the Rose Things that go in the night! Beautiful, bucolic Malabar Farm shows off its eerie side for Halloween. murders. It can all be pretty scary, especially as you’re walking along the dark woods.” Indoor spots around the farm also offer oddities round that might send a chill up your spine. Daily explore the 13,000-square-foot main house, the restaurant, and the tiny cemetery — all of which known to elicit odd occurrences, according to Mark Sommer, who’s been showing folks around for 13 years. BY VICTORIA ELLWOOD; PHOTO COURTESY MALABAR FARM Haunted Hikes will take place Oct. 16, 23, 30 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. They are free but require registration. Call 419-892-2784 for details and to register. Pearl Valley’s presence has grown smiles—duringtheholidays. four generations of cheesemakers.

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