The Miami Valley’s Ghost Town - Tadmor
By Matt Bayman
VANDALIA - At one time, the Village of Tadmor (near Ross Road in Tipp City) was expected to become one of the greatest cities in the region.
It contained each of the major transportation methods of the 19th century -- the Miami and Erie Canal, National Road, the Great Miami River and the Michigan-Ohio Railroad. Each of these passed directly through the village and made it ripe for development.
In its heyday, Tadmor had a covered bridge that spanned the Great Miami River, a train depot, a post office and a small village of people who lived and worked there.
Today, all that remains of Tadmor are some stone structures that once supported the bridge (pictured below), a few other scattered pieces from the past, and...some say, ghosts.
Although there were no famous or infamous deaths at Tadmor, the village was completely washed away in the Flood of 1913. After the flood, rebuilding was never considered. It became a ghost town over night and was largely forgotten.
Decades later, however, people learned they could walk into the woods near Ross Road and eventually come upon the remnants of the village. A clearing in the woods marked the spot - and it always seemed out of place and mysterious, especially to kids.
In the 1980s, rumors began spreading about the village being haunted. It was said that if you went in search of the village at night you would not only hear voices and strange sounds, but also see smoky shadows in the clearing - and even iridescent buildings.
After becoming more well-known, the clearing in the woods sadly turned into a dumping ground for old tires, washing machines, couches and who-knows-what-else. The clearing went from being scary to creepy during this time, and the ghost stories turned into tales of hermits and devil worshipers making the old village their home.
It wasn't until the Great Miami Recreational Trail was being built in the 1990s that the area was finally cleaned up and the rumors dispelled.
Today, there are historic markers on the bike path that show where Tadmor once stood. And while the trail is closed after dark, a nice evening stroll in October may be just the thing needed to conjure up some ghosts from the past. If not, the fall foliage in the area is beautiful this time of year!
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The site of Tadmor is accessible from the Great Miami Recreational Trail parking lot on Ross Road (just west of Charleston Falls). From the parking lot, head south on the trail and look for the historic markers.
