Our History
Ghost Town was originally founded by Ed and his parents, Louis and Peggy, in 1955, opening to the public in 1961.
Just recently, there have been many discoveries made, as we dove deep into the boxes that held clues from the past. We then searched deeper from each clue, that gave us understanding of the; what, when, where & how Ghost Town came to be.
The Inspiration for Ghost Town
Ed, an only child, moved west with his parents to California. They became frequent visitors of Knott’s Berry Farm and formed a close relationship with the owners of the property.
Knott’s Berry Farm started in 1923 shortly after Walter and Cordelia Knott settled in Buena Park, California. The roadside berry stand along State Route 39 grew organically offering berries, along with jam and pies. In 1934 they began selling fried chicken dinners on the property, that later became “Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.” Dinners became very popular, and shops were built as well as other attractions to entertain their hungry waiting guests.
In 1941 Walter Knott began what would be the beginning of the present-day theme park; Knott’s Berry Farm (& Ghost Town.) Walter Knott and key employee Paul Von Klieben fictitiously named the abandoned gold mining town Ghost Town. Von Klieben, originally hired as a staff artist, did extensive research by traveling abandoned trails of ghost towns throughout the west. From those visits he created concept art for buildings and the layout that would be used to construct Knott’s “Ghost Town.” Over the next 20 years, the Knott family continued to add rides and other attractions, transforming it into a modern amusement park.
In 1956, a local antique collector, Marion Speer brought his “Western Trails Museum” collection to Knott’s Berry Farm. Mr. Speer donated his 30,000-item collection in return for Knott’s housing, displaying and naming him as curator.
History of Findlay’s Ghost Town
Ed and his parents were regular visitors to Knott’s Berry Farm in the 1950’s, when he was just a teenager. That teenager would frequently converse with Mr. Knott, and those visits developed a friendship that lasted many years. Mr. Knott was always impressed with Ed’s interest and knowledge of the relics of the past and enjoyed sharing his passion that drove him to build Knott’s Berry Farm’s “Ghost Town.” That relationship sparked a passion that ignited in Ed. That burning desire to learn more about the past led him to get a degree in Archaeology at the Ohio State University. The original spark from Mr. Knott also created a lifelong passion for the “Old West.”
A few years later, after moving to Ohio, Ed and Louis witnessed someone removing an old log cabin from a local property. That event piqued their interest and made them realize that there was a real opportunity to recreate their own “Ghost Town”, similar to Mr. Knott’s! Ed and Louis began the search and acquisition of many log structures that they would carefully take down and then transport to a property they purchased from a farmer in between Findlay and Arlington, Ohio. Both, while working full-time jobs, spent their spare time deconstructing and reconstructing and preserving for the future, an Old West Ghost Town, much like his friend and mentor had created at Knott’s Berry Farm.
As Ed and Louis moved more and more log cabins. They became known all over the area for their unique expertise. Many people were excited about their project and had old tools, gadgets, antiques, and items from the 1880’s when mining boomtowns were abandoned along with the dreams of striking it rich by mining and panning for gold! Donated items, along with others acquired during their travels, continued to add to Ed and Louis’s replica Ghost Town. Ghost Town became a unique place families could visit and step back in time, much like Ed did in his youth. Along with the log cabins, other buildings were created on the property, much like Knott’s Berry Farm Ghost Town had done. Trails West Museum held artifacts that Ed collected or were given for display. Families visiting could get a glimpse of the “Old West” without leaving the Midwest, in Findlay, Ohio.
When Cedar Point was looking to add a “Frontier Town”, Ed & Louis’s reputation gave them the opportunity to be the ones chosen, due to their vast experience and expertise. Once again, their passion allowed them to broaden their reach to recreate and bring the past alive to entertain as well as educate the next generation through experience. Along with paying them for the project, Cedar Point gave Ed and Louis a “Lifetime Pass” to the amusement park they helped expand.
Ghost Town continued to grow and expand. At one point having a small train on a track that went through the town, along with real cowboys moving through the town with shootouts and stunts.
Ghost Town began having “Haunted Ghost Town”, using staff to dress in costumes, then placed in areas to jump scare guests or provide humorous scenes to entertain throughout “Ghost Town.”
Each fall the Hancock County Historical Society would work together to bring a craft show that grew to be a huge event that crafters, as well as craft consumers looked forward to each year.
As Louis got older, he couldn’t help as he once did. After Louis passed and Ed’s home had a chimney fire that severely damaged his home, he moved to Findlay. The grounds and building maintenance continued to need many man hours that became a greater challenge, especially since Ed no longer lived on the property. Ed’s love never waned for Ghost Town, but health and stamina did. He began to sell off parts of Ghost Town, until the burden of upkeep was completely off his shoulders. The excitement of creating and sharing the passion of the “Old West” that started as a teenager, now was going to pass from a part of his everyday life to a void, filled only by scrapbooks and the many wonderful memories he and his dad had created for both themselves, and their many guests that were lucky enough to experience.
Wildlife took over and became fulltime residents of Ghost Town. Even though it never officially closed, the buildings and grounds fell into disrepair from their occupants.
Recent History of Ghost Town
An army of hard workers were enlisted by the new owner to bring Ghost Town back to its former rustic but spruced up glory. Since then, there have been Craft Shows, Halloween Events, Music Video, Movie, and YouTube instructional shoots, Cowboy Action target shooting, and different themed events. Most recently, in 2023, Ghost Town added a Corn Maze that included corn and pumpkin cannons, lots of games plus a “Kids Korral” with many games.
2023 also added Ghost Town Christmas Lights and more, that brought many visitors from hours away! Many donated Christmas items from the previous year brought themed inventory for volunteers to use to decorate most of the buildings that created a fun & festive atmosphere, Ghost Town hopes to build on moving forward.