Helltown

History:

Hell Town is a nickname given to the northern part of Summit County. The areas most often associated with the Hell Town legends are Boston Township and Boston Vilage, as well as parts of Sagamore Hills and Northfield Centre Townships.These areas are often collectively referred as Boston Mills.

Boston Village was founded in 1806 and stands as the oldest village in Summit County. The first mill was built in the village in the early 1820’s. Later, the construction of the Ohio & Erie Canal brought more people to Boston, and over the next few decades mills began to flourish in the area – most prominently a paper mill. When a railroad station was constructed in the town in the early 1880s, the station was named "Boston Mills," in reference to the paper mill.

In the late 1960s, a nationwide movement began that expressed concern over the destruction of our forests. In response, President Ford signed legislation in 1974 that enabled the National Park Services to purchase land and use it to create national parks. On December 27th, 1974, hundreds of acres of land, including some within the Township of Boston, were officially designated a National Recreation Area.

The homes were boarded up and listed as property of the government, some standing for years before being demolished.Residents began leaving in droves, and entire townships were swallowed up by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. These events were so tragic that they were featured in the 1983 PBS documentary "For the Good of All." Perhaps the general feelings of the displaced homeowners were best summed up in a statement found scrawled across the wall of a vacated home: "Now we know how the Indians felt."

Stanford Road

Legends:

The number of stories circulating regarding Hell Town are so numerous that it is nearly impossible to track them all. 

There is the Presbyterian church which is said to have been built by Satanists complete with upside down crosses. The abandoned bus is said to be host to lingering ghosts and, maybe most outlandish of all, there is talk of mutants who were created by a chemical spill, including a monstrous snake known as the “Peninsula Python.” 

The steep Stanford Road drop off, immediately followed by a dead end, is aptly named The End of the World. If you get stuck at this dead end for too long, according to legends, you may meet your end at the hands of many members of the endless parade of freaks patrolling the woods.You may also check the Boston Cemetery, home to a ghostly man, grave robbers and, the quirkiest of all, a moving tree.There are also rumors of different cry baby bridges around the area.

Boston Cemetry