Ghosts of Ohio
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Lore & Legends

Enos Kay

In the small town of Egypt Pike in Ross County, there lived a young man named Enos Kay. Enos was a hard-working man and the envy of the entire town, having managed to capture the affections of the local beauty, Alvira.

For several years, Enos scrimped and saved until he finally had enough money for a proper wedding. Arrangements were underway, the wedding clothes were being fashioned, and everything was going well for the young couple until one fateful day in 1869 when they decided to attend a church picnic.

A stranger attended the church picnic that day. None of the townspeople knew who he was, although some believed that his name was Smith (other accounts of the story say that his name was Johnston, Brown, or Broughton). Whatever his name, one thing was certain: the stranger had set his sights on the beautiful Alvira. Over the course of the day, the handsome stranger wooed Alvira while the mild-mannered Enos simply stood by and watched.

The following day, stories began to spread—Alvira had been seen walking hand-in-hand with the mysterious stranger! Enos calmly dismissed the rumors. He knew such things were not possible, for Alvira had pledged her love to him.

A few days later, however, whispers spread that the stranger had crept up to Alvira’s bedroom window in the middle of the night and proposed to her. Alvira had accepted, and the two of them had eloped. Stunned by the story, Enos immediately went to his fiancée’s house, where he discovered that Alvira was gone.

Overcome with grief and anger, Enos swore to haunt all happy young lovers until the JudgmentDay. Shortly after uttering those words, Enos committed suicide. Some versions of the story claim that he calmly walked out into the fields to kill himself; others claim that he hung himself from the rafters of Timmons Bridge, the local lovers’ lane.

Soon after Enos’ funeral, curious stories were heard of young couples who had met at Timmons Bridge and reported that an unseen force had attacked their buggies. Some frightened couples said that the roofs of their buggies had been yanked open to reveal the face of Enos Kay peering down at them, a devilish grin on his face.

The evolution of modern automobiles has not stopped Enos Kay, and reported encounters with his ghost continue to this day. He does not bother lone motorists or couples who are arguing. True to his word, he only haunts happy young couples. With that in mind, The Ghosts of Ohio would like to offer this bit of friendly advice: If, on some dark night, you and your significant other should find yourselves happily approaching Timmons Bridge, consider this: it might be a good time to resurrect the age-old argument as to who left the toilet seat up.



© The Ghosts of Ohio