My Nights in the Franklin Castle

     Halloween might have ended, but it is never too late to tell a good ghost story. I decided to share my adventure to Ohio's scariest haunted house, Franklin Castle. If one were to ask any Clevelander what the most haunted places in Cleveland would be, the answer would likely be Franklin Castle.

        The story goes that Hannes Tiedemann purchased the property and razed the previous house to create Franklin Castle. One of the rumors that spawned was that the house had many secret passages. In 1881, The 15-year-old daughter Emma Tiedemann died from diabetes and his elderly mother followed a couple of months after from old age. His wife, Louise Tiedemann, also passed away in 1895. In addition, Hannes and Louise had three children who died during infancy. Almost all of the deaths spurred a rumor that Hannes had something to do with the death. There were also stories that he killed a niece named Karen and had an affair with a servant girl. Then, When she announced her marriage to her fiance, Hannes killed her out of a jealous rage in one of the secret passages of the house. After the Tiedemann's ownership of Franklin Castle, Many paranormal activities were reported by various owners. These paranormal activities blew up more when the Romanos who owned the house were so scared they slept on the first floor. An owner after them opened a haunted house after he found bones, which further fueled the story of the murderous Hannes. Later, Micheal DeVinko, Judy Garland's 5th and final husband, would own the house. Then, In the 90s, A deranged arsonist set the castle into a blaze, leaving the house boarded up for years and many years of restoration. 

       Growing up in the area, I've always known Franklin Castle as that creepy, abandoned-looking haunted house in the neighborhood. In October 2022, One night at dinner with my parents, we discussed Franklin Castle. My dad mentioned it possibly turning into a private residence and I thought it would be neat if it became a bed and breakfast. Little did I know that it would foreshadow something that would happen in a couple of months. 

       In December, I was out with my parents again. My dad tells me that Franklin Castle was now allowing people to spend the night. Immediately, I booked Johanne's Room and invited my sister to accompany me. The earliest I could get the room was April 1st. I was excited that I was going to be spending the night in one of the most haunted places in Ohio. 

       On Saturday, April 1st, My sister picked me up and headed to Franklin Castle. The owner greeted us at the side door. When we entered the home, It was completely dark except for light coming from the windows and light illuminating where Mr. Tiedemann's office once was a long time ago. He showed us to Johannes' bedroom. All the shutters in the rooms were shut with some light illuminating from the electric candles on the wall and some lamps turned on, but much of the room was still dim. The room was also filled with books. Some were odd or horror, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. From the bedroom's double doors, It went to the sitting room with a parlor in the turret part of the castle. French doors were going into a marble bathroom. It had a classic bathtub with legs.

 After hanging out in the room, My sister and I explored the house. We found an unusual set of stairs on the first floor that went up to a secret door to the foyer. On the second floor was the living room with a table set up and a Christmas tree in the parlor.

We went outside to explore the outside part of the house where a couple staying in the Emma room was also there. As I was snapping photos of the outside of the house, on the side, there was an engraving with the architects who built the house Cudell & Richardson. They were an architectural duo responsible for Franklin Castle and built buildings such as the Perry-Payne Building and the Bradley Building. 

  My sister and I got a restful night's sleep. Sadly, we did not see any ghosts. The couple staying in Emma's room left early and the door to that room opened. We looked around, and Emma's room connected to Louise's room. The room also had a kitchen area. After we left, I was curious about digging more into the house.

     One week later, I took a full tour of the house with many others. The caretaker even showed us the fourth floor, where the ballroom used to be. We were not allowed to take pictures there as it was a private living area for the caretaker. The first floor had an eerie-looking fog. This fog was caused by the pipes underneath the floor and the cold, rainy air from outside. The caretaker explained the house's history, first talking about a previous house called Bachelor's Hall, then purchased by Hannes. The house was then torn down, and Franklin Castle was built. He walked through Hannes's room, explaining the interior, and then we went on the balcony that crossed to another window going into Louise's Room. The balcony was used so Hannes and Louise would meet discreetly to discuss anything without waking up the entire house. A charred door frame left over from the fire was outside Louise's room. The caretaker slid his hand on the doorframe and showed us the black ash on his hand. We went outside, where he pointed his flashlight at the window and explained it used to be August Teidemann's room, which is off-limits to guests as it is filled with records. 

     I decided to read more about the legends of Franklin Castle. By doing so, I learned a lot more about the house. Hannes was born Johannes Teidemann in Germany, then shortened his name to Hannes when he came to the US. I learned the only Tiedemann to have passed away in Franklin Castle was Louise Tiedemann. Emma passed away before the house was built, Weibke passed away in a home a few blocks away, and the children who died during infancy died over the years way before Franklin Castle was built. "Emma's" room was Dora Tiedemann's room. As for the bones found in the wall of the house, there are two possible explanations. Many people believed it was a cheap stunt by the owner in the 70s to gain publicity. Another theory that the book Haunted Franklin Castle suggested was a specimen owned by one of the owners. Dr. Shirkey lived at the house from 1915-1921 because of his doctor's occupation and because the bones looked too clean. I recommend the book to anyone who wants a deep dive into the property's history.  

     Finally, I decided to pay respects to the Tiedemanns at Riverside Cemetery to visit Hannes Teidemann's grave. After getting lost trying to find his grave, I went to the cemetery office, and the woman there gave me a map. In the Tiedemann plot lies Hannes, his first wife Louise, Emma, his mother Weibke, and his three infant children. In a neighboring plot, Wiebenson, with Hanne's youngest daughter Dora, was buried with her husband. In Haunted Franklin Castle, it stated Dora died in Germany after breaking a leg and getting an infection. Her body was shipped back to the United States for burial. 

    Reading and digesting all the stories and facts about the house, some people have claimed to have experienced paranormal activity, while some have been there for years and never sensed a thing. The whole house is integral to Cleveland's history regarding legend, architecture, and German immigration in the 1800s. Regardless of whether or not Franklin Castle is haunted, the stories have helped keep the house alive and relevant. Hannes Tiedemann could have just been an unlucky man. It seems so when digging into the history of the property despite ghost stories painting him as a murderer and a terrible man to be around. Franklin Castle needed the ghost stories to draw this much interest in the house. 

Book for research:

Krejci, William G., Myers, John H. (2017). Haunted Franklin Castle.

    Charleston, SC: Haunted America