A question is debated in Athens around this time every year. The conversations can be heard in bars, in classrooms and in front of bagel shops. Everyone seems to know a friend of a friend's roommate's sister who had a paranormal experience, and has a story to tell.

It's Halloween time, and the talk of town is whether this little city nestled away in Appalachia is in fact - haunted.

"I've seen things I can't explain," said resident Terry Gilkey, who has been working on restoring West State Cemetery.

Gilkey also said most of his encounters are from years back, and since he has been working in the cemetery, he hasn't seen or heard a peep.

Athens is fabled for its history, and its dark past. Classes have been held based on the myths of the county and Web sites have been set up that are based almost entirely on Athens folklore. One such Web site is run by Patti Rankin. Rankin collects stories from all over and puts them on her site. She said she is skeptical of some of the stuff that comes to her in e-mail messages, but puts most of it on the site nonetheless.

"(I try) to look at this from a real sort of historical and objective standpoint," Rankin said.

Within these two sites, anyone can learn about Athens' ghosts, and what happened to make them haunt the town for years to come. One can discover all of the famed haunted sites - the graveyards, houses and dormitories that have reportedly experienced a ghost problem in the last century.

No one knows, though, whether these locales truly are the stomping ground of spooks, or if the stories merely stem from the imaginations of some obnoxious Athenians.

This week the Access staff decided it was our duty to find out whether or not these hot spots are the real deal or just a bunch of hot air.

Big ghost on campus: Wilson Hall and The Ridges focus of strange vibes

It is said five of the cemeteries surrounding Athens township (Simms, Hanning, Cuckler, Higgins and Zion), form the five points in a pentagram, an ancient witch symbol. At the very center of this pentagram is Wilson Hall on West Green. Wilson Hall has been home to countless yarns about objects flying, doors closing mysteriously and apparitions roaming the halls at night.

One story, focused on in Rankin's Web site involves a girl who was reportedly into the occult. Supposedly she either was killed or committed suicide in her dorm. The room, as the story goes, has been sealed off ever since.

One member of the Access staff lived in Wilson Hall for a year. She said there were times when bathroom toilets would flush for no reason, and items that were missing for days would turn up in the most obvious of places.

She also spoke of a time when she and her friends were watching television in one of the rooms. The TV began flickering on and off for no apparent reason. Five minutes later, she and her friends were busted for having alcohol. She maintains something was trying to warn them through the TV.

The Ridges is well known for having housed the old Athens County Mental Hospital. Many well-documented atrocities were committed there in its treatment of its patients. There are graveyards in the woods behind The Ridges, and speculation has been made about supernatural occurrences within their perimeters.

The Ridges is an eerie place, especially the graveyards. One cemetery contains a peculiar ring of headstones, with no explanation for its configuration. Rankin's website tells of witches holding rituals in this circle.

Most of the headstones in The Ridges' burial grounds are marked with the numbers by which the hospital arranged the patients for paper work purposes, rather than with names. These tombstones show that in death patients were treated almost as indifferently as they were in life.

The Ridges' century-old buildings also house some mysteries. One building that was not numbered on the map (it lies directly behind The Ridges Auditorium) and apparently untouched by renovators was where the Access crew encountered an odd sight. Its foundation houses shrubs which have missed a couple of appointments with hedge clippers over the last few years. Nothing about the building gave sign of being occupation, yet our intrepid ghoul-chasers reported a light on in a second floor room. It was not the red shimmer of an exit sign, and there was never any sign of a person in the room. It was just an eerie orange glow - a light that wouldn't go out.

West State Cemetery: History and haunting meet

No lights are on at West State Cemetery, the final stop in our Maniacal Mystery Tour. The graveyard is guarded by a black iron fence. A gate on West State Street hangs open at all times, inviting anyone to walk amongst its many permanent tenants.

West State Cemetery has not been in use for some time, and just recently attempts have been made to give it a face-lift and restore this historical site.

Much of Athens history is buried beneath its soil, and a good portion of it is anonymous. Many unmarked headstones riddle the hilly field, and many of the stones that are legible have been broken in two, three - even four pieces over the years. The cemetery looks like something even the Great Pumpkin would be scared to visit.

Buried in the cemetery are many unknown soldiers; to commemorate them there is a statue of an angel. The statue was reported to have been seen flapping its wings and sometimes, shedding a tear. However the only moist eyes on this stake-out were those of the Access staffers who were out in the cold.

West State also houses the grave of a killer. Charles McGill was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in Cleveland. People have claimed to feel the presence of a man with a knife or a noose when standing by his grave. We brave souls at the Access staff felt only the wind blowing against our backs.

Other historically acclaimed haunted locations include Simms Cemetery, which supposedly has a hanging tree used in the 19th century and the ghost of John Simms himself on the premises.

Mount Nebo is another hang-out for the local specters. The highest in the county, it has achieved worldwide notoriety, according to Rankin, for its high level of spirituality.

"Early spiritualists believed that the land's geography, the relationships of its peaks and valleys, creates an area of increased psychic energy," Rankin said.

These spots and others add to the mystique of Athens County, as do the purported apparitions. Skepticism may be unavoidable, but an open mind is important in exploring these famed sites.

"I don't believe in that kind of stuff," Gilkey said.

The Access staff is not so certain.

For more Halloween spookiness, see Halloween horror: A few creepy classics for your viewing terror
and Athens has murderous history.