Located just four miles from High Street remains one of the last remaining military bases in the country still open to the public. The twist? It’s been restored and transformed into a large-scale haunted house production.
Jesse VonStein, a local resident, acquired the property now called Area 13 Project, just over a year ago and has been working diligently to transform the attraction into the best experience possible for visitors from across the state.
The base, originally used for aircraft operations during the Cold War, was once part of a network of 289 bases. “The other ones are all destroyed. There’s a couple that are owned by private individuals who’ve made houses out of them,” said VonStein, but now only two remain open to the public—this one in Oxford, and the other in California.
VonStein recently began a historical analysis, studying 400 to 500 pages of documents related to the base to learn more about its history. “I’ve also been trying to get in touch with the Air Force to obtain more information,” he said, hoping to uncover more about what happened.
VonStein explains that the goal is to preserve the history and structural integrity of the facility by avoiding any permanent damage. Instead, they will only install removable features and temporary walls when necessary.
Although Area 13 faced legal issues last fall that forced the operation to shut down due to the Butler County Building and Zoning Department, VonStein enthusiastically shared that the court dismissed all cases, and they are now back up and running. However, it remains unclear whether all the necessary permits to operate have been secured.
Of the nine buildings above ground, four are used for the haunted attraction. VonStein said the entire interactive experience lasts about 35-40 minutes, with 27 employed scarers dispersed throughout the attraction who are allowed to touch guests. “We obviously ensure that everything is respectful and safe,” he explains. He added that guests who prefer not to be touched can wear a necklace that signals the scarers to keep their distance.
VonStein recently hired professional ghost hunters to investigate the property. The team used an Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) recorder, also known as a “spirit box,” to detect frequencies from any ghosts on the premises, along with thermal imaging cameras. VonStein said they were able to detect a child on the camera and communicated with a ghost named Alex through the recorder.
“I’m a skeptic about ghosts; I don’t really get into that stuff. My daughter, on the other hand, is an amateur ghost hunter. One night, while she was having a party here, she came in and said, ‘We met a ghost. His name’s Alex.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, right, whatever.’ We ended up having a professional ghost hunting group come out with one of those boxes. They were asking questions, and when they asked for the ghost’s name, it replied, ‘Alex.’ My daughter had never spoken to them. Man, did that freak me out.”
The Area 13 Project uses real-life items as visitors walk through each room. The classroom features homework from real students, while the dentistry and medical rooms are equipped with genuine tools. VonStein also collects artifacts from the war. “We gather items from all over the area because we want it to look and feel as authentic as possible when walking through each room,” he said. High-quality lighting, sound, and fog machines are also strategically placed throughout the space to enhance the immersive experience.
Caleigh Parson, a Miami student who recently visited Area 13 Project with friends, spoke highly of the experience. “It was by far the best haunted house experience I’ve ever been to,” she said. “Going in and out of the buildings while being chased by people with chainsaws in the pitch black was so scary, but fun. My friend got a glow necklace because she didn’t want to be touched, and they were very polite. I recommend it to anyone who can handle a lot of fear.”
You’ll feel like you’re stepping into various real-life horror scenarios at Area 13. The attraction includes rooms such as a clown room, a doll room, a classroom, bunk rooms, bathrooms, and a mess hall where scarers can grab you and “roll you around in the fridge.” Don’t overlook the field hospital and other rooms that hold equally unsettling atmospheres, along with untouched areas of the base where VonStein said the real ghosts reside.
The Area 13 Project is located at 6557 Todd Road in Oxford. It operates Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to midnight. General admission is $25, with a Fast Pass option available for $35.
For more information visit https://area13project.com
