original photo, painted on in photoshop..... below is an article from the columbus dispatch: FROM THE STUMP Put-in-Bay haunt boasts of eerie visitor Sunday, August 13, 2006 JOHN SWITZER My wife and I drove up to Lake Erie the other day to enjoy Ohios hottest tourist destination. We visited Marblehead and its famous lighthouse, the shops and restaurants along the shore. We bought some Red Haven peaches grown there. The back bays were choked with lily pads and beautiful, yellow American lotus flowers, Ohios largest wildflower. One day, we took a ferry to Put-in-Bay to experience that place of merriment. While on the island, I learned about "Dashing Tom" Alexander, who keeps popping up at a tavern in the village even though he has been dead since 1936. I was told that the Crescent Tavern, which was built in 1871 and is the oldest commercial building on the island, is haunted by Thomas Benton Alexander, who once owned the place. When he operated it during the first third of the last century, it was both a hotel and restaurant. Now it is a beautiful watering hole and restaurant. Alexander, who was born in 1866, was a stage actor of some fame in his earlier days. He traveled about the nation until he married John Brown Jr.s daughter, Edith, and settled on the island. John Brown Jr. is buried on the island. He came there to escape the fuss after his fathers capture at Harpers Ferry and subsequent hanging. Alexander took over the operation of the Crescent in 1910 and later was elected mayor of the village. Bret Klun, the general manager of the Crescent, said Alexander is credited with being the "father of tourism" for the island. "He worked to help the island become a tourists destination by getting steamships from Cleveland, Detroit and Toledo to stop there." Alexander apparently still is overseeing the operation of the beautiful, old tavern because he frequently makes his presence known. Klun said Dashing Tom is a friendly, yet mischievous, ghost. Many new employees who know nothing of the ghost have come to Klun and told him of the strange things theyve heard or seen. One time, an employee was mopping behind the bar about 3 or 4 in the morning. He was the only person in the place. He glanced up at the mirror behind the bar and saw the reflection of an older man, dressed in a dark suit, sitting at the bar. The employee declared, "Im sorry, were closed. No one is allowed in here." When the employee turned around to face the stranger, no one was there. Klun said he has never seen the ghost, but he has heard him on many occasions. When Klun has been alone in his second-floor office, he has heard footsteps outside along the hallway. He also has heard footsteps on the stairway. "Someone definitely went up and down those stairs. All the doors were locked," he said. Then, there was the tapping on window glass and the television that was turned on and off and the furniture that was tipped over or moved. One employee took some trash outside and, as he was returning, saw Alexander watching him from an upstairs window. Folks passing by the Crescent late at night also have seen Alexander peering out of an upstairs window. Klun said he thinks Alexander stays around because "he just loves this place." "Im here in the winter, and nothing ever happens. Maybe he goes to Florida," Klun said. One time, some paranormal investigators from Philadelphia came to search for Alexander. The ghost didnt materialize, but the investigating crew detected sudden temperature changes and saw "a weird, blue light." "They figured something was definitely going on here," Klun said. Retired weather columnist John Switzer writes a weekly Metro column. [email protected] Copyright © 2006, The Columbus Dispatch