History & local legend
Ryerson Station State Park opened to the public in 1967, taking its name from the nearby frontier outpost known as Ryerson’s Fort. Its woodland landscape had a long history before the park and Duke Lake were created. The lake was drained in 2005 after damage to its dam; the park continued to develop around its trails, campground and other recreation facilities.
Visit Greene connects some of the park’s apparition stories to an attack on the Davis family in 1787. Later visitors have described a little girl and figures in period clothing, while accounts from the Lazear house concern unexplained sounds. The house is not an ordinary public tour stop, although the surrounding state park is open to visitors.
The county’s paranormal tour also records Bigfoot reports in the park. These different accounts make Ryerson a setting for both historical ghost lore and creature sightings.
