Spookiest Places to Explore in Illinois and Wisconsin (Haunted Hospitals, Haunted Historic Sites, Historic Cemeteries, etc)

To celebrate Halloween, we’re dedicating today’s blog to some of the (supposedly) most haunted sites in Illinois and Wisconsin!  If you’re looking to level up your spooky season entertainment beyond the haunted houses filled with professional actors, some of these real life locations might just do the trick.  Check ‘em out…if you dare!

Note: Please, if you’re itching to visit any of these locations yourself, be mindful of local posted signage for your safety and legal purposes! Do not trespass onto private property or desecrate any of the historic sites. Obey any closed off areas, caution tape, or signs listing environmental risks.   Some sites may be closed to the public. Enter at your own risk and ghost hunt responsibly.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, Illinois

The local area was originally settled by English colonizers and homesteaders who relocated from New England in the 1830s.  It was originally named the Everden Cemetery after the original property owner Conrintha Everden, who bought the land in 1835.  Spooky sightings here include a phantom car, floating orbs, mysterious lights, a farmer with his horse, and even a white cloaked spirit with an infant!

Bartonville Insane Asylum in Illinois.

Formerly in operation as a mental hospital as the Peoria State Hospital from 1902 through 1973, this location later closed due to lack of government funding, overcrowding issues, and overuse of psychotropic medications on patients. Patients with no legally recorded families or remaining living relatives were buried on site, leading to the need for 4 different cemeteries where 4,100 patients were interred. Paranormal investigators and visitors have reported ghostly apparitions and strange shadows flitting about the corridors, while others have noted sobs and whispers from patient rooms.  

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, Illinois

This is a historic site once home to an ancient Native American village, and it is rumored to be home to a host of spirits of the Natives who used to reside here. There have been reports of orbs, strange shadows, and balls of floating light.  Remains of the Native Peoples have been found on site.  

Graceland Cemetery in Chicago,  Illinois

From “The Eternal Silence” statue of a hooded cloaked monk to the isolated grave of Daniel Burnham to the imposing architecture of The Palmer Mausoleum, there is no shortage of haunts here!  You might hear cries of disembodied voices, or be overcome with an overwhelming sense of dread, or notice the eerie stillness and silence and cold spots.  You’ll just have to visit and see for yourself!  

Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur, Illinois

It’s believed that prior to the 1820s this was the site of a Native American Burial Ground until colonizers took over the site and used it as a graveyard from the 1820s on, becoming an officially recognized cemetery in 1857.  Visitors to the site have reported hearing screams and strange lights from inside some of the mausoleums.  Visitors report seeing apparitions of confederate prisoners in tattered uniforms wandering in a daze.  You might even come across The Greenwood Bride, a lonely figure in a wedding gown searching for her beloved!

McPike Mansion of Alton in Illinois, sometimes referred to as Mount Lookout, is a historic and haunted property on the former 15-acre estate of Henry Guest McPike. In 1994, the home was purchased at auction by Sharyn and George Luedke, with plans to restore the mansion to its former glory!  Sharyn herself has reported ghostly sightings of servants and residents or guests of the mansion while removing items from the home, making repairs, and restoring the house.  She and George have also caught a whiff of lilac perfume wafting through the hallways of the third floor.

Peoria State Hospital Museum and Cemetery in Peoria, Illinois

This large campus originally contained 63 buildings on site.  Many of the buildings have since been demolished, but the Bowen Building was the last one standing.  The grounds are also home to four different cemeteries.   Some paranormal investigators have even reported a strange sudden taste of blood in their mouths or the aroma of pine scent once used in cough syrups for ill patients. Investigators and ghost hunters have noticed the apparitions of patients walking through walls, echoes of footsteps, banging on the walls, and pushing or shoving of the investigators.

Peoria Public Downtown Library in Peoria, Illinois

 Legend has it that this library was built on cursed grounds!  Mrs. Andrew Gray lived in the house in the 1830s, and when financial troubles ultimately led to foreclosure, she allegedly cursed the grounds for future owners and residents.  The house was eventually demolished and the library was erected in its stead in 1894.  Shockingly, the first three directors of the library died under quite mysterious circumstances!  Eventually the old library was demolished and a new improved building was built in its place in 1966.  Staff have reported feeling cold drafts, seeing apparitions of former directors lurking in doorways, and even whispering their name amidst the stacks.

Brumder Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Book a spooky stay at this mysterious B&B and let us know what you think. In the past, former guests have reported a sleep plagued by the most disturbing nightmares, sighting apparitions floating down hallways and in and out of walls, and it’s even been said that blood was found in a bathtub that no one had been using.  Guests have been reporting hauntings in this four story building for nearly 100 years. 

Fork in the Road Mukwonago, Wisconsin

We thought it might be nice to include a restaurant stop off on our trip, and what better than a haunted one!  Visitors to this establishment have reported seeing foggy apparitions out back, heard ghostly footsteps in the halls, and even heard the echoes of pool cues hitting pool balls and rolling across the floor.

High Cliff State Park in Sherwood, Wisconsin

If you like spending time in the great outdoors, you may enjoy the challenge of pitching a tent on one of the most haunted campgrounds in Wisconsin!  It’s considered a hotbed of supernatural and paranormal events, which some attribute to the fact that there are Native American burial grounds nearby the camping ground.  Some folks report strange figures and apparitions and otherworldly sounds in the dead of night.

Kemper Hall in Kenosha, Wisconsin

This former boarding school for young women is now a recreation center, but is also considered one of the most haunted destinations in Wisconsin!  Rumor has it that the grounds are haunted by the ghost of a headless nun who died at the hands of several students! Legend says they cornered her and shoved her down a stairway where she met her untimely end .  Some visitors have also reported apparitions of nuns peeking out of the windows.

Karsten Hotel in Kewaunee, Wisconsin

If you’re interested in strange spectral encounters, then this is the hotspot (or cold spot…) that ghost hunters like you are just dying to experience!  In fact, it’s so haunted that the owners have fully embraced the paranormal experience and accept it.  It has been in operation since 1912 and is home to at least three very active spectres.  Stay for the night, if you can make it that long…

Maribel Caves in Maribel, Wisconsin 

This 75 acre park is on the former site of the Maribel Caves Hotel aka Cherner Hotel, which sadly burnt down to the ground with many guests still in their lodgings.  In its prime, the hotel had its fair share of notorious visitors from famed living gangsters and mobsters like John Dillinger to the spectral figure of the former owner’s ghost.  None of the paranormal sightings have been confirmed by park personnel, but visitors have reported eerie feelings and unusual ghostly figures. 

Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee Wisconsin

This historic Milwaukee landmark has housed some of the most famous and notable baseball and basketball players over the years, many of whom have corroborated the stories of paranormal activities. And it’s also considered one of the most haunted places in the whole state! Visiting players have reported objects being moved or dropped, strange shadowy apparitions, electrical anomalies, and noises with unknown origin.  It has been reported that the older wings of the hotel are more haunted, along with the 19th floor of the tower addition and the grand ballroom area. 

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