ALTON, Ill.—The Illinois river town of Alton is considered one of America’s most haunted small towns. It has been featured on several television shows and investigated by several paranormal investigators.
Recently, Alton has landed on a list of “10 Ghostly Towns to Tour” by thetravel.com. The publication mentions the McPike Mansion, one of the “most notoriously haunted houses in the Midwest.”
The McPike Mansion was built in 1869 and owned by Henry Guest McPike. The house hasn’t been occupied since the 1950s, according to Great Rivers & Routes, the tourism bureau for the Alton area. A couple bought the house and have been trying to bring it back to its original state, but there have been several accounts of people seeing orbs, balls of light and figures of people in the background of pictures taken there.
There are a few groups that now offer haunted tours of Alton. Some of the other attractions they include on their tours are:
- The First Unitarian Church- One of its former pastor’s is believed to haunt the historic church
- Milton School- A school girl is said to haunt the building after she was found dead in the locker room
- Confederate prison- The Old Alton Prison housed thousands of Confederate soldiers during the Civil Ware and more than 1,400 died due to a smallpox outbreak
- Jacoby Arts Center- The building is said to be haunted since the basement used to be a mortuary
- Mineral Springs Mall- The former hotel and spa is filled with tragedy, murders, suicides as well as natural and accidental deaths
- Ryder Building- A mysterious person is said to drag chairs and tables on the first floor of the restaurant
- Piasa Bird- The dragon-like bird is known to have terrorized and devoured the native inhabitants in the area. Its likeness is painted on a huge rock in the area.
You can learn more about these landmarks and the tours here.