By Vanessa Whiteside on October 16, 2024
Haunted Kansas Towns: Spooky Spaces Attract Ghost Adventures
Whispers echo down a hallway. Objects seemingly moving on their own. The scent of a woman’s perfume permeates the air.
The following rural Kansas towns offer brave souls a chance to experience spooky spaces, from ghost tours to self-guided paranormal expeditions.
ATCHISON
Atchison, the Most Haunted City in Kansas, is known for Victorian-style mansions built by wealthy families at the turn of the Century.
The Sallie House is said to be haunted by the spirits of its former residents, particularly Dr. Charles Finney and his 6-year-old patient, Sallie. Psychics visiting the 19th-century two-story home using investigative equipment reportedly experienced hearing audible voices and physical touches. Previous residents allegedly saw Sallie’s apparition. Visitors can take a daytime tour ($20 for one hour) or stay overnight ($125 per person, minimum of two people) — reservations are required.
Nearby, the 1889 McInteer Villa is also open for overnight stays. At the time of publication, a one-hour narrated Haunted Trolley Tour with stops at various haunted homes and sites is sold out. However, Jackson Park, open to the public, is said to be haunted by a woman named Molly, who died there.
ELLINWOOD
In Ellinwood, visitors can purchase tickets to tour the town’s original passageways resembling a makeshift town abandoned in the 1940s, The Ellinwood Underground. Early residents used the beneath-the-surface spaces as a refuge during WWI. It was likely a place to bootleg alcohol during Prohibition. Cowboys frequented its saloons. Today, mysterious disturbances are reported in the tunnels. Guided full tour tickets are $15 per person, offered at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. every third Sunday of the month.
The first part of the tour leads visitors underground through the tunnels, followed by a guided tour of The Historic Wolf Hotel across the street. Inside its dining room, The Sunflower Room, a place setting is permanently reserved for Bernard Millit, who died in the room in 1927. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to experience Sunday lunch, served by reservation every third Sunday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
LAWRENCE
Since its days as a pre-Civil War community, Lawrence’s reputation as a haunted town is confirmed by visitors to its supernatural spaces, including the Eldridge Hotel. Room 506 is considered the most spirited space. Photographs have captured the image of a ghostly figure inside the hotel’s elevator. Hotel employees reported seeing Col. Eldridge’s ghost sitting in a chair.
Down the street, curious ghost adventurers can take a self-guided tour of America’s Smallest Haunted Bathroom inside the Mass Street retail store, Wonder Fair. Legend says employees have seen apparitions at nearby restaurant Merchants Pub & Plate. Reserve tickets for a show at Theatre Lawrence; one may feel a spirited presence. The halls are said to be haunted at the one-time church where unexplainable encounters with cast and crew occur.
