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Vishnu Springs
Colchester, Illinois
16.4 miles from Bowen, IL
Back in the 1880s, the strange-tasting water at Vishnu Springs, named after a Hindu god, was thought to have healing properties. Holiness Camp Meetings of folks who wanted to partake of the magical waters drew 3,000 people to the area, and a town was formed. Witnesses say the area is ...
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220 North 4th - Keokuk
Keokuk, Iowa
20.2 miles from Bowen, IL
Built by businessman Enos H. Harrison in 1857, this house is reported to be the home of a friendly ghost, according to many witnesses who have seen and heard the spirit.
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Hotel Iowa
Keokuk, Iowa
20.2 miles from Bowen, IL
This historic hotel was built in the early twentieth century for workers constructing a nearby lock for the town dam. And according to some reports by guests, they may have never left. Ghostly music, disembodied footsteps, screams and a male apparition in workman clothes have all been reported by staff. ...
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Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois
25.6 miles from Bowen, IL
Lingering spirits are many at this university! Bayliss Hall, room 1117, is haunted by a former occupant who delivered a baby in secret, threw it down the trash chute, then hung herself in the closet. Cries and moans can be heard in her room. In room 501, a severely depressed ...
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Super 8 Macomb
Macomb, Illinois
26.3 miles from Bowen, IL
This Super 8 has been the site of numerous strange happenings. Witnesses say the lights and air conditioning will turn on and off by themselves, doors will open on their own, and mysterious whistling can be heard. Clerks have experienced electrical malfunctions with the phone, such as all the lines ...
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Burlington National Guard Armory
Burlington, Iowa
37.9 miles from Bowen, IL
Horses' hooves and footsteps can be heard late at night, doors open and close by themselves, and one witness reported seeing a reflection of a man with a handlebar mustache in a computer screen, but when he turned around, no one was there.
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Lula Belle's
Hannibal, Missouri
39.3 miles from Bowen, IL
This one-time bordello opened in 1917, and is now a bed-and-breakfast and restaurant. The haunts here are known to move or throw things in the kitchen, or twist utensils into pretzels. They show themselves as orbs, shadows or mirror reflections, and can be heard as footsteps or disembodied voices. A ...
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Garden House Bed & Breakfast
Hannibal, Missouri
39.5 miles from Bowen, IL
Garden House Bed & Breakfast is a stop on the Haunted Hannibal Ghost Tour, and folks who have stayed here have reported some very odd things. According to reports from the hotel staff, most incidents occur between 2 and 3 a.m.
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The Drake Bar and Restaurant
Burlington, Iowa
39.9 miles from Bowen, IL
This upscale restaurant is housed in a historic building, and staff and diners report that the women's restroom is haunted by a lady in an old-fashioned dress, who has been known to walk through the walls. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Highway 34 Ghost
Burlington, Iowa
40.2 miles from Bowen, IL
The ghost who walks along the highway at night is said to be an escaped slave who died in the 1860s of diptheria and was buried in the basement of a nearby home. He carries a leather bag and walks westward on the north side of the road between 1 ...
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Garth Woodside Mansion
Hannibal, Missouri
43.1 miles from Bowen, IL
This inn, built originally in 1871, is known for its connection with renowned author Mark Twain. Personal friends of the owners, the author would send them his books and stay there when he was in town. Folks believe his ghost still visits the place, especially the room that was named ...
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East Otto Cemetery
Lewistown, Illinois
45.4 miles from Bowen, IL
Local legend has it that the specters of two headless women can be seen at this cemetery late at night, screaming as they're being chased by an axe-wielding maniac. No word on exactly how a headless woman is supposed to be able to scream, but you know, details, details...
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Stony Hollow Road
Burlington, Iowa
46.5 miles from Bowen, IL
Spooky tales told here revolve around a ghost named Lucinda. She is said to have committed suicide by jumping off a cliff when her beloved failed to meet her to run away together. There are many reports of people seeing the ghost. Local urban legend also says that if you ...
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Friendly Cafe
Abingdon, Illinois
52.6 miles from Bowen, IL
The café is rumoured to be haunted. Employees have been touched by unseen hands, and a woman in a long dress appeared to a former owner in the main kitchen. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Lawford Theatre
Havana, Illinois
52.9 miles from Bowen, IL
Folks who have visited or worked at the Lawford Theatre have seen faces appear in photographs and have felt cold chills behind the curtains on opening nights.
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Mason House Inn and Caboose Cottage
Keosauqua, Iowa
53.7 miles from Bowen, IL
This historic 1846 hotel was also a stop on the Underground Railroad, and several spirits are living here. In Room 5, the ghost of a young boy pulls on people's clothing at night. His apparition has been seen on the landing. In Room 7, a man named Knapp was murdered, ...
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Mason House Inn and Caboose Cottage
Keosauqua, Iowa
53.7 miles from Bowen, IL
This historic 1846 hotel was also a stop on the Underground Railroad, and several spirits are living here. In Room 5, the ghost of a young boy pulls on people's clothing at night. His apparition has been seen on the landing. In Room 7, a man named Knapp was murdered, ...
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Birthday Bridge - Giblin Bridge
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
53.7 miles from Bowen, IL
This spot, near where Kentucky Avenue and US 218 meet, is said to be haunted by a local girl who hanged herself from the bridge after having an affair with a married doctor. The day she died was also her birthday. Legend has it that her ghost can be seen ...
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Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois
55.3 miles from Bowen, IL
Illinois College, founded in 1829, is rumored to have several haunted buildings. Among them are Sturtevant Hall and Beecher Hall, where folks have reported apparitions, footsteps, and other noises. Beecher Hall, according to campus talk, was formerly a medical building and the top floor was a space for storing cadavers. ...
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Hotel Baring
Edina, Missouri
60.3 miles from Bowen, IL
This historic hotel is believed to be haunted, and was formerly a railroad stopover during the early twentieth century era. The building is believed to be haunted by several apparitions, who are believed to be associated the building as it changed hands and uses over the many years of its ...
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Ghosts of Springfield and Southern Illinois & Other Haunted Tales from the Prairie State
Rachel Brooks Posadas
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Hotel Wapello
Wapello, Iowa
65.8 miles from Bowen, IL
The old-fashioned hotel, furnished with original antiques, used to be a schoolhouse and a law office. In 1906 the place became the Commercial Hotel, which became the premier place to stay in town after their main rival burnt to the ground. Now a bed and breakfast inn, the place ...
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Mercer County Courthouse
Aledo, Illinois
68.7 miles from Bowen, IL
The courthouse building dates back to the 1890's, and in the 1930's a skeleton was removed from the basement when the interior was remodelled. Ever since, staff have reported hearing footsteps after the courthouse has been locked up for the night, and a woman leaving the building in the ...
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Eldred House
Bowen, Illinois
69.5 miles from Bowen, IL
The 23-room James J. Eldred House was completed in 1861, and was the setting for some sad events. All three Eldred daughters died of tuberculosis here: Alma, 4, in 1861; Alice, 17, in 1870; and Eva, 17, in 1876. A traveling salesman is said to have passed away here as ...
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Top of the Rock Grille
Fairfield, Iowa
71.4 miles from Bowen, IL
The origin of the hauntings at this restaurant is uncertain. What IS certain, is that it's haunted. Witnesses have seen objects moving by themselves in the kitchen and heard whispering and voices in the bathrooms. They have also heard the sound of people walking on the upper floors when no ...
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Lee-Baker-Hodges House
Carrollton, Illinois
73.1 miles from Bowen, IL
Built in the early 1830s, the historic mansion fell into disrepair in the 1970s and was saved by preservationists. It is sometimes open to the public for pre-scheduled nighttime paranormal investigation and history tours. A ghost child is said to reside in one of the bedrooms, and another child's ghost ...
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Peoria State Hospital
Bartonville, Illinois
78.7 miles from Bowen, IL
This abandoned mental hospital, now in the planning stages for restoration, is said to be haunted by Manuel A. Bookbinder, or Old Book. Old Book was a patient who worked with the burial crew at the hospital until his own death.
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Inn At 835
Springfield, Illinois
80.5 miles from Bowen, IL
This inn was originally built in 1909 as a private home. As to the identity of the haunt who resides here, very little is known. Guests have witnessed apparitions and heard voices coming from rooms that are vacant, and the elevator runs by itself. Also, some people here have seen ...
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Dana-Thomas House
Springfield, Illinois
80.6 miles from Bowen, IL
Witnesses who visit or work at the historic house have reported humming voices, chairs being thrown down the stairs, curtains that move by themselves, and an apparition of a woman in black. The woman is believed to be the home’s original owner, Susan Lawrence Dana, who is rumored to have ...
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Greenwood Cemetery
Muscatine, Iowa
81.9 miles from Bowen, IL
The Blue Angel is a statue with a legend. Reports say that back in the 1950s, she was thought of as the benevolent spirit of the cemetery, protecting it from vandals. Sometime since then, tales about her have become more sinister. She is said to have once held a rose; ...
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Mars Hill Church
Bloomfield, Iowa
82.1 miles from Bowen, IL
This old log cabin church is actually a restoration using salvaged timber from vintage barns. The church had been in existence from 1856 til 2006 when some dirtbag arsonist decided to burn the place to the ground. Rumors of it being haunted however have become something of local ...
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Peoria Public Library
Peoria, Illinois
83.6 miles from Bowen, IL
Peoria Public Library, according to local lore, was built upon cursed ground. So the story goes, Mrs. Andrew Gray lived in a house here around 1830. Family and financial hardships led to a foreclosure on her home, and Mrs. Gray cursed the property and all of its future owners. Her ...
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Emack and Bolio's
Peoria, Illinois
83.7 miles from Bowen, IL
This ice cream parlour is haunted by former owner Jim Schwab, who died after falling headfirst down a flight of stairs. Staff have reported disembodied footsteps descending the staircase, while others have encountered a male apparition on the upper floor. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Peoria Players Theatre
Peoria, Illinois
83.9 miles from Bowen, IL
Peoria Players Theatre is said to be haunted by a playful ghost named Norman, a former theater director who died in 1960 at age 34, and a more sinister entity whose identity is unknown.
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Julia Markham - Death Curve
Cambridge, Illinois
84.9 miles from Bowen, IL
Locals say that a woman wearing a white flowing gown glides across the field on quiet nights. It is said she is the spirit of Julia Markham, who in 1905 killed her 7 children with an ax and then set her house on fire, killing herself.
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Cheney Mansion
Jerseyville, Illinois
86 miles from Bowen, IL
Numerous reports of ghosts include the apparition of Miss Dorothy, a former nursemaid who roams the hallways and the bedroom bearing her name. Reports of people hearing talking upstairs, like women holding a conversation. Sounds of dining room chairs moving, like somebody's pulling out the chairs getting ready to sit ...
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Hotel Ottumwa
Ottumwa, Iowa
89.1 miles from Bowen, IL
An apparition of a lady in white haunts the hotel basement, which formerly served as a ballroom. The ghost of a man in a suit haunts the hallways of the hotel. Strange noises and voices have been heard. The face of a man has also been seen in the hotel ...
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Ottumwa Cemetery
Ottumwa, Iowa
89.6 miles from Bowen, IL
Night visitors to the cemetery have seen shadowed figures sitting on tombstones or running behind trees, and heard whispering and footsteps in the grass. There has also been reported a white cat who will run in circles around your feet, and then vanish.
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Riverside Cemetery
Riverside, Iowa
90.7 miles from Bowen, IL
It is said that many pairs of glowing eyes, belonging to the many graveyard spirits, can be seen by those who drive past.
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Hotel Blackhawk
Davenport, Iowa
92.7 miles from Bowen, IL
This place has undergone extensive renovation since almost burning down in a fire started by a meth lab operating out of the eighth floor in 2006. Could meth fumes, seeping through the walls account for the reports of ghosts? Cary Grant suffered his fatal stroke on the eighth floor ...
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Scott City Hall
Davenport, Iowa
92.7 miles from Bowen, IL
An imposing building with a bell tower just begs to have a good ghost story associated with it, and this city hall building is no exception. People claim to see the ghost of a hanged man in the tower at night, allegedly from prisoners who were illegally hanged there. ...
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Masonic Temple
Davenport, Iowa
92.9 miles from Bowen, IL
A wide assortment of haunted activity is claimed to occur at this former masonic temple. These phenomena include disembodied voices carrying on a conversation, noises without a recognizable source such as footsteps when there is no one seen, names being called when there is no one present, etc. Objects ...
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Phi Kappa Chi
Davenport, Iowa
93 miles from Bowen, IL
This fraternity house has a haunt of its own, the apparition of a large man who enters at the front door and walks up the stairs to the front bedroom. He wears an overcoat with the collar turned up. Student lore says that the apparition belongs to a homeless man ...
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Palmer College of Chiropractic
Davenport, Iowa
93.1 miles from Bowen, IL
There is a lecture hall, built in the 1800s, that is said to be haunted by ghosts who fly around the ceiling, making the hanging lamps sway. It is said that there are no air vents, fans, or windows of any sort placed in such a way that would cause ...
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Alice French House
Davenport, Iowa
93.2 miles from Bowen, IL
This historic mansion was the residence of the notable writer, who spent her years throughout here during the warmer months. Her father, the town mayor, originally owned the house, and it may be his spirit that is often reported here by visitors. Witnesses claim to have seen a distinguished ...
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Ruebel Hotel
Grafton, Illinois
93.5 miles from Bowen, IL
When this 1884 hotel opened, rooms cost $1 a day. Although they cost a bit more now, they may come with a friendly haunt: A little girl named Abigail is said to reside here. Her apparition has been seen in the upstairs hallway, and reports say she has talked with ...
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Ambrose Hall
Davenport, Iowa
93.6 miles from Bowen, IL
At this hall in St. Ambrose University, witnesses have reported hearing strange noises and footsteps late at night. They have also seen flickering lights. Some attribute the occurrences to the spirit of an old priest who died many years ago.
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Central Avenue Ghost
Bettendorf, Iowa
94.4 miles from Bowen, IL
The spirit of a middle-aged washerwoman haunts the area with her wooden washtub. She has been reported since the late 1800s, but some say she upgraded her equipment and sometimes appears with a double-wringer washing machine.
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Clubb House Restaurant
Sigourney, Iowa
96.6 miles from Bowen, IL
Lots of orbs and ghosts, pans falling off shelves! Customers feeling people touching them. (Submitted by Debbie and Justin)
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Rocky Fork Church
Godfrey, Illinois
99.5 miles from Bowen, IL
The church was moved due to vandalism that kept recurring. Google Maps shows the church at the bend of Rocky Fork Road, but the last time I was there, it was at the end of Boy Scout Lane. When I was a young girl, my sister and cousin took me to ...
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Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey, Illinois
99.9 miles from Bowen, IL
This school's library is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a person who committed suicide by hanging. It's also reported that teachers who have passed away linger here in spirit form, especially walking the hallways in the main building.
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