Cobble Stone Inn, built in the early 1800s and allegedly once visited by Abraham Lincoln, is the site of a mysterious disappearance. One day, the inn’s owners simply vanished, never to be heard from again. Locals say they still haunt the place–their apparitions have been seen all over the premises.
Cobble Stone Inn
Nashotah House Theological Seminary
The ghost at the Nashotah House Theological Seminary is said to have been here since the mid 1700s. So the story goes, the spirit belongs to an acolyte whose wife had an affair with the dean. In order to keep up the adulterous relationship, the woman hanged her husband, and said nothing when his death was ruled a suicide. And since suicide is known as a mortal sin, the acolyte was buried not in the cemetery but in a cornfield. Fast-forward to the woman’s deathbed, when she confessed to what she had done. The seminary wanted to right the wrong by giving the acolyte a proper burial, but when they attempted to exhume the body, they found his coffin empty. His uneasy spirit, folks say, still wanders the grounds.
The Pines on Crooked Lake
From the Pines Bar a curious apparition has been seen from the dock. An old man yells for help from a ghostly old fishing boat out in the middle of Crooked Lake. Shortly thereafter, boat and man are surrounded by mist and vanish from sight.
DiSciascio's - Legacy Grill
DiSciascio’s was an Italian restaurant in operation for 26 years until 2013, when it was replaced by Legacy Grill. The spirits here were first noticed long ago when the building housed a bar. Witnesses have described a ghost lady, who has been nicknamed Mary by restaurant staff, and objects have been known to fly off shelves on their own.
Founder's Cemetery Park
According to reports, the headstones no longer remain at this old cemetery–except for maybe a few little bits and pieces. Instead, there is a monument stone on which visitors can read the recoverable names of those who were buried here. Perhaps it is the unintentionally overlooked spirits who remain in the vicinity, visiting cold spots and uneasy feelings upon park guests.
Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum
Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum was an old stagecoach stop and, later, a farmhouse. The place was moved to its current museum location, and its spirits are said to have moved with it. Witnesses say doors slam on their own, and a dark figure can be seen pacing upstairs. The ghost has been known to push visitors, sometimes with enough force to knock them over.
Aztalan State Park
Aztalan State Park was created in 1952 on the site of a Mississippian settlement from the 10th to 13th centuries. Around the site’s earthen mounds, many strange things are said to have been seen and heard by witnesses. The mounds are believed to be haunted by the spirits of the ancient people who once lived here.
Secura Insurance Co.
An eerie legend surrounds the Secura Insurance Co. building. It seems that well over a century ago on this land, a little girl fell into a pond and drowned. Ghostly cries and the screams of her parents are said to come from the area on some nights.
Betty’s Cafe
The ghost of a deceased employee of Betty’s Cafe is believed to linger here in spirit, showing up as an apparition near the fryers or hiding objects in mysterious places.
Union College
Union College seems to have a haunted Financial Aid office: Witnesses say the doors open and close, and even lock and unlock, on their own. The spirit is believed to be a woman who lived and died under mysterious circumstances here when the building was a private residence. Also haunting Union College, in Pfeiffer Hall room 245, is the ghost of a student named James Garner who fell out his window while trying to close it. James was a 6′ 4″ football player whom records show died at around midnight on Oct. 30, 1963. Doors open and close and lights turn on and off on their own nearby as well.
