The historic Yacht Club Hotel, formerly named the Shary Yacht Club and the Port Isabel Yacht Club Hotel, is rumored to be haunted by friends of Olga Mae Keyhorn, daughter of iron mogul Theodore Keyhorn II. Olga’s friends Telly and Mary were on a yacht in the 1920s when it caught fire, killing everyone on board. Olga had retired to the hotel early instead of remaining on the yacht, and was devastated to hear the news the next morning. Not long after, Olga was visited by the spirits of her two friends, who assured her they were OK and that they would talk later, but then they vanished. According to police investigations, the ghostly couple appeared to at least two others on the premises as well, and to this day, Telly and Mary still continue to appear from time to time.
Yacht Club Hotel
Killough Monument
Killough Monument stands in remembrance of the 1838 Killough Massacre, said to be the largest and last Native American attack in East Texas. Eighteen people were killed here, and it’s said that at least some of their spirits have remained behind. Visitors have seen black apparitions and noticed strange feelings near the site, and some have suffered mysterious scratches from an unseen source.
Thompson Island Bridge
Thompson Island Bridge is said to be a favorite spot for the spirit of a Confederate soldier. His apparition, with his rifle, is said to appear more often before or during times of war. According to legend, the man lived in a nearby cabin and had made a promise with his brother that when they went off to fight in the Civil War, they’d return home, no matter what.
The Natatorium
The Natatorium, aka “The Nat,” was originally an indoor swimming pool that opened in 1922. In has also been a dance palace, the Nat Café, and now is an antiques mall. The Nat is rumored to be haunted with cold spots, unexplained noises, moving furniture, and the apparition of a woman in a white dress with a red stain–no, not blood; the stain is purported to be a wine spill.
La Lomita Chapel
The historic La Lomita Chapel is said to be haunted by the apparition of a nun who appears suspended in the air in a prayer posture. The apparition has been spotted in broad daylight.
P M and L Theatre
The PM&L Theatre has–or had–a ghost. Folks reported a ghost girl who turned lights on and off and made strange noises. But a retired longtime theater volunteer, Elmarie Beno, has admitted creating the ghost and perpetuating the rumor for years. Some say there really is a ghost, despite the ruse, and others say the strange noises are a result of an adjacent shoemaking shop’s equipment.
Alton Cemetery
Alton Cemetery is said to be haunted by several ghosts. One is a 9-year-old named Lucy Haskell, seen in the vicinity of the Hayner/Haskell monument. Another is a spectral woman in black near the Grandview mausoleum, and a third is minister and publisher Elijah P. Lovejoy. An abolitionist, Lovejoy was shot at a pro-slavery riot in 1837; his ghost is said to hang out near his monument and occasionally manifest as cold spots.
Drake Hotel
The historic Drake Hotel’s tenth floor is believed to be haunted by a ghostly woman in red. As legend has it, she was at a New Year’s Eve party in 1920 when she caught her husband with another woman, and she flung herself to her death from the tenth-floor window.
Desoto House Hotel
The 1855 DeSoto House Hotel boasts such esteemed former guests as Abraham Lincoln and William Jennings Bryan. It was also the presidential campaign headquarters for Ulysses S. Grant, among others. Although the identity of the ghosts here is unknown, many folks have reported phantom cigar smoke, voices in the halls, and apparitions of people in period dress who seem to walk, or float, through walls.
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is reputed to have many haunted buildings; among them are Wheeler Hall, Faner Hall, Anthony Hall, Shryock Auditorium, and Mae Smith Residence Hall. One of the most famous ghosts here is Henry, who haunts the 1918 Shryock Auditorium. Henry, aka former university President Henry William Shryock, died here suddenly on April 13, 1935. Now, there is a stage light that turns on and off by itself which students attribute to Henry. Also, objects go missing, doors open and close, and footsteps can be heard. A shadowy figure has been reported near the stage. Another well-known ghost is a former secretary who died while on the job at Mae Smith Residence Hall. Witnesses have heard the sound of her typing and the drawers to file cabinets opening.
