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East Otto Cemetery
Lewistown, Illinois
12.7 miles from Smithfield, 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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Lawford Theatre
Havana, Illinois
17 miles from Smithfield, 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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Super 8 Macomb
Macomb, Illinois
20.1 miles from Smithfield, 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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Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois
20.5 miles from Smithfield, 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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Friendly Cafe
Abingdon, Illinois
23.4 miles from Smithfield, 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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Vishnu Springs
Colchester, Illinois
31.8 miles from Smithfield, 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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Peoria State Hospital
Bartonville, Illinois
34.9 miles from Smithfield, 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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Peoria Public Library
Peoria, Illinois
39.8 miles from Smithfield, 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
39.9 miles from Smithfield, 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
40.2 miles from Smithfield, 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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Safari Bowl
Morton, Illinois
44.3 miles from Smithfield, IL
You will hear footsteps on the lanes when it is jaut you in there. You can hear pins be thrown across the back of bowling ally when no one is back there. There are dog barking. There is also a little girl that is 8 yrs old that haunts ...
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Burlington National Guard Armory
Burlington, Iowa
48.2 miles from Smithfield, 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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The Drake Bar and Restaurant
Burlington, Iowa
48.4 miles from Smithfield, 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
48.7 miles from Smithfield, 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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Stony Hollow Road
Burlington, Iowa
50.3 miles from Smithfield, 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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Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois
51.3 miles from Smithfield, 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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Lincoln College
Lincoln, Illinois
53.7 miles from Smithfield, IL
Lincoln College is rumored to have ghosts in the 1866 University Hall, where a face appears in the bell tower and white misty forms appear in the windows. The ghosts, whose footsteps also are heard from time to time, are believed to be a boy and girl who passed away ...
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Mercer County Courthouse
Aledo, Illinois
55.6 miles from Smithfield, 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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Julia Markham - Death Curve
Cambridge, Illinois
56.3 miles from Smithfield, 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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Stanford Pour House
Stanford, Illinois
56.4 miles from Smithfield, IL
Originally built at the turn of the century as a mercantile grocery store, it was shortly after used by a local church for their temporary place of worship until their regular church building was completed. It was then used for many years as a funeral home. It ...
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Ghosts of Springfield and Southern Illinois & Other Haunted Tales from the Prairie State
Rachel Brooks Posadas
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Stanford Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Stanford, Illinois
56.5 miles from Smithfield, IL
Built in 1901, the Stanford Cumberland Presbyterian Church had been loved and enjoyed by it's congregation until it was sold in 2004. Between 2004 to 2012 it has changed hands four times since. The first owner lived it for a very short time. It was then ...
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220 North 4th - Keokuk
Keokuk, Iowa
57.5 miles from Smithfield, 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
57.6 miles from Smithfield, 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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Inn At 835
Springfield, Illinois
57.8 miles from Smithfield, 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
57.9 miles from Smithfield, 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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Hotel Wapello
Wapello, Iowa
67.6 miles from Smithfield, 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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Atkin-Colby Hall
Normal, Illinois
68.2 miles from Smithfield, IL
Atkin-Colby Hall at Illinois State University is rumored to be haunted on its 11th floor. One witness claims to have been pushed down the stairs by the ghost. Also described by witnesses are doors opening, whispers, strange noises, and an overwhelming feeling of discomfort and that you are not wanted ...
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Kemp Hall - International House
Bloomington, Illinois
68.2 miles from Smithfield, IL
Kemp Hall International House, or I-House, is said to be haunted by a ghostly Lady in Red. She is believed to be Mrs. A. E. DeMange, former owner of the mansion. She passed away after living here only a year, in 1908. Mr. DeMange sold it to the Illinois Weslayan ...
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Williams Hall
Normal, Illinois
68.4 miles from Smithfield, IL
Illinois State University's Williams Hall was the site of the university's first library, and is thought to be haunted by the spirit of the first librarian, Angie Milner. Even though a new library was eventually built in her name, and the old one was turned into Williams Hall, the ghost ...
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Birthday Bridge - Giblin Bridge
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
72.4 miles from Smithfield, 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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Central Avenue Ghost
Bettendorf, Iowa
73.9 miles from Smithfield, 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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Hotel Blackhawk
Davenport, Iowa
73.9 miles from Smithfield, 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
74.1 miles from Smithfield, 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
74.3 miles from Smithfield, 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
74.3 miles from Smithfield, 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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Alice French House
Davenport, Iowa
74.4 miles from Smithfield, 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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Palmer College of Chiropractic
Davenport, Iowa
74.4 miles from Smithfield, 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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Ambrose Hall
Davenport, Iowa
75.1 miles from Smithfield, 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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Greenwood Cemetery
Muscatine, Iowa
76.8 miles from Smithfield, 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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Lula Belle's
Hannibal, Missouri
77 miles from Smithfield, 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
77.3 miles from Smithfield, 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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Abandoned Train Bridge
Spring Valley, Illinois
79 miles from Smithfield, IL
Shadow figures have been seen on and around the abandoned bridge that goes over the train tracks in DePue, Il. The sounds of screams, train whistles, and a train stopping have been heard in the location when the train that runs the track is nowhere near the village. Many ...
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Garth Woodside Mansion
Hannibal, Missouri
81.1 miles from Smithfield, 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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Lee-Baker-Hodges House
Carrollton, Illinois
81.1 miles from Smithfield, 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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Eldred House
Smithfield, Illinois
81.7 miles from Smithfield, 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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Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois
82.1 miles from Smithfield, IL
Many ghosts are said to haunt the historic Millikin University, including Rail Girl, who haunts the Albert Taylor Theater. Her ghost appears, as her name suggests, along a rail in the upper part of the theater. Students have a tradition of leaving her three pieces of candy before a show ...
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Avon Theater
Decatur, Illinois
82.9 miles from Smithfield, IL
Staff members at this theater report disembodied laughter, footsteps, missing objects, and voices and applause that come from the auditorium when it is empty. The apparition of a man in his 50s or 60s also has been seen.
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Lincoln Square Theatre
Decatur, Illinois
82.9 miles from Smithfield, IL
This historic 1916 theater building was built atop the fire-ravaged Priest Hotel that once stood here. It is said that the ghosts of the fire victims still linger in the theater. Red, a former theater worker, is a friendly ghost here. Witnesses have heard his whispers, seen his shadowy form, ...
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Massock Mausoleum
Spring Valley, Illinois
83 miles from Smithfield, IL
The Massock Mausoleum stands in a small graveyard called the Lithuanian Liberty Cemetery, and it's the stuff of legends. Locals tell of a Hatchet Man, a scary ghost who guards the cemetery, and the mausoleum door is said to remain warm and has been sealed closed since the 1960s when ...
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Greenwood Cemetery
Decatur, Illinois
83.2 miles from Smithfield, IL
This large and very actively haunted cemetery is known for the ghostly weeping Greenwood Bride, and it's also home to many Confederate soldiers' spirits. The soldiers were prisoners in the Civil War, and died of yellow fever only to be cast into unmarked graves. The soldiers have been known to ...
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