Most Haunted Places in Kansas

Photo by Bruna Pacheco

With Halloween approaching, students are getting in the holiday spirit by decorating their doors, carving pumpkins, planning the perfect costume or going out and buying all the candy they possibly can. Halloween can be exciting, whether you’re in it for the scare factor or the sugar coma. The Thirty-One Nights of Halloween that Freeform shows on television is the best for movie nights with friends and family, but if you’re in search of true terror, the Halloween movie marathon may not be enough. All it took was a little digging to find some alternatives that will really put the horror back into Halloween.

1. Molly’s Hollow in Atchison, KS

Atchinson is known as the most haunted place in Kansas, so it was no surprise this park popped up. According to many online sources, there is a place in Jackson Park that is surrounded by trees. Within those trees, many people claim to have heard screams coming from a young girl. This same grove of trees is where others claim to have seen a young woman hanging. That woman is Molly, a young black woman who was hanged in the park after locals discovered she was dating a white man. Many people who visit say they have felt someone touch them or have their clothes or hair pulled.

2. Fort Leavenworth       

Fort Leavenworth is one of the most haunted military bases in the United States. The most popular story is about a man named Father Fred who is rumored to roam around the St. Ignatius Chapel. The man was killed when the chapel caught fire and he was unable to escape. People also claim to see a woman named Catherine. Based on local legend, Catherine is still searching for her children who never came back from getting firewood in 1880. She is supposedly walking in the National Cemetery with a lantern, looking at the tombstones.

3. Stull, KS

I’m sure plenty of people from the Topeka-Lawrence area have heard of this one. There are many claims about what happens in Stull. The cemetery gained popularity after various claims stated the devil appears there twice a year -- once during the spring equinox and once on Halloween. Many people went as far as to say the cemetery was one of the seven gates to Hell. Whether these claims are true or not, Pope John Paul ll wasn’t taking any chances when he had his flight redirected to avoid flying over the town.

5. Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence, KS

The Eldridge Hotel was built in the 1800s but has been rebuilt twice. Once in 1856 due to an attack that caused the hotel burn down, and then it burned down again in 1863 during a raid. The original owner of the hotel, Colonel Shalor Eldridge, is said to still make an appearance every once in a while. People typically report strange things happening in room 506, the room that happens to hold the building’s original cornerstones. Some people report seeing a man on the elevator and the Colonel’s chair that sits in storage, which is said to never collect dust.

6. Sigma Nu Fraternity at Kansas University

This one is for all the KU fans out there. Frat members from KU’s Sigma Nu chapter have said they have seen a woman walk around the house. This woman is believed to be the mistress of governor William Stubbs who lived in the home before it became a frat house. Many members have claimed for decades to hear footsteps and slamming doors, along with seeing lights flicker.

Now that you know of few places close by, don’t be afraid to grab a few friends and go explore one weekend. Honestly, chances are the scariest thing you’ll find will be in a fraternity house.