2017 Haunted Kansas Road Trip

In 2017 my two daughters and I filled the gas tank and hit the road in search of the unexplained. This haunted road trip throughout Kansas was a 3-day, 2-night trip. Although it was VERY hot out requiring us to make some stops pretty brief, we definitely could have used an extra day to spend more time on our quest and I certainly would not have minded staying in another haunted hotel overnight! Read on to learn the history and legends surrounding the sites we visited. You can also click the link or the map below (note that Google maps drops some of the locations so you’ll have to use Bing) to access the route of our expedition so you can hit the “hauntway” and decide for yourself whether these locations are haunted or not….

You are responsible for obtaining proper permissions to visit these locations. I do not condone trespassing. Please be respectful of property, owners, and residents.

Haunted Kansas Road Trip Map

Stull Cemetery

Legend
Stull Cemetery occupying Stull, Kansas, is rumored to be one of the world’s seven gateways to Hell.  There was formerly an 1800’s church situated here that was demolished after years of decrepitude.  In the 1970’s a KU student’s article in the University Daily Kansan, reported paranormal and occult activity here.  The legend is that the Devil had a child with a witch that died a few days later.  Two times per year, on Halloween and the spring equinox, the Devil can ascend a hidden staircase into the cemetery where he visits the child who lurks in the woods as a werewolf.  There’s also a tale that there was a tree used as gallows to hang a witch before it was a cemetery.  Witches frequented the cemetery on May Day Eve and Halloween to conduct black mass and dance around the tree.  Fostering the legend, it was also rumored that when Pope John Paul II flew over the area, he declared that the ground in Stull Cemetery was unholy and had his flight redirected to avoid flying over it.  An additional story is that although the church lost its roof, it would never rain inside.  Visitors have reported memory lapses, strange noises, anomalous winds, orbs, drained batteries, and vehicles being moved. Click the More button to read more about the history, legend, and our experience.

Alma Cemetery

Legend
Alma Cemetery in Alma, Kansas has reports of orbs and misty figures appearing in photos as well as a dark presence near the tree line with these occurring primarily at night.  There is a legend that in the 1800s, a mean farmer refused to sell this land to the town for use as a cemetery.  He died when someone allegedly pushed him into a well on the property.  The well was covered, and the land was acquired by the town following his “disappearance”.  His spirit reportedly haunts the area.  In the 1980’s allegedly some teenagers went to look for his spirit and sat down on the lid of the well, now referred to as the “Devil’s Chair”.  One teen from the group vanished and was never seen again.  Local folklore says if you sit on the “Devil’s Chair” you will be cursed by the ghost of the farmer.

Wabaunsee High School

Legend
Wabaunsee High School in Alma, Kansas was constructed in 1938 out of limestone.  It serves the communities of Alma, McFarland, Paxico, and Maple Hill.  It’s reported that both students and staff have witnessed unexplainable events primarily on the 3rd floor of the school and when alone.  Lights, music, voices, and apparitions in the auditorium have been witnessed as well as lockers opening on their own.  Part of this tale is that the school is haunted by teachers and students who died while they attended or worked at the school.

Rivendell Bookstore

Legend
Rivendell is an independent bookstore in Abilene, Kanas that’s been in operation for over a century.  It’s reported that bookstore owners have seen shadow figures lurking in corners of the store, unexplained bells at Christmas time, and books pushed off of shelves.  The title of one of these books was appropriately called “Living with Ghosts.”

Old Abilene Town

Legend
Old Abilene Town is a re-creation of the bygone days of Abilene. It features original buildings from the 1860’s time period when the town was established. It allows visitors to relive history, shopping, gunfights, watch can-can girls, and drink sarsaparillas.  Visitors have reported being touched, hearing disembodied voices, felt cold spots, and have seen apparitions of cowboys and townsfolk.

Devil’s Washboard

Legend
On Donmyer Road south of Gypsum, Kansas are three hills known as the “Devil’s Washboard” that get steeper as you travel south.  The legend is that in the 1950’s some teenagers racing on the washboard either careened off the road on the last hill or hit a bank resulting in all seven teens tragically losing their lives.  As a warning to others considering the challenge of the “Devil’s Washboard”, police left the mangled car perched for all to see just as it had been found near the roadside.  The legend continues that the phantom screams of the teenagers can be heard in the area.

Midland Railroad Hotel

Legend
Once a premiere hotel in the mid-west, the Midland Railroad Hotel was originally built in 1899 and was a popular stop along the Union Pacific Railroad.  In 1902 the hotel was gutted by a fire and several guests perished.  After rebuilding a legend was formed that there is a girl haunting the third floor.  She knocks on doors, runs through the hallways, and jumps on beds leaving footprints.  Another part of the tale is that a Sheriff was lynched on the third floor and sometimes the door to this room won’t unlock, even with a master key.  Apparitions in period clothing have been seen at the top of the stairs and in hallways.  Guests on the third floor have also reported the smell of smoke and seeing strange fires that vanish and suddenly reappear.  In the kitchen items have been known to cross the room for some distance.

Old Fort Hays

Legend
Fort Hays was a U.S. Army post from 1865-1889 that was used during the American Indian Wars. In 1929 it opened as a historical park.  Visitors have reported sightings of Civil War soldiers and “fog-like” apparitions rising from the chimney of the officer’s quarters.  The most commonly known ghost haunting the premises is referred to as the “Blue Light Lady” otherwise known as Elizabeth Polly. The “Blue Light Lady” has been a part of local folklore for generations.  Elizabeth provided medical care to soldiers during a cholera outbreak and died of the same.  Elizabeth’s spirit is said to roam Sentinel Hill in search of soldiers to comfort or to find her own peace.  She is reported to be dressed in a blue gown, wearing the white bonnet she was buried in, and is surrounded by a blue light.  Another report is that she carries a blue lantern and if you look into it, you will become a spirit trapped inside.  In the 1950s, a patrolman claimed to have hit a woman dressed in a long blue dress with a white bonnet with his patrol car but when he got out of the car, there was no woman and no damage to the vehicle.

Swinging Bridge (Frontier) Park

Legend
Swinging Bridge Park in Hays is home to a historic suspended footbridge constructed in 1907.  The legend of this park is a girl went to a party here and got drunk.  She wanted to go home, and her boyfriend offered to take her, but she preferred to walk home.  She was tragically hit and killed by a car while crossing the highway, but the story is that her spirit lives. Bike riders on the now closed trail have reported seeing her.  You can visit the site at Frontier Park, but the original bridge has been torn down and replaced with a solid frame bridge. No wonder we couldn’t find it!

Pawnee Rock

Legend
This historic landmark was not only marked as the halfway point on the Santa Fe Trail but was also considered the most dangerous point.  American Indians are said to have met at Pawnee Rock using it as a vantage point to spot bison and wagon trains.  The legend is that the ghosts of Indians battling can be heard here.  In addition to this, there’s the story that a man killed his wife’s lover here and ghosts from this incident are also present.

The Komarek Home

Legend
The Komarek home appeared in the 1987 Summer edition of Kansas magazine after an interview with Marion Komarek of the home in which she revealed a number of encounters with a “psychic force”.  While alive she was generous enough to open her home for public tours by appointment but sadly passed away in 1989.  The article reported that old coins would inexplicably be found, a mysterious broach with a picture of Marion’s great grandmother randomly appeared, doors opened of their own accord, and furniture would be moved.

Historic Wolf Hotel

Legend
The Historic Wolf Hotel is a hotel built in 1894 that has an underground tunnel system that spanned a few blocks beneath it.   It’s said that the tunnels are haunted by several spirits some of which venture up to the hotel.  This includes the ghost of a man who in 1927 committed suicide in the hotel dining room. This place is incredible, and I wish we could have stayed the night.

Beaumont Hotel

Legend
Built in 1879 the Beaumont Hotel was originally a stagecoach stop for travelers.  For quite some time, the hotel was used as a brothel and a married woman working there fell in love with a customer named Zeke.  The enraged husband ended up taking the life of the cowboy she’d fallen in love with.  It now operates as a bed and breakfast, RV park, and restaurant.  Staff and guests alike have reported seeing an apparition of a cowboy at the top of the stairs that is believed to be Zeke.  Zeke likes to move chairs behind doors, so guests have trouble opening them.  There are also reports that the hotel clock radios will sometimes go off at the same time during the night or go off more than once. There are also reports of loud bangs and the clanking of spurs.

Le Hunt United Kansas Portland Cement Company

Legend
Now nothing but a ghost town, Le Hunt was established in 1905, when the United Kansas Portland Cement Company built a factory here.  In 1913, three employees were severely burned from a sudden explosion of oil in a tank feeding the machinery.  There’s also a story that the factory is haunted by the ghost of another employee named Bohr, who died tragically after falling into a vat of concrete.  His body was never recovered.  In 1918 the factory became the Western States Portland Cement Company and after a series of mergers and acquisitions became a part of the United States Steel Corporation which led to its closure and  the demise of the town which has primarily returned to nature.  Abandoned homes, an old cemetery, and school are all that remain aside from the factory that can be found in the woods.

Middle Dam Memorial

Legend
Not necessarily haunted but sad, nonetheless. We stopped here to visit family and ventured out to Middle Dam Memorial located in Neodesha on the Fall River off of US Highway 400.  It was built after the turn of the 20th century by Standard Oil in order to hold water back to be used in the refinement of oil.  It was decommissioned in 1968.  Ten people have tragically lost their lives here due to drowning, some of which were attempting to save others’ lives.

Lorenz Schlicter Memorial Cemetery

Legend
This cemetery is reported to be haunted by all ages but mostly children.  The legend is that if you drive your clean car here at night and sit for about 5 minutes, you’ll hear a loud thud on your vehicle.  After you drive away, you’ll find a large handprint on your back window and several child-size handprints all over the car.  There are also reports of children laughing, the sound of a non-existent rusty swing, orbs and human figures in photos.

Silkville Ghost Town

Legend
Silkville, now a ghost town was a utopian commune established in 1870 by a Frenchman named Ernest de Boissière who had been exiled from France due to his radical political opinions.  The town produced silk, but they struggled to make money, largely because it was competing with comparatively cheaper fabrics imported from Asia.  Silkville collapsed and by 1892 Ernest returned to his home country.  Only a few structures have survived; the town’s schoolhouse and two barns which have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Eldridge Hotel

Legend
While I have been to this location during a paranormal tour, we did not actually visit the hotel during this trip. I do want to share the story of this Kansas location though as it fell in line with our route. Originally on this site stood the Free State Hotel built in 1855.  In 1856 it was attacked by pro-slavery forces who aimed a cannon at the hotel and burned it to the ground.  It was rebuilt in 1857 by Colonel Eldridge but in 1863 Quantrill and his raiders attacked it.  It was rebuilt in 1865 and renamed The Hotel Eldridge.  It deteriorated and closed in 1970 when it was turned into an apartment building.  In 1985 investors decided to restore the hotel that is still in operation today.  There have been a significant number of reports of paranormal activity.  The legend is that there is a portal to the spirit world in room 506.  Witnesses also report breath marks on mirrors, doors opening and closing, lights turning off and on, cold spots, apparitions, and an elevator ghost who opens and closes the elevator doors.

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While we didn’t experience anything inexplicable at these locations, we did have a blast and we learned a lot. These sites are definitely worth checking out even if just for their history alone.

Please visit my DIY Haunt Series to discover how to make haunted house props and more. Also check out my Haunted Road Trip Series for accounts of more reputably haunted locations and their history!