Hello listeners and welcome to Dark Corner. My name is Kyle Coffman and I’ll be your host on this episode. This episode isn’t going to be like our traditional episodes where I read you a scary story. This time I’m going to talk to you about one of the most haunted towns in America. A town I grew up in. It’s no wonder I would grow up to love the horror genre. This town is called Alton, Illinois. 

Alton, IL is known as "One of the Most Haunted Small Towns in America" due to its murky past of murder, war, death, and destruction. Several locations, including the McPike Mansion, Mineral Springs Hotel, and Milton School, are reportedly haunted. Some of these haunts date back before these properties were even built, with native American ghosts and a residue from a possible Underground Railroad. There are so many different buildings and stories I can tell you from this old town, but for the sake of time, I’m only going to talk about a few in this episode. 

To start you need to understand where Alton is… it’s located right off the Mississippi River basically next door to St. Louis. Think of the Mississippi River as a border between Missouri and Illinois with Alton, being right on that border on the Illinois side. It has a brutal past and that’s why most people think it’s so haunted. There are dozens and dozens of stories I could tell you of Alton’s past, but we don’t have time to dive into all that. But I highly encourage you, if you want to know about one of the most haunted towns in America, to look it up and do your own research. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Alton was developed as a rivertown in 1818. Being so close to the Mississippi River this town was conveniently located and many traveled for goods and services with steamboats. But we’re going to jump in time for the sake of this episode and start with the Alton prison.  

Illinois State Penitentiary[

In 1833, Illinois State Prison in Alton was built as the first state penitentiary in Illinois opening with 24 prison cells. In 1857, the prison was closed and replaced by a new state prison in Joliet. At the time of closure the Alton prison had a total of 256 cells. Female prisoners were also incarcerated at Alton Penitentiary. From 1835 to 1858 sixty-five women and three thousand men were sentenced to Alton. Female prisoners endured the same degrading conditions as men. 

American Civil War prison

But the real mayhem began in In 1862 when the U.S. government reopened the prison to house Confederate prisoners of war during the American Civil War. The prison housed over 11,000 prisoners during the war. Deaths at the prison were more common than at other Union prisons, and prisoners faced harsh conditions and regular outbreaks of diseases such as smallpox and rubella. The suffering in the extreme heat of the summers and frigid cold weather in the winters is unimaginable. 1,534 Confederate soldiers and many Union soldiers and civilians are known to have died at the prison, which sat right next to the Mississippi River. The conditions were horrendous during the Civil War as there was overcrowding and diseases spread so fast. Pneumonia and dysentery were also known killers. But smallpox and rubella spread like wild fire. Smallpox is a highly contagious disease that can be spread through prolonged face-to-face contact with infected persons, infected bodily fluids, or contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing. So with the prison being so overcrowded and sharing of bedsheets… the disease was everywhere. Hundreds of those that died in the prison were buried on an island called Sunflower Island, which is a mass of land that sits in the middle of the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri, right next door to Alton.

The Alton prison finally closed in1865 and was later demolished; all that remains of the structure is a section of a wall that can be seen today in Alton. At that structure many people report, to this day, seeing shadows of men walk on the stone walls at night. Even though the rest of the prison was torn down…. the limestone bricks of the prison… well they weren’t unused when the prison was demolished. They were used as several foundations of homes built after 1865, including high end mansions and retaining walls. Historians believe the negative energy in this limestone, of the murders and suffering deaths it witnessed in the prison, is part of the reason Alton is so haunted.     

MCPIKE MANSION

 One of the most iconic homes in Alton, that every single resident knows about, is called the McPike Mansion. Listed as one of the most haunted houses in America by the Travel Channel, the McPike Mansion is no stranger to anyone who grew up in Alton. I can vividly remember so many stories of hauntings and paranormal activity at the 4-acre property growing up. Thousands of people and paranormal experts have descended on the grounds hoping to catch a glimpse of a ghost, and many of them have stories to report.

The mansion was built by a man named Henry McPike in 1869. McPike was a successful businessman who could afford to build such a lavash mansion, and at one time he was even the mayor of Alton. The mansion has 3 stories, 16 rooms, and a vaulted wine cellar. History tells us that the McPike mansion would stay occupied with the McPike family until Henry’s death in 1910 and then his family would continue to occupy the home until around 1925. The home had several owners until Paul Laichinger purchased the home and remained here until his death. 

Legend tells us that Paul would rent out rooms to drifters, passerbys, and locals until his own death occurred inside the mansion in 1945. Some of those previous residents have come forward in saying they had seen the ghost of Henry McPike himself in the house and there is said to be the ghost of one of McPike’s servants who died in the house decades earlier, though it is unknown the cause of her death. Having so many different tenants over the years has led many to believe some of those tenants may have even died in the mansion during their stay. I know it sounds just like the Murder House in the first season of American Horror Story. So other than Mr. McPike and a servant, what other spirits lurk behind the walls, and who or what really haunts this mansion? It is believed there are a total of 12 spirits that haunt the mansion. Some of the spirits are believed to be a woman who died in a bathtub, though the cause of her death is unclear. According to author, Troy Taylor, who wrote the book “Haunted Alton, History and Hauntings from the Meeting of the Great Rivers,” one of the ghosts is Paul Laichinger himself. Having been a heavy smoker, and passed away from the consequences of smoking, the smell of cigarette smoke can be smelled when his spirit is around. Also in his book, the current homeowner told author Troy Taylor, that she once was watering plants outside and looked up and saw a man in the upstairs window looking towards her. The man vanished, then she was later presented with a photograph of what Paul Laichinger looked like and she was shocked to see it was the exact ghost she had seen from the window wearing the same clothes he was wearing in the photograph. Other people, who have resided in the mansion, as Laichinger tenants, he rented rooms to, have claimed to hear children playing in the halls and on the staircase. Which is odd because the mansion had reported no children after the McPikes. Maybe these are the spirits of the McPike’s children? According to The Little House of Horrors website “McPike Mansion,” During a ghost tour, in the cellar, a woman descended the stairs, on a tour group, wearing a blue gown floating a couple inches above the ground. Her feet were waving as if she was a ballet dancer. Perhaps this could be the woman from the bathtub?

 The mansion has been owned by its current owner since 1994 and no one has occupied the home since the 1950s, but many have tried to restore it and failed. I remember when I was in high school, friends of mine had said friends of their parents were hired as a contractor to restore the interior of the mansion. They lasted 3 days because one of the construction workers saw a hammer floating in the room, in broad daylight, and took off down the stairs never to return. Other construction employees complained of missing tools, tools that were just in their possession minutes ago. They say the spirits in the house do not want any new visitors moving in and try to stop anyone who tries. According to some, most of the hauntings have been reported to occur in the wine cellar beneath the mansion. 

 I’ve been told that part of the reason the McPike Mansion is so haunted is because it’s foundation was the exact same bricks that were used at the Alton prison when it was torn down. Not to waste, these limestone bricks, they were recycled and used as foundations for many of Alton’s homes built after 1857 and harbor negative energy from the horrendous conditions they witnessed at the prison. 

The McPike Mansion isn’t just famous to the locals, it was featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures entitled "McPike Mansion" that aired as a special in 2019 on the Travel Channel. The team of paranormal investigators explored the home and its property. The structure also appeared in the series Scariest Places on Earth. It was also featured on Season 1, Episode 7 of Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, and an episode of Ghost Lab. 

The urban legends I heard, while in high school, were construction crew in the late 90’s were trying to renovate the mansion to make it whole again, but were already interrupted by strange things happening. One worker claims he saw a hammer floating in the air, in broad daylight, in one of the rooms and took off and never came back. Another worker claimed his tools would end up missing while working. It’s almost as if the spirits that haunt the McPike Mansion do not want the mansion renovated and seem to not want any new neighbors. 

Today, visitors can visit McPikeMansion.com where they can learn more about the haunted mansion and check out their monthly events. They also have camping events on the grounds and even host ghost stories in the cellar at times and a bonfire. Do you dare go and visit? 

MINERAL SPRINGS HOTEL

As written on their website, https://www.riversandroutes.com/directory/mineral-springs-hotel/

One of the oldest buildings in Alton, the Mineral Springs Hotel mixes the spooky, the spiritual, and the historic into an amalgam of businesses, shops, and events unlike any place in the region!

The haunted building, built in 1914 by the Luer Brothers, broke ground originally to become an ice warehouse for their meat-packing company but, when the brothers started digging in the bedrock, a natural spring was hit.

Taking advantage of the popular 1800's fad of "healing" mineral spring water, the brothers instead began building a hotel and spa. A bottling plant was built in what would become the lowest sub-basement of the building - around five levels below the street. The plant sold "curative" bottled water that was shipped to 12 different states.

The Mineral Springs Hotel was built on top of the bottling plant- layer by layer- opening for business the following June. The finished structure was in an Italian Villa style, comprising over 100 rooms. There were bathing pools for swimming lessons, water polo, and spa rooms for taking in the Sulphur-rich mineral water. At the time of its opening, the hotel boasted it had the "largest swimming pool in Illinois." The pool supposedly once attracted more than 3,000 people in a single season.

The lavish hotel was five stories tall, with terrazzo floors, marble staircases, and art glass. The luxurious complex enjoyed success through the 1920's- new rooms being added in 1925. That same year, an orchestra was hired to play on Sunday afternoons and for evening diners. The Hotel was sold by August Luer in 1926 but continued to thrive, finally beginning to deteriorate in the 1960's.

In 1971, The Mineral Springs finally closed completely due to negligence and poor upkeep. Seven years later, in 1978, the neglected building was restored by Roger Schubert, who developed the building into a shopping mall. Businesses came and went until the 2010's- a resurgence of life having been breathed into the old venue.

Stories surrounding the Mineral Springs abound. A story exists of a woman named Mary who is known as the Jasmine Lady, She’s a ghost that smells of floral perfume and is thought to be the fallen Mary. Many visitors report smells jasmine perfume near the location of her death. It is said she was having an affair and was caught in the act, by her husband, at the hotel and he chased her out of the room and down the hall and she fell/or was she pushed, down the stairs falling to her death. 

A 17-year old boy called Clarence has been encountered near one of the building’s pools and stories are told of a 10 year old girl named Cassandra having drowned in a pool at a birthday party (though evidence of such a drowning has not been verified). Tiny wet foot prints have been seen by the pool and marbles will roll on the incline of the now empty pool as if she wants to play.

Another spirit called Charlie haunts the Crystal Ballroom Bar area. Charlie was supposedly an alcoholic who chose to repay his debts by painting the mural inside the bar room. The stress of debt collectors and his spiraling alcoholism led to Charlie’s suicide. He is said to have hanged himself in the ballroom. But other legends say he shot himself. 

Other local legends say a woman named Pearl checked into the hotel during its prime, went to her room, and killed herself by overdosing on purpose. No one knows why. 

These are just a few of the known documented spirits to haunt the Mineral Springs Hotel.

Many paranormal investigators have toured the property, catching Electro-magnetic Field(EMF) readings, Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), and photos of unexplained occurrences at the Mineral Springs.

Today, the Mineral Springs Hotel has been turned into an antique mall and is home to multiple new-age and Bohemian shops including It's Raining Zen, Mississippi Hippie, Indigo Moon, and Dottie's Emporium, as well as the In-Zone Barber Shop, the Soul Asylum curiosities museum, and more! The restored ballroom at the mall hosts many events including weddings and paranormal evenings.

The Mineral Springs Mall is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in Alton and the state- a close contender with Alton’s famed McPike Mansion. It is unclear why Alton has so many ghost-inhabited properties, but the town’s reputation has earned it the title of “Most Haunted Small Town in America.” 

Visitors on tours and building employees regularly have strange encounters- everything from moved objects or objects appearing in places they shouldn’t be, being touched by unseen hands, strong feelings brought on suddenly for no apparent reason, shadow figures, and even full-bodied apparitions all included

You can visit the Mineral Springs on a haunted tour or dinner. There are tours of:

Dinner and Spirits

Alton Hauntings Haunted History Walking Tours

Ghosts of the River Road Dinner Tours with Troy Taylor

 As mentioned at the beginning of the Mineral Springs Hotel story, the Luer brothers opened the hotel and I do have a ghost sighting from one of Alton’s residents Kathy Wolfe about August Luer’s house in Alton. This is what she had to say:

August Leur lived in a mansion on Washington Ave in Alton. By the 1970's the mansion was in disrepair and dilapidated. I was 17 and my boyfriend (now husband) and I use to walk by the mansion many times, on our way to downtown Alton. One day it was really cold and snowing and my boyfriend was like Hey let's check out the old house, maybe we can get in. I was kind of hesitant because it looked kind of dangerous but I was cold.

My boyfriend said he had heard that it was ok and that people would go in there to party. So we walked up to it and decided to look in the window. There were no curtains if I remember or they were drawn to where you could see right in. It seemed like the window was kind of high, so we had to either jump or tiptoe to see inside. Well .. did we ever get the surprise of our life! All I remember was an old lady with clothes on that looked like they were from another era walking toward the window and the look on her face was as shocked as ours prob was. The room looked like it had a couple pieces of furniture in it but that was all. I remember screaming and we both ran as fast as we could . We never made it downtown . We ran back to my parents house and told my dad about it and he said the house hadnt been lived in for years and was falling down. I dont know exactly what we saw but it looked surreal somehow. We avoided walking by that house for a long time. We took a different route downtown after that. Finally our curiosity got the best of us though and we decided to walk by there again but the house was gone. It was demolished. Im 68 now, and every time I drive by there I always think of that old house and that cold wintry day, and wonder. You hear a lot of stories about the Mineral Springs Hotel being haunted which August Leur owned and there is a story of a kidnapping that happened to him from the house on Washington Avenue but now the old house he lived in is long gone and forgotten except for some, like me.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Kathy. 

Milton Schoolhouse

Another haunted building is known as the Milton Schoolhouse which opened in 1904 and remained open as a school until 1986. In the 1930s, a girl named Mary attended the school. She stayed late one day working on a school project. By the time she realized dusk was upon her she decided to pack up her supplies and head home so her mother wouldn’t worry why she wasn’t home for dinner. As she walked down the dark halls, she realized everyone had left, probably not realizing she was still in her classroom quietly working on her project. There were no teachers or students left in the building. She knew the double doors would lock behind her as she exited the building, so she wasn’t concerned about being stuck inside. Except Mary wasn’t alone. There was a man in the building, and he realized he was alone with her. As Mary made her decent for those double doors, the man popped out of the shadows and grabbed her. She never made it out of the building. He brutally raped her and murdered her. According to author, Troy Taylor, which he writes about this event in his book Haunted Alton, History & Hauntings from the Meeting of the Great Rivers, her body was discovered the next morning having been beaten to death, in the basement, where the girl’s shower room was. Many days had gone by, and the police department did confirm that Mary fought back and the killer would most likely have scratches on his face. As they interviewed potential suspects, one of the school employees had been missing from work for about a week after the incident. Turns out it was the janitor who did have scratch marks all over his hands, in which he claimed were caused from his cat. A couple days later, his body was discovered in the school, hanging from raptor in the hallway with a note around his body saying I DID IT. No one knows for sure if he truly did take his own life, or some local vigilantes saw that justice was going to take place. But it is rumored the janitor was a known pedophile and worked after hours to not be around children. There are so many different urban legends regarding this story. Such as local officials covered up the murder and the hanging of the janitor because they felt responsible knowing he was a deviant. Or its good a ol’ ghost-lore being passed down from generation to generation without any proof. The fact of the matter is, records weren’t kept well in small towns back then, so a cover up could be highly likely. Today, the Milton schoolhouse still stands and has been turned into a glass factory (in the 1990s) and today, a mix of apartment and commercial spaces including a coffee shop occupy the building. People that have worked in the building have stated indeed eerie things happen inside including shadowy figures appearing on walls, unexplained sounds, a young girl’s spirit often appears validating Mary’s story. One employee even stated an evil spirit lurks and you just know when it’s around. The room grows cold and you feel a heavy weight on your shoulders. Could this be the spirit of the janitor?  Or is it safe to conclude that a schoolhouse, that’s over 100 years old, has seen its share of deaths inside, rather natural or murder. 

 Another person sent me this story:

We have a haunted ballerina doll in my moms curio cabinet. Growing up it would always shift from one corner of the shelf to the other, turn around, almost like it was dancing. It is one of those Precious Moments figurines. It would take days for it to move, my mother always assumed it was just shifting because of us kids running around the house and the floor shaking the cabinet, but it was the only one that ever moved. One day when I was 12 my aunt was visiting, my mom had stacked the kitchen tables and chairs in front of the cabinet to mop the kitchen floor. The ballerina came up and my mom was joking about how it was haunted and moved. We all had a good chuckle about it. My mother and I walked my aunt out when she needed to leave, and when we got back upstairs the figurine had made a complete 180° turn with her back facing us. Only me and my mother were home and she can confirm all of this. She never moved in the cabinet again. 

I hear things and stuff moves in the house I own. It was built in 1935, I know of one death in the house, my friends grandmother owned it and passed here before I bought it. My mother currently lives here but I'm here often to take care of my mom. As for stuff we have seen and heard my mother sees what appears to be a child in the doorway or sitting on the chair next to her bed. Just last night we heard what we thought was a child giggling in the living room. Doors close on their own, I hear knocking often around the house like someone's knocking on the door, nobody is ever there though. I've seen shadows out of the corner of my eye here as well. I can smell baking sometimes too.

These are only a few, of hundreds, of stories that have occurred in Alton, IL since 1818. If you have some time, look up the town. There is so much history and a lot of it is very very bad. It’s no wonder the town is haunted due to its murky past of murder, war, death, and destruction. The stories go on and on. 

 I highly recommend the book Haunted Alton, History & Hauntings from the Meeting of the Great Rivers written by historian and ghostwriter Troy Taylor. I referenced him and his book a couple times in this episode already because it was used as part of my research.

So looking for somewhere to go this Halloween season? Visit Alton, IL and learn even more of this spooky town. These stories don’t even cover the surface of this town of 200 years.

But before we end this episode, I do want to say the town of Alton, IL isn’t all bad and spooky. Sure there are hundreds of documented paranormals, but the town isn’t all bad. The tallest man in the world, Robert Wadlow was born and raised in Alton… He, to date, is the tallest man to have existed in the world coming it at 8 ft 11 in the 1920s and 1930s. 

 In Alton, you can trace the footsteps of the Underground Railroad and the town’s role in helping enslaved men and women find their freedom during slavery. To this day, underground passages are still being discovered during renovations of old homes and buildings. Froms homes to churches… And many are available to see in site seeing tours reminding us of the brutalities of slavery in America. 

It also was the town that Abraham Lincoln visited for his debate with Stepen Douglas as the two of them ran for President of the United States.

This small town has so much history and I encourage everyone to visit at some point. Just not in the winter. It’s too cold, haha.  

Bibliography

 https://thelittlehouseofhorrors.com/mcpike-mansion/

https://www.riversandroutes.com/directory/mineral-springs-hotel/

Taylor, T. (2003). Haunted alton: History & hauntings from the meeting of the Great Rivers. Whitechapel Productions Press.