Heartland Shadows

Lau’s Local Hauntings

Allegedly Haunted Places in Kansas

You won’t find Kansas on any “most haunted states” list. In my opinion, it should be. Here are 3 haunted places in Kansas.

1. The Sallie House - Atchison, KS

If you’ve ever seen a list of the most haunted houses in the US, you’ll know this house. As much as I love the paranormal, you won’t find me anywhere near this horrid place.

This home was built in the 1800s. It is said to house the spirit of a little girl named Sallie. There are multiple theories on who Sallie is and why she occupies the residence. There’s a lot to read about this formidable place.

I recommend “The Sallie House Haunting: A True Story” by Debra Lyn Pickman, a former resident of the house.

2. The Eldridge Hotel - Lawrence, KS

I grew up hearing tell of this mysterious Eldridge Hotel. In fact, in second grade, my class took a field trip there. I was instantly fascinated with the idea of the ghosts that resided within the walls of the old inn. In 1856 the former Free State Hotel was burned to the ground by a pro-slavery group. Once again, in 1863, the hotel was attacked and burned by the infamous Quantrill and his raiders. Very little of the original structure was left. Colonel Eldridge rebuilt the hotel and used what was left of it to create what is now known as the Eldridge Hotel. Room 506 is thought to contain a “spirit portal” because it is the only room to have been made from the original structure. The motto of the hotel is “from ashes to immortality.” Take that as you will...

3. The Former Lawrence Community Theatre - Lawrence, KS

“In 1987, during a dress rehearsal for the spy drama “Pack of Lies,” a photo was snapped that would cement the theater as one of Lawrence’s premier spectral hot spots. The photo clearly shows the translucent figure of a woman standing between two actors, a woman not fitting the description of anyone in the venue at the time. The photographer, Jack Riegle, insists that the image has not been intentionally altered, pointing out it was taken well before the era of Photoshop.” - The Lawrence Journal World.

It is said that this experience triggered 23 years' worth of haunting happenings at the LCT. I have yet to find more information on this.

— Lau

I wrote this because I’m hoping to connect with more people like me. People who like the spooky, unexplainable things in this world. If you want more of these local haunting guides or even something more in-depth make sure to like and reblog.

A Phantom Train on the Kansas Pacific

In the early morning hours of July 31st, 1878, a group of railroad section men were getting their handcar onto the tracks. The men could see an oncoming storm looming in the distance. It was only a matter of time until it was on top of them.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky. The section men moved hastily in their effort to reach the neighboring town of Edwardsville. They hoped to beat the storm. Not long into their journey the men were startled by the sudden appearance of a locomotive advancing toward them at a high speed.

They frantically moved their car off the tracks to get out of the way of the approaching iron horse. The men quickly came to the realization that the locomotive was not real. The apparition produced ghastly smoke. It swerved off the track and rounded a pile of cordwood. The phantom then disappeared into the thick wood nearby, the ghoulish glow of its headlight went with it.

About a dozen men witnessed this terrifying event. Their story was told in the Atchison Globe on August 7th, 1878. To this day what the phantom train was or what caused its appearance is unknown.

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Like and reblog if you want more real stories like this!

The Lawrence Community Theatre ghost photo taken in 1987 during a dress rehearsal for the spy drama “Pack of Lies.”

1. Hawthorne Hall (aka the Epperson House), 1926. Image courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library

2. Detail of Living Room showing Paneled Oak Walls and Organ Loft, 1926. Image courtesy of the LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC University Libraries.

3. Uriah Spray Epperson. Image courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library.

Kansas Aviation Museum

“There are things that have happened that can not be explained.”

The original Wichita, Kansas, Municipal Airport operated for nineteen years from 1935-1954. Its terminal reflects the much admired, art deco style. Wichita, for years, was known as the Air Capital of the World and at one time its airport was one of the busiest in the U.S.

Today the old airport terminal is surrounded by McConnell Air Force Base and is an aviation museum.

This museum displays forty of the oldest and most rare airplanes plus some of the earliest engines. The visitor can also get up close to a B-52 and a variety of other hands-on exhibits.

The staff claims that there are as many dead as the living at this old terminal.

Barb Kramer had only worked a few months at the museum when she began to experience unexplained activity. She was often assigned to close the museum at night.

In a room, just after she had shut off the lights, she felt an extreme cold spot. It was summer and the room had no air-conditioning.

One night as she shut down the museum after a special event, she heard what she thought were children’s footsteps and laughter on the stairs. She then heard one of them say, “shhh.”

Thinking some visitors were still in the terminal she went to investigate. She found no one.

Staff have also reported, slamming doors, excited voices, and a disappearing man wearing a 1940s hat.

Several employees have heard both public announcements and music from another era. Lights on dimmers are known to turn to bright and then turn completely off on their own.

Several apparitions have been spotted and the sounds of children playing are often heard during the day.

Others report the feeling someone is following them or watching them.

Most of these hauntings have been connected to events that happened at the old airport in the past, some tragic but one haunting was brought to the museum through an airplane.

Duke Jernigin, was a pilot of a crop duster when he crashed and died in his plane. His bright, yellow plane is displayed in the museum and paranormal groups that have investigated state his spirit remains with his aircraft.

So many people liked the missile silo converted to a farmhouse, and wrote that they would love to have one- so, here’s one, also in Kansas, that is for sale for $420,000 on 11 acres. 

So again, this is what it looks like- how deep underground it goes, and you can see where the entrance is on the upper left. Let’s go. 

This is the decommissioned Atlas F missile Silo that was the first of the Super-Hardened silos designed to survive a nuclear strike! So, it’s kind of special.

This is only the entrance to the 2 small control rooms- it has electricity, but the lighting is jerry rigged. 

I’ve seen these in better shape (this one’s very rusty) and it looks like they removed all the cool equipment- the owners have successfully converted another silo to a home and are available to help.

This is a blast door. It’s a massive steel door that would be impossible for a person to use but the counterbalance design makes opening and closing the door easy for anyone. Notice the seven steel latches running along the left side of the door.

The control area is accessed from a short tunnel at the bottom of the stairs. Usually, there would be a kitchenette & rest room for the crew, here.

There would be stairs leading down to the control area.

Then a tunnel would lead to the actual silo.

B/c this is what the Atlas F looked like coming out of the silo, the silo that housed it is about 10 stories deep. 

This is what it looks like now, and the bottom is filled with water. 

Road going into the property.

https://countrylifedreams.com/c-1960s-missile-silo-complex-for-sale-on-11-acres-abilene-ks-420000/?fbclid=IwAR0y2q7Zh-0p3QEIAcL1rjw9vlIeAbsId6ugtO-QBsneMNZvVkvfC1baMW4

The Randolph County Infirmary

Winchester, Indiana

The Randolph County Infirmary is so haunted that paranormal investigators have fled the building leaving all their equipment behind. Spirits from the past abound in this place, as they do in many of the infirmaries, asylums, and so-called poor farms of that era. The infirmary served as a homeless shelter, foster home, psychiatric ward, and even rehabilitation center. Death followed for many of those people seeking refuge here. Accounts of tuberculosis, accidents, old age, and suicide were common. Then there are also stories of mistreatment and abuse at times. There is even a cemetery on-site, with fifty-plus unmarked graves.

Investigators found evidence on thermal cameras of a figure walking toward them, shadows moving through the halls, doors slamming, and extreme cold spots. Some have witness full bodied apparitions walking up and down the run down hallways of the infirmary. Others hear or captured voices coming from the different rooms. Also the doors have also slammed shut all by themselves. Guest have also heard unexplained knocks coming from somewhere in the building.

Sinkhole Sam is a giant worm-like creature found in Lake Inman in Kansas. Sinkhole Sam is described as a giant worm that is said to be 15 feet long and very round. Sinkhole Sam is said to be a living prehistoric giant worm that used to live in underwater caves before they flooded and became streams leading to the different lakes. However people haven’t seen Sinkhole Sam in awhile so people believe he went somewhere else or died.

The Tuscumbia Space Penguins are small humanoid-cryptids first reported in Tuscumbia Missouri in 1967. A farmer named Claude Edwards was out tending to his crops when a UFO supposedly landed about 70 feet away from him and when it landed small humanoid aliens came out they were about 3 feet tall and it appeared they were wearing hazmat suits with boots and their arms looked like the wings of a penguin. He picked up a few rocks to throw at the ship but as he got about 15 feet from the ship he could tell it was protected by some sort of force field. and after about 5 minutes the aliens went back into their ship and took off.

The Kansas City Flying Demon is a bird-like creature found in Kansas City Missouri. The Kansas City Flying Demon is said to look like a bat covered in hair and having leathery wings as well as a beak and red eyes. The Kansas City Flying Demon is said to have a 12 foot wingspan and is said to wobble as it walks and it is said to be so ugly that it made a girl who saw the creature pass out. People believe the Kansas City Flying Demon could be a living pterosaur or a very large bat.

The Butterfly People are humanoid butterflies found in Joplin Missouri. The Butterfly People are described as human sized butterflies with arms and legs and are similar to the Mothman. The Butterfly People were first seen on May 22, 2011 during a very bad tornado that destroyed Joplin. During the tornado people reported that the Butterfly People protected them from the tornado. Eventually the town commissioned a mural called “The Butterfly Effect” as a reminder of what happened that day. 

The Beaman Monster is an ape-like creature found in Kansas City Missouri. The Beaman Monster is said to be the offspring a circus gorilla that escaped its cage during a train crash in the early 1900′s. The Beaman monster is said to be 12 feet tall and covered in red hair. Some reports even say it looks like the mix between a wolf and an ape. The Beaman Monster is known to attack livestock a pig was even found mauled to death. Some people believe that the Beaman Monster is a prank but most hold true to the fact that it exists.

Jackson Park is an alleged haunted park found in Atchinson Kansas. The main legend of Jackson Park is that of Molly’s Hollow where it says that in the park, a girl named Molly got into a fight with her boyfriend on prom night where he then drove off and left her behind; Molly was found the next day hanging from a tree in the park. Another version of the story is where an African American girl named Molly was hung from one of the trees. Regardless of the origins of the story at midnight people claim to hear a voice crying “Molly” and they then see the apparition of a woman hanging from a tree.