One of the Most Haunted Towns in America is Right Here in Illinois

Illinois has quite a history when it comes to haunted locations. But this town in Illinois is so spooky, that it's considered to be one of the most haunted towns in the entire country.

I'm not a fan of anything creepy or haunted, but I think claims that a whole town can possibly be haunted are a bit extreme. Let's unpack the story of the most haunted town in the state (and one of the most in the country) - Alton, IL.

The History of Alton, Illinois

I'll start by saying that you can go down an entire rabbit hole if you go looking for stories about this town. Alton is a city in Madison County with a population of about 25,600 people. It's a cute, little town that has a LOT of history.

RELATED: Illinois' Oldest Cemetery is One of the Most Haunted Spots in the Country

It was a prominent location during the Civil War, which we'll get into. Another cool fact I found out about the town was that Abe Lincoln delivered his famous, "A House Divided against itself cannot stand," speech in front of the Alton City Hall. The speech took place in a debate with Stephen A. Douglas, which is now why Alton dubbed the location Lincoln-Douglas Square. All that being said, there are also some stories about the town that involve high paranormal activity.

The Hauntings of Alton, Illinois

There are many hauntings in the town regarding specific locations in the area. Many psychics and paranormal investigators have visited the area "validating" its hauntings. The town's connection with the other side has even prompted them to start the Alton Ghost Tours.

One prominent location for ghostly activity is the McPike Mansion - this mansion and grounds are rumored to be one of the most haunted spots in the U.S.! Yikes!

This mansion, now abandoned and defaced, is rumored to be haunted by Henry McPike, who was once Mayor of Alton, his wife Eleanor and Paul Laichinger, who owned the home shortly after the McPikes.

McPike and his wife have been "caught" multiple times in photos taken on the property on top of people claiming they've seen them. Strong cigarette smoke has also been reported, despite no one being there and the place being smoke-free. However, many other spirits are said to reside in the home

This one is the most fascinating to me because I'm a big history geek! This story is about the Alton Prison/ Alton State Penitentiary, which opened in 1862 to place Confederate soldiers/Prisoners of War. Roughly 11,764 soldiers went through here! Due to the rough conditions, many illnesses such as pneumonia, malaria, dysentery, scurvy, anemia, smallpox, rubella, and more were highly spread among prisoners. In a nutshell, it was considered one of the most corrupt and inhumane institutions at the time.

Upon getting demolished many cases of screams, and eerie weeping from people who weren't there were reported. There are also multiple claims of people seeing apparitions of men and soldiers. Honestly, with that horrific experience, I'd wanna come back with vengeance as a ghost too. That just sounds miserable.

Those are a few among many other spots in the town, other allegedly haunted spots include; First Unitarian Church (allegedly haunted by a ghost pastor,) Milton Schoolhouse (haunted by the ghost of a girl who was found dead in the locker room,) Mineral Springs Mall (a hotel & spa filled with tragedy,) Piasa Bird (a dragon-like animal that's said to devour inhabitants,) and the Jacoby Arts Center (said to be haunted because the basement was a mortuary.)

Well, safe to say enough has been found out about this place to creep me out. I would drive through there, but loitering around any of these places might be enough to freak me out. What are your thoughts?

Also, if you're into spooky content, I found some more for you!