Alton, Illinois is often considered one of the most haunted places in Illinois, and one old mansion that is located there may be to blame.

Things Alton, Illinois is Known For

Usually, Alton, Illinois is known for 2 big things;

  1. The home of the World's Tallest Man
  2. A LOT of paranormal activity and haunted places

To be fair, Alton has several other wonderful things to offer like great scenic drives along the Mississippi River, a Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, and the National Great Rivers Museum, but its haunted history usually takes top billing thanks in big part to the McPike Mansion that is located there.

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McPike Mansion, One of the 'Scariest Places on Earth'

Sure, the house pictured above may not look like a mansion, and it obviously has not been well taken care of, but its haunted history may be to blame.

The mansion sits high on a hill on 15 acres, has 16 rooms, a basement, and a wine cellar, and was built in 1869 for Henry Guest McPike, who once served as the Mayor of Alton. Riversandroutes.com says historical records state that McPike was also "a strong abolitionist supporter and friend of Abraham Lincoln", and that his mansion may have been one of the stops for the Underground Railroad, leading to the start of its haunted story.

Enjoyillinois.com says;

 Some claim the haunts date back to the property before the mansion was even built, with native American ghosts and a residue from a possible Underground Railroad stop.

McPike Mansion's history of ownership following Henry Guest McPike's death in 1910 gets a little murky, but a lot of bad stuff has happened there since.

The Spirits of McPike Mansion

While reading through the River and Routes article, I discovered 11 different spirits have been reported being seen and/or experienced at the McPike Mansion including;

  1. Henry McPike
  2. Henry McPike's wife, Eleanor
  3. Former McPike Mansion owner Paul Laichinger
  4. A young girl named Sarah who smells like lilac perfume
  5. A woman in a green dress with long hair
  6. McPike Children

The reported paranormal experiences of McPike Mansion include things like moving shadows, orbs of light, full body apparitions, sounds of children's laughter, scraping doors, strange mists, and more.

There are several YouTube videos discussing and investigating the many haunts of McPike Mansion, but this is the one that freaked me out the most...

Are you ready to experience the frights of McPike Mansion for yourself? Take a tour and let us know what you experience, (because we are not brave enough to do it ourselves).

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