Haunted Places in Richland County, Wisconsin

Boscobel Hotel

Boscobel, Wisconsin

This hotel's claim to fame is that it was the spot where the Gideon's Bible originated. The ghost of Adam Bobel, the hotel's original builder, has been seen here by employees and guests alike.

Taliesin

Spring Green, Wisconsin

The house (an estate once owned by Frank Lloyd Wright) is haunted by the apparition of a lady in a white gown. Windows open and close by themselves, and late at night, the lights in the building will flash on and off when no one is around.

Swing Inn

Ferryville, Wisconsin

On nights when business is slow, the apparition of a prostitute nicknamed Blue Moon may show up. She can be heard walking up and down the stairs.

Al Ringling Mansion

Baraboo, Wisconsin

Old Baraboo Inn

Baraboo, Wisconsin

This renovated, historic pub and grille, and former brewery and brothel, is believed to have many active spirits in the building according to paranormal investigators. Audio recordings of voices and sounds and video of orbs, light flashes, and anomalies have all been captured. Cowboys, a prostitute named Mary, several children, ...

Captain Brady's Showboat Saloon

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

According to local legend, a girl called Molly once lived above the saloon, and her ghost now haunts the establishment. Witnesses say they have heard voices near the stage, have seen apparitions of figures in period clothing in the saloon mirrors, and have felt cold spots and seen kegs move ...

DiSciascio's - Legacy Grill

Coon Valley, Wisconsin

DiSciascio's was an Italian restaurant in operation for 26 years until 2013, when it was replaced by Legacy Grill. The spirits here were first noticed long ago when the building housed a bar. Witnesses have described a ghost lady, who has been nicknamed Mary by restaurant staff, and objects have ...

Dungeon of Horrors

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

The Dungeon of Horrors, which originally operated as a haunted house attraction, closed down recently due to the fact that the owner was unable to employ any staff due to reports of real paranormal activity. The apparition of a bespectacled man used to follow employees and visitors around the building, ...

The Walker House

Mineral Point, Wisconsin

The magnificent stone hotel and restaurant dates back to the 1800s. It is said that the hauntings here may stem from a man during that century who was hanged from a tree outside by an angry mob after he stole a horse from his neighbor. Witnesses to the hauntings have ...

Big River Inn

Genoa, Wisconsin

This 1879 inn has a haunted restaurant. The ghost is said to be a former employee named Kenny who makes himself known by hiding things in the kitchen and turning on the TV.

Effigy Mounds

Harpers Ferry, Iowa

The historic Indian Mounds are said to be haunted by the spirits of the Native Americans. Residents who live nearby have reported ghostly moans on the wind at night.

Pizza Villa - West Salem

West Salem, Wisconsin

Doors shaking, lights flickering, cabinets open and close, dark shadows, spoons rattles, and boxes falling. (Submitted by Keelyn O)

Bodega Brew Pub

La Crosse, Wisconsin

The pub has changed ownership many times due to the haunting by former owner Paul Malin. Since his death, reports of activity in the building have included slamming doors, objects moving inexplicably and even the apparition of the deceased former owner. (Submitted by Callum Swift)

Warehouse Concert Venue

La Crosse, Wisconsin

We have owned the building for 25 years, operating on the 2nd and 3rd floors as a non-alcohol concert venue. Building was built in 1888, and has in the past had various businesses such as clothing stores, tailor shops, harness shop, general store, with the 2nd floor being ...

Del's Bar

La Crosse, Wisconsin

According to patrons, the bartenders at the bar are willing to dispense ghost stories, including tales of how a male maintenance employee was once told to leave the women's room by an unexplained voice. Giggling voices can also be heard in the bar. (Submitted by Callum Swift)

Old Holmbo Residence

La Crosse, Wisconsin

Former owner Nicolai Holmbo hung himself in the front room of the house in 1904, and locals reported sighting his apparition staring down into the street late at night. Screams and moans came out of the building, and strange flashing lights moved around the house, despite the fact that it ...

Sanitarium Hill

Madison, Wisconsin

Sanitarium Hill is an area with an abandoned mansion atop a--you guessed it--hill. It was once the Lakeview Sanitarium (1930-1966), a tuberculosis treatment center, with woods behind it (now known as Lakeview Woods). In a nearby cemetery, folks have reported mists, cold spots, and more; along the trails through the ...

Wisconsin State Historical Society

Madison, Wisconsin

Supposedly, the place is haunted by two ghosts. One is a man who fell asleep at his desk and didn't wake up. The other is a man who committed suicide by falling off the third floor landing onto a marble floor (you can still see the blood in ...

Alpha Omega Distributors

Madison, Wisconsin

A former employee killed in a car accident is said to be here, usually as a shadow in the corner of employees' eyes. One person has even claimed to have a had a conversation with him. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)

Capone's Bar Next Door - The Wonder Bar

Madison, Wisconsin

It was called The Wonder Bar in the 1920s, and the Bar Next Door has now been renamed to that original name. The establishment is said to be haunted. Built originally by Roger "The Terrible" Touhy. The Touhy brothers' place was a hangout for gangsters, and Eddy Touhy (Roger's brother) ...

Matthias Ham House

Dubuque, Iowa

No one knows exactly who is haunting the Matthias Ham museum, but ghostly tales abound. People have felt icy drafts in rooms that are closed, objects move and lights turn on independently of any explainable source. People also claim to hear strange noises and occasional whispering. One of ...

Lover's Leap

Elkader, Iowa

Local legend says that in the early 1830s, a young man named Lou Millville became friendly with the Native Americans who lived nearby, especially the chief's daughter White Cloud. One day, Lou followed two braves into the woods to learn the whereabouts of some nearby lead mines. He was discovered, ...

Mary Frances Hall - Clarke College

Dubuque, Iowa

Called Mary Fran by students, this hall was built in 1924 and is said to be haunted by school founder Mary Frances Clarke. Students have experienced unexplained footsteps in the hall and an uneasy feeling of being watched, and they have seen a shrouded apparition near the chapel. In other ...

Fischer Building

Dubuque, Iowa

There are two ghosts that appear from time to time in the mid-19th-century Fischer Building, according to those in the know. One is a tall man who walks in the basement, and the other is a woman wearing a 1920s- or '30s-style dress and furs who walks around on the ...

Grand Opera House

Dubuque, Iowa

The haunts at this opera house, built between 1889 and 1890, like to pull pranks. The lights operate by themselves, and cameras and tape recorders behave strangely. Witnesses have also heard ghostly singing from a seemingly empty stage, and apparitions have been seen as well. The ghosts here are loved ...

Redstone Inn and Suites

Dubuque, Iowa

The nineteenth century inn was built in 1894 by a man who was forced to jump ship in the town and ended up prospering and owning a wagon empire. Staff and guests nowadays have reported seeing the apparition of an distinguished gentleman, while the owner claims to have heard ...

Hotel Julien

Dubuque, Iowa

According to staff and guests at this historic boutique hotel, sightings of the apparition of a man in period clothing on the upper floors of the hotel aren't uncommon; and neither are the legends surrounding his appearance. Some believe this spectre is Al Capone, who frequently stayed in the ...

Captain Merry Historic Inn

East Dubuque, Illinois

This historic inn is believed to have closed, and may now be a private residence. The building the inn was housed in has a colourful past, and is rumoured to be one of the most haunted houses in town. Reports range from sightings of a woman in a black ...

The Ably House

Scales Mound, Illinois

There were allegedly some murders that took place in this old home, and it is said that the spirits of the dead still remain within its walls.

Ludlow Mansion - Idle Hour Farm

Monroe, Wisconsin

Once part of the Underground Railroad, the historic house is believed to be haunted by former owner Lady Ludlow. Witnesses have seen her apparition in the back hallway and experienced mysteriously floating objects, cold spots and flickering lights.

Desoto House Hotel

Galena, Illinois

The 1855 DeSoto House Hotel boasts such esteemed former guests as Abraham Lincoln and William Jennings Bryan. It was also the presidential campaign headquarters for Ulysses S. Grant, among others. Although the identity of the ghosts here is unknown, many folks have reported phantom cigar smoke, voices in the halls, ...

Otto's Place

Galena, Illinois

This quaint restaurant is haunted by Otto Sallman, the namesake of the establishment. A former tenant and café owner, his apparition has been seen walking the railroad tracks adjacent to the building. The current owners believe he is a welcoming spirit, who simply intends to greet customers to his ...

Mossy Glen Hollow

Strawberry Point, Iowa

Pearl Shine, a woman who in 1936 conspired with her hired hand to kill her husband, is said to haunt this peaceful area. Pearl was caught, tried, and convicted, and she died in prison. Other ghosts here include a man who committed suicide by walking into the muddy bog, and ...

Flynn Steakhouse

Brodhead, Wisconsin

Flynn Steakhouse, reported to no longer be in operation, was housed in a building from 1868, and had a haunted, unused hotel upstairs. Misty white formations were known to appear, long believed to be the ghost of Mary, a child who passed away here in the 1860s. Among the strange ...

Hotel Mead

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Folks in the know will tell you that the Shanghai Room, in the 1950s, was a bar in which a female bartender was stabbed to death. Witnesses say the lights flicker, the doors close on their own, the air is extremely cold, and the smell of blood is detectable from ...

Elizabeth Daly House

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

This home on the National Register is occupied by "Cookie" the ghost that has been present for several home owners. Smells of cooking have been present, lights turned off and on, objects moved, and animals will not eat in Cookie's kitchen. She is a prankster, but a good ghost to ...

Forest Hill Cemetery

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Weirdness at this cemetery includes phantom babies crying in the infant section, apparitions, voices that call the names of cemetery visitors, and a monument that causes mechanical objects to fail.

Pettlon Family House

Manchester, Iowa

This home was built by the Pettlon family back in 1913, and has been in the family all that time. It is now for sale as of 2014. A member of the Pettlon family has shared with us her paranormal experiences there: "Visiting my Grandmother in the family home ...

Lennox College

Hopkinton, Iowa

I was scrolling through the haunted places in Iowa and wanted to suggest adding the Lennox College campus in Hopkinton. A family friend is the mayor of the little town and said when people stop by for a tour, they've seen a woman in one of the dorm hall windows ...

Boy Scout Lane

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Local legend tells of a group of boy scouts that were murdered along this road. While there is no evidence of this actually happening, people still report seeing disembodied faces as well as hearing voices when they travel along this road. Submitted by Chris Berglund

Cottage House Restaurant

Plover, Wisconsin

The restaurant was originally called the Sherman House Restaurant, but closed down due to paranormal activity. Glass windows had a habit of shattering, glasses and plates would fly off bars and counters and explode in front of customers. Doors opened and closed by themselves and lights in the offices and ...