For some people, talk of Kansas throws up thoughts of The Wizard of Oz! However, it is also one of the most haunted states in the entire united states. There are many different stories of haunted buildings, creepy bridges and strange occurrences. There is also a plethora of haunted accommodation!
Join us in exploring some of the most haunted hotels in Kansas.
1. Leatherock Hotel and Museum, Cherryvale
The section of the Leatherock Hotel which now serves as a museum was once the living quarters for the hotel owner and his family. Perhaps they are the spirits who are now haunting the building? Reports of paranormal activity within the property include ghostly cats and dogs, disembodied voices that sound like a little girl and and an old lady and a dark shadow figure with a menacing feel surrounding it.
People also report seeing the apparition of a young woman dressed in white in the hotel and doors are said to open and then slam shut by themselves!
2. Eldridge Hotel, LawrenceBook a Room
The Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence was originally built in 1855 as the Free State Hotel and over the years it has burned down not once, but twice! In 1970, the hotel was closed and converted into apartments, but it was restored as a hotel in 1985.
As well as hosting famous guests, The Eldridge Hotel has a few ghosts in residence! It is claimed that the fifth floor is a portal to a spirit realm with most of the activity happening in room 506. Guests report a variety of activity including doors opening and closing by themselves, lights flicking on and off and clean mirrors have breath-like misting appearing on them!
There are also cold spots felt throughout the hotel and the elevator tends to stop up on the fifth floor when nobody is there!
3. Weaver Hotel, Waterville
The Weaver Hotel was originally built as railroad accommodation in 1905 and it is now said to be haunted by two different spirits. The first is the wife of a former owner who is believed to have passed away in the building and the second is thought to be a construction worker who committed suicide there.
4. Drury Plaza Hotel, WichitaBook a Room
A stay at the Drury Plaza Hotel is not for the faint of heart! Guests have reported the lights flicking on and off in their rooms, furniture getting moved to the extent that the room is completely rearranged and doors that shake violently in the night!
View more haunted places in Wichita
5. Midland Railroad Hotel, WilsonBook a Room
The Midland Railroad Hotel was built around the turn of the 20th century and was gutted in a fire in 1902. It is believed several guests perished in the blaze which is likely the cause of the hauntings here.
Guests staying on the third floor say they have smelled smoke and even seen flames which suddenly vanish leaving no trace of fire behind. There are also reports of various apparitions dressed in old fashioned clothing wandering the halls.
6. The Hotel Savoy, Kansas City, MO
Built in 1888, The Hotel Savoy was a luxury destination offering fine dining, ballrooms and even a rooftop garden. It was visited by many celebrities over the years including Teddy Roosevelt, John D Rockefeller and William Howard Taft! There are said to be two different spirits haunting the hotel today.
The first is a lady named Betsy Ward who apparently died of a heart attack in room 505. Guests staying in this room have reported the shower and faucets coming on by themselves, doors opening and closing and the unexplained sound of music playing. The other spirit is thought to be Fred Lightner who is seen on the fourth floor where he once had an apartment!
Staff report hearing disembodied voices and laughter up there along with doors opening and closing by themselves. There have also been sightings of a man in 1930s clothing.
7. Tuck U Inn at Glick Mansion, Atchison
Glick Mansion was built in 1873 by George Washington Glick who served in the state legislature in the 1860s and 1870s. The town of Atchison itself is said to be Kansas’ most haunted town so it comes as no surprise that Glick Mansion has its own ghost stories to tell!
Guests of the inn say that their room doors have opened and closed by themselves and that they can often hear footsteps in the hall, but find nobody is there when they look.
8. The Beaumont Hotel, BeaumontBook a Room
The Beaumont Hotel dates back to 1879 when it served as a stagecoach and railroad stop used by weary pioneers. At some point around the early 1900s it may also have served as a brothel. It is now said to be one of the most haunted hotels in Kansas thanks to the resident ghost – a cowboy named Zeke. According to legend, while the hotel served as a brothel, the owner would served food and drinks downstairs while his wife offered other entertainment upstairs. However, when she became a little too attached to Zeke, the husband killed him!
Now staff and guests alike have frequent encounters with the cowboy. He likes to move a chair to behind the door of one of the suites so that the door strikes it when someone enters the room. This will often happen several times in the same day!
There are also frequent reports of clock radios coming on in multiple rooms simultaneously between 2am and 3am! Other reports include hearing the sound of jangling spurs and unexplained thumping. Several staff members have even reported seeing a cowboy at the top of the stairs!
Read more on the haunted Beaumont Hotel, Kansas
9. The Elms Hotel & Spa, near Kansas CityBook a Room
The Elms Hotel is one of the most historic hotels in Missouri (yes not Kansas!), dating back to 1888. Located just outside Kansas City, on the border of Kansas and Missouri, it was originally built to allow guests to take advantage of the healing properties of the near by Excelsior Springs.
Over the years it has hosted a number of famous guests including Al Capone, ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd and Bugsy Moran who are rumoured to have hosted illegal gambling and bathtub gin soirees in the hotel. Other well known guests include President Truman, Jack Dempsey and the New York Giants.
Guest have reported seeing apparitions dressed in 1920s housemaid uniforms and there are also reports of ghostly gamblers around the lap pools!
10. Hotel Josephine, HoltonCheck Availability
Some historic hotels tend to air on the side of caution when discussing their apparent hauntings. They brush many of the odd and unexplainable happenings aside, sayings things like it’s just an old building. Other hotels, however, such as the Hotel Josephine in Holton, Kansas, are just the opposite.
Built in 1889 by A.D. Walker and named after his daughter Josephine, it’s believed that she’s still hanging around the hotel to this day. Many reports are of her becoming upset by any rowdy or noisy guests, as she’s been heard stomping angrily in empty rooms, and doors opening and slamming on their own.
Other spirits are said to roam the newly renovated hallways of the Hotel Josephine as well…
Learn more about the hauntings of Hotel Josephine