One thing that people often comment on is that the town of Lincoln, Nebraska has a noticeable lack of haunted attractions in the halloween season. This seems strange given the fact that it is a University town with plenty of students who would enjoy such a thing. Could it be because the city has plenty of genuine haunted houses and it doesn’t feel the need to fake it?
Let’s take a look at some of the most haunted places in Lincoln NE.
1. Antelope Park
The field that sits behind the caretaker’s house is a particular hotspot for paranormal activity.
Visitors have reported seeing apparitions that walk all the way across the field before disappearing into the woods on the other side.
2. Nebraska State Capitol Building
Nebraska State Capitol Building is an imposing building that features a 12 storey tower with a domed top. It was designed by globally acclaimed architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and took ten years to complete. It was finished in 1932 and cost 10 million dollars which was a huge sum for the time.
It has been suggested that the building was actually built on land that was considered holy by Native Indians that were settled in the area.
Many believe that this is one of the reasons, along with a string of tragic accident, why the State Capitol is so haunted.
Among the deaths in the building there is the case of an inmate who was stringing Christmas lights on the outside of the dome when he suffered a massive heart attack and fell to his death.
There was also another workman who was carrying out the routine task of changing a lightbulb when he slipped from the ladder and was killed.
There have also been two deaths when workers, one male and one female, fell over the railings on the spiral staircase.
Are spirits responsible for all of these accidents which seem to have a similar feel? All of these people have been seen as apparitions in the building and there have been reports of a misty form falling from the 12th floor all the way down to the 1st floor.
There have also been reports of a black mist lingering on various stairways throughout the building.
Could this be the entity responsible for these accidents?
There are also frequent reports of unexplained sounds including screams, crying, footsteps and disembodied voices speaking.
A handful of visitors have notes seeing the spirit of a Native American man in the basement.
3. Old Captain’s Studio
As the name might suggest, the Old Captain’s Studio was once the home of a retired sea captain.
He occupied the studio on the upper floor of the building and apparently he has not left yet!
There is now a law firm located in the building and several of the employees there have reported seeing the apparition of the old Captain in various parts of the property over the years.
4. Lake Street Lake
Rudge Memorial Park was originally a dairy farm and then served as a skating rink. Today, it is one of the most haunted places in the city of Lincoln, particularly the Lake Street Lake which is a particular hotspot.
The lake is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy who was killed there a long time ago by a gang of bullies. Witnesses have reported seeing his apparition near the lake, especially during the winter months more than in summertime.
5. Richmond House
Richmond House was the site of a brutal triple murder/suicide in the 1920s. It is said that a man named Bill murdered his wife Venus, her lover and presumably their baby in the house by shooting them with his shotgun.
The body of the infant was never actually found. He then went to the railroad tracks close to the house where he laid in front of an oncoming train, thus taking his own life.
The house is now said to be haunted by all of these spirits…
In the corner of the basement you will see a strange patch of plaster where the face of a baby often appears.
Among the other reports of unexplained activity in the house are those who have heard a baby crying, the apparition of a weeping woman, two male spirits who are often arguing and the smell of candle wax.
Some visitors to the house have also said that they have been pushed or pinched by unseen hands and that they have seen objects moving by themselves.
6. Robbers Cave
The Robbers Cave can be found in Van Dorn Park. It was originally known as Pahuk Bluff by the Pawnee Indians that were originally settled in the area and they would come to this spot when they wanted to contact Tirawa, the God of all things.
Later, the cave became a stop on the Underground Railroad and it was adopted as a hideout by Jesse James in 1876.
The cave also had a close proximity to both the State penitentiary and a local mental institution which has given rise to rumours that several prisoners and patient ended up in the cave while following tunnels from the two buildings and some are said to have died there.
All of this has contributed to the belief that it is haunted.
One of the most common reports from witnesses is that they have heard Native American style chanting along with the sound of their drums.
Others say that they have heard the sound of disembodied screams, crying, laughter and voices.
The cave is now open for tours, though you need to book ahead. Tours are $14 for adults / $7 for kids 6-12 / $5 for kids 1-5.
7. The Temple Theatre
The Temple Theatre building is located on the Temple Building was not added until 1906. It has been well maintained since then and has been thoroughly renovated inside.
There are said to be at least three different spirits roaming the building…
The first is the spirit of a dramatic arts student who died in an accident during a production of Macbeth. He fell from the overhead rigging in the main theatre and died from his injuries after landing on the stage.
Now whenever Macbeth is performed in the theatre witnesses report seeing a shadowy figure close to the stage, or in the sound booth as if he is still going about his production duties even after his death.
The second spirit is a young girl who was first spotted in the 1980s.
According to local legend, a doll was required as a prop for a play and some of the production crew went to the attic and went about dismembering several dolls in order to put together the idea doll for the performance.
They left the discarded doll parts lying scattered around the attic and locked up. When they returned some time later to clean up they found that all of the parts had been organised by the doll they belonged to making it easier to put together.
This is believed to have been the work of a young girl who also causes unexplained thumping in the attic when no-one is up there.
The last known entity haunting the theatre is believed to be the spirit of Dallas Williams who served as the Chairman of the Theater Department from 1944 until 1971.
He was well known for his crazy classroom antics such as throwing a chair to punctuate the point he was trying to make to his students!
It seems that he is still doing this as there have been various reports of people hearing chairs being thrown around in empty classrooms.
Other paranormal activity that has been reported in the theatre but is not attributed to any particular entity includes someone tap dancing on the stairs, footsteps crossing the balcony and the sounds of theatre seats flipping up and down when nobody is there.