A spooky vacation destination: Inside the “most haunted small town in America,” whose ghostly characters inhabit a eerie mansion, an abandoned hotel, and an Irish pub.
Alton, in southwestern Illinois, has a reputation as a ghost hotspot. Its history is rich with centuries of death, disease and violence. READ MORE: The world's 40 coolest neighborhoods for 2023 named
If you're looking for a spooky vacation, then head to Alton in the southwest. Illinois.
If you dare.
Alton has a well-deserved reputation for 'being the smallest haunted town in America, with a long roll call of ghostly residents, from ghostly nuns to the bank robber who haunts the local Irish pub and hotel guests...who can never leave.
We asked Cory Jobe, president and CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, how long Alton has had a reputation as a must-visit location.
He said: “Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, Alton was founded in 1818, but its history is much older, with Native Americans having inhabited the land before the founding of the city. Exactly when we became known for being haunted remains up for debate. I would say as far back as we have recorded history. The area has a history of death, disease, violence...from old Civil War prisons to people taking the Underground Railroad to try to escape to freedom.'
If you're looking for a spooky vacation, then head to Alton in the southwest. Illinois.
If you dare.
Alton has a well-deserved reputation for 'being the smallest haunted town in America, with a long roll call of ghostly residents, from ghostly nuns to the bank robber who haunts the local Irish pub and hotel guests...who can never leave.
We asked Cory Jobe, president and CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, how long Alton has had a reputation as a must-visit location.
He said: “Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, Alton was founded in 1818, but its history is much older, with Native Americans having inhabited the land before the founding of the city. Exactly when we became known for being haunted remains up for debate. I would say as far back as we have recorded history. The area has a history of death, disease, violence...from old Civil War prisons to people taking the Underground Railroad to try to escape to freedom.'
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