Haunted Hotels in Illinois
Haunted Places to Stay in Illinois
Illinois’s 9 haunted hotels range from Chicago’s gangster-era violence to Lincoln-era political tragedy, creating a supernatural timeline of American drama. When you search for haunted hotels online or on Google Maps, you’ll find over 33,000 matching results, but we’ve meticulously reviewed every single one to create the most realistic, historically accurate collection of truly haunted hotels you can actually visit and stay in.
These accommodations house spirits of Prohibition-era mobsters, Great Chicago Fire victims, Civil War casualties, and political figures whose deaths shaped American history. From the Windy City’s criminal underworld to prairie town pioneer struggles, experience hauntings that chronicle America’s transformation from frontier to industrial powerhouse.
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Haunted Hotels in Alton, IL
Mysterious Mineral Springs Hotel
Address: 301 E Broadway, Alton, IL 62002
Phenomenons reported: Sheet metal worker drowning, swimming lessons tragedy, artistic suicide, jasmine manifestation
Why it's Haunted
The Mysterious Mineral Springs Hotel in Alton, Illinois, has been at the heart of one of America’s most haunted small towns since 1914. Originally built by the Luer Brothers, who discovered natural springs while excavating for an ice warehouse, the building was transformed into a luxury mineral spa and bottling plant. Its five underground levels once shipped “curative” mineral water to twelve states, while above ground, Illinois’ largest swimming pool drew thousands of guests seeking health and recreation.
Tragedy struck in 1918, when Clarence Blair, a sheet metal worker, drowned during swimming lessons. His spirit is still seen near the shallow end of the old pool, quietly watching over visitors in the space where his life ended. His presence is believed to be protective rather than frightening, a guardian of the very waters that claimed him.
Other spirits include the Jasmine Lady, whose appearances are marked by the powerful scent of jasmine as she glides through hallways in Victorian dress, and Charlie, an artist who died by suicide before completing a commissioned mural. In the former bar area, guests report feeling his sorrow and witnessing mysterious artistic activity connected to his unfinished work.
The haunting grows even more tragic with Little Cassie, a young girl who also drowned in the pool. Visitors have encountered her playful spirit splashing and giggling, often alongside Clarence’s quieter presence.
Built partly with Confederate prison bricks and resting above an underground spring system, the hotel is thought to amplify paranormal energy. Today, it houses an antique mall and museum, where visitors experience not just history but authentic encounters with spirits who never left this once-grand spa and hotel.
Haunted Hotels in Ashmore, IL
Ashmore Estates
Address: 22645 E Co Rd 1050 N, Ashmore, IL 61912
Phenomenons reported: Joe Bloxom Train Accident Ghost; Child Spirit Elva Skinner; Mental Patient Female Phantoms; Poor Farm Almshouse Deaths; Psychiatric Hospital Tragedy Spirits
Why it's Haunted
Built in 1916 as the Coles County Poor Farm’s second almshouse and later operating as a psychiatric hospital until 1986, Ashmore Estates stands as Illinois’ most haunted asylum where decades of death, suffering, and abandonment created a supernatural concentration of tragic spirits who refuse to leave the place where they died forgotten and alone.
The facility’s most prominent ghost is Joe Bloxom, a poor farm inmate who was struck by a train on the railroad tracks while walking back from labor duty, his determined spirit somehow limping all the way back to the asylum before dying from his injuries, and his tall apparition now appears both inside and outside the building with facial features clear enough for visitors to identify him by name.
Six-year-old Elva Skinner haunts the hallways where she died during the 1880s almshouse era, her ghostly laughter echoing through empty corridors while visitors feel cold breezes and the sensation of small hands grabbing theirs before vanishing into thin air as the child’s spirit continues seeking companionship in death. The upstairs front room harbors two female spirits, mentally handicapped former patients whose good-natured ghosts manifest when visitors read to them aloud, creating EMF spikes, disembodied voices, and unexplained sounds as these forgotten women respond to human kindness from beyond the grave.
Featured on Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, and Destination Fear, the estate’s paranormal activity includes shadow figures, shifting furniture, anomalous photographs, and overwhelming feelings of illness that affect nearly every visitor to this haunted monument to society’s forgotten casualties, making Ashmore Estates a supernatural repository where America’s most vulnerable citizens continue their eternal residence.
Haunted Hotels in Chicago, IL
The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center
Address: 520 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Phenomenons reported: Shadow Man Captain Louis Ostheim; Immigrant Family Tragedy Adele Langer; Peg-Leg Johnny Electronic Poltergeist; Al Capone Gangster Ghost; Room 666 Sealed Supernatural Activity
Why it's Haunted
Built in 1893 as the Auditorium Annex to accommodate World’s Fair visitors, the Congress Plaza Hotel stands as Illinois’ most haunted location according to Leisure + Travel magazine, where multiple tragic deaths created a supernatural concentration so intense that the hotel permanently sealed Room 666 and other spaces due to overwhelming paranormal activity. The hotel’s most prominent ghost is Spanish-American War veteran Captain Louis Ostheim, who shot himself on the eve of his wedding April 8, 1900, his spirit now manifesting as the notorious ‘Shadow Man’ whose dark silhouette skulks through hallways terrorizing guests throughout the building.
The fourth and twelfth floors harbor the most violent spirits, including the tragic ghost of Adele Langer, a Czech immigrant mother who threw her two young sons Karel and Jan Misha from a 12th-story window before taking her own life, their deaths during World War II creating a supernatural family that continues haunting the upper floors with childish voices and maternal apparitions.
Peg-Leg Johnny haunts the South Tower where his wooden leg taps through corridors as he snaps off lights, causes electronics to malfunction, slams doors, and moves furniture with supernatural force, while guests in Room 441 report a female spirit hovering over beds, tugging covers, and emerging from the bathroom as the hotel’s most active haunted accommodation.
Al Capone’s ghostly presence lingers on the eighth floor where his former headquarters suite witnessed countless Prohibition-era crimes, while Room 666’s supernatural activity became so extreme that Stephen King used the hotel as inspiration for his short story ‘1408,’ making the Congress Plaza a haunted monument to Chicago’s darkest history where suicide, murder, and gangster violence created America’s most concentrated supernatural activity.
Palmer House a Hilton Hotel
Address: 17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603
Phenomenons reported: Great Chicago Fire Victim Spirits; Gilded Age Guest Phantoms; Potter Palmer Era Ghosts; Fireproof Hotel Fire Tragedy; Chicago Loop Historic Hauntings
Why it's Haunted
Opening in 1871 as America’s first fireproof hotel just thirteen days before the Great Chicago Fire, the Palmer House survived the flames that consumed the original structure, only to be rebuilt and forever haunted by the spirits of those who perished in Chicago’s most devastating disaster.
The current 1925 building stands on the same cursed ground where Potter Palmer’s original hotel witnessed the terror of October 8-10, 1871, when the Great Fire swept through the city, trapping guests and staff who now manifest as phantom footsteps echoing through empty hallways and flickering lights that dance without electrical explanation.
Built on State Street in the heart of Chicago’s Loop, the hotel harbors spirits from multiple eras, including guests from the Gilded Age who died during the original fire and souls from the reconstruction period whose lives ended violently during Chicago’s most lawless decades following the disaster. The Palmer House’s haunted legacy extends beyond the fire victims to include the restless spirits of famous guests like Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, and presidential hopefuls who died with unfinished business, their ghostly presence creating cold spots, unexplained sounds, and electronic malfunctions throughout the historic property.
Featured on paranormal investigations and ghost tours as one of Chicago’s most historically haunted hotels, the Palmer House serves as a supernatural monument to America’s most devastating urban fire, where the trauma of mass death and destruction created a permanent spiritual imprint that continues manifesting through unexplained phenomena nearly 150 years after the flames consumed the original structure, making the Palmer House a haunted testament to Chicago’s resilience and the souls who died building America’s greatest city.
The Drake
Address: 140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL 60611
Phenomenons reported: Lady in Red Betrayal Suicide Ghost; Woman in Black Murderer Spirit; Leopold and Loeb Parents Jacob and Flora Franks; Jazz Age Opening Night Tragedy; Chicago Socialite Murder Phantoms
Why it's Haunted
Opening on New Year’s Eve 1920 as Chicago’s grandest hotel, The Drake became eternally haunted when a heartbroken woman in a brilliant red gown discovered her fiancé with another woman during the opening ceremony and either jumped or was pushed from the tenth floor, her spirit now wandering the corridors near the Gold Coast Room and Palm Court as the infamous ‘Lady in Red.’
The hotel harbors another vengeful spirit known as the ‘Woman in Black,’ who murdered socialite Adele Born Williams in her eighth-floor suite during the early 1940s, her violent crime leaving a supernatural imprint that continues manifesting through dark apparitions and unexplained cold spots throughout the upper floors.
The most tragic spirits belong to Jacob and Flora Franks, whose son Bobby was kidnapped and brutally murdered by his cousin Richard Loeb and accomplice Nathan Leopold in Chicago’s infamous 1924 Leopold and Loeb case, the devastated parents moving to The Drake to escape public scrutiny and dying there in 1928 and 1937 respectively while still mourning their lost child.
Nearly a century later, the Franks couple continues wandering the hotel’s hallways as eternal mourners, their apparitions forever searching for the son whose violent death destroyed their lives and created Chicago’s most notorious murder case. Featured on paranormal television shows and ghost tours as one of America’s most haunted hotels, The Drake’s supernatural residents represent humanity’s darkest emotions of heartbreak, greed, and cruelty, while guests report encountering these spirits who remain trapped by the traumatic events that ended their lives within the hotel’s elegant walls, making The Drake a haunted monument to Chicago’s Jazz Age tragedies.
Haunted Hotels in Galena, IL
DeSoto House Hotel
Address: 230 S Main St, Galena, IL 61036
Phenomenons reported: Presidential campaigns, Civil War leadership, flood doorway revelation, supernatural curse
Why it's Haunted
The DeSoto House Hotel in Galena, Illinois, has operated continuously since 1855, making it America’s oldest running hotel and one of the Midwest’s most haunted landmarks. Originally built as the Largest Hotel in the West and named after explorer Hernando de Soto, it quickly became a hub for politics and military history. Abraham Lincoln gave a speech from its Main Street balcony in 1856, and Ulysses S. Grant later used Rooms 209 and 211 as his presidential campaign headquarters in 1868. This intense political and wartime energy laid the foundation for the paranormal activity that still thrives today.
The hotel’s most famous ghost is the Lady in Black, who has been seen descending the main staircase before vanishing into a wall. During 2011 flood repairs, workers uncovered a hidden doorway exactly where she disappears, providing eerie validation for over a century of sightings.
The third floor is the epicenter of supernatural activity, especially Room 333. Guests have reported the sensation of someone sitting on their beds, phantom cigar smoke, disembodied voices, and strange orbs of light. Footsteps are often heard above the floor — even though no upper level exists.
Throughout its history, the DeSoto House has suffered a string of disasters, including a massive fire in 1859 and a deadly boiler explosion in 1869, leading many to believe the hotel is cursed.
Today, visitors encounter Civil War soldiers, Victorian-era guests, and political spirits who refuse to leave. The DeSoto House remains a rare destination where presidential history and active hauntings merge under one historic roof.
Haunted Hotels in Okawville, IL
The Original Springs Hotel
Address: 506 N Hanover St, Okawville, IL 62271
Phenomenons reported: Mineral spring health craze, healing disappointment, owner despair, therapeutic failure
Why it's Haunted
The Original Springs Hotel in Okawville, Illinois, has been welcoming guests since 1867, making it the state’s only continuously operating mineral spring hotel. Built during the Victorian-era health craze, it quickly became a luxury destination for visitors seeking miraculous cures in its therapeutic waters. But behind its healing reputation lies a dark and tragic history that has turned the hotel into one of Illinois’s most haunted accommodations.
Over the decades, three owners died by suicide, leaving a heavy imprint of despair on the building. The most infamous spirit is Tom Rogers, who was found dead in Room 350. Today, this room serves as the hotel’s paranormal epicenter, with guests reporting the disturbing sensation of phantom pressure on their legs so intense that many flee in terror. The entire third floor is steeped in activity, including loud midnight banging, sudden temperature drops, and ghostly apparitions that sometimes appear in photographs even when unseen by the naked eye.
Another well-known spirit is Mrs. Shearbaum, the “Lady in White.” After claiming the mineral springs miraculously restored her ability to walk, she and her husband bought the hotel. Her apparition, dressed in early 1900s attire with a wide-brimmed hat, is frequently seen roaming the halls, believed to be a protective presence watching over the property.
Guests have also reported babies crying in the former nursery and phantom laughter of children, echoes of families whose dreams of prosperity ended in tragedy. Today, the Original Springs Hotel remains a unique destination where healing waters and haunted history coexist, offering both relaxation and authentic encounters with the spirits of those who never found the cure they sought.
Haunted Hotels in Springfield, IL
Inn At 835 Boutique Hotel
Address: 835 S 2nd St, Springfield, IL 62704
Phenomenons reported: Female entrepreneurship, luxury apartment vision, candy dish phenomena, elevator guidance
Why it's Haunted
The Inn at 835 Boutique Hotel in Springfield, Illinois, is a beautiful reminder of early 20th-century elegance and entrepreneurship — and home to one of the city’s most benevolent hauntings. Built in the early 1900s by Bell Miller, a pioneering businesswoman, the building was originally designed as luxury apartments during Springfield’s golden age of development. Though it has since been transformed into a boutique hotel with seven guest rooms, Bell’s spirit has never left the property she considered her greatest achievement.
Bell is known as a friendly, protective presence, often greeting guests with a warm and cheerful, “Well, hello there.” Many visitors describe feeling genuinely welcomed, as though she continues to serve as the ultimate hostess, ensuring comfort and care for everyone who stays in her establishment.
Her ghostly activity is both charming and playful. Guests have witnessed books mysteriously moving from tightly packed shelves to the center of rooms, and many have heard the crystal candy dish lid being lifted and replaced, even when no one is near it. In one remarkable event, peeling wallpaper was found perfectly restored overnight, as if Bell herself had taken care of the repairs.
The inn’s elevator is another hotspot, frequently taking guests to floors they didn’t select. Despite repeated mechanical inspections, no issues have ever been found, suggesting Bell is guiding visitors to areas she wants them to see.
With her kind and helpful spirit, Bell Miller continues to oversee her beloved creation, making the Inn at 835 a unique destination where historic luxury and supernatural hospitality go hand in hand.
Haunted Hotels in St. Charles, IL
Hotel Baker
Address: 100 W Main St, St. Charles, IL 60174
Phenomenons reported: Altar jilting, river drowning, jumping suicide, bed sheet violence
Why it's Haunted
The Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois, has stood as a stunning Fox River landmark since 1928, but behind its riverside elegance lies nearly a century of romantic tragedy and restless spirits. Built by Colonel Edward J. Baker on the site of the former city dump and the ruins of Haines Mill, the hotel’s haunted history began with the heartbreaking story of a young chambermaid. After being abandoned at the altar, she drowned herself in the Fox River. Her grief and betrayal left behind a powerful psychic imprint that continues to shape the hotel’s haunting reputation today.
The sixth floor, once used as employee quarters, is the epicenter of paranormal activity. Guests staying in the now-luxury penthouse suites report dramatic temperature drops, eerie whispers, and shuffling sounds late at night. Some have experienced violent encounters, including having their bedsheets ripped away and flung across the room by unseen hands. Lights in bathrooms and hallways often flicker or switch on and off for long stretches, despite no electrical problems being found.
The spirit of the chambermaid is most often heard moaning near the old storage rooms, continuing her eternal connection to the space where she once worked. Her haunting is deeply territorial, especially toward couples, as if punishing the living for the happiness she was denied.
Adding to the hotel’s spectral residents is the Lady in Blue, another tragic figure believed to have jumped from an upper floor in the 1920s. Together, these spirits make Hotel Baker one of Illinois’s most intensely haunted destinations, where luxury stays come with the risk of a chilling encounter along the Fox River.
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