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The most basic form of communication we have is word of mouth. All types of things have been handed down through generations in such a manner including recipes, nuggets of family history, and local folklore. Ghost stories are another form of verbal repetition used for entertainment purposes or to recount a few eerie, unexplainable truths.
Atchison, a city located in eastern Kansas, has been proclaimed the most haunted city in the State. The town is full of stories about the paranormal. While some have been expanded on to the point of urban legends, there are several that remain without much of an explanation.
Gargoyles were traditionally used to scare evil spirits away from a building and keep the inhabitants within protected. Such is not the case with the "gargoyle house", according to local telling. B. P. Waggener was a railroad lawyer and politician in the late 1800's and collected one of the largest law libraries in the State. Rumor has it that he amassed his wealth by making a pact with Satan and erected the two gargoyles atop his home as a symbol of his deal. Supposedly, the home is blanketed by an evil curse as attested to by an attempt of a later homeowner who fell to his death on the staircase after climbing it to remove the gargoyles.
There is a home on Riverview Drive that houses a couple of frequent travelers. They store their suitcases in a space just at the top of the stairs leading to the attic. Apparently, the space is envied by a particular spirit who doesn't like the placement of the suitcases, so it isn't uncommon for the couple to fetch the baggage only to discover they've been tossed to the bottom of the stairs. Other strange occurrences have happened in the home as well. The television and stereo have been known to come on unexpectedly at full volume. Noises from other areas in the house where noone is occupying space have been heard. On such an occasion, the woman living in the home thought the odd noise was her dog and called out to him. At her holler, a figure of an elderly woman wrapped in a shroud entered the room faintly illuminated, smoothed a place on the bed, and sat down. The resident screamed upon seeing her and the figure immediately scurried out of the room. A few moments later, the attic door slammed shut.
A home on North 3rd Street once was owned by an elderly, single school teacher named Nellie Trueblood who died on the site. The house has been under renovations for quite some time because the current owner is unable to maintain a work crew. The crews have reported seeing a circle of light that they suspect is Nellie with a diameter of 18-24 inches which appears and hovers just out of reach. If approached, the light moves away.
Located on Kearney Street resides a friendly ghost, or so the former owners claim. They have several stories of unexplained incidents. The couple was on the first floor in separate rooms and heard someone walking around upstairs. In preparation for an evening out at another time, someone helped the man of the house shrug into his jacket. When he turned around to thank who he thought was his wife, noone was there. One of the most peculiar incidences happened while the couple was away on a trip. On the way home, the female half of the couple mentioned that she would love a cup of tea when they arrived. When they entered the locked house, a tea kettle was hissing and a cup, saucer, tea bag, and spoon were sitting on the counter.
At the turn of the century, the Munich House was the site of extravagant galas on Saturday nights. Due to the large group of people gathered for a party, it was customary to borrow a maid from another household. One Saturday night, a party ran into the wee hours and a maid was kept from her bed. Having overslept the next morning, she rushed down the back staircase toward the kitchen to attend to her duties, slipped, and fell to her death. Reports of some visitors claim they have seen the light in the maid's former room flicker on Sunday mornings, then a light on the back staircase turns on. Soon after, the aroma of sizzling bacon can be scented, even though the kitchen is completely empty.
The current owners of a home on R Street purchased the home fully furnished, including several paintings. They found a few of the paintings not to their taste, removed them, wrapped them up neatly, and placed them in storage in the basement. The next day, they awoke to discover all the paintings back in their original locations.
Atchison Street traverses down one of the steepest hills in the city and was once known as Ferry Street because it ended where the street met with the Missouri River and locals could board the ferry. A woman traveling by buggy lost control of the horses due to an unknown spook. She struggled to regain control but the horses became unhitched from the buggy and it plummeted over into the river. Trapped inside, she drowned and her body was never recovered. Men strolling along the riverbank have said they feel a feminine presence calling for them to join her below the murky water.
There are always stories of young lovers told in the fashion of the infamous "Hook" affair. Atchison is no different. A place known as Molly's Hollow is an area where couples go to park. The story that accompanies the particular place is of a couple who argued. A young girl named Molly exited the car and her boyfriend drove off. The following day, her body was found hanging in the tree. Couples who have ventured to Molly's Hollow claim to have heard moaning, then a chilling scream. There have also been witnesses to a vision of a hanging girl in the tree where Molly's body was discovered.
Perhaps the most famous ghost story was that of a young girl named Sally who lived in a house on North 2nd Street. The tale was featured three times on the paranormal television show Sightings. The background story on Sally is that she was horribly sick all night long with abdominal pain. Her mother took her to be treated by a doctor and he diagnosed Sally as having an imminent bursting appendix. However, the doctor, in his haste, didn't wait for the anesthesia to take effect and began operating. Before Sally died, she looked at the doctor with fear and loathing. The young family who lives in the house currently have noted several strange occurrences such as the dog barking or growling for no reason, electrical appliances turning on and off of their own accord, and finding pictures hung upside down. The oddities don't end there. Having heard accounts of physical attacks especially on the man in the house, a film crew from Sightings with tape running captured a red welt appear on the belly of the man before it began to bleed.
Atchison isn't the only haunted location in Kansas. Other sightings have been recorded as well. One such story is that of an old Native American man seen on the banks of the Saline River in Ellis County originally by a cowboy camping there in 1879. According to the tale, the spirit was doomed to the region until he located the skull of his father killed by white men nearly forty years previously.
The Johnson County Industrial Airport in Olathe, Kansas is the haunting ground of a ghost nicknamed the Commander. In the 1940's, the site was a navy flight-training base and the Commander is suspected to be one of the men killed during exercises. The airport, especially Hanger 43, has been undersiege for 50 years by strange noises, whistling, and ghostly footsteps.
A section of Kansas City known as Morningside Park is the site for odd phenomena such as smoke appearing and disappearing, noises, and moving furniture. The area was once a stop on the Sante Fe Trail and the eerie happenings are attributed to a house an its occupant burned to the ground in 1876.
The ghost of a former Paola High School band member is said to haunt the school. He was killed while entering the building on a steep, metal staircase after falling down the steps. Reports of hearing a single trumpet blast while no band members are around have been noted.
Hauntings of former college students at Kansas State have been recorded. One such spirit is that of a young man who was killed during a hazing. After his fraternity was sold to another, remodeling was down on the building. In the process, his paddle was discovered hanging on a wall. Any attempt to paint over the area resulted in bleeding through. It was eventually paneled. Two football players are said to roam Memorial Stadium and the cafeteria. One was killed on the field after sustaining injuries while the other one supposedly expired due to injuries at a later time. Univeristy records revealed that the latter boy died from polio. In the 1960's, a young woman committed suicide in a bathtub by dropping a hairdryer into the water in one sorority. The sorority was later sold to a fraternity. Her ghost is said to wander the halls and to this day, the male residents refuse to use the bathroom where she met her demise.
Possibly the site with the largest number of spirit occupants can be found just outside of Topeka. An old, abandoned stone house stands atop a hill and is fiercely protected by its current owner and surrounding neighbors. Warnings not to trespass are posted on the grounds and if inquiries are made about the house, an ominous reiteration of warnings to keep away is delivered. The house has a troubled past and it is believed that the ghosts of people who've died in and around the house infest it. There have been accounts of spotting an old Civil War soldier sitting on a white horse and the image of a young girl who drowned in a pond on the property.
Kansas is riddled with more ghost stories than can be covered in a mere article. To sate your curiosity, a good resource for information is Haunted Kansas by Lisa Hefner Heitz. Her book contains a vast amount of well-documented stories.
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