Wisconsin has a dark history of epidemics, unsolved murders and more that have left behind ghostly apparitions and spirits that have not yet left this mortal plane.
The most haunted places in Wisconsin come with stories of hate and misfortune, and some can’t be explained despite their dark auras. From abandoned buildings to haunted cemeteries, Wisconsin has a lot of hauntings.
So if you are visiting, try the cheddar and check out these scary places. You might catch a glimpse of a tormented ghost or wandering spirit.
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1. Elk Lake, Phillips, Wisconsin
Address: Elk Lake Drive
Elk Lake is a serene 87-acre lake in Wisconsin, that has a more sinister past than one may think. In 1974, a young woman named Mary Schlais was supposedly traveling to an art show in Chicago, but she tragically never made it to her destination.
Mary’s body was found by Elk Lake and the case remains cold to this day. The fact that her murder is still unsolved may be why locals and visitors believe Mary’s soul is still around the lake.
Mary was only 25 years old when she was brutally stabbed to death by her killer. People report hearing desperate, crying screams when they near the lake at night. Locals believe these screams belong to Mary as she tries to defend herself from her attacker or help solve the murder from beyond the grave.
One specific chilling encounter comes from two fishermen, who said they could both feel the presence of a floating woman dressed in white standing just behind them as they sat on the shores of the lake.
2. Bloody Bride Bridge, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Address: 5800 Jordan Road
The Bloody Bride Bridge, officially known as the Highway 66 Bridge, is the site of a tragic accident and has become one of the scariest places in Wisconsin to visit.
The folklore says that a freshly married bride and groom drove across the bridge on their wedding night and got into a horrible accident. The bride died in the car wreck, and many say her spirit never left the bridge. She wanders back and forth, still wearing her bloody wedding dress.
Locals say they most frequently see her on rainy nights, so wait until it starts drizzling if you want to catch a glimpse of this unfortunate bride.
One of the most chilling reports of paranormal activity involves a police officer. The officer drove through a thick fog on the bridge and hit a distraught woman standing in the center of the bridge. When he got out to check on her, she was gone. The officer returned to his car to find the bloody woman in the backseat. She quickly vanished again, but her ghost left an eerie feeling in the officer.
3. Shaker’s Cigar Bar, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Address: 422 S 2nd Street
Shaker’s Cigar Bar is a swanky joint that delivers you back in time to the 1920s the moments you step inside. The bar does not start with a great history, being built on top of a cemetery near an apple orchard.
Years after it was constructed, the infamous Al Capone bought the location to set up a speakeasy with alcohol, gambling, and prostitutes. Most, if not all, of the prostitutes, were mere teenagers. One of these girls, a 16-year-old prostitute, was beaten to death and hidden in the wall of the speakeasy until her skeleton was found, decades later.
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In addition to building on top of a burial ground without removing the remains, the Shaker’s Cigar Bar building has seen a good deal of death and murder. There are too many instances of tragedy to name here, but let’s mention the worst of the worst.
Two men were murdered in the basement over a dispute involving a card game. A girl playing in the apple orchard next to the cemetery fell out of a tree and broke her neck. And a gentleman that killed a prostitute was supposedly sent to the bottom of a lake by the mob.
There is a lot of creepy things that happened here. It’s no wonder it is one of the most haunted places in Wisconsin.
4. Riverside Cemetery, Appleton, Wisconsin
Address: 714 N Owaissa Street
The hauntings of the Riverside Cemetery in Appleton centers around the life and death of a woman known as Kate Blood.
The creepiest aspect of this tale is likely the blood that oozes from her tombstone on nights with full moons and the inexplicable warmth radiating from the headstone. People report wispy apparitions floating around the gravesite too.
The stories surrounding Kate Blood range from her being a witch to murdering her husband and children with an ax to her being murdered by her husband. None of these stories are true, as she passed away from tuberculosis in her early twenties. But the legend of oozing blood and wandering spirits persists. The only way to find out is to visit for yourself!
5. Clark County Insane Asylum, Owen, Wisconsin
Address: W4266 County Hwy X
Insane asylums don’t have the best reputations in the US, but this one takes the cake for creepy. Once a bustling asylum, it is now one of Wisconsin’s most notorious abandoned buildings.
The Clark County Insane Asylum used some of the most brutal and cruel techniques for ‘treating’ patients. Their practices included electroshock therapy, ice water submersion, lobotomies, and bloodletting, to name a few.
There are terrifying stories of patients turning on staff members and murdering them by hand. The horrific events that happened in this hospital left behind sinister energy that visitors feel when they stand inside the walls. Its no wonder this makes the list of the most haunted places in Wisconsin.
If you visit, expect an immense feeling of dread and possible sightings of people in hospital gowns roaming around and moaning in anguish.
Today, the Clark County Asylum is one of the most haunted abandoned places in Wisconsin.
6. Dairy Queen, Appleton, Wisconsin
Address: 1813 N Richmond Street
There is more than one haunted site in Appleton, Wisconsin, but this haunted Dairy Queen is an odd one. You may wonder: why would someone haunt a DQ? No one knows for sure, but plenty of people report strange happenings when they’re trying to get a scoop of ice cream.
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The location was a bar before it was a Dairy Queen, and the owner was driven to sell the location due to the incessant spirits that haunted him.
Today, people report strange noises like clicking and hushed voices when they visit the location. And DQ employees often complain about electrical abnormalities and other occurrences that indicate the presence of spirits.
Who knew a Dairy Queen would make the list of the most haunted places in Wisconsin!
7. Maribel Caves Hotel, Maribel, Wisconsin
Address: 15401 County Road
The Maribel Caves Hotel is now a dilapidated structure that people visit in hopes of finding a spirit. It is one the most fascinating haunted places in Wisconsin and on the top of the list of interesting abandoned places.
The stone ruins were once a lavish spa hotel, offering guests fresh spring water. But it mysteriously caught fire in 1985, and then was ravaged by storm damage in 2013, but the hotel still has frequent visitors and has been dubbed ‘Hotel Hell’ by those that experienced scary happenings.
People see ghosts standing in the abandoned hotel’s windows, hear phantom footsteps walking around, and watch objects float around the ruins.
There are also rumors that a coven of witches successfully opened a portal to Hell inside the ruins of the hotel, adding on to one of the many reasons why it has the nickname Hotel Hell.
8. Grand Opera House, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Address: 100 High Ave
The Grand Opera House in Oshkosh is said to be haunted by the ghost of a former stage manager, Percy Keene, as well as a four-legged friend.
Keene is frequently seen walking around the theater in the balconies. People say he looks like he still works there but never interacts with people.
The Grand Opera House is also home to a phantom dog that people see wandering about, and it even appears on stage during some performances before disappearing.
People also hear footsteps when no one is behind them and hushed conversations when they are alone. If you visit, you may see the ominous orange mist that appears randomly in the theater.
9. The Octagon House, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Address: 276 Linden St
The Octagon House is an unusual home with eight sides and many, many secret passageways and hidden tunnels. The man who built it was staunchly anti-slavery and built the house this way to help ex-slaves escape to freedom in Canada.
At the time, there was also a hostile tribe of indigenous people nearby that the townspeople feared would revolt at any moment. This is the other reason for hiding places and escape routes.
Those who visit the house today are joined by friendly spirits that like to make noises and even touch people with icy cold hands. These spirits are likely people that once lived in the extraordinary house and never wanted to leave.
At least seven children died inside the home, and people often believe these are playful spirits.
10. Siren Bridge, Siren, Wisconsin
Address: 6517 Lynch Bridge Road
A truly tragic story, the Siren Bridge is the site of a family death. In the 1980s, a mother, father, and daughter were driving when they lost control of the car due to icy roads. The car flew off the bridge, and they all drowned in the water.
Eventually, it was discovered the family was Rick, Rose, and Jody Kringle, and paranormal investigators located the car, proving the tale to be true.
People that drive over the bridge report strange happenings with their radio. It shuts off and then comes back on, and they hear a little girl yelling for help saying, “Mommy, I can’t get out!” over and over again through sobs.
More than one visitor has reported this occurrence, making it an enticing location for those with a taste for the paranormal. But oddly enough, the location of the accident is not a bridge, but a narrow path that runs right along a watery marsh. So don’t be disappointed if you can’t find a bridge!
11. Summerwind (Lamont Mansion), Vilas County, Wisconsin
Address: West Bay Lake
If you know anything about the history of haunted Wisconsin, then you’ve probably heard of the Summerwind Mansion in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The Summerwind Mansion is of the most interesting abandoned places in Wisconsin.
The building was formerly known as the Lamont Mansion and burned down in 1988, supposedly due to a lightning strike. Some rumors accuse Town Board Members and police officers of lighting the mansion on fire to stop teenage parties.
But the creepiness of the mansion goes back even further. It was a fishing lodge, and a man named Patterson Lamont purchased the property, selling it shortly after out of fear. He claimed to have seen many spirits and even shot at one that scared him.
Next up were Arnold and Ginger Hinshaw, who only lasted six months living at the property. They saw shapes and shadows moving about the house, and Arnold’s car would often burst into flames when he would leave for work. Eventually, Arnold suffered a nervous breakdown, and Ginger attempted suicide before they finally left.
There are no deaths related to the property that would explain the ghostly presence, but people that go there believe the spirit is not friendly and does not want people visiting. A hostile ghost would explain the horrible experiences owners and residents had inside the mansion.
12. Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Address: 424 E Wisconsin Avenue
The Pfister Hotel is one of the most haunted places in Wisconsin. Despite the plethora of spooky tales, no one knows who is haunting the Pfister hotel or why.
It is a hotel frequented by MLB and NBA teams when they have games scheduled in Wisconsin, but many players report strange and spooky occurrences in the hotel.
Specifically, baseball players seem to experience the most paranormal activity in the hotel. Many reports knock on their door at strange hours but open it to find no one there. Players also report furniture moving inexplicably and even ghostly apparitions of an elderly man in the hallways.
Disembodied voices and electrical anomalies seem to be a theme, with one baseball player describing an odd occurrence with his iPod. It began to switch on and off by itself and then vibrated wildly until he picked it up. But when he put it back down, it would eerily begin vibrating again.
Staff denies the hauntings saying the hotel offers nothing but excellent hospitality, but one too many baseball players have been spooked for anyone to believe that.
If you’re interested in visiting Milwaukee sometime soon, you can book a tour to check out the Pfister Hotel and other famous haunted places in the city.
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I hope you liked my post on the most haunted places in Wisconsin. Check out these other top haunted places:
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