'Haunted' Mansion Is Creepiest Place In Illinois, New List Says

ILLINOIS — The creepiest place in Illinois isn’t the Halloween display or haunted house that emits blood-curdling screams and ghostly images.

It’s McPike Mansion in Alton, a town that has its own reputation for all things haunted. That’s according to HGTV, whose list of the creepiest places in all 50 states includes rundown prisons, defunct hospitals, and hotels where ghosts are said to appear in guest rooms and halls.

Related: Local Haunts: Spooky Sites In Illinois You Can Visit

The historic mansion that sits atop "Mount Lookout," the highest place in Alton, makes the list because HGTV wrote:

The local attraction “is a hotspot for paranormal investigators” who claim to feel the presence of its original owners, Eleanor and Henry McPike, as well as other residents, the TV network wrote. Some even believe the haunts date back to before the house was built, with detections of Native American ghosts and a residue from a possible Underground Railroad stop. Overall, more than 11 spirits have been experienced throughout the home, according to the review.

In addition to the mansion itself, HGTV says that Alton is considered among the most haunted places in America. The mansion is open for tours from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily, according to the attraction’s website. The minimum donation for adults is $20 with kids between the ages of 10-17 paying $10 and anyone under 10 paying $5.

Here are a few examples of other creepy places on the list:

• Police in Birmingham, Alabama, have taken more than 100 reports of paranormal activity in the Sloss Furnaces, a National Historic Landmark that was once the world’s largest manufacturer of pig iron. About 47 workers died under the brutal work conditions pushed by the graveyard shift foreman, and workers reported an “unnatural presence” and being pushed from behind or told to “get back to work.”
• The Axe Murder House in Villisca, Iowa, the site of the gruesome murder of six members of the Moore family and two little girls who had stayed overnight at the house — all killed in their beds — is said to be haunted by spirits that pinch and shove. It’s available for daytime tours and overnight stays for reservations.
• The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, now a restaurant and inn, is said to be haunted by the spirits of at least four members of the doomed Lemp Brewing Co. who died in the house. Guests on weekly ghost tours have reported encountering them.

Explore the full list.