The series on haunted sites in Atchison Kansas concludes with this article. Be sure to check out the articles Atchison - Most Haunted Town in Kansas and More Haunted Sites in Atchison Kansas to read about more ghostly inhabitants.
Riverview Drive
Two homes on Riverview Drive are reported to be haunted. In one home, televisions and radios turn on and off, or the volume raises when no one is around. Guests staying in this home are often told to leave their luggage at the top of the stairs by the attic door. The luggage is often found tossed to the bottom of the stairs.
In the other home, at Riverview Drive and R Street, the house was completely furnished when recent owners purchased it. Wanting to make some changes, the owners removed some of the paintings, wrapped them, and placed them in storage. The next morning, all the paintings were hanging in their original locations. Evidently, the house's ghostly resident didn't approve of the changes the new owners had in mind.
North 3rd Street
Another spirit who disapproved of planned changes to her home is the ghost of a single teacher named Nellie Trueblood. Nellie died in this home, alone. New owners were wanting to make renovations and hired a construction crew. Nellie would appear to the workers as a ball of light in the area where they were working. The crew was frightened away and the renovation was never completed.
Atchison's Friendly Ghost
The spirit occupying the home at Kearney and 5th Streets is a friendly one. A man was helped into a dinner jacket by what he thought was his wife; when he turned to thank her, no one was there. Another time, the couple was returning home and the wife mentioned that she thought she'd have a cup of tea when they got home. Upon entering the kitchen, the wife saw that the tea kettle was already on the stove; and a cup and saucer, tea bag and spoon were lying out, yet there was no one at home.
Jackson Park
Another haunted Atchison location is Jackson Park, the town's largest park, located on South 6th Street. Screams and moaning are often heard from the park's resident ghost Molly. There are a couple of legends surrounding her death, and no one really knows which one, if either, is the truth.
One legend says that Molly was found dead in the park the day after her prom, hanging from a tree with her clothes torn and dirty. Supposedly she and her date got into an argument the night of the prom, and Molly left her date in the car and started walking. Her date drove off, leaving her in the park, and the next day, she was dead.
The second legend is that Molly was not a young girl killed after her prom, but a young black woman who was lynched by a white mob and left hanging from the tree.
Haunted Atchison Trolley Tour
The trolley tour of Atchison's haunted sites takes place once a month in the summer, and weekends during the months of September and October. More information on the Haunted Atchison Trolley Tour is available from the Atchison, Kansas Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-234-1854.
Beth VanHoose - Blogger/article writer with a fondness for history, pets, ghosts, bargain-hunting, travel destinations/sight-seeing, and life in ...
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