Just in time for Halloween! A special edition post by Chad about Alton, Illinois – “one of the most haunted towns in America!”
As we approach Alton, we see what at a glance appears to be graffiti on the beautiful stone cliffs. What a shame we think! We move on down the river and arrive at Alton, IL. Soon after arriving, we stop at the visitor’s center, and begin to learn more about the city that is full of history, ghosts, and murder!
We soon learn that the graffiti we thought we saw is actually a recreation of an Illinois Indian painting of a Piasa Bird (sadly, the original was quarried away in the late 1800’s). A “Piasa” is a bird that devours man. Imagine Joliet and Marquette seeing this painting on the Bluffs of the Mississippi River, just south of the Illinois River, as they came upon it in 1673. What a warning to them! There is so much history on these rivers, much of it never learned in history class.
Cliffs on the way to Alton
We decided to get tickets for the Haunted Alton walking tour on October 14 as the tickets were all sold out for “Friday the thirteenth.” Michelle ended up staying back, and I went with another Looper, who was also a history buff.
We started the tour at a mansion that was part of the Underground Railroad, and was turned into a tuberculosis sanatorium and then into apartments. We got to go into the tunnel that extended under the road and heard stories of runaway slaves.
The Alton Penitentiary, or what was left of it, was creepy. During the civil war, 6 to 10 inmates died every day. I took a lot of photos here hoping to find a ghost in the photos, none so far but have a look and see if you can find one!!!!
The tour also included some homes, a Hotel, and a church where the minister committed suicide in the 1930’s…or did he?
