Haunted Alton, Illinois and the Mineral Springs
Hotel
Once
again, the month of October is upon us…. a time for hauntings, Halloween - and
all things spooky. This month, A Grave
Interest is traveling around the Midwest, taking ghost tours and getting a look
at some ‘lively’ places, and, maybe, the spirits who make them so…
I
decided early on that it would be smart to get some guides for these haunted
jaunts. And who better to seek out than the local experts on all things
paranormal in their towns.
On
a cool, rainy night about 30 people milled around in the foyer of what was once
a grand hotel in Alton, Illinois. First, let me preface by saying that Alton has
the reputation (well earned, I might add) of being one of the most haunted
towns in America.
The
building we were in was, at one time, the Mineral Springs Hotel; given the name because
of the mineral springs that flow below the building. At the turn of the
century sulfur springs were thought to have healing properties. Here the
water was pumped up inside the building to be bottled and used as cures for a
variety of aliments. The hotel opened in 1914 and thrived for several decades
before finally closing in 1971.
 |
| Mineral Springs Hotel Building |
The
building was reopened in the late 1970s as an antique mall and has had a rocky
time since then. Today it is home to a few shops, the Torture Museum, and
Mineral Springs Haunted Tours, which is where we began this night with tour
owner, Janet Kolar.
 |
| Alton Cemetery |
 |
| "Pearl" |
After
“checking in” we proceed to our vehicles and followed the Mineral Springs Haunted
Tour hearse "Pearl" to the Alton Cemetery. There we were told about several prominent
Alton residents from the past as we visited their graves.
 |
| Sarah Bell's Stone |
 |
| Tour in Cemetery |
At
the plot of the Bell Family, our guide told of a young girl, Sarah Bell, who
died when she was around 10 years old. A small limestone marker was placed in
the family plot to mark her grave, but it soon disappeared. Her mother was
inconsolable and continued to search for the stone until her death some years
later. After she died, an apparition of a lady in black was seen walking in this
area of the cemetery, apparently searching for something.
 |
| Alton to Edwardsville |
The
story could end there but circumstances added a final chapter. A
few years ago, a man in Edwardsville, Illinois (18 miles from Alton) contacted
the cemetery wanting to return a tombstone he had found buried in his backyard.
He had unearthed it while digging a foundation. The stone was that of Sarah
Bell, missing for over 100 years. Since it has been returned to the family
plot, the lady in black has not been seen…
 |
| Lovejoy's Grave |
The
grave of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy is also located here, inside a small
iron fence. Lovejoy began printing an abolitionist newspaper called The Alton
Observer in 1837. But one year later a pro-slavery throng attacked his printing
store in an attempt to destroy his press. During the melee, Lovejoy was fatally
shot. Orbs and lights can sometimes be seen streaking past his grave, as if he is still
trying to run his presses.
 |
| Cemetery Seance |
 |
| Cemetery at Night |
About midway through the tour, a séance was
held down a dark cemetery road. Several took part, although participation was
optional. Orbs and streaks of light were reportedly seen in the cemetery at
that time.
 |
| Lobby Area Today |
We
then headed back to the warmth and light of the old Mineral Springs Hotel where
refreshments were served in the Crystal Room. Then we began a tour of the old
hotel, which has been called the most haunted building in Alton – and in this
town, that is claiming a lot!
 |
| Using Rods |
Things
have gone “bump in the night” here for years. And tales of murder, suicide, and
vengeance are abundant. Former employees, shop owners, and guests report phantom
footsteps, cold spots, and an eerie feeling of being watched throughout the
hotel.
 |
| Basement Pool Area |
In
the basement is a swimming pool; said to be haunted by several sprits including
a young girl, a man, and a woman. Wet footprints have been seen near the pool,
which has been without water for years. Splashing sounds have been heard in the
basement but when investigated there are no sounds, and again, there is no
water.
 |
| Mural of Alton |
Another
spirit that seems to linger here is that of Charlie, a painter who could not
pay his lodging bill in the 1930’s. Instead of running out on his tab, Charlie
offered to paint a mural of Alton on one wall of the bar. The owner agreed and
Charlie worked off his debt, while also working behind the bar at night. Legend
has it that something made Charlie despondent and he took his life one night.
Staff
and customers have reported smelling alcohol in this section of the building
and of having the feeling of being watched. The guide on this tour said that
Charlie has been known to follow some women from the tour back home, but once
he’s told to go away, he returns to Mineral Springs.
Probably
the best-known ghost is that of the Jasmine Lady. The story goes that a woman
and her husband came to the hotel to enjoy the healing waters around 1925, but
while staying here she became involved with another guest.
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| Jasmine Lady's Room |
 |
| Down the Hallway |
One
evening, when her husband was gone, she entertained the man in her room. Her
husband returned unexpectedly and found the two. Panicked and terrified, the
woman ran from her room and plunged down the stairs in an attempt to reach the
safety of the lobby. What really happened is not known; did she trip
while running down the stairs, or did her husband push her? Either way, the result was a broken neck
during the fall. She died immediately.
 |
| Haunted Stairs |
Several
employees, staff and guests have witnessed the replay of the Jasmine Lady’s
fall down the stairs. Some catch a whiff of jasmine perfume that seems to
linger around the staircase. Others have reported feeling something brush past
them on the stairs, and some have seen business signs in the hallway swing back
and forth as if moved by a sudden gust of air.
Mineral
Springs Haunted Tours offers several walking tour adventures, after dark, in the downtown area, and in the cemetery, which also includes a tour of the hotel. Or, if
you’re feeling very spirited, you
might consider an exclusive overnight camp-out in the pool area.
 |
| Haunted Lobby |
This
is one hotel, that as the song says, “You can check out anytime you like” - but
at Mineral Springs Hotel it appears that there really are some former guests
“who can never leave…”
~
Joy
street from where the new railroad would be built. Thomas Crutchfield later became mayor of Chattanooga and his hotel prospered until the Civil War. During the war, brother William Crutchfield, a Unionist, turned the hotel into a hospital for wounded soldiers - both Confederate and Union. In early 1867, the inn’s lobby was flooded when the Tennessee River rose 57-feet. In September of that year, the inn burned to the ground.
Fifty-four years later on New Year’s Day 1872, John Read opened The Read House on the site. It was destined to be a hotel of luxury with “terrazzo floors inlaid with marble, indoor paneling of quarter-sawed walnut, carved and gilded woodwork, mirrors recessed in massive arches and a lobby beautifully defined by its soaring columns.”
1875, the hotel served as a hospital for those suffering with yellow fever. A fourth story was added in 1886 and more renovations occurred in 1890.
A number of famous people have stayed at The Read House during the past century including comedian Bob Hope, singer and actor Bing Crosby, Oprah Winfrey and gangster Al Capone. Capone spent time in Room 311 during his federal trial for tax evasion. Bars were placed on the windows and remained there until a 2004 renovation. He never reported an encounter with a ghost.
checked into Room 311. There are several variations of the story of what happened to Annalisa. In one tale, she is a young married woman arriving with her husband. Annalisa Netherly was fashionable, pretty and flirtatious and as a lark, had accompanied her husband on a business trip. It is said that her husband returned to Room 311 unexpectedly and discovered his wife entertaining another man. Later, as she soaked in the bathtub, her husband came in and slit her throat leaving her to die. 
In another version, Annalisa was a local prostitute who had taken a client up to Room 311. In a jealous rage, he nearly severed her head from her body as she bathed in the clawfoot tub.
covers moving on the bed, or being touched while sleeping. Some have said the room feels so oppressive, they couldn’t spend the night in it while others reportedly hear water running in the bathroom or lights that flicker on and off. It is said that Annalisa does not like men to be in the room, especially those who smoke.
Guests have also seen spirits in the lobby and dining room. Some say an older man looks like owner John Read. Others have felt misery and despair they attribute to those long-ago soldiers and hospital residents. Ghost soldiers have been seen roaming the fourth floor searching for something ...
The Haunted Room 311 package includes exclusive overnight accommodations in Room 311, complimentary valet parking, an in-room decanter of "Bathtub Gin," two Annalisa Cocktails at the Bar & Billiards Room, $100 dining credit at the hotel's Bridgeman's Chophouse restaurant and $40 in-room breakfast service - providing you make it through the night ...
the room based on availability. Call or email for more details.
