Illinois: Phantom Steamboat

My favorite ghost stories from this mid west state are the ones that have been told for generations.

The story of the phantom steamboat seen along the Spoon River in Fulton County has been told since the 1800s.

Spoon River

In one very wet spring in the 1840s it is said the Spoon River overflowed its banks. Because of this even the most experienced riverboat pilots avoided its dangerous waterways.

One pilot and crew of a small steamboat with more spunk than common sense decided Mother Nature would not intimidate them. Early one morning they with a small group of passengers fool heartedly headed down the Spoon River.

The last time this steamboat was seen was as it made its way around a bend. Witnesses later told the St. Louis Republican newspaper that as the boat disappeared out of sight they heard its sharp whistle blow and the soft strains of its passengers singing the hymn, In the Sweet By and By.

After this the boat was never seen again. Searches were conducted but with no result. Some speculated that the boat must have run aground. But if this were the case this steamboat would have eventually been found.

It wasn’t until 13 years later in 1853 that this boat was seen again.

The Spoon River had once more overflowed with the spring rains. Several witnesses that lived along the Spoon reported a strange sight.

It was midnight and the banks of the river were flooded so it startled many of the local residents to hear the sound of a sharp steamboat whistle blow on the river.

What boat could possibly be out on this dangerous river, especially after dark?

Several groups of concerned citizens went as near the river as the flooded banks allowed. They were amazed to see a small steamboat break through the mist headed silently downstream.

Many reported that it appeared to be the same steamboat that had disappeared years before.

Witness accounts included a description of how the boat seemed to “glow.” Others stated they saw the dark outlines of people on deck.

The most eerie part was all of these reports stated people heard the faint sound of a chorus of voices singing the refrain from the traditional hymn, In the Sweet By and By.

“In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore;

In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore.”

Here is the complete hymn.