The Ghost at Valentine High School

Today this old school in the small town of Valentine, Nebraska, is a museum called Centennial Hall.

Centennial Hall Museum

Its’ twelve rooms house a variety of antiques, including the 1,700 Hallock Bell collection that takes up an entire room.

Charles F. Bendoff designed this two-story school in 1897. It was built in 1898. It was used both as a primary and secondary school for the Cherry County School District.

This building is the oldest high school still standing in Nebraska. It is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

It was Valentine High School teachers, that first noted a ghostly girl, often seen roaming the halls.

It is believed she was a student at the school in 1944. As a joke, another student poisoned her Clarinet reed. She then tragically suffered a heart attack and died.

Her apparition is still seen in the museum today. Visitors state they experienced an uncontrollable feeling of being unwell at the same time they saw this ghost.

Centennial Hall Museum

Other activity includes--

Cold spots are felt, and strange noises are also heard. Band music is often heard coming from the school’s old music room. Instruments are no longer stored in the building.

Items are also seen moving on their own. Most notably a rocking chair that is seen rocking without cause.

Local residents claim the building itself is spooky. As they drive by they state, “it is as if the building is watching them.”

Haunted Little Bighorn

There are many reasons why this famous western battlefield is an excellent place to visit, especially if one wants to encounter a ghost.

George Armstrong Custer

It was here where “Custer’s Last Stand” took place in June of 1876.

On this grassy hill in south-central Montana, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer led the U.S. 7^th Cavalry into battle against thousands of Lakota (Sioux) and Cheyenne warriors.

All 263 of Custer’s men perished in this battle, which became known as the Battle of Little Bighorn. Over 100 warriors died as well during this two-day fight.

Custer's Last Stand

A historian, John Doerner, states it is not surprising this site is haunted considering all the bloodshed, scalping’s, and mutilations that took place on this hill.

After this battle, the U.S. tripled its efforts to force the Plains Indians onto reservations. They accomplished this within the year.

National Cemetery

Today, the location is a National Monument. The areas with the most activity are the battlefield, Stone House, and the National Cemetery.

Visitors and employees at the park agree that the ghosts appear to be restless.

Chief Crazy Horse
One of the chiefs that
participated in the battle.

Many report hearing the sounds of Indian warriors charging on horseback through the cemetery. The curious who have visited this cemetery at night state they felt random cold spots that had no source.

In August of 1979, a Park Enforcement Officer was alone on “Last Stand Hill.” He felt a sudden drop in temperature, and a strong force appeared to walk right through his body.

He heard a steady murmur of voices and left quickly, not wanting to know if they addressed him.

Two visitors at separate times, both had similar disturbing experiences. Both men, one from New Orleans, and the other from Minneapolis claimed to be transported back in time.

They witnessed soldiers and warriors fighting to the death.

Both of these visitors were so unsettled by what they saw—they had to be “calmed down.”

Battlefield at Little Bighorn.

A former Native American Park Ranger, Mardell Plainfeather, saw the ghosts of Indian warriors in 1980.

Late one evening, driving home she spotted two warriors sitting on horses, silhouetted upon a bluff. One of these men lifted himself off his saddle and looked directly at Mardell.

He was dressed for war, painted, with feathers in his long hair. Both men held shields and had bows.

Mardell stated she was not frightened by their presence, but she was curious.

A very active site at Little Bighorn is Stone House. This home was first the superintendent’s residence. It then was used in the summer months as apartments for the staff.

In the winter, this home was closed and locked. This is why the following two sightings are so unusual.

Neil Mangum while walking home through the cemetery, during winter nights often saw the second-floor lights on in the Stone House. He then would turn them off.

He did this despite the fact he knew---the ghosts in the house were turning them on.

Mardell also saw these lights on, in the 1980s during the winter months. But she would never enter the home alone. On night she requested Mike, a Park Ranger, accompany her.

At the same time, Mike’s wife Pam was watching TV in their nearby apartment when the screen went blank, and a strange voice stated, “Second Floor” three times.

This freaked her out until Mike returned unharmed.

Several staff members observed and heard activity when they stayed at the Stone House for one or two nights when they first arrived at the park to work.

This activity included knocks and loud bangs, doorknobs moving on their own, unexplained footsteps coming from empty rooms, and personal items being moved about by unseen hands.

The Stone House at Little Bighorn.

A female ghost was observed walking down the stairs. Most believe this activity occurs because the home’s lower level was once used to store bodies until they could be buried in the years after the battle.

When Mike and Pam first came, they stayed in the upstairs apartment for several nights, they didn’t encounter anything during this time, but their dog was always nervous—pacing back and forth.

In the summer of 1986, a new Park Ranger stayed at Stone House his first two nights. He was in a second-floor apartment sleeping, when he awoke to find a presence sitting on the edge of his bed.

He reached for his Colt .54 as he saw this shadowy figure move from the foot of his bed. He saw the torso of a soldier, but the head and legs were missing.

He watched as this strange figure quickly moved into the next room and then disappeared.

People have also seen a variety of other apparitions in Stone House, including George Custer. Today the home is used as a library and conference center.

Stone Lion Inn

Guests have trouble sleeping at this bed and breakfast located in Guthrie, Oklahoma. A small child often bothers them.

In 1907, F.E. Houghton had this 3-story, 8,000 square foot home built for his wife and six children. Once they moved in, the Houghton’s had six more children.

Tragedy struck his family when their 8-year-old daughter contracted whooping cough. This young girl, Augusta was bedridden and despondent.

She was given the only medicine used at the time. It was cough syrup laced with codeine and opium.

The nurse accidentally gave her too much, and she died.

The Houghton family leased the house in the 1920s, to an undertaker, who used it as a funeral home for eight years.

The Houghton’s moved back into the house in the 1930s. Mr. Houghton died of a stroke in 1943. Mrs. Houghton, her children grown, then ran the home as a “boarding house” until her death in 1958.

Stone Lion Inn

By 1986, Becky Luker turned the building into a B&B. The renovations made on the old home, during this time, stirred the paranormal activity up.

But ghosts were present before this.

F.E. Houghton is believed to haunt the home as well as a dark, intimidating male presence in the basement. This mysterious entity is connected to this room because it was once used as the morgue.

Embalming table.

The embalming table used, still remains in the home.

But the ghost at Stone Lion that is seen the most is Augusta. She is a mischievous presence.

At first, Luker and her sons, hearing footsteps on a nightly basis, called the police—afraid of intruders. But these officers never found anyone.

On the third floor is a toy chest that once belonged to the Houghton children. The new owners often found the toys strewn about in the morning.

The remaining Houghton family members reassured them not to be concerned. It was just Augusta playing—as she had done for years, after her death.

Augusta is also heard running up and down the back staircase as well as running around the third floor. She is often heard giggling.

Many guests at this inn have reported encounters with this little girl.

Guest room.

They have seen her small figure tucking them into bed at night, and she often strokes people’s faces to wake them up in the morning.

She likes to squeeze guests toes as they sleep.

Other guests have complained that they couldn’t rest because Augusta played on their bed all night. Or that she bounced a wooden ball throughout the night.

Paranormal teams that have investigated this B&B have picked up cold spots throughout the inn, as well as EVPs of both a child’s voice and a male voice.

Logan’s Weeping Mother

The legend states—

If you say, "weepy woman, weep" the statue will cry . . .

Logan, Utah

Olif and Julia Cronquist lived in Logan, Utah at the turn of the 19th century.

Mr. Cronquist was a respected county commissioner and dairy farmer. His wife, Julia, was a devoted mother.

Tragically, only three of this couples' eight children survived until adulthood.

Within twelve years—between 1889-1901 the couple lost:

Two sets of twins, the first boys and the second girls all died at a young age in separate scarlet fever outbreaks, and the fifth child was stillborn.

Julia also contracted scarlet fever, but despite ongoing health issues connected to this illness, she survived.

Despite her husband's support, Julia was inconsolable. Friends and neighbors often saw her in the city cemetery near her children's graves sobbing.

As a result of her own bout with scarlet fever, Julia grew weaker and weaker. She also tragically died in 1914, of valvular heart disease.

Her obituary stated in part—

"a splendid woman, tender, loving, patient, and true. Bearing a great burden without complaint and always seeking the happiness and comfort of others."

Weeping Mother

In tribute, Olif had an impressive monument placed upon his wife's grave, in 1917.

This statue of a beautiful, sad woman, located at the Logan City Cemetery, is said to be haunted.

Witnesses, over the years since state that this statue is seen weeping—during full moons and on the anniversaries of Julia's children deaths—four of them in March.

Others state this statue is seen moving—looking in the direction of the various children's graves.

Another report involves the statue actually wandering around this cemetery.

One recent report mentions that a mother/daughter witnessed Julia's ghost sitting near this monument crying. She then just disappeared.

Utah State University

This cemetery is near Utah State University. Because of this legend, a sign is posted warning visitors no one is allowed in the cemetery after dark.