All towns have secrets, whether they’re well-kept and only the locals know them, or if they are discussed in faraway places. Often these secrets are the local hauntings. Sometimes, without knowing it, we find ourselves in places that give us that fluttery feeling inside, as if someone is watching us or something is coming to get us. Maybe it’s just a chill down your spine as you enter a room; maybe it gets hard to breathe and you know you need to leave… but regardless, it’s scary, and you don’t like it.
These are some places that are sure to creep you out a bit… read this at your own risk.
For purposes of ease, here is a guide to the terms I will use to describe these places:
The fictional story: this will be a summary of the rumors that go around about the location. Since it’s impossible to know everything that’s true or not, I’ve compiled what I’ve heard most often about the location rather than the information with only one source.
The real story: documented fact and history of the location.
Validity: the degree to which the hauntings that are said to have occurred can actually be believed.
My experience: what happened when I traveled to this location.
My recommendation: is it worth visiting?
Ogg Road
Location: Just south of Midland Drive, on the west side of I-435 (leading into Shawnee Mission Park)
The fictional story: A teenage boy who lived on or near Ogg Road decided to commit suicide. He hung himself from a tree on Ogg, and his brother discovered his body. In deep mourning, he hung himself next to his brother. It is said that sometimes the brothers can be seen in the trees, and if you walk down this road at night, strange things happen and bizarre noises can be heard.
The real story: Although I could not find any documentation confirming the story, it does appear to be true. A friend of mine actually knew one of the boys involved in this tragic incident and confirmed that the background story is accurate, even if the sightings are not.
My experience: A friend and I decided to check out this location one evening. We arrived and parked at the gate, and no one else was in sight. We started walking down where the road becomes very low. The bridge was flooded with water, but we wanted to go further. It was very, very dark and I had a shaky feeling. We continued walking and hearing odd noises, and I was taking pictures along the way. Some people believe that when a white orb appears in a picture, it’s because there’s a spirit there. I took the photograph enclosed before we decided to sprint back to the car. Although it’s faint, an orb is definitely visible in the picture. Even when I looked closely, I couldn’t see anything in the trees that would cause this sort of visual.
My recommendation: It was very interesting to visit this place. It was depressing that such a terrible incident had occurred where I was walking, but it was quite thrilling. This is exactly the creepy back road you’d see in a horror movie, and I was convinced for a while that I’d never leave the place alive.
Sauer Castle
Location: 935 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, Kansas
The fictional story: A man and his wife moved to Kansas City from Germany. They had no children but a few large dogs, and the couple was very much in love. When war broke out in Germany, the husband went back overseas to do his part in the war effort. When the war was over, his wife thought he was supposed to come home on a certain ship, and he did not. So, similar to the story of Theseus and Ariadne when the ship returned with black sails, his wife returned home and hung herself in the bell tower. Only days later, he returned home on a different ship than the one he’d originally planned to sail home on. He came home, discovered her body, and shot himself and their dogs. According to the many people who have visited this landmark, sometimes at night the lights may be seen turned on in the highest room of the castle, and some report seeing a woman walking past the windows, wearing a long white dress. People also claim to have seen two figures dancing in the highest window on Halloween.
The real story: This historical landmark was built around 1870 or 1871, and furnished by November 1872. Anthony Sauer came to Kansas City from Germany in 1867. He was looking for a place to build a home, and he wanted a location overlooking a river like his home in Germany had overlooked the Rhine. He met and married Mrs. Mary Einhellig, a young widow with two children, in 1869. He and his five children from a previous marriage joined Einhellig’s two, and they continued to have five more daughters. Their three story, twelve room house was perhaps the biggest in Wyandotte County at the time. Sauer only lived in the house for seven years before his death from tuberculosis in 1879, and his wife lived there until her death in 1919 (1). Various members of the family continued to live in the house for many years, but in 1954 the property was purchased from the Sauer heirs by a man named Paul Berry. He lived in the house until his death in 1986, and with his permission the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 2, 1977.
Validity: There is no evidence of the tragic story of Mrs. Einhellig’s suicide in the bell tower or anything of the variety. As a matter of fact, the tower isn’t a bell tower at all. The story has changed many times over the years, but Sauer Castle is not haunted, and rather a historical landmark.
My experience: I first learned of the Sauer Castle a couple years ago, when some friends and I drove past it. Before hearing the true story about this place, it was very spooky and ominous and it seemed to have a negative feeling surrounding it. After reading the true story of the house it isn’t so terrifying, but it still is very gloomy, particularly with the multiple fences surrounding it and the threat of very large guard dogs surrounding the yard.
My recommendation: It’s a beautiful house, but it’s not a very good scare. It’s a well-hidden, gorgeous structure in Kansas City with interesting historical value but not the place to go to be frightened.
Stonewall Inn
Location: 10242 Pflumm Road, Lenexa, Kansas
The fictional story: This little converted farmhouse is now a pizzeria. Stories say that the manager, Joe Kieltyka, will shove all the tables against the walls at the end of the night and stack the chairs to clean up for the next day. He then goes into his office for a cigarette. Sometimes when he comes back out, all the tables and chairs are back in their original positions, moved by unseen hands.
The real story: The story is not true in any way. I went to the restaurant and asked for the manager, who was unavailable. I asked the young man behind the counter if he knew anything about the story. He laughed like he’d heard the question a few hundred times and informed me that no, the Stonewall Inn is not haunted, but a college kid made it up for a research paper.
My recommendation: The story was completely false and the pizza was swimming in a pool of grease. The trip was definitely not worth it.
Stull Cemetery
Location: Stull, Kansas- about ten miles west of Lawrence
The fictional story: There are so many hundreds of myths about the Stull Cemetery that a summary is impossible, but here is the most common gossip on the subject:
•The devil appears at the cemetery at midnight on Halloween and also the Spring Equinox.
•The devil’s son, born to a witch on Earth, is buried in that cemetery.
•No precipitation will enter the church, even though it has no roof.
•There was a church next to the cemetery, but most of it burnt down. Supposedly only one wall stood. When people attempt to throw glass bottles at the wall, they do not break. Also, the stairs that lead down to the church’s basement are said to be never-ending. You can get back to the top, but you’ll never seem to find the bottom. This is why many people believe that the remains of this church, which were finally demolished completely in 2002, are a gate to hell.
•Some have said the Pope refuses to fly over Kansas because it is a link to the underworld.
•It is believed that witches were hung on the pine tree in the cemetery in the 1800s. The tree was torn down in 1998.
The real story: None of the above information has ever been proven. This small town cemetery may give off some creepy vibrations, but any cemetery would.
My experience: Although I was unable to go to Stull myself, I have heard many stories from people who have. Some are obviously inconceivable, but a few are just so perplexing that you ‘re not sure what to believe.
My recommendation: It’s a really, really bad idea to go to the Stull Cemetery. If you’re caught trespassing in this highly patrolled area, you risk spending a night in the Douglas County Jail.
Other Places of Interest
Cry Baby Bridge: The exact location is unknown, but it is in Olathe somewhere. Supposedly babies were sacrificed on this bridge. People also say that if you shut your car off with the windows down sitting on this bridge, you can hear babies crying and your car won’t start when you try. Another common idea is if you put baby powder on the ground or on your car, you can see baby footprints appear in it.
Haskell Indian Nations University: This Native-American college in Lawrence is said to have many very terrifying hauntings, such as small Indian children crying for their parents, eyes watching from the bell tower, a haunted freshmen girls’ dormitory, and spirits enjoying shows in the auditorium.
As you can see, there are many exciting, thrilling places to visit that you may not even have known about before. Feel free to take a look at your own discretion! Always be safe and enjoy.
