Haunted Springfield, Missouri

Nestled into the Ozarks hills, Springfield, Missouri is a town that has had a long and colorful history. This fact, combined with the Ozark tradition of storytelling, means that Springfield is a great place to check out "haunted" areas. Each one of these places is locally renowned for strange happenings and spooky occurrences. And even if you don't see any ghosts, you will definitely get a greater understanding of the area's history and culture.

Landers Theater -

At 100 years old, the Landers theater is a well-known and much loved building in downtown Springfield. The history of the Landers is really remarkable: it was the first theater in the area to acquire "talkies," and its stage has seen a number of famous actors. Today the Landers is one of the most interesting buildings in Springfield and home to plays, symphonies, ballets, and musicals. It is also, if you believe the stories, home to many ghosts.

The most commonly reported spirit in the old theater is that of an elderly janitor who perished in an early fire. He is often seen in the balcony area, and has been known to distract the actors on the stage. Another story is of a baby accidentally dropped from a balcony. Actors report their rehearsals being interrupted by crying followed by a mother's grief.

Outside of the theater, many passersby claim to see a woman peeking from a fourth floor windows. She is described as having long blond hair and wearing Elizabethan clothing. Employees and guests of the theater often report other ghostly activities: shoulder taps, apparitions, unplugged appliances and spotlights coming on of their own accord, and whispers in the lobby. Whether or not ghosts roam the halls of the Landers, you are sure to get a spooky feeling while there.

"Freddy" Freudenberger House -

There are several reported hauntings and ghosts on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, but none is more well-known than the ghost of Freudenberger House (most commonly known as "Freddy House" by students). This ghost is that of a woman who seems to prefer the fifth floor of the dormitory. The ghost is such a common sighting that she has been labeled the "Dorm Mom" by students who inhabit Freddy.

Phelps Grove Park -

One of the most often repeated ghost stories in the area, most Springfield school children grow up hearing about the "bride under the bridge" at Phelps Grove Park.

The legend goes that a newly married couple were driving through the park directly after their wedding. As they passed by the third bridge, they car span out of control, killing the bride and her new husband. Many claim that her ghost haunts that bridge still, and that on certain nights she can be seen still in her tattered gown, with blackness where her face should be. As you can imagine, Phelps Grove Park has long been the haunt of ghost hunting groups and local kids hoping to see the ghost of the bride.

Central High School--

Another well known haunting in Springfield is that of Central High. Most notable is room 311. Room 311 reportedly had a door that locked itself, with no one in the room. This room was also haunted by strange sounds. The school has been renovated recently, and the rooms renumbered, making this spot much harder to find. The basement and fourth floor attic are also supposedly haunted by ghosts.

The Hornet/Joplin Spook Light or "Devil's Promenade" -

For this one we move out of Springfield itself and down to the Joplin area. The Hornet Spooklight is one of the most well-known mysterious sites in the United States.

On nearly every other evening a ball light can be seen on a dirt road near the Oklahoma border, and has been seen for over 140 years. People have flocked to this road to see the "spooklight" for generations, and it truly is something to behold. The light appears to glow and dance, the colors change, and it will occasionally break into several smaller glowing balls. The light has been reported to have entered a car and will seemingly retreat from followers.

Scientists from across the globe have studied the spooklight, and no clear indication of what it is has been found. Car lights, gases, St. Elmo's fire, and will-o'-the-wisp have all been considered and ultimately rejected as explanations.

There are several rumors that the spooklight is actually a ghost. One involves the spirit of an Indian chief who was beheaded. It is said the light is his torch as he searches for his lost head. Yet another story revolves around a miner who's family disappeared. The light in this story is said to be his lantern as he tries to find his family.

Whatever the cause of the spooklight, it is certainly unique and definitely real. It appears like clockwork and has been seen by hundreds, if not thousands of locals and tourists alike. Ghost or no, it is certainly worth a look.

Sources
Troy Taylor. The Hornet Spook Light. Unexplained America.