Lincoln's Ghost Stories.
Told by Local Voices.

4000 S 1st St, Lincoln, NE 68512

On the night of August 10, 1894, a passenger train carrying 33 people raced through the darkness toward Lincoln. It would never reach its destination. As Locomotive 213 crossed a towering trestle above Salt Creek, the rails suddenly gave way. The engine and passenger cars plunged forty feet into the creek bed below, erupting into an enormous fire. Trapped passengers screamed from inside the burning wreckage while helpless witnesses could do little more than watch. Eleven people would die that night. But this was no accident. Investigators discovered that someone had deliberately tampered with the tracks. A mysterious man carrying a lantern was reportedly seen disappearing into the darkness—and more than 130 years later, no one can say with certainty who sent that train to its fiery end. Today, deep within what is now Wilderness Park, visitors still report screams among the trees, the sound of twisting metal, shadowy figures moving through the brush…and something that sounds remarkably like a train wreck happening all over again. Location Directions: (at your own risk) Take the Rock Island Trail north for .2 miles and then .3 miles west across the GPTN bridge over the railroad. Then take the ramp down to the Jamaica North Trail, where the Trail Trek sign is posted.

West Calvert St & S 1st St, Lincoln, NE

Deep inside Wilderness Park stand the remnants of a place that once drew thousands of visitors. Today, the crowds are gone, the buildings have vanished beneath the woods, and what remains has earned a far more sinister name: Hell’s Gate. Those who venture beyond its arches after dark describe something deeply unsettling. Footsteps follow from behind when no one is there. Children’s laughter drifts through the trees. Chains rattle somewhere in the darkness. And the deeper you walk, the harder it becomes to remember exactly which trail brought you in. There are old stories about missing children here. And about a mysterious woman the locals called the Witch of the Woods. They say you can still hear her chains. The frightening part is when they start getting closer.

925 Robbers Cave Rd. Lincoln, NE 68502

Deep beneath Lincoln lies Robber’s Cave, a maze of cold sandstone where more than a century of secrets have been carved into the walls. Visitors have reported unexplained whispers, children laughing in empty chambers, flickering lights—and the unsettling feeling that something is following them deeper underground. At the end of the cave stands an old brick wall, sealing a passage rumored to have once stretched beneath Lincoln. People have heard strange sounds coming from the other side. Whatever is back there…perhaps it was sealed away for a reason.

2843 S. 24th Street, Lincoln, Ne 68502

It looks like an ordinary home on a quiet Lincoln street. But in January 1958, three people were murdered inside, victims of Charles Starkweather’s infamous killing spree. Nearly seventy years later, new owners, new furniture and fresh coats of paint haven’t erased what happened here. People inside the Ward House have described sudden cold, footsteps in empty rooms and the unnerving sensation of someone standing just behind them. Some refuse to remain inside alone. And if you look toward the windows as you pass tonight…you may get the disturbing feeling that someone inside is looking back.

2335 Sheridan Blvd. Lincoln, NE 68502

Behind the walls of a beautiful Sheridan Boulevard mansion once hid a strange little kingdom of twisting pathways, dark ponds, stone caves, and trees so thick they seemed to swallow the house after sunset. Lincoln kids gave it a name: Hobbitsville. And for decades, they dared one another to climb the wall and find out what was hiding inside. Then came the stories. A little boy who disappeared. A child pulled beneath the water. A mother who supposedly left the gate unlocked, waiting for someone who never came home. And perhaps creepiest of all, people claimed that if you stared into the trees at night, in just the right light, the branches formed the unmistakable face of a child staring back. Most of Hobbitsville's legends can be dismissed as teenage folklore. But one night, after a fresh snowfall, something left footprints behind.

1440 Lake Street, Lincoln, NE 68502

Most people who walk through Rudge Memorial Park have no idea they're walking across the bottom of a vanished lake. Long before the streets and houses arrived, water collected here from Salt Creek, freezing solid in winter and drawing generations of neighborhood children onto its ice. The lake is gone now. But some say it never completely left. As the weather turns cold, people have reported the sound of water moving beneath dry ground, strange figures near the old shoreline, and an uneasy feeling that seems to rise from somewhere under their feet. There are stories about what happened here—stories of violence, death, and people who appeared where they shouldn't have been. Walk far enough into the old lake bed after dark, and you may feel it too.

1445 South 20th Street, Lincoln, NE 68502

The historic William T. Barstow House and the eerie lore surrounding the corner of 20th & Washington Streets in Lincoln, Nebraska, consistently connects to tragic local history and ghost stories. Barstow died on the northwest corner of 20th and Washington, in his own driveway, on his own property. But the chill everyone talks about, the one people still go out of their way to feel, sits on the southeast corner. Directly across the intersection, where a public sidewalk is, nowhere near where anything is actually documented to have happened. The intersection carries a dark reputation in local folklore and ghost stories, as it is said to have witnessed a violent roadside shooting or hit-and-run in the early 1900s or 1920s at this specific corner, giving rise to urban legends of a residual "cold spot" on the southeast corner.

700 South 16th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska

The Ferguson House is one of Lincoln’s most beautiful historic homes. But spend enough time inside its ornate rooms and beneath its sweeping staircase, and that beauty begins to feel strangely occupied. For decades, people inside the house have reported shadowy figures near the back staircase, lights behaving inexplicably, and offices mysteriously disturbed overnight. Most unsettling is the apparition of a woman dressed in a white apron with a blue collar, seen carrying laundry through the house as though another century never ended. Perhaps she was once a servant. Perhaps she was someone else entirely. Whatever the answer, those who know the Ferguson House will tell you one thing: this house never feels empty.

1630 K Street, Lincoln, NE 68508

For more than 120 years, people have come and gone from the Harris House on K Street. But according to those who have worked there, someone never got the message that it was time to leave. After dark, footsteps cross empty rooms upstairs. Doors quietly move on their own. And people working alone describe the unmistakable sensation that someone is watching them from somewhere inside the house. No one knows who—or what—it might be. Perhaps that’s why some people who work here make sure they’re gone before darkness arrives.

1301 H St, Lincoln, NE 68508

By day, Billy’s Restaurant is one of Lincoln’s most charming historic dining rooms. But after the final glasses are cleared, the doors are locked, and the last employee prepares to leave, the old Noble-Dawes House apparently has a way of reminding people that they aren’t quite alone. For decades, employees have told remarkably similar stories: purposeful footsteps crossing empty rooms, voices behind closed doors, objects mysteriously moved, and the fleeting silhouette of a man watching from a doorway or the top of the stairs. Stranger still, some longtime employees discovered that simply acknowledging the unseen presence could make the activity stop. Whatever walks these rooms doesn’t appear to want you gone. It just wants you to remember whose house you’re standing in.

333 S 13th St, Lincoln, NE 68508

For nearly a century, guests have come and gone from Lincoln's Cornhusker Hotel. Presidents, celebrities, politicians, travelers, newlyweds—all eventually checked out. But perhaps not everyone left. Employees working the lonely hours between 3 and 4 a.m. tell of empty elevators moving on their own, three knocks on doors with no one outside, voices coming from vacant rooms, and the faint crying of a baby somewhere on the upper floors. Guests have awakened so terrified by what happened inside their rooms that they've chosen to spend the rest of the night sleeping in the lobby. And then there's the elevator. Late at night, with no one inside and no buttons pressed, employees have watched its numbers climb slowly upward…floor by floor…until it stops. On the tenth floor. Every time. That wouldn't be so strange—except the Cornhusker that once stood on this exact ground had twelve floors.

129 N 10th St, Lincoln, NE 68508

For more than a century, the massive stone buildings of Lincoln’s old Government Square have watched over downtown. Thousands of people once passed through their courtrooms, offices, corridors, and basement rooms. Today, much of that world is gone. But inside the Grand Manse, some say the building never truly emptied. People who have worked alone within its historic walls tell of voices with no source, footsteps approaching through empty corridors, objects moving on their own, and equipment mysteriously turning on when no one else is there. One former worker even claims a security camera captured something being moved—with nobody anywhere near it. The people who once filled these halls are gone. But after more than a century, the Grand Manse may still remember them. And some may still be walking its halls.

1209 R St, Lincoln, NE 68508

Located on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Visitors and students have reported hearing the sounds of chairs being thrown, phantom applause, and darting shadows. Legends connect these occurrences to a student who fell to his death during a theatrical production. According to campus legend, a young carpenter and drama student fell to his death from the rafters during the building's construction in 1906. His spirit is still said to cause unexplained noises, spontaneous music, and moving objects that are sure to send chills up your spine! We highly suggest not provoking this ghost.

5903 Walker Avenue, Lincoln, NE 68507

Whitehall Mansion was once one of Lincoln’s grandest homes. Later, its elegant rooms became home to generations of children with nowhere else to go. Today, the children are gone—but some say the house never became completely quiet. After dark, people have reported slow footsteps in empty hallways, doors opening by themselves, unexplained cold spots and fleeting figures upstairs. But there’s one sound that’s particularly difficult to explain. Sometimes, when Whitehall is empty, you can still hear the children laughing.

4703 N 44th St, Lincoln, NE 68504

For decades, Lincoln teenagers whispered about Bloody Mary, a mysterious old woman hidden deep in the woods of North Lincoln. They dared one another to find her darkened farmhouse and the famed "Pig Man", where some swore they saw a ghostly woman dressed in white staring back at them from an upstairs window. Her home sat near 44th & Superior. But Bloody Mary wasn't a ghost. Her name was Mary Partington, and she was very much alive. What began as teenage folklore became something far more terrifying: trespassing, violence, gunfire, and eventually death. The house is gone now, consumed by fire decades ago. But the legend survived—and some still claim Mary's spirit wanders the secluded land where she once desperately wanted only to be left alone. Perhaps you might be the one who wants to be left alone...

1445 K St, Lincoln, NE 68508

By day, the Nebraska State Capitol is filled with footsteps, voices and visitors. But after the doors close and its long marble corridors go dark, some of these sounds and spirits come to life. Unexplained footsteps echo through vacant hallways. Shadowy figures appear and disappear. Elevators seem to move without passengers. And high inside the tower, workers have reported the unmistakable feeling that someone—or something—is still wandering the Capitol after everyone else has gone home. The building may close for the night. Not everyone inside leaves.

5600 Pioneers Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68506

The strange and unusual feelings and images at this haunted intersection are sure to bring shivers down your spine. This is an interactive stop as well. But, please be careful walking and getting out of your car....if you dare.

2650 N 48th St, Lincoln, NE 68502

Today, it’s a law office. But long ago, this historic Lincoln building was home to an old sea captain whose private studio occupied the upper floor. And according to those who have encountered him, the Captain never really moved out. Over the years, his apparition has reportedly appeared inside the building—sometimes only for a fleeting moment before vanishing. Perhaps after a lifetime spent at sea, he finally found a place he never wanted to leave. And somewhere upstairs…the old Captain may still be keeping watch.