Midwest Ghost Stories: Supernatural or Superstitious?
Picture from Pexels by Zachary DeBottis
Sage Osesek
Ghost stories have been prevalent throughout the world since ancient times. They have been passed on from generation to generation, usually derived from the somber history of a person’s dying location. According to dedicated ghost hunters, the Midwest is one of the epicenters of this history. From abandoned penitentiaries to old hotels, this region is home to chilling sites of ghostly reports. In particular, we will explore the stories surrounding the Ohio State Penitentiary and the Pfister Hotel.
The Ohio State Penitentiary began as an attempt to reform inmates. Opening in 1890, first-time offenders sent there were taught basic trades to facilitate their move back into society. As time went on, the prison population soared. Ohio State Penitentiary adjusted its standards to include convicts of more serious crimes. Some claim these convicts never left. This crowded facility accelerated the spread of disease and violence, increasing death rates drastically. Consequently, there are many allegations of ghosts haunting the penitentiary. These allegations range from unexplainable chills to disembodied voices and footsteps. Shadowy apparitions of prisoners are said to be common, staring at you through the rustic cell bars. Ghost hunters and average people alike have experienced unsettling horrors here, forever tagging Ohio State Penitentiary as an eerie paranormal hotspot.
The Pfister Hotel is infamous for being one of the most haunted hotels in the country. Guido Pfister, the hotel's creator, dreamed of opening a site of magnificent architecture. Unfortunately, he passed away before the hotel was completed, which led to rumors of his lumbering ghost residing there. Anna Lardinois, a researcher of the Pfister, came across an interview with Charles Sivyer, a Milwaukeean resident at the time of its opening. “He was talking about a time in the past when he lived in a log cabin that was on the land that now holds the Pfister and he reminisced that it was also a private burying ground," says Lardanois, "they were breaking ground for it; he went to the property to look for the bones of some of these people and could not find them. So that is, I think, where this legend truly began, that this hotel is built on land that had once been graves.” Based on this account, paranormal investigators claim ghosts haunt the hotel due to its history as a burying ground. Guests at the hotel have reported unexplained pounding, music playing, and mysterious voices. Is this the ghost of Guido Pfister or his son, Charles Pfister? Or is it the ghost of someone more sinister?
Are the allegations at the Ohio State Penitentiary and the Pfister Hotel valid?
Like most haunted allegations, there are skeptics. The horrifying experiences of those at the Ohio State Penitentiary and the Pfister Hotel could have more plausible explanations. For instance, when one visits a haunted place, they expect paranormal activity. Thus, every unexplainable creak that we dismiss during the day turns into proof of supernatural occurrences. Images seen by witnesses can be explained as well. Hallucinations out of the corner of an eye are common due to blind spots. Our brain compensates for what we can not see, creating images that we want to believe are there. So, if one is at a place rumored to be haunted, they will see these haunted figures. Likewise, alleged paranormal activity like whispers can be easily explained by the wind outside or other reasonable noises rather than ghostly creatures. Based on this rationale, skeptics claim that apparitions seen and noises heard at Ohio State Penitentiary and the Pfister Hotel are a result of an overactive imagination.
Whether you believe the stories or hold a skeptical mindset, the midwest has an unsettling past with terrifying horror stories. Like similar stories passed through generations, Ohio State Penitentiary and the Pfister Hotel have creepy tales. The interpretation of the legitimacy of these tales is up to you.
Sources:
Ohio State Reformatory's Haunted History
Stay Overnight in a Hotel built in 1893 That's Said to be Haunted
