Fort Riley Kansas - History and Hauntings

Fort Riley, Kansas History & Hauntings

Cavalry Parade Field - Allegedly, a group of spectral riders are often seen and/or heard galloping across Cavalry Parade Field. According to the tales, numerous people have first felt a low vibration and heard the sounds of distant thunder before seeing a troop of soldiers galloping across the parade grounds. The riders then slow at the intersection of Sheridan and Forsyth Avenues, where, after one rider dismounts, the rest of the troop wheels around and rides away.

The intersection where the riders stop is where Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer once lived. Though the original home where Custer lived burned down long ago, the house was in the vicinity of this intersection. Some believe that the original dwelling stood where Quarters 21 is now located.

In any event, this group of spectral riders is believed to be an escort for Custer, and the dismounting soldier is thought to be the Lieutenant himself.

The Old Trooper Statue stands before the Cavalry Parade Field, Kathy Weiser, October, 2005.

This image available for photographic prints HERE!

George Armstrong Custer, photo taken between 1860-1865.

This image available for photographic prints HERE!

Way back in 1867 when Custer was stationed at the fort, but off an a military campaign, he got the news that cholera had broken out at the fort where his beloved wife Libby was waiting for him. Fearing for her safety, he selected an escort of his finest horsemen, turned over the 7th Cavalry to another officer, and the men rode back to the fort as fast as the could. Though he arrived to find Libby in good health, Custer was later court martialed for deserting his unit and was relieved from command for one year. Perhaps this emotionally charged event has become a "place memory" haunting.

Interestingly, when these dark riders "appear" upon the parade grounds, different people sense them in different ways.

Some witnesses both see and hear the troops, but even more report that they can either see them or hear them, but not both. Those that hear them often hear various sounds, including the sound of thundering hoofs, as well as voices and the metallic jingle that accompanies horsemen.

Custer House – What was formerly known as Quarters 24, this structure is one of four original buildings left from the original post and has been in continual use since it was built. Made from native limestone from the area, the building is structurally similar to the original set of officer's quarters that George Armstrong Custer and his wife, Libby, lived in from 1866 to 1867. Alas, the actual building, located near the Custer House, that the Lieutenant lived in has long ago burned down. Today, Quarters 24 stands as a museum exhibiting life at the fort in the late 1860s.

The Custer House served as the starting point for the

Fort Riley Ghost Tour in 2006, Kathy Weiser

Haunting reports from this house first began in 1855, when the fort was hit by a cholera epidemic which claimed many lives. Immediately, the ghostly spirits were blamed on those who had died of the horrible disease.

Specific reports include a sergeant who worked in the building in the 1970's who said that he often heard strange noises coming from the upstairs rooms, including what sounded like someone putting a boot on, then stamping his foot on the floor. These noises always came at time when no one was in the upstairs rooms. The same sergeant also reported that a teddy bear in the children's room kept moving around. Though he always placed it on the bed before leaving, he would arrive the next day to find it had been moved again, usually sitting atop a rocking horse in the room.

Another soldier who worked in the Custer House reported that she would often arrive in the morning to find a bed in an upstairs room that appeared to have been slept in. The same soldier also reported often having felt as she was being watched when she was in the museum.

Infantry Parade Field -- Long ago this field was also used as a polo field. Today witnesses say that two polo playing gentlemen continue to be seen riding their horses and playing polo. Apparently, the two men are not polite if their game is interrupted. One soldier who had a personal experience was was walking across the field one evening when he began to hear faint shouts and cheers from the distance. He then saw what looked like two figures playing polo. As he stopped to watch, the ball came near him and the two riders began to gallop toward him. When they neared, the soldier saw that one of riders had no face, instead there was nothing but a grinning skull. Obviously shocked, the man simply stared only to be surprised to hear the appartion yell, "Leave! Now, while you still can!" Panicked, the witness immediately ran from the field

IACH (The Hospital) -- In the Bio Medical room the fire alarm sounds frequently without being triggered. On one such occasion, after the alarm had gone off eight times, the fire marshal came and disconnected it; the alarm sounded three times after that.

Kansas Territorial Capitol - The first territorial capitol was built in 1855 at the site of the now extinct Pawnee City. Near the old capitol building is the Kaw River Nature and History Trail where the sorrowful voice of a woman can sometimes be heard drifting up from the banks of the river. One man, who often stopped to walk along the trail, tells of hearing the sounds of a woman singing a sad melody while walking along the path. Investigating, he moved closer to the river to investigate the source of the mournful voice. Upon arriving, he saw the shaded form of a flatboat or barge being pulled across the river by a dark, human shaped form. When the apparition and the phantom boat reached the other side of the river, both simply vanished.

The Kansas Territorial Capitol today, Kathy Weiser, February, 2006. This image available for photographic prints HERE!

Most believe this may be the soul of a long dead slave woman, who belonged to the man who owned the ferry in the 1850's. It is known that the ferry owner used a slave woman to pull the ferry back and forth across the river. Though this is the most likely explanation, might the spirit also be that of La Llorona, the weeping ghost who has long been known to haunt the rivers and waters of the American West?

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