Camp Floyd & the Stagecoach Inn, Utah
Fort Warren & the Lady in Black, Massachusetts
Wilson Creek & the Bloody Hill Ghosts, Missouri
Officer Barracks at Fort Scott, Kansas
Old Forts and battlefields, like so many other historic places across the nation, tend to have their share of ghostly tales.
Historic Forts varied in type, from military posts, to fortresses established by fur trading companies, to private enterprises built solely to protect the pioneers within.
But, without a doubt, they all have their tales of hardships, death, disease, and suffering emigrants passing through. The history of these forts, coupled with the violence and tragedy so often accompanying them, provide a ripe atmosphere for dozens of ghost stories.
Probably one of the most haunted forts of the Old West is Fort Riley, Kansas. This still active fort has dozens of tales, including hauntings at the cemetery, in old General George A. Custer’s house, right on the parade grounds and more. In fact, it is so haunted, that the active military base provides annual ghost tours in October.
At old Fort Brown in Texas, now part of the University of Texas/Texas Southmost College Campus, a number of unearthly spirits like to make themselves know.
Yet more ghosts lurk in a number of old forts, and I’m sure we’ll find more as we continue to research these historic places.
© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated September, 2017.
Guardhouse at Fort Brown, Texas
Also See:
Soldiers & Officers in American History
Every September, local historians walk the battle site at the Battle of Punished Woman’s Fork near Scott City. They call the annual event, Walking with the Spirits and tell the history of the last Indian Battle in Kansas but have hair raising tales of the spirits that seem to still dwell there. Many Cheyenne has come to help the spirits move on during times of blessing and healing. It is a serene place that feels occupied by unseen guardians.