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 known.
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 Alexander/Legends of America, updated July 2023.
Guardhouse at Fort Brown, Texas
Also See:
Soldiers & Officers in American History