Italianate Victorian Estate on Alton's Highest Point
2018 Alby St, Alton, IL 62002
Age
13+ for investigation tours
Cost
$$
Tours $30/person with $150 minimum for smaller groups. Pre-registration required; tours April through first of November.
Access
Limited Access
Uneven ground and gravel paths around a deteriorating historic structure; exterior grounds only
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1869 · National Register of Historic Places · Italianate Victorian Architecture · Alton Political History
Henry Guest McPike was born in 1825 and arrived in Alton as a businessman involved in real estate and box manufacturing. He also served as mayor of Alton. His passion was horticulture: the grapes he cultivated at his estate won awards at regional exhibitions, and the property's rare trees and orchards were a point of personal pride.
Construction of the 16-room mansion began in 1869. Architect Lucas Pfeiffenberger designed the structure, which was completed in 1871. McPike named the 15-acre site Mount Lookout — it occupies one of the highest points in Alton. He died at the property in 1910 after a brief illness.
No one lived in the house permanently after 1954. Paul A. Laichinger, who had purchased the property around 1925, rented rooms until his own death. Subsequent decades brought vandalism and neglect: furnishings, wooden banisters, and fixtures were removed by salvagers. The mansion fell into severe structural deterioration.
Sharyn and George Luedke purchased the property at auction in 1994 and began a restoration effort funded through donations and tours. The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 — the designation predating the Luedkes' ownership. In 2017, the Alton Historical Commission recognized the Luedkes' preservation work on the front porch and conservatory.
The mansion has been featured on Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel, 2019), Ghost Lab, and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files.
Sources
The owners describe eleven or more distinct presences documented at the property over the decades of investigation tours. Among the most frequently reported is a figure identified as Sarah, believed to have served as a personal attendant to the McPike household. Her presence is noted most often in the areas of the main floor.
The vaulted wine cellar beneath the mansion generates the greatest concentration of accounts. The space — stone-walled and consistently cool — is the site of a dedicated dark session during investigation tours. Visitors report cold spots, the sense of being watched, and on documented occasions, the smell of flowers with no identifiable source nearby.
A cook's presence in the kitchen area is reported by multiple visitors who had no prior knowledge of the claim. Accounts of a woman's death in the bathtub appear in some investigation reports, though the historical identity of this individual has not been established.
The mansion's media exposure on multiple cable paranormal programs has expanded the pool of investigators who have worked the property, and the Luedkes' sustained presence over three decades provides institutional continuity to the documentation of reported phenomena.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A 90-minute guided investigation of the mansion grounds and vaulted wine cellar, led by owners who have documented the property since 1994. Includes a history of the McPike family and the mansion, use of dowsing rods, and a session in the darkened cellar with resident phenomena. Limited to 40 participants.
The mansion's Italianate Victorian facade is visible from Alby Street. The structure stands on one of Alton's highest points, surrounded by remnants of the original orchard Henry McPike planted in the 1870s.
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