HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Housed in joined 1917 exhibit and 1913 archive buildings where multiple deaths were recorded, this Hutchinson history museum has hosted public ghost hunts since staff began reporting a girl in the Blue Room
100 S Walnut St, Hutchinson, KS 67501
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages (ghost hunts 16+)
Cost
Free
Regular museum admission free; suggested donations $2 for adults and $1 for children; ghost-hunt tickets separate
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown Hutchinson; level entry to historic building
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1913 · Rosemont Apartment Building 1913 · Reno County Historical Collections · South-Central Kansas Agricultural History
The Rosemont Apartment building was constructed in 1913, part of the commercial and residential development that accompanied Hutchinson's growth as a center of the Kansas salt and agricultural industries. During its decades as a residential building, multiple deaths occurred on the premises — a not uncommon record for any large urban apartment block of the early 20th century, but one that has contributed to the building's paranormal reputation.
The Reno County Museum eventually took over the complex, placing exhibits in the 1917 Great American Life Insurance Building and archives and offices in the 1913 Rosemont Building. The museum's collections cover Native American history, agricultural and industrial development, and local community life from the frontier era through the 20th century.
Staff began reporting unusual activity in the 1990s, concentrated in a room known as the Blue Room. The museum's response to its paranormal reputation has been to engage it publicly — hosting ghost hunt events in partnership with the Wichita Paranormal Research Society and allowing the Hutchinson Collegian and other outlets to document the employee accounts. The museum operates Tuesday through Saturday and is located in the heart of downtown Hutchinson.
Sources
Staff accounts of paranormal activity at the Reno County Museum began accumulating in the 1990s, according to reporting in the Hutchinson Collegian. The primary phenomenon is the apparition of a young girl, appearing in and around a room in the museum that staff refer to as the Blue Room. The apparition has been reported on the second floor as well.
The museum has taken an unusually proactive approach to its paranormal reputation. Rather than minimizing the employee accounts, staff have engaged local paranormal investigators and opened the building for public ghost hunts in partnership with the Wichita Paranormal Research Society. These events, with a minimum age of 16, involve team-based investigations of the darkened museum preceded by an educational briefing on investigative equipment and techniques.
The identity of the girl apparition has not been established. The Rosemont Apartments' documented history of deaths provides a broad pool of possible explanations, but no specific historical death of a child at the address has been connected to the reports in available sources. The Hutchinson Collegian characterized the employee accounts as persistent and consistent across staff members over multiple decades.
Explore Reno County history in a joined complex with exhibits in the 1917 Great American Life Insurance Building and archives and offices in the 1913 Rosemont Building, where multiple deaths were documented. The Blue Room, where employee apparition sightings have been most frequently reported, is accessible during regular museum hours.
Seasonal public ghost hunt events led by the Wichita Paranormal Research Society. Participants receive an educational session on investigative equipment before conducting team-based investigations through the darkened museum. Minimum age 16; those under 18 must have parental supervision.
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