HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Thousands of objects marketed as haunted, self-guided in Omaha's Old Market
1110 Douglas St, Omaha, NE 68102
Research updated October 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
$25 general admission per person; self-guided, no appointment needed.
Access
Accessibility not stated
Historic multi-story Old Market building; the tour includes stairs and is not entirely accessible; visitors using walkers or canes can usually proceed
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1884 · Old Market Historic District · Christian Specht Building
Nate Raterman traces the collection's origin to 2006, when he began acquiring objects he came to believe were haunted following what he has described as his first paranormal experience. He and his wife, Kaleigh, who describes herself as a psychic medium, built the growing collection into a public museum, operating it under the Museum of Shadows name at more than one Nebraska address over the following years, including a widely covered stint in a downtown storefront in Plattsmouth.
In June 2020, the Ratermans moved the museum into the Christian Specht Building, a historic commercial building at 1110 Douglas Street in Omaha's Old Market district, where it operates today. The collection has grown to several thousand objects -- reported at roughly 3,000 pieces in 2021 and closer to 5,000 in more recent coverage -- donated or acquired from across the United States and, according to the museum, several other countries.
The museum has drawn national television attention, with the Ratermans and their collection appearing on the Travel Channel, Discovery+, A&E, and Destination America, and starring in their own Amazon Prime Video series, Museum of Shadows, which premiered October 10, 2019 and ran at least two seasons.
Sources
The Museum of Shadows promotes its holdings as the world's largest collection of haunted artifacts, and two dolls anchor the collection's reputation. Ayda, which the museum describes as the most haunted doll in the world, was voted the world's creepiest doll in a Destination America online poll, ahead of the Warren collection's Annabelle doll; the Ratermans say security footage appeared to show her shifting position and attempting to climb out of her display box. Demus, billed as the second-most haunted doll, was reportedly found buried in a garden box before changing hands and unsettling a subsequent owner with unexplained noises.
Visitors have reported being touched, seeing apparitions, and hearing disembodied voices and children's laughter inside the museum, activity the Ratermans say has also been captured on their security cameras. These are the museum's own marketing claims about its objects rather than independently verified paranormal events, and are presented here as the institution's stated legend rather than fact.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Walk through the Ratermans' collection of objects marketed as haunted -- including the dolls Ayda and Demus, promoted by the museum as the world's most and second-most haunted dolls -- in the historic Christian Specht Building in Omaha's Old Market. No appointment required.
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