Est. 1921 · National Register of Historic Places (1997) · Home of Casper Elks Lodge No. 1353 since the early 1920s · Downtown Casper fraternal and social landmark
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks chartered Casper Lodge No. 1353 in the early 20th century, and the lodge constructed its downtown building in the early 1920s, with local accounts placing it at the corner of East 7th and Center Streets from 1921. The brick lodge, with a basement and an upper ballroom, anchored a stretch of Casper's social and civic life during the city's oil-boom growth.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, recognized for its architecture and its role in the community. It remains an active fraternal lodge today, hosting members and events rather than operating as a public attraction.
The lodge entered wider ghost lore through two strands of coverage. Oil City News profiled its reported hauntings in a 2017 'Backstory' feature, and the building was later included among the downtown Casper sites covered in the 2025 season premiere of the television series Ghost Adventures. The interior is not generally open to the public, so the building functions in this catalog as a historic exterior stop with a documented local haunting tradition.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elks_Lodge_No._1353
- https://wyoshpo.wyo.gov/index.php/programs/national-register/wyoming-listings/view-full-list/691-elks-lodge-no-1353
- https://oilcity.news/community/backstory/2017/10/25/backstory-haunted-happenings-inside-historic-elks-lodge/
A male apparition in the basementObjects moving on their ownThe smell of cigar smokeMusic from the empty ballroomA woman in a white lace dress
The Elks Lodge has one of downtown Casper's better-known haunting traditions. As reported by Oil City News and echoed in later coverage, members describe the apparition of a man in the basement, objects moving on their own, the smell of cigar smoke drifting through rooms, and music coming from the upper ballroom when it is empty. Members commonly attribute the cigar smoke and ballroom music to Mr. Cobb, a past president of the lodge who is remembered for those habits in life. A second figure, a woman in a white lace dress, appears in members' accounts as well.
The Paranormal Research Society of Casper is cited as having documented reports inside the building, and the lodge resurfaced in the 2025 season premiere of Ghost Adventures, which covered several downtown Casper locations.
The attribution to Mr. Cobb traces to lodge tradition rather than to a documented investigation, so it is recorded here as the members' explanation for the activity rather than an established fact. The reports are consistent across more than one source and span years, which is why this entry is published, but the identity behind the activity remains local folklore.
Notable Entities
Mr. Cobb (a past lodge president, locally credited with the cigar smoke and ballroom music)A woman in a white lace dress
Media Appearances
- Ghost Adventures (television, 2025)