The Most Haunted Places in Nebraska

Ranked

1. 1. Museum of Shadows Omaha · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: Moderate

   Nate Raterman began collecting objects he believed were haunted in 2006, and he and wife Kaleigh built the collection into the Museum of Shadows, settling in Omaha's Old Market in 2020. It holds thousands of objects, anchored by two dolls: Ayda, voted the world's creepiest doll ahead of the Warrens' Annabelle, and Demus, said found in a buried garden box. The Ratermans say cameras captured Ayda shifting, and visitors report being touched and hearing voices.

   7 original accounts · documented across 3 decades, 2006-2022 · retold in 1 later publication

2. 

   2. The Historic Argo Hotel Crofton · Haunted Hotel / Inn · Family Comfort: Moderate

   Built in 1912 by Nick Michaelis to serve railroad travelers, this Crofton hotel operated as a sanitarium from the 1930s through the 1950s before restoration in 1994. Guests and owners describe the resident spirit as Alice, a woman said to have died in childbirth during the sanitarium years, tied to cigar smoke and laughter from empty hallways. After guests reported a bathroom door swinging open on its own, owners swapped it for a curtain.

   4 original accounts · documented across 5 decades, 1940-2022 · retold in 4 later publications

3. 3. Ball Cemetery Springfield · Cemetery / Burial Ground · Family Comfort: Moderate

   Founded around 1869 for the Ball family and other settlers, this small Sarpy County cemetery holds the grave of William Liddiard, known as Rattlesnake Pete during his years with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Visitors have long reported a tall male apparition in dark 19th-century clothing said to push or scratch those who encounter him, along with disembodied laughter and marks on parked cars. The cemetery has been featured in the Unsolved Mysteries franchise.

   3 original accounts · documented across 4 decades, 1900-2025 · retold in 6 later publications

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   4. Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: High

   Music professor Clara Mills taught at Nebraska Wesleyan for 28 years before dying of a heart attack at her desk in 1940. In 1963, a secretary entering that office reported sudden silence, stale air, and a tall woman with dark hair reaching toward the shelves, matching photographs of Mills. Students have since reported piano music in empty rooms that stops the moment someone opens the door, and the university documents the legend on its site.

   4 original accounts · documented across 3 decades, 1963-2013 · retold in 1 later publication

5. 

   5. Trails & Rails Museum (Loup River Freighter Hotel) Kearney · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: High

   The Trails and Rails Museum in Kearney gathers about a dozen relocated buildings, centered on the Loup River Freighter Hotel, built in 1884 for stagecoach travelers. Staff report a rocking chair that moves on its own and pipe tobacco smell in the hotel, plus a spirit nicknamed Betty, said to be the depot operator's wife, tied to Shelton depot nearby. The log cabin adds reports of a leg touch and a whispered 'be quiet.'

   4 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1975-2023

Superlatives