The Most Haunted Places in North Dakota
North Dakota has 20 documented haunted locations in the HauntBound index.
Top 5 identified after source-level analysis of the 13 strongest North Dakota candidates.
By the numbers
- Total documented
- 20
- Museum / Historical Site
- 6
- Haunted Dining / Bar
- 4
- Theater / Performance Venue
- 3
- Family-friendly
- 18
- Bookable
- 4
- Oldest documented site
- Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site (1857)
- Most-reported phenomenon
- disembodied voices
Ranked
- 1. Bonanzaville, USA Bonanzaville, USA in West Fargo assembles 34 historic buildings on 12 acres, including the Houston House, once home to inventor David Henderson Houston, who patented the first roll film for cameras in 1881. The Houston House and the Brass Rail Saloon are the buildings most often named in visitor and staff accounts of unexplained activity, though published reports give few specifics beyond general impressions. The museum runs seasonal paranormal investigations each October, when small groups are let into the buildings after normal hours. 6 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 2013-2025 · retold in 6 later publications
- 2. Harvey Public Library HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this museum site, across five kinds of published source. Two later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include cold spots and electrical anomalies. 3 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1931-2022 · retold in 2 later publications
- 3. Riverside Cemetery HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this burial ground. Two later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include a sensed presence and orbs. 3 original accounts · documented across 3 decades, 1920-2017 · retold in 2 later publications
- 4. Trollwood Park Cass County established a hospital and poor farm in 1895 for residents without family or means; when it closed in 1973, its three cemeteries held 1,000 unmarked graves, 300 of which were relocated in 1985. The grounds became Trollwood Park and hosted a performing arts school. During performances, witnesses described a woman in a dark 19th-century dress dancing beneath a willow near the Cemetery #2 marker, mistaken for part of the show before she vanished. 3 original accounts · documented across 3 decades, 1960-2022 · retold in 5 later publications
- 5. Patterson Hotel (Peacock Alley) Edward G. Patterson built this ten-story hotel in 1910-1911, originally named the McKenzie Hotel, and it was the tallest building in Bismarck for decades. The Peacock Alley restaurant opened on the ground floor in 1933, after Prohibition's repeal, and operates while the upper floors became senior apartments. Seventh-floor residents report hearing party sounds from the closed eighth floor at night, and restaurant staff have found glasses moved from the rack to the bar by morning. 2 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1900-2003
By city
- Fargo: 6 documented sites
- Bismarck: 4 documented sites
- Medora: 2 documented sites
- Minot: 2 documented sites
- West Fargo: 1 documented site
- Grand Forks: 1 documented site
- Abercrombie: 1 documented site
- Mandan: 1 documented site
- Harvey: 1 documented site
- Dickinson: 1 documented site
Press images
- Bonanzaville, USA Fargo-Moorhead CVB, CC BY-SA 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bonanzaville_USA.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/north-dakota/bonanzaville-usa/hero.jpg
- Patterson Hotel (Peacock Alley) Andrew Filer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bismarck,_North_Dakota_(3825665326).jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/north-dakota/patterson-hotel-peacock-alley/hero.jpg
Images listed here may be republished with the credit shown; all other HauntBound images are not offered for press use.
Superlatives
- Oldest documented site: Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site Documented since 1857.
- Most documented: Bonanzaville, USA 6 distinct published accounts.
- The one you can sleep in: Rough Riders Hotel Overnight stays bookable.
- Most family-friendly: Patterson Hotel (Peacock Alley) Family Comfort rating: High.
Methodology
For purposes of the HauntBound Index, "most haunted" means the location with the strongest documented record of reported haunting phenomena. We evaluate the quantity, independence, persistence, and documentary quality of published reports. We do not attempt to determine whether paranormal phenomena are real, and we never count a source that only establishes a building's history as evidence of haunting claims. Repetitive coverage is subject to diminishing returns, so a story retold many times does not outrank a story independently documented. Rankings never consider commercial relationships.
The 2026 Index reflects sources identified and classified as of September 15, 2026.
Corrected September 18, 2026: a source audit revised the documented-account count for St. Joseph's Hospital; the ranking reflects the correction.
This is a documentation ranking, not a visitation guide; sites not open to visitors are marked on their entries.