Four Boise landmarks rank among Idaho's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, four Boise landmarks, including the Idanha Hotel at #1, rank among Idaho's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 39 Idaho sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Idanha Hotel ranks #1. The hotel served as headquarters during Big Bill Haywood's 1907 murder trial. Four separate published accounts describe activity there. Local lore blames a bellman said to have been shot at the hotel, in some accounts in the 1970s, for moving the elevator on its own; residents upstairs describe bedding pulled overnight.

Old Idaho State Penitentiary ranks #6. Idaho's territorial prison held its first inmates in 1872 and operated until its 1973 closure. Two separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 2000. Visitors describe being watched in the solitary confinement block known as Siberia, and report fragmented voices in the Gallows Room. The Idaho State Historical Society reports no conclusive evidence of supernatural activity.

Also in the top ten: the Fort Boise Military Cemetery (Cottonwood Cemetery) at #5 and the Egyptian Theatre at #9.

Outside Ada County, the Idaho State Tuberculosis Hospital in Gooding ranks highest, at #2.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Idanha Hotel, 928 W Main St., Boise, is a private apartment building with public ground-floor shops.Old Idaho State Penitentiary, 2445 Old Penitentiary Rd., Boise, is a museum with self-guided tours daily; admission is $8 for adults. Fright Nights events run select nights in October.Fort Boise Military Cemetery, 1101 Mountain Cove Rd., Boise, is open sunrise to sunset.The Egyptian Theatre, 700 W Main St., Boise, is a working theater with screenings, concerts and Opera Idaho performances by ticket.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/idaho/The fact sheet, with Boise numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/idaho/Venue contact: history.idaho.gov and cityofboise.org and egyptiantheatre.netA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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