HAUNTED WHITEWATER

📍 E Main St, Whitewater, WI

As Whitewater's oldest cemetery, Oak Grove Cemetery is the final resting place of many of the community's earliest settlers, including Revolutionary War veterans and Civil War soldiers. Among those buried here is Second Lieutenant James M. Mead, who died of disease while serving with the 28th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War.

According to local legend, Oak Grove is one of three cemeteries that form an isosceles triangle with Hillside and Calvary cemeteries. Because five isosceles triangles create a pentagram, some believe this unusual alignment is connected to Whitewater's long standing reputation for witches, the occult, and paranormal activity.

📍S. Wisconsin St. Whitewater, WI

Hillside Cemetery is one of Whitewater's most significant historic cemeteries and the final resting place of many prominent community members, including spiritualists from the Morris Pratt Institute and members of the Winchester and Partridge families. It is also one of the three cemeteries that, according to local legend, forms the famous isosceles triangle associated with Whitewater's "Second Salem" reputation.

According to local lore, Hillside Cemetery is also home to the above ground crypt of Mary Worth, the self proclaimed witch whose stories became part of Whitewater folklore..

📍 504 W. Starin Rd. Whitewater, WI

Built in 1889, the Starin Park Water Tower is one of Wisconsin's oldest surviving municipal water towers and remains one of Whitewater's most recognizable landmarks.

For decades, local legends have claimed the tower was a gathering place for witches who performed rituals nearby. Another enduring story says the tower was once surrounded by barbed wire angled inward, fueling speculation that it was meant to keep something from escaping rather than keep people out.

📍 141 W. Whitewater St. Whitewater, WI

Originally built as the Whitewater Hotel in 1894 after a fire destroyed the previous hotel on the site, this building welcomed railroad travelers for decades from its location across from the historic Whitewater Depot.

Today, visitors know it as The Sweet Spot, but many also know it for stories of unexplained happenings. Employees have reported the scent of perfume appearing with no obvious source, signs falling from walls, bottles tipping over on their own, and even Frank Sinatra music mysteriously playing despite the stereo being turned off. The building's resident ghost has become known as Ruby.

📍 328 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI

Built in the mid nineteenth century, the Hamilton House is one of Whitewater's oldest surviving homes and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, it has become one of the city's most well known haunted locations.

According to local accounts, former owners reported seeing the apparition of a young boy inside the home and a woman wandering the garden. An unusual discovery added to the mystery when a decorative ceramic tile featuring a boy was found buried in the garden and matched tiles surrounding one of the home's fireplaces. Legend says that after the tile was returned to its original location, the sightings came to an end.

According to local legend, tunnels beneath the Hamilton House were once connected to a larger underground tunnel system. Some believe they may have been part of the Underground Railroad, while others claim they allowed witches to travel to meetings unseen.

📍N7660 State Park Dr., Whitewater, WI

According to local legend, a group of black cloaked figures once gathered at Whitewater Lake for a late night séance. Witnesses claimed to see a mysterious creature emerge from the water. Years later, another story told of a fisherman who felt something pulling him beneath the surface after falling from his boat.

📍1036 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI

This historic home is associated with one of Whitewater's most shocking true crime stories. In 1923, Myrtle Schaude, later known in newspapers as the "Poison Widow," was accused of poisoning her children with chocolates laced with strychnine. The investigation led authorities to exhume her husband, Edward Schaude, whose death was also determined to have been caused by strychnine poisoning. Myrtle pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted murder before later receiving a pardon.

📍931 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI

Built in the late nineteenth century, this historic home now serves as the Alpha Sigma sorority house at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

Members have reported unexplained occurrences over the years, including mysterious rumbling noises in the basement and debris appearing near an opening in the foundation. Stories of unexplained activity have helped make Alpha Sigma one of Whitewater's better known campus hauntings.

📍 800 Lauderdale Dr, Whitewater, WI

Located on the University of Wisconsin Whitewater campus, Calvary Cemetery is the resting place of the Horan family and serves as the third point in the legendary isosceles triangle formed with Oak Grove and Hillside cemeteries. According to local lore, this unusual alignment contributed to Whitewater's reputation as the "Second Salem.

📍803 E. Milwaukee Street, Whitewater, WI

This elegant stone office building has earned a reputation as one of Whitewater's most intriguing haunted locations.

Employees have reported hearing conversations after hours, books falling from shelves, footsteps, and even feeling someone tap them on the shoulder when no one was there. Some believe the building's unexplained activity may be connected to its association with the investigation of serial killer Ed Gein, when an FBI team working on the case was temporarily housed here

📍 226 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI

Chartered in 1855, St. John's Masonic Lodge has been part of Whitewater's history for more than 170 years. The current building, dedicated in 1904, remains home to several Masonic organizations and is one of downtown Whitewater's most recognizable historic landmarks.

Although the lodge itself is not known for ghost stories, it has long been associated with Whitewater's rich history and the traditions that contribute to the city's mysterious reputation. It is also featured as a stop on the annual Whitewater Spirit Tour

📍300 Center St. Whitewater, WI

In 1889, spiritualist Morris Pratt established what he called the "Temple of Psychic Science," which later became the Morris Pratt Institute. Formerly located at the northwest corner of Center and Fremont Streets, the institute was dedicated to teaching Spiritualism and training mediums. Students traveled from across the country to study communication with the spirit world through séances and other spiritualist practices. The building was demolished in 1962 after a telecommunications company purchased the property.

📍532 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190

Built in 1867, the Lucius Winchester House was the home of industrialist Lucius Winchester, co-founder of the Winchester & Partridge Manufacturing Company, which became internationally known for producing the "Whitewater Wagon." According to local legend, after a dispute with Mary Worth in the late 1880s, she placed a curse on the Winchester family. As the family experienced a series of tragedies and the wagon company eventually closed, many believed the curse had come true.

📍Knilans Hall - 411 N. Prairie St. Whitewater, WI

📍 Wells Hall - 611 W. Lauderdale Dr. Whitewater, WI

For decades, Wells and Knilans Halls have been at the center of some of the University of Wisconsin Whitewater's most enduring paranormal legends. According to local lore, occult rituals once took place near the residence halls, and some even claim an altar used in those rituals remains buried nearby. Others believe several witches are buried standing upright in the area.

Students have also reported unexplained noises and strange occurrences over the years. One legend attributes these experiences to the ghost of former university librarian Edith Knilans, for whom Knilans Hall is named.

📍950 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI

Built in 1971, the Greenhill Center for the Arts is home to three performance theaters and a basement filled with practice rooms. According to students and staff, unexplained activity has been reported throughout the building, including mysterious hammering in the metals room, chairs moving on their own, and a ghost said to roam backstage at Young Auditorium. Some have even reported elevators opening unexpectedly in the basement practice room corridors.