Mineral Springs Hotel
How many rooms would you like?
The investigations at The Mineral Springs Hotel, in Alton, Illinois, are run by a couple who are down to earth and very accommodating. Built in 1914, the original plan for the building was as an ice house for a local meat packing business. Those plans changed quickly when a natural spring was found while drilling in the bedrock. A hotel and spa were built instead and opened to the public. The hotel’s claim to fame was the biggest pool in Illinois, filled with the healing mineral spring water. People came from all the nation to experience the healing waters for themselves.
The surprises in this building are the stuff of ghost hunter’s dreams! The building holds not only one, but two (empty) indoor pools, countless dark hallways, a beautiful ballroom, partially remodeled hotel rooms, and an array of spirits still living within it’s walls. This building covers two city blocks and we needed to enlist the help of a few friends to tackle it head on!
When first walking in, we were greeted by a charming foyer with colorful hanging umbrellas and history of the hotel all over. Several times, one of the team members would walk through the foyer to notice one or two of the umbrellas spinning on their own. We couldn’t find a source of airflow or movement that would make them move. Our experiences included hearing disembodied growls, responses to call and respond requests, piano music from an old piano heard in the middle of the night, and being scared to death by a mannequin sitting at the end of a hallway. A few of our members experienced some intense emotions and had to leave the building for a few minutes.
There’s much more to experience here and we know the Mineral Springs Hotel won’t disappoint on our next visit.
