In the past, we’ve given you the rundown on Minnesota’s creepy ghost towns, abandoned tunnels, and disturbing cemeteries. We’ve discussed haunted hotels and ghost-riddled restaurants that you can visit and experience for yourself. But Minnesota is also home to many other unsettling places, including some that you might not expect. There’s a popular, but creepy, park in Rochester, Minnesota, and its unusual past may surprise you. This park is known as Quarry Hill Park and Nature Center, and it’s one of the creepiest places in Minnesota. You can read all about it below.

Quarry Hill Park and Nature Center is located in Rochester, Minnesota.
facebook/Quarry Hill Nature Center
The park is a large, nature-filled spot that's great for picnic lunches and summertime strolls. It's also a popular destination for locals when they want to spend the day outdoors.
The park is home to many rock formations that remind visitors of its early use as a quarry.
Quarry Hill Nature Center/Facebook
The first quarry was used through the 1800s to excavate limestone from the area. Today, the quarrying has stopped. However, the rock formations still in the area are a popular spot for climbing.
Many people don't know that the park was once home to a state hospital.
Jingfei C/TripAdvisor
Quarry Hill Park is the former grounds of the Rochester State Hospital, first known as the Second Minnesota Hospital for the Insane. It was the state's second treatment center for mentally ill people. The hospital's philosophy was to keep patients occupied with work and other activities, though some patients were often kept in restraints. In 1889, a patient died at the hands of two hospital workers.

As medicine progressed, the treatments at the hospital through the early and mid 1900s included electroshock therapy, drugs, and lobotomies. As you can imagine, many patients lived out the final moments of their lives at the hospital.
In 1965, the 212 acres of hospital land was purchased by the city of Rochester. But even today, clues to the park's past still remain.
tripadvisor/Webean03
There are more than 2,000 gravesites on the park grounds, as well as many other century-old reminders of Quarry Hill's history.

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One of the strangest - and most fascinating - parts of the park? Its caves, which were excavated in 1882.
Quarry Hill Nature Center/Facebook
Visitors can take tours of the historic sandstone caves, which offer a glimpse far into Minnesota's past. In one area, you can still see part of a poem that was carved into the cave walls over 100 years ago.
But the state hospital and its cemetery aren't the only things that make this park creepy.
tripadvisor/Hunterwebb
Beyond its unsettling history and crumbling historic structures, the park is rumored to be the site of a haunting.
Some say the bridge over the quarry was the site of a man's suicide.
Alex R./Yelp
He is said to have hung himself from the bridge in the 1960s, thereby earning the bridge the nickname "Dead Man's Bridge."
Other happenings have been reported as well.
tripadvisor/Hunterwebb
Before most of the caves were closed up, strange occurrences were reported deep below the earth. Others reported an eerie feeling while hiking the unpaved paths through the thick forest.
Despite its long, strange history, this park is a beautiful place to visit.
Tricky1571/TripAdvisor
Every season brings something new to Quarry Hill Park. Spring brings flowers, summer brings sunny strolls, fall brings changing leaves, and winter comes with cross-country skiing and other activities. You shouldn't let the creepy history of this park stop you from enjoying its beauty.

Have you ever visited this creepy park? What do you think of its history? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

 

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creepiest places in Minnesota

Jennifer Young | February 02, 2022

What theater in Minnesota attracts paranormal investigators from near and far?

If you've ever wanted to go ghost hunting in Minnesota, Mounds Theatre in St. Paul is the perfect place to visit. For 35 years, this theater was one of the many abandoned places in Minnesota. It was then restored. According to paranormal investigators, three ghosts haunt Mounds Theatre. One of the ghosts is a little girl who bounces a ball on the stage. Another ghost is an usher who strolls the aisles looking for his love love. The other ghost is an older man who can be seen in the projection booth. Ghost hunting tours are held here each October, so make plans to attend. You just might have your very own paranormal experience.

What is Minnesota's most haunted bridge?
Crazy Annie’s Bridge, which is considered to be Minnesota's most haunted bridge, is located in Henderson at 270th Street. Once the sun goes down, the hauntings begin. This bridge was named after a World War I widow who drowned her three children in a creek and hung herself from a tree. Several people who've visited this bridge after 11 p.m. have reported hearing lots of screams and seeing floating faces. Some even discovered handprints on their vehicle once they returned home. If you visit this haunted bridge, be sure to use caution. You never know what you'll see or hear.

What Minnesota park is watched over by a haunted tower?

Enger Park is one of Duluth's greatest tourist attractions. It's overlooked by Enger Tower, which was built in 1939. Over the years, Enger Tower has become a local landmark, but not for reasons you might assume. This nearly 100-year-old watchtower is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man who leapt to his death from it in 1948. Many visitors of Enger Tower have reported a variety of mysterious occurrences, including the sight of a mysterious figure circling the windows on the fifth floor during the late night hours. Because of Enger Tower, Enger Park is a haunted park in Minnesota that everyone should visit. What do you think? Are you brave enough to visit this 80-foot watchtower late at night?

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Quarry Hill Park, 701 Silver Creek Rd NE, Rochester, MN 55906, USA