The Creepy Small Town In Missouri With Insane Paranormal Activity
By Liz Oliver|Published October 24, 2017
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Liz Oliver
Author
Liz is a Missouri native with a B.A. in English from Mizzou and a M.A. in Non-Profit Administration from Lindenwood University. She works for a STL metro-area community college and enjoys writing, traveling, and indoor cycling. Her true passion is forcing her encyclopedic knowledge of Missouri facts on uninterested strangers from across the globe!
With under 20,000 people, the little river town of Hannibal may be small but it has a huge reputation. Historically, Hannibal has been established for almost 200 years. Even before European settlers made their homes here along the Mississippi River, at least six known Native American tribes had lived in the area. Throughout the towns long history many gruesome, creepy, and strange occurrences have taken place there. Many locals believe that ghosts still linger in the old homes and businesses you’ll find along the cobble streets. Keep reading to find out about some of the more well known paranormal stories of Hannibal, but to know for sure if these ghost stories are real you’ll have to visit Hannibal yourself.
Hannibal is best know as the boyhood home of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and the setting for his two most popular works of literature, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
On the tour you'll hear about the murder and mischief that happened in Hannibal, meet the ghosts of the mansions on Millionaires' Row, and discover which buildings on historic Main Street are haunted. The tour will also take visitors to the Old Baptist Cemetery where you'll walk among the graves to search for signs of paranormal activity! For more information about the Haunted Hannibal Tour visit their webpage here.
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Rockcliffe Mansion sits high above Hannibal, is a way that makes it seem like those in the mansion are watching the residents of this little river town.
Built in 1900 by the wealthy John Cruikshank. Mr. Cruikshank died in his bed in 1924 and Mrs. Cruikshank quickly moved next door to her daughter's home and left the mansion to deteriorate. By the 1960's the home was in ruins and was known as the haunted house on the hill to the youth of Hannibal. Luckily, residents of the town saw the potential in this stately manor and saved it from destruction. Today, the mansion is restored to it's former glory. Visitors can tour the mansion and there are guest rooms available for those brave enough to stay overnight. For information about rates and availability check their website here.
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The old police station and jail house in Hannibal is another building where people have claimed to have had paranormal encounters.
While the old jail was not originally thought to have been haunted, within the last 10 years tourists have captured photos of faces in the windows and other ghostly apparitions. You can find the old police station and jail at 208 Hill St., Hannibal.
Mark Twain Cave is also another creepy site to explore in Hannibal. While nothing seems unusual about this family-friendly tourist attraction the cave hides a long and sometimes creepy history.
In 1848, Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell purchased the caves as a place to store dead bodies. Dr. McDowell was working on ways to petrify dead bodies but did not find true success. Young Samuel Clemens visited the caves often during these times and was quite frightened when he discovered Dr. McDowell's experiments. Clemens would go on to write about the cave in his most famous novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. For more information about Mark Twain Cave visit their webpage here.
Lover's Leap is a beautiful lookout point high atop the Mississippi River bluffs. From this vantage point you can see the entire town of Hannibal.
Lover's Leap is also rumored to be a site of great tragedy. Many believe that a Native American woman jumped to her death from this bluff after the love of her life was pulled under the waters by the treacherous currents of the Mississippi River. Many visitors believe her spirit still lingers atop the cliff.
Hannibal's Old Baptist Cemetery is another site where visitors have reported paranormal activity.
The graves of former slaves and Civil War soldiers should have been their final resting place but visitors claim to have seen these spirits walking among the living. The cemetery is also the setting for the scene in Tom Sawyer where Dr. Robinson, Muff Potter, and Injun Joe attempt to steal bodies from their graves which results in the murder of Dr. Robinson by Injun Joe.
These are just some of the prominent ghost stories of the tiny town of Hannibal. Visit for yourself to find out if these ghost stories are true or just another piece of fiction to come out of Hannibal.
Stop by the Hannibal Visitors Bureau for information about museums, tours, and other activities that you can do while visiting. The Hannibal Visitors Bureau is located at 505 N. 3rd St., Hannibal.
Have you experienced paranormal activity in Hannibal? Would you take the Haunted Hannibal Tour or stay at Rockcliffe Mansion? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
