Three Haunted Places in Nebraska Series
Wheat Growers Hotel – Kimball, Nebraska
F. Cunningham constructed the Wheat Growers Hotel in 1918. The hotel had 86 rooms, a restaurant, and a ballroom. Many people traveled through Kimball by means of the railroad who stayed in the hotel over the years of its operation. During prohibition, a nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933, a tunnel was constructed to connect the kitchen to a nearby speakeasy. During this time period, a young woman was making her way from the hotel to the speakeasy when she was accidentally locked inside. She was found dead several days later after succumbing to thirst.
Today, the young woman’s ghost is said to appear as a reflection throughout the hotel. She is also known to jump out of closets when they are opened. However, she is seen most often in a top story window, staring down at passersby on the sidewalk below.
The Old Harder Hotel – Scribner, Nebraska
The Old Harder Hotel in Scribner, Nebraska was built in 1901. Three stories tall, the building housed hotel rooms on the second and third floors and the main level was used as a bar and restaurant. The hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and was later renamed The Old Hotel. The Old Hotel served as a restaurant and saloon while the upper floors remained vacant.
Over the years of the buildings operation, three people have reportedly died on the property. Two people, one man and one woman were found dead in their respective hotel rooms. The man was found in one of the rooms on the second story and the woman was found dead in the closet of her hotel room. Another man committed suicide by jumping from the third floor window.
According to legend, a woman wearing a red dress has been seen walking into the bar only to disappear into thin air. Reports of piano music has been heard throughout the building even when no piano is present. Employees have reported having objects move from where they had been placed the night before when no one else was in the area where the objects were left. Guests and staff have reported being touched and on occasion shoved. People hear unexplained voices and children playing and see shadowy figures throughout the hotel.
McCabe Hotel – North Platte, Nebraska
The McCabe Hotel in North Platte, Nebraska was built by Dr. Nicholas McCabe and opened in 1916. Originally the second floor had 50 guest rooms. The third floor was added in 1918, which consisted of 100 additional rooms with fully functional bathrooms. In addition to being a hotel, the main level has also housed several businesses over the years. At one point the second floor was converted into apartments. The now vacant third floor is reported to be the most haunted area of the building. With no modern electricity added to the third floor, the story has remained vacant for several years, but the area has been left the same as if lost in time complete with hotel rooms with the numbers still on the doors. Residents of the second story apartments have reported hearing strange sounds and frequently experience hearing objects moving on the floor above in the area that is supposed to be empty. They also report hearing footsteps as if people are walking around up there when no one is around. Another interesting feature of the hotel is that the basement was converted into a bomb shelter in the 1950s. The shelter is reported to still contain the remnants of the survival gear left behind including lead-lined cracker cans and portable toilets among other supplies.
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