Hauntings may be old hat on the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., but the cold, lonely, windswept plains of the Dakotas have an air of isolation that chills the heart. It’s hard to feel a cold draft when the air is cold to begin with. Paranormal enthusiasts have managed to find some unique places. So, what are the most haunted places in North Dakota? Let’s find out.

Fort Abraham Lincoln Custer House

Fort Abraham Lincoln was built in 1872, and General George Armstrong Custer and his wife built their residence soon after, in 1874 or 1975. Custer himself was killed in 1876 at the Battle of Little Big Horn, so their shared life in that house was very short.

Most reported supernatural incidents involve voices, cold spots, flashes, and lights turning on and off. There have been several reports, however, of a ghostly apparition of a woman dressed in a black mourning dress. This is presumably General Custer’s wife, Libby, roaming the grounds.

The house is located in Abraham Lincoln State Park, so it is not set up to accommodate paranormal investigators per se, but every October, the parks put on a special “Haunted Fort” event for the public. Otherwise, you can tour the grounds throughout the year and see for yourself if there is anything to the stories.

Contact Information

Address: 4480 Ft. Lincoln Road, Mandan, ND 58554

Phone: 701-667-6340

North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College, a state land-grant research school, in 1890. Its name was changed to North Dakota State University in 1960. With so many students over the years, there are bound to be emotional and traumatic events, whether in the lives of students or in events at the campus (such as the 1957 F5 tornado that ripped through the campus), and people believe that these are the types of things which create paranormal happenings.

Ceres Hall, originally a women’s dormitory, was to be named after the first female student at the college, Jessie Slaughter. After considering the implications of calling the women’s dormitory the “Slaughter House,” officials thought it would be better to name it after the Goddess of Wheat.

The strange supernatural history of Ceres Hall seems to date back to World War II when a man hung himself from heating pipes on the third floor. Some activity has been reported there, but intense feelings of dread and fear, triggering fight or flight responses, have been reported in the basement.

Minard Hall, originally named Science Hall, was reputedly the site of a double murder in the 1920s when a janitor entered the fourth-floor dance hall in the morning to find two bodies. The murder was never solved, and the room was closed, later reopening as a zoology lab and eventually closing due to rotten floorboards.

Of course, a university is not something you can tour, but if you happen to be attending class in one of these buildings, keep your eyes and ears open for the unexpected.

Contact Information

Address: 1301 Administration Ave, Fargo, ND 58105

Phone: 701-231-7981

The Old Armory in Williston

Williston’s Old Armory has been a community staple since its dedication in 1916. Members of the local unit of the National Guard campaigned and fundraiser for its construction, beginning by going door to door. After its construction, it also served as a community auditorium until the high school was built in 1931. During World War II, it was used as a teen canteen. It also hosted community events such as political rallies, graduations, dances, auto shows, and traveling theater groups. In 1957, it ceased armory operations as a new armory was created, and it became a local rec center until 1983.

The paranormal activities that have been reported concerning the armory have a touch of the theatrical, as well as the military. People have reported seeing mannequins within the armory moving around under their own power. There have also been reports of whispering voices and a ghostly soldier guarding a stairwell within the armory.

Today, the Old Armory is a community theater venue. If you want to see a show, tickets can be purchased through the Entertainment Inc. website.

Contact Information

Address: 320 1st Ave E., Williston, ND 58801

Phone: 701-577-3179

St. Joseph’s Hospital Dickinson, North Dakota

St. Joseph’s Hospital, built in 1911 and founded in 1912, had a challenging beginning. Though the hospital was completed in 1911, the Diocese had nobody to staff it. While on a trip to Rome in 1912, the local bishop pled with Sisters from a Swiss order to come and take on the task. Six Sisters arrived later that year to find that only the building’s shell had been completed; there was no electricity or medical equipment. At that point, the Sisters only earned a salary of $8.00 a month. A few years later, the Bismarck Diocese transferred the hospital to the Sisters—along with the debt. Over time, they made it work, and additions to the building were made in 1931, 1951, 1966, 1983, and 2000. In 2014, a new building was constructed, and the old facility was closed.

Before the hospital closed, staff reported hearing voices in the cafeteria and running footsteps in the basement. One room was noted for sending calls to the nursing station while unoccupied. The elevator to the morgue has also seemingly operated on its own!

These days, the ghostly apparitions at the hospital don’t require much imagination, as the hospital is now the site of a yearly haunted house attraction.

Contact Information

Address: 30 7th St W, Dickinson, ND 58601

San Haven Sanitorium

San Haven Sanitorium was established by law in 1909 to care for tuberculosis patients. It was decided that it would be built near the Turtle Mountains, on the south slope, where it was hoped that the elevation and drier air would contribute to the patients’ recovery. After construction, the facility opened in 1912. One building was remodeled to include older adults and people with disabilities in 1957. In the 1960s, people with developmental disabilities were included. By this point, tuberculosis was treated in local and general hospitals, and the institution focused on older adults and those with disabilities. By the 1980s, lawsuits were filed on behalf of those with developmental disabilities, and by 1987, the facility closed.

Of course, conditions throughout those years, especially the later ones, were not ideal. Over the history of the hospital, as many as 1,000 people died. Even after the sanitorium closed, a teenage boy fell to his death in one of the elevator shafts.

Apparitions wandering the halls have been reported, as well as floating orbs and menacing, dark shadows. Some have said that they have heard infants crying on the grounds. Faces have been reported peering out of the windows.

After its closure, the sanitorium was sold to the Turtle Mountain Band. They are planning its demolition.

The Totten Trail Historic Inn

The Totten Trail Historic Inn is located within the Fort Totten State Historic Site in Fort Totten, North Dakota. The fort was the center of operations for the military outpost to watch over the mail and local transportation routes. Its primary responsibility was to monitor the Sioux Indians on the nearby reservation. It ceased military operations in 1890 when it became an Indian boarding school, which operated from 1891 to 1960. It was only interrupted from 1935 to 1940 when it was used as a facility to prevent tuberculosis cases. The inn is in a building that used to house officers and their families.

It is said that, at some point before the building was renovated, a man and a woman lost their lives. Guests have reported shadowy figures following them through the inn, and it’s believed that these are the man and woman re-visiting the site to avoid being forgotten.

If you want to experience a slice of late 19th-century plains life, with the possibility of a supernatural encounter, reservations can be made here.

Contact Information

Address: 4 Historic Square, Fort Totten, ND 58335

Phone: 701-766-4874