Ghosts are said to haunt places all across Arkansas. Here are a few of our favorite stories:
Little Rock
Vanishing Hitchhiker: It was a dark and stormy night, and a young man traveling down Arkansas Highway 365 south of Little Rock saw a young girl walking along the side of the road. He pulled over and offered her a ride. He draped his coat over her shoulders because she was cold and wet. She gave him directions to her house. When they arrived, the young man got out of his truck and went around to open her door for her. But when he did so, no one was there. He then knocked on the door of the house and explained to the woman who lived there what had happened. She said she had a young daughter who was killed years before. The woman said her daughter hitchhiked home once a year. The young man then went to the cemetery where she was buried and his coat was draped across her tombstone.
Old Arsenal Tower Building in MacArthur Park: When the second floor served as a theater, a uniformed man was seen lying across chairs during closing time. The woman who saw him went to get help to remove him from the building. When the second person approached the man, he turned around and dissolved into thin air.
A see-through apparition has been seen walking down the stairs. On late afternoons or stormy winter days, this ghost has been known to throw things at people for fun. If you walk down one flight of stairs, stop, and look over your shoulder, you may see a shadowy object fly past you.
Unexplained shadows, including two dueling men, have also been spotted many times.
The Empress of Little Rock Bed and Breakfast: Several strange incidents have occurred here. Once, the owner, Bob Blair, and his wife walked about the house contemplating how to remodel it to make it more appealing for guests. Bob noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw a dapperly dressed man in a homburg hat almost float down the stairs. The strange eyes seemed to speak to him through telepathy and said “Save this house.”
Another time, Bob was under pressure of how much it was costing to repair the house and how long it was taking. The house was empty except for him when he suddenly felt a blast of cold air from behind. He somehow knew no one would be there when he turned around. Yet, an image of the dapperly dressed man in the homburg hat came to his mind and seemed to say “Don’t dare forget whose house this is. I’m watching.”
Camden
The railroad track: On Halloween night, a mysterious light always appears. Someone may have died there looking for a way home. It appears right across from the Pepsi plant, and only at night.
Burketts’ House: A young girl lived there who was allegedly beaten by her parents and then locked in a room, where she starved to death. Many people swear of ghastly sounds coming from the house and strange things have happened to vehicles passing by.
Hot Springs
Mayberry Inn: David Mayberry was shot in his home but was not killed. It is said that the bullets left in his body caused him to have schizophrenia. This mental illness is said to have caused him to stab his wife to death and burn her in the fireplace, which displays a creepy message on the wall above it. Mayberry also drowned his infant son, and strange screaming can be heard from the basement bathtub.
Magnolia
Southern Arkansas University – Horton Theater: A girl was to be the star of the performance one night when she was killed by train on her way there. Sometimes she can be seen walking along the catwalk during performances. Once, a student was in the lighting control booth and was the only one in the room. When he looked at the stage, a rocking chair was rocking by itself. He took a picture. When he developed the film, all the pictures came out perfect except for that one — it was blurry.
Sources: http://www.theshadowlands.net/places/arkansas.htm, http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/haunted-arkansas/legends/
