Greene County Haunts

 

Bass Country Inn (Howard Johnson)

Springfield

Believed to be haunted by a former employee named Carl. Employees report objects moving and seeing Carls apparition. The building is also believed to be haunted by the ghost of a not so friendly female. At least one of the spirits is known to touch people visiting the location.

Location: Off of Hwy 44 at 2610 N. Glenstone Ave.

Drury University

Springfield

Several locations on this campus are reported to have haunts.

Location: 900 N. Benton Ave.

 

 

 

Joe’s Cave

Richland

Sometime in the early 1900's a black man names Joe was accused of raping a white girl. Joe was supposedly dragged to the cave by a vigilantly mob that tarred and feathered him then hung him with barbed wire in a back section of the cave. Joe maintained that he was innocent up until his death. People report the sound of Joe still playing his fiddle in the cave.

 

Little Theater

Springfield

There have been two apparitions reported at this location. The first is that of a janitor who died in a fire at the site early in the 20^th century. The 2^nd is that of a baby who is seeing falling from the balcony, replaying it’s accidental fall and death.

Springlawn Estate

(Also known as the Sheedy Farm and Albino Farm)

Near Springfield

This farm is believed to be haunted, but as of yet we have found no particular reports on phenomenons. However, this location has an interesting history and is connected to at least 2 gruesome murders that took place at a near by bridge called "Albino Bridge" (see story below)

History: The pre - civil war estate was once the "talk of the town" , people would come from all around to get a look at it’s beauty. The property was owned for several years by Frank Headly who later sold it to Mike Sheedy and his family. The entire Sheedy family lived their lives out at the estate, including a Sheedy son who committed suicide on the property. A Sheedy daughter, one of the last people to live on the property, hied an albino man to watch over the property. The man was said to have a foul temper and would chase people away from the area with a shotgun. The Albino man was accused of two gruesome murders that occurred on a near by bridge.. In the estates final years it became run down and in 1988 the house was destroyed by fire. Stone pillars still stand to mark the entrance.

Location: Near Springfield, North on Farm Rd. 165

 

Albino Farm Bridge

Springfield

The legend states that if you park your car in the middle of the bridge and unseen force will push it to the other side.

History: An albino man that worked as a caretaker at the near by Sheedy estates was said to have committed two hatchet murder , one a decapitation, on this small iron bridge. Reportedly he left the murder weapon behind.

 

 

Brook Phelps Park Bridge

Springfield

 

A female apparition dubbed "Bride Under the Bridge" is reportedly seen under the bridge dressed in her wedding gown. The legend states that the young woman met her death on the day of her wedding.

 

Winoka Camping Grounds

Springfield

The most well known story attached to this area is that it is haunted by the ghosts of a some Girl Scouts that were murdered here while camping. However, research has shown that the girls where actually killed at a location approx. 1 hour away from Winoka. Winoka is still believed to be a hot spot for paranormal activity though and sits on what used to be Native American camping ground .There are reports of strange activity at this location. The following article and links were found on the Springfield - Greene County Library web site:

The Springfield-Greene County Library receives frequent questions about ""The Camp where Girl Scouts were murdered along Lake Springfield"" or ""along the James River."" After a search for a campsite matching that location, staff discovered that Winoka Lodge is the site in question.

Located near Lake Springfield, near the interchange of Highways 60 and 65, Winoka Lodge was owned by the Schweitzer family in the 1920’’s and used as a summer home. The name ""Winoka"" means ""Great Spirit"".

Stories have circulated that Winoka Lodge is haunted, but this is unsubstantiated. The lodge’’s remote location along Lake Springfield and numerous unused buildings on the property may have resulted in a mistaken attribution to an incident, which occurred near Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Three girl scouts were murdered at a Girl Scout camp near Locust Grove, Oklahoma, on June 13, 1977, and the campsite closed permanently the following day due to that incident.

A photograph and information about the Lodge can be found in the 1904 Sou'wester, the Drury College Year Book (p.42). Winoka Lodge is also found in the 1904 Plat Book of Greene County, Missouri. As far as can be determined from local directories, the site has never been affiliated with the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. The property is privately owned today and trespassing is not permitted.

In addition, there are several newspaper articles and an information file in the Local History and Genealogy Department concerning Winoka Lodge.

 

The following is an exert from an Oklahoma Newspaper article:

 

LOCUST GROVE -- Twenty years after three young Girl Scouts were raped and murdered at a rural camp, the case remains open.

The convicted rapist accused of killing Lori Lee Farmer, 8; Michele Guse, 9; and Doris Denise Milner, 10, on June 13, 1977, was acquitted in a 1979 trial.

Gene Leroy Hart returned to prison on other charges, and died there of a massive heart attack just three months after his acquittal.

·Greene County Haunts 2