The Haunted Decatur Tour

The Haunted Decatur Tour was created by Skip Huston and author Troy Taylor in 1994 and is downstate Illinois' original ghost tour. It's one of the longest-running in the state and has won several awards for being one of the most authentic in the Midwest. The tour continues today and takes a look at the darker side of the city -- revealing ghost stories, hauntings and spirits that you won't find in the history books. From it's earliest days, the city of Decatur gained a reputation as a place where ghost stories were common -- from tales told by the settlers to haunted houses and hotels. But Decatur's dark origins can be traced back to the earliest days of the city, when the original settlers built over the top of Native American burial grounds that were scattered throughout the downtown area of what would become Decatur. The destruction of these burial mounds cast a mysterious pall over the city -- a darkness that continues to linger today. Decatur's sordid reputation also added to the ghostly stories of the city through incidents of murder and death. Known as one of the most corrupt cities in Illinois during the 1920s, crime truly came to Decatur in the 1850s with the arrival of the railroads. Vice districts, gambling parlors and brothels sprang up in the wake of the railroads and the Civil War, bringing bloodshed and violence to the city. The horrific events that followed have become an indelible part of the city's unusual history, making us one of the most haunted and unusual towns in the Midwest! From lost burial grounds to haunted theaters, the Haunted Decatur Tour is much more than just a run-of-the-mill ghost tour! This is not just a collection of ghost stories, but a true history of how the city became so haunted -- which means we also include  local sites of death, unsolved murders, strange crimes, gambling parlors, vice districts and more plagued the city in days gone by. It's not just haunted history  but also a chance for visitors to possibly encounter the past residents of Decatur face-to-face! We can promise that you'll never look at the city of Decatur in the same way again!