About This Location
A historic schoolhouse in Alton that closed decades ago but retains a dark reputation. The building's tragic history has made it one of the area's most haunted locations.
The Ghost Story
Milton Schoolhouse in Alton was constructed in 1904 and expanded in stages until a gymnasium and stage were added in 1937. The school served as Alton's main educational institution until closing in 1986. Among its notable students was Robert Wadlow, the World's Tallest Man, who attended elementary school here.
After closure, the building stood abandoned until the early 1990s when it reopened as a decorative glass factory. It has since served as a storage facility and now houses both residential and commercial space with businesses on the lower floors and apartments upstairs.
According to legend, the building is haunted by a schoolgirl named Mary who was raped and murdered on school grounds while working late on a project. A school janitor was blamed for the crime and was found hanged inside the building. However, researchers note that these stories of murder, torture, and suicide don't stem from historical fact but from local imagination.
Despite the uncertain origins of the legends, visitors, employees, students, and residents have experienced strange occurrences for many years: disembodied voices, items falling or moving on their own, and full shadow figures. A young girl's apparition has been seen and may have left X and O patterns on a worker's keyboard. People report children running through the building long after it ceased functioning as a school, and some claim to have encountered a ghost named "Charlie."
The TAPS team from "Ghost Hunters" investigated in 2010, exploring the allegedly haunted school. The episode "Grammar School Ghosts" featured the team searching for evidence of the brutal murder legend.
Current owner Doug Mattingly says he has yet to see anything that makes him believe the building is haunted. "But then again," he admits, "I haven't seen anything to make me think it isn't."
Milton Schoolhouse has been featured on Travel Channel and Syfy Channel programming, cementing its place in Alton's supernatural landscape.
Researched from 6 verified sources including historical records, local archives, and paranormal research organizations. Learn about our research process.
