Mineral Springs Hotel
This former hotel is reportedly home to a few paranormal patrons that never checked out
Ghostly Reports at
Mineral Springs Hotel
- Many shadow figures have been seen around the men’s pool area
- Wet footprints have been encountered around the pool area
- Mysterious odors of perfume have been encountered
- Apparitions have been seen around the main pool
- Marbles and balls left in the main pool will reportedly roll up the floor’s incline
- People report strange mood swings in one particular former hotel room
- Figures are seen sitting in chairs in one of the rooms
- Many potential EVPs have been recorded in the building
- A ghost reportedly roams the former hotel bar
Hospitable History of
Mineral Springs Hotel
Broadway in Alton, Illinois has no shortage of charm. From dessert shops to painting studios, the historic buildings lining the street remain lively with business. And Broadway’s Mineral Springs Hotel is no exception. The large, sandy stone building has been the fixture of the Broadway & Alton Street intersection for generations.
Despite the name, Mineral Springs is now home to an indoor mall, where you can find a museum, boutiques, a metaphysical store, and…ghosts?
From tales of encounters with long-dead hotel guests to more mysterious activity, Mineral Springs Hotel has built a truly haunting reputation. But which ghostly guests still call this old hotel home?
Timeline of Mineral Springs Hotel's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Mineral Springs Hotel through the years
1914
Long before the hotel, the property on the corner of Broadway and Alton Street was a meat processing plant. Herman and August Luer ran the operation there for many years. But during an early 1900s expansion for a cold storage space, workmen struck a natural water spring. The water, high in sulfur content, was almost immediately considered curative. The Luers, enterprise always on their mind, opted to build a hydrotherapy resort around their uncovered spring. Thus, the Mineral Springs Hotel opened in 1914.
1926
Not long after opening, Mineral Springs Hotel became one of the region’s most in-demand hydrotherapy resorts. Along with its reportedly curative water, Mineral Springs boasted two swimming pools and an expansive dining room with the largest dining table in Illinois at the time. August Luer would sell the hotel in 1926, and it would go on to have numerous owners, including his brother Herman. But, the Mineral Springs Hotel remained a steady success.
1971
While Mineral Springs Hotel stayed well-managed in its early decades, outside factors soon spelled trouble. The development of the interstate highway system in the 1950s made traffic through Alton more sparse. Additionally, FDA regulations on hydrotherapy claims cut down on Mineral Springs’ business even further. By 1968, the famously large pool was drained, and the hotel showed its age. By the early 1970s, closure for the hotel seemed inevitable, ultimately leading to Mineral Springs Hotel closing permanently in 1971.
1978
The hotel stayed vacant for most of the 1970s. But, with demolition looming, the building was saved in 1978. That year, it was converted into an antiques mall. As a mall, the building has continually developed ever since. In the early 2000s it moved from being predominantly antiques to become the unique, eclectic mall seen today. While you can still find remnants of the hotel in the building today, legend says Mineral Springs Hotel is truly kept alive by the ghosts of guests who still occupy it.
Poolside Paranormal at
Mineral Springs Hotel
One of the oft-mentioned areas of paranormal activity in the hotel are the pool areas. Perhaps this should come as no surprise, as the pools were the centers of attention at the hotel for many years. But, aside from making memories for many people, the Mineral Springs pools were the last memory of at least one unfortunate soul.
Clarence Blair, a young Granite City man, visited the hotel in 1918. While taking swimming lessons in the pool, Clarence dove in the shallow end, injuring himself and drowning before he could be saved. Ever since, a man’s apparition has been spotted in the main pool area, often around the shallow end. Additionally, one ghost story tells of wet footprints mysteriously appearing around the same area of the long-drained pool.
But the ghost of Clarence Blair isn’t the only source of Mineral Springs’ poolside paranormal happenings. Another pool ghost is a little girl named Cassie. Cassie’s specter is also often spotted as a shadowy apparition around the pool area. But, she is also well-known for playing games at the bottom of the pool.
Since being drained and opened for tours and ghost hunts, many people have left toys and games for Cassie at the bottom of the pool. And, Cassie’s ghost is known for her love of marbles. Many times, visitors will leave marbles at the deep end, only to find them rolled up to the shallow end later on.
Mysteries of
Mineral Springs’ Men’s Pool
Along with the ghosts of the main pool, the men’s only pool is also said to be a hotbed of activity. Shifting shadows and moving apparitions are often spotted in this area. But, unlike Clarence and Cassie in the main pool, none of these ghosts are well-identified.
Though they remain more elusive, many visitors and investigators have reported encounters with the men’s pool apparitions. That, of course, begs the question: which Mineral Springs pool is the most haunted?
Barroom Spirits of Mineral Springs Hotel
If swimming pools worth of phantoms weren’t enough, Mineral Springs Hotel’s former bar area is also said to have a resident ghost. Often called Charlie, this ghost is said to be that of a struggling artist that agreed to paint a mural of Alton in the barroom. But, according to legend, Charlie committed suicide before the work’s completion and his specter still haunts the bar.
Though the mural does indeed exist, there is no record of who painted it. Though, his ghost may be confused with that of Lou Harwood, a man who killed himself in the bar shortly after the hotel opened. Unlike Charlie’s tale. Harwood’s has historical backing and records of it. Despite the lacking evidence for the story, ghost stories of Charlie continue to this day.
Mineral Springs Hotel’s Jasmine Lady
Another Mineral Springs ghost story with a mysterious backstory is one of its most famous: The Jasmine Lady. The Jasmine Lady is said a ghost of a woman who was thrown down the hotel stairs to her death by her husband after being caught in an affair. But, much like Charlie, there is no identifiable record of this murder. There is, however, a similar story rooted in history.
Sara Reddish and her son were briefly Mineral Springs guests while her son was on the run from the law. But, the law soon caught up with them. After a chaotic arrest, Sara reportedly fell down the hotel stairs and died of her injuries. With dueling stories, there’s been debate as to who the Jasmine Lady truly is. But, the spooky signs of her presence aren’t up for much debate.
Listen for the Jasmine Lady
at Mineral Springs Hotel
As her name suggests, the Jasmine Lady is most often identified by her smell. She is known to trail a scent of jasmine perfume wherever she goes. Aside from her tell-tale stench, the Jasmine Lady is also said to be quite a talker.
Many ghost hunters have captured potential EVPs from Mineral Springs, and many of those are said to be from the Jasmine Lady. These recordings are most often caught around the stairwell where she died. But, the Jasmine Lady has been known to wander around the hotel.
Mineral Springs Hotel’s Phantom Pearl
Up in the former hotel room spaces on the top floor, a more sorrowful spirit lingers. In the now gutted rooms above, a listless woman named Pearl is often encountered.
This is another ghost story with a well-defined and recorded history, lending credence to Pearl’s long-term hotel residence.
Historical records indicate Pearl L. Sons checked into Mineral Springs on a Monday in 1965, only to be found dead of an intentional overdose on Wednesday morning. Now, Pearl’s former room is said to be the emotional hotspot of the building’s ghostly activity.
Visitors to the space have reported wild mood swings and a heavy feeling. Additionally, a woman’s figure said to match Pearl’s description has been seen sitting in chairs left in the room.
Mineral Springs Hotel’s
Permanent Guests
So while it’s been over 50 years since Mineral Springs last operated as a hotel, it seems some stubborn – and spectral – guests simply refuse to leave. And they’ve become a central part of the Mineral Springs experience.
Ghost hunts are regularly offered by management, and many artifacts detailing the hauntings can be found in the building’s Soul Asylum Museum. So while you may have heard about dead malls across the country, Mineral Springs has found success being a true mall of the dead. And they’ve got the hauntings, and the history, to back that up.
