Enger Tower
This tower above Duluth, Minnesota offers both breathtaking views and paranormal encounters
Paranormal Claims at
Enger Tower
- A man’s figure can be seen on the fifth level
- Phantom footsteps are heard on the tower’s steps
- Disembodied voices are sometimes reported by visitors
- Unknown shadow figures reportedly lurk around the tower
Enger Tower:
History of a Duluth Landmark
Many of America’s haunted places are hidden. Old prisons and asylums are kept behind stone walls. Haunted mansions are often tucked into quiet and unassuming neighborhoods. But some haunted hotspots can be seen from miles away.
In Duluth, Minnesota, one high-perched haunt is almost impossible to avoid.
The looming form of Enger Tower sits atop a tall, steep hill at the city’s edge. From its position, the stony observation tower can be seen from almost anywhere in Duluth.
Minnesota legend says that when you look up at Enger Tower, spirits may be looking back at you from the tower’s dark windows.
Timeline of Enger Tower's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Enger Tower through the years
1920
Enger Tower takes its name from early-1900s Duluth businessman, Bert Enger. Enger, a Norwegian immigrant, came to the Midwestern US as a child. He worked throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas in his early years, but soon put down roots in Duluth. Enger founded a furniture company in the city, which quickly prospered. By 1920, Enger had amassed considerable wealth and hoped to give something back to the city of Duluth. That year, he anonymously donated $50,000 for use in founding a new hilltop park.
1931
Duluth accepted the funds and started work on the new park, but many townsfolk wondered who among them donated the sum for new parkland. Eventually, Enger admitted to the donation. In response, the city christened the park as Enger Park. For the remainder of his life, Bert Enger watched his park project grow. He continued supporting the Duluth community any way that he could. When he died in 1931, Enger left most of his estate to Duluth and Enger Park. With these funds, he requested the construction of an observation tower on his parkland.
1939
It took eight years after Bert Enger’s death, but the city of Duluth honored his wishes for his estate. In the middle of Enger Park, a stone-structure observation tower slowly built up through the late 1930s. By 1939, Enger Tower was nearing completion. To celebrate the grand opening of Enger Park’s new focal point, the Crown Prince of Norway, Olav, and his wife Martha came to Duluth. The members of Norwegian royalty inaugurated the tower’s opening on June 15, 1939, and it opened to the public soon after.
2011
For the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st, Enger Tower and the rest of Enger Park greeted tens of thousands of Duluth locals and tourists alike. Enger Tower’s hilltop vantage point and its additional five-story reach made it the best sight-seeing spot in Duluth. By the 2010s, the sturdy stone tower remained unfazed by 70 years of attention. But, the city planned numerous improvements. Through 2011, LED lighting was added to Enger Tower, among other improvements. After refurbishment, the tower was re-dedicated, this time by the King and Queen of Norway, on October 17, 2011.
Is Enger Tower Haunted?
Enger Tower has remained a memorable cornerstone of Duluth’s history and parkland for generations. It is still a popular draw for local hikers and Duluth tourists, even during its off-season in winter. And as numerous people trek up and down the tower’s steps all the time, some visitors say specters of the past traverse the steps alongside them.
Over its decades of public use, ghost stories have spread about Enger Park’s looming stone tower. But, some questions still linger about Enger Tower’s entities.
The Phantom on the Fifth Floor
The most popular Enger Tower ghost story is of a shadowy apparition, watching people from the tower’s fifth floor. While nobody knows the identity of this mysterious, watchful figure, the haunting has a well-built bit of lore around it.
Duluth legend says that in 1948, an unknown man leapt from Enger Tower to his death on the stone below. The story goes that though the man’s body was discovered less than a day after his death, nobody ever identified him or claimed his body.
Though there is no confirmed record of any such event happening at Enger Tower in 1948, the local legend remains popular today.
Visitors to Enger Tower sometimes report seeing the man’s figure on the fifth floor as they approach. After the witnesses ascend the tower’s only staircase, they find the fifth floor completely empty.
Shadow Figures Roam The Tower
This unknown man’s apparition is the most well-known paranormal claim around Enger Tower today. But, some suggest he may not be alone. Others report additional shadowy figures lurking in and around the tower, most often in the evenings.
It’s unknown if this is the same upstairs entity exploring elsewhere, or if these are the ghosts of other souls returning to Enger Park’s lookout tower. Similarly to the fifth floor figure, none of these apparitions are known to be vivid or detailed, leaving much to imagination and mystery.
Hear Ghostly Footsteps on the Stairs
Visible figures are commonly the only kind of ghostly encounters visitors will have at Enger Tower. But, a select few tales say you might also hear spectral sounds while ascending the steps. Some visitors claim to hear ghostly voices inside the empty tower, though the voices are always said to be distant and quiet.
Disembodied footsteps have also been heard on higher floors as tourists head up the steps. But just like with the fifth floor apparition, nobody is ever found once people reach the tower’s peak. Could these be the footsteps of that mysterious shadow man, making his way up to the fifth floor to jump?
Duluth’s Terrifying Tower
Enger Tower today still serves the same purpose it did when Norwegian royals first dedicated it in the summer of 1939. The tower can be spotted from many areas around Duluth. Those on its observation deck can take in expansive panoramic views of the city and nearby Lake Superior.
Though the tower is closed up during Minnesota’s long winters, not even cold weather can keep many tourists and locals away from the dark, stone tower.
Enger Tower remains operated by the city today, and few formal tours are currently offered. While there’s no method for booking a ghost hunt inside the tower, it is freely accessible during Enger Park’s operational hours in warmer seasons.
All any interested ghost hunter has to do is visit the park for a daytime hike, and keep their eyes on the tower windows for any shadowy figures. Between its scenic views and spooky stories, Enger Tower may be the perfect place to see sights, or for sights to see you.
