Is Berlin Tannery Haunted?

Berlin Tannery

Once a leather factory, now a haunted house, Berlin Tannery’s ghosts may scare you out of your skin

Paranormal Activity at
Berlin Tannery

  • EVPs are often recorded by visiting investigators
  • Spiritual portals are said to exist around the property
  • Cold spots are frequently reported
  • Disembodied footsteps are said to follow people around the building
  • Sounds of running machinery are heard at times
  • Shadow figures are reported throughout the building

Haunting History of Berlin Tannery

The Halloween season just wouldn’t be the same without haunted attractions. Haunted houses, terrifying trails, and frightful factories sprout up every spooky season, with many being fixtures of their communities.

And some of those locations, like Berlin Tannery in Berlin, Wisconsin, purportedly house real hauntings year-round.

The Berlin Tannery prospered for decades until the leather industry moved overseas, closing in 1987 and remaining unused for over ten years.
In 2000, Dan Hoppa bought the Berlin Tannery to preserve it and investigate its ghostly legends.

Berlin Tannery’s brick facade has sat at the end of Wisconsin Street for over a century and a half. In that time, it’s built up plenty of history and lore.

Tales of shadow figures, footsteps, and spiritual portals have made Berlin Tannery into a well-known paranormal hotspot in Wisconsin. A place where scary props and spiritual presences come together and create a true factory of fear.

Timeline of Berlin Tannery's History

Swipe or use timeline points to see Berlin Tannery through the years

Although the Berlin Tannery in Wisconsin no longer produces leather, many say the building still manufactures paranormal experiences.

1853

In late 1840s Berlin, Wisconsin, cranberries were king. The young township soon became Wisconsin’s premiere producer of cranberries, and needed infrastructure to support that industry. As part of that, a massive warehouse came to life at the end of Wisconsin Street in 1853.

Despite the industry’s swift growth, berries did not remain Berlin’s economic powerhouse for long. By the 1890s, the Wisconsin Street warehouse took on new life, along with the town.

While reports of phantom footsteps are mostly centered in Berlin Tannery's catwalk system, these footsteps also occur in many different parts of the tannery as well.

1892

In the 1890s, leather and fur became Berlin’s booming industries. The old Wisconsin Street cranberry warehouse was converted into the Bassett Sheepskin Factory in 1892. The factory quickly expanded, helping Berlin become known around Wisconsin as ‘the fur and leather city.’

With no shortage of hides in need of tanning, the future looked bright for the growing tannery complex. But a fire in the early 1920s required a near-total rebuild of the structure.

From a cranberry warehouse to a leather factory, and later a haunted attraction, Berlin Tannery in Berlin, Wisconsin has endured.

1987

After the 1920s fire and rebuild, Berlin Tannery saw decades of continuous success. But by the 1970s and 80s, much of the leather tanning industry had shifted overseas, far away from central Wisconsin.

With the industry around Berlin no longer needing such a large factory, Berlin Tannery shuttered in 1987. For over a decade, the former tannery sat listless, its future uncertain, until the dawn of the 21st century.

While much of the reported paranormal activity at Berlin Tannery is heard by its visitors, visual activity is also seen throughout the building.

2000

In 2000, Dan Hoppa, a former contractor for the tannery, purchased the old building. His main goal was preservation of the historic factory. He also wanted to explore rumors about the building, old local ghost stories. Many reports from workers said the tannery was haunted, and Hoppa soon opened the building for public exploration.

Since then, as both a seasonal haunted attraction and year-round ghost hunting location, Berlin Tannery’s lore has only grown, building a reputation as one of Wisconsin’s most phantasmal factories.

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Cold spots have been reported throughout the haunted Berlin Tannery, with some being central to the reported portal locations.

Is Berlin Tannery Haunted?

Many theories abound about how the old leather factory in Berlin got so haunted. Some people suggest the hauntings are the result of the building’s busy history as an industrial hub in the town.

Others say the hauntings stem from a popular local story, telling of a strange package that once arrived at the factory: an in-tact human skin, sent in for tanning. Town lore says that the sender was never found, and some Berlin locals figure the ghost stories began at that morbid moment.

Paranormal investigators often focus on the reported portal locations at Berlin Tannery, as these seem to be key hotspots of ghostly activity.

Phantom Voices on the Factory Floor

Some of the most common reports around Berlin Tannery are of ghostly voices and sounds. Many visiting ghost hunting groups claim to capture these voices and sounds on EVP recordings.

Distant, echoing voices are often recorded in the tannery, as well as occasional meowing from an unknown ghost cat. Along with that, some visitors report the sound of old machinery running on the factory floors, even though all the machines have been out of order for years.

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Get Followed By Ghostly Footsteps

When the Berlin Tannery ghosts aren’t talking in the distance or starting up spectral machines, they are said to follow visitors around the building. The sounds of phantom footsteps are another remarkably common claim at Berlin Tannery.

Some psychics who have visited Berlin Tannery believe it contains spiritual portals, which allow spirits to enter and leave the building freely.
Some visitors of the haunted Berlin Tannery report seeing silhouettes walking through hallways and passing through doors.

These ghostly steps are most often heard on a long catwalk system in part of the basement, where every noise reverberates across the space’s high-ceilings.

But many reports suggest these footsteps can be heard in every part of the tannery at times. Witnesses say the footsteps will sometimes follow them around for the entirety of their visit.

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Shadow figures have been spotted lurking in the darkness of the old and haunted Berlin Tannery in Wisconsin.

See Real Ghosts in this Haunted House

Not every ghost hunter has heard the phantoms of Berlin Tannery, but plenty have seen shadow figures lingering in the factory’s darkness.

Many spaces in the building’s lower floors are long, wide open rooms, filled only by concrete support beams. Ghostly figures are said to hide behind these beams and dart out from behind them. Others spot shadowy forms walking down hallways and through doors around the tannery.

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Find Paranormal Portals
at Berlin Tannery

One claim from visiting psychic mediums suggests spirits can come and go freely from the tannery through spiritual portals. According to self-described sensitives, Berlin Tannery is home to several distinct spiritual portals.

It is said that these supposed portals allow any number of spiritual presences to come and go from the building at all times.

Visitors of the haunted Berlin Tannery report the sound of old factory machinery running, even though none of the machines work anymore.
A common paranormal claim from Berlin Tannery's visitors involves the sensation of being followed by unseen entities.
Some investigators visiting the haunted Berlin Tannery hear unexplained meowing from what’s believed to be a ghost cat.

Paranormal investigators often focus on these portal points as hotspots to investigate.

While some note no abnormal readings or sensations around the portals, others say sudden cold spots manifest around them. The cold spots are sometimes said to recur multiple times throughout tannery investigations.

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Hunt for Berlin Tannery’s Ghosts

The story of Berlin Tannery has always been one of change. Whether it was the shift from cranberry warehouse to leather factory, the swift rebuild after the 1920s fire, or the transition from factory to haunt, Berlin Tannery has proved to be as resilient as the leather it once made. That resilience continues today.

The tannery remains open to ghost hunts throughout the year. It also continues its haunted house tradition every Halloween season.

Ghost hunting groups often claim to capture disembodied voices heard in Berlin Tannery using EVP recordings.
One of the most common types of paranormal activity reported at Berlin Tannery in Wisconsin is ghostly voices.
While some believe Berlin Tannery's hauntings come from its industrial past, others blame a local legend involving an in-tact human skin sent in for tanning.

In recent years, Berlin Tannery’s catalogue of ghost stories has made it a favorite stop for Midwestern ghost hunters.

Anyone interested in booking the Berlin Tannery only needs to reach out through their website or Facebook page. With each ghost hunt, the tannery’s list of terrifying encounters grows a little longer. So while Berlin Tannery no longer churns out leather, the old factory may always be producing phantoms.