Pinelawn Manor & Sumner Care Center
Shadow figures and strange lights abound through the long halls of this abandoned healthcare complex
Paranormal Claims at
Pinelawn Manor & Sumner Care Center
- Strange light anomalies are seen
- Apparitions and shadow figures are frequently encountered
- Marbles and small objects are thrown by unseen forces
- Disembodied voices and animalistic sounds are heard at times
- A black mass purportedly appears in one of the buildings
- Visitors report being touched by unseen hands
- Potential EVPs and ITC communication has been noted
- Door handles are rattled by invisible forces
Pinelawn Manor:
From Healthcare to Hauntings
The small, quiet town of Sumner, Illinois, doesn’t have many defining features. A few blocks of red brick buildings sit in the town’s center.
But the true Sumner focal point is the sprawling medical complex on the north end of town.
Together, Pinelawn Manor and the Sumner Care Center spent decades caring for the infirm and elderly. The facilities also provided numerous jobs to the Sumner economy.
And though the buildings sit dark and empty now, the souls that passed through them may still call it home. Explorers and ghost hunters agree, something paranormal is going on at Pinelawn Manor.
Timeline of Pinelawn Manor & Sumner Care Center's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Pinelawn Manor & Sumner Care Center through the years
1973
Not much is known about the early development on the Pinelawn Manor property. But, recent research suggests that the main building began life as a motel or motor lodge in the mid-1900s. By the early 1970s, though, interstate travel had cut Sumner’s traffic down to a trickle. Soon, the business was forced to close. The site was made into Pinelawn Manor in 1973, a care home focused on physically disabled adults. Developers also built Sumner Care Center across the street, an elder care home.
1993
As a pair, Pinelawn Manor and Sumner Care Center operated effectively for the rest of the 20th century. Into the 1990s, the facilities were well-staffed and filled with patients. The patient numbers peaked in 1993 with 100 active beds across both buildings.
2005
By the early 2000s, care quality declined and funding cuts spelled doom for Pinelawn. Pinelawn Manor closed in 2005, followed by Sumner Care Center in 2006.
2023
For almost two decades, Pinelawn Manor and Sumner Care Center both sat in darkness and decay. The only time they were ever opened was for seasonal haunted houses. But in 2023, new management came to the complex. Major renovation work has been ongoing since then, as have attempts to open the site to the public. And these days, visitors flock to Pinelawn Manor not for spooky props, but actual, real-life hauntings. It seems that, as new life is breathed into the complex, old ghosts are being conjured back to life with it.
Is Pinelawn Manor Haunted?
Pinelawn Manor, the center of the property, is purportedly a hotbed of ghostly activity.
The building’s long, almost endless hallways are said to be spiritual hotspots in and of themselves. Some of the most common reports in the Pinelawn corridors are visual oddities.
Shadow figures are often seen walking the halls or peering out of rooms at visitors.
Stranger still, ghostly lights are also sometimes encountered. Ghost hunters report everything from balls of light, unexplained shimmers, and sudden light flashes.
Lose Your Marbles at Pinelawn Manor
Not satisfied with simply appearing to the living, ghosts at Pinelawn Manor will reportedly toss things around as well. Marbles are the most common object thrown by the building’s phantoms.
But the Pinelawn spirits might move just about any small, light object left for them. Along with that, the ghosts may reach out and touch visitors, often grabbing them suddenly just for a scare.
Hear Voices From The Dead
In both Pinelawn Manor and the Sumner Care Center, ghosts are known to get noisy. Visitors frequently report hearing audible voices, moans, and other sounds through the complex.
Ghost hunters often leave their investigations with recordings of potential EVPs as well. Some even report communication through Spirit Boxes and other ITC devices.
Between both buildings, Sumner Care Center is infamous for loud sounds at all times of night.
Investigators note sudden bangs, door slams, and knocks from far off rooms. Doors knobs around Sumner Care Center are also heard rattling and shaking. It’s as if unseen hands are trying to get them open.
Ghostly Beasts Saunter in Sumner
While most ghosts around the complex are thought to be former patients and care staff, there may be at least one phantom animal on the grounds.
Inside Sumner Care Center, visitors report deep, animal-like growling coming from the dark halls. Others still have reported a large animal’s shadow figure trotting around on all-fours. Despite these accounts, no one had yet identified the species of this ghostly growler.
Watchful Apparitions Roam the Complex
A mysterious animal may not be the only apparition you see in Sumner Care Center. Similarly to Pinelawn, shadowy forms are often seen peeking out of rooms to spy on people.
The figures in Sumner can appear quite vividly, showing up wearing old hospital gowns as they wander through. But at other times, the figures become nothing more than black masses. Sometimes, these masses are said to follow investigators through the building’s darkness.
Ghost Hunters Get Freaked Out
While ghost hunters are often no strangers to scares, the activity from Pinelawn Manor reportedly has some departing early.
Management frequently notes visiting ghost hunting teams scared out of one or both of the buildings.
Sometimes they’re startled away by glaring shadow figures. At other points, unseen hands quite literally nudge visitors out of rooms and buildings.
Despite these claims, most teams who visit make it through their full nights. Though, many leave with a few new ghost stories to share.
Seek Out Spirits in Sumner
Since opening to ghost hunts in 2023, the Pinelawn Manor and Sumner Care Center complex has become a popular Illinois oddity. Revenue from ghost hunts and tours now drives renovation projects around the property.
These days, ghost hunters can even enjoy sleeping rooms, a kitchen, and bathrooms in the Sumner Care building.
Anyone interested in booking a tour or overnight stay can reach out to Pinelawn’s Facebook page. Though, as the location becomes increasingly popular, bookings reach further and further out. So plan ahead!
And be sure to arrive prepared to encounter something unexplained. Lest you be the next one scared out of Sumner, Illinois.
