Seated in the heart of the small town of Alton, Illinois, lies a small gem waiting to be uncovered. The Mineral Springs Hotel, located on the main strip of the area, has been around since 1913, but is often overlooked and unheard of, even by the residents of the town.
“The hotel is one of my favorite spots to visit,” owner of the paranormal investigation team “Haunted Nights”, Steve Brodt said. “You always get something different.”
Herman and August Lure, two German brothers, originally moved to St. Louis from Germany. In search of starting their own
business, they moved to Alton to build an ice packing plant. During construction of the building, the brothers discovered a natural spring on the land they were using. The brothers decided to use the spring’s water, turning the building into a water bottling plant. They started construction in 1912, excited to start their own business and carry on their family’s name in a new country. In 1913, five levels below the street, the bottling plant opened, selling their self proclaimed “healing water” to 12 of the surrounding states. Immediately following, a hotel opened on the floors above the spring itself. With more than 100 rooms, the biggest pool in Alton at the time and a dining room to seat 26 people, it quickly became a place of attraction and devastation.
“There’s supposed to be a little girl who drowned in the pool that they had,” fifty-year resident James Faust said. “And her ghost is supposed to be there.”
Haunted Nights has been investigating for 15 years, visited the hotel May 11. Brodt, along with his friends, Courtney Eastman and Josie Tegethoffe stayed the weekend at the hotel to document the paranormal activity. The group as a whole have visited places all around the country, but often find themselves coming back to Mineral Springs.
“The hotel is just one of my favorite spots,” Brodt said. “It’s one of those spots where we always get something different.”
The team talked about their experiences with the hotel and how their third year revisiting was not a disappointment. From shadow figures they saw to objects moving on their own, the hotel continues to live up to its reputation as one of the best places to visit in Alton.
“Last year when we were here,” Tegethoffe said, “me and Steve watched a beach ball get kicked down the stairs. It was deflated and had been sitting on the stairs for hours, unmoving.”
The hotel has its fair share of haunting stories. According to the Rivers And Routes website, a man named Lou Hardwood was rumored to have shot himself in the bar of the hotel only a few years after the establishment opened. He is often seen around the bar, appearing as a shadow or apparition.
“I looked over to the far corner,” Eastman said, “and I thought I saw someone standing there. I shined my flashlight, and absolutely no one was there.”
