There are a few places in the Alton area that have become as infamous as the place that has long been known as the Hartford Castle.

It is a house that has been plagued with rumors of murder, of bootleg liquor,

and especially of ghosts.

Much of the history of the castle which was officially known as

Lakeview has been lost or in many cases never existed at all. It was a house

built for love that became overshadowed by grief despair and the bizarre and it became a place of mystery.

It became a place of mystery.

It seems that what the locals didn't know about the castle as eccentric owner,

they simply made up.

But as we'll soon see, truth is often stranger than fiction. Oh, And then. The Welcome to the latest episode of American Hauntings, the podcast dedicated to the history,

hauntings, legends, and lore of America's past.

Hosted by Cody Beck and Troy Taylor,

our first season explores the hauntings of Alton, Illinois,

one of the most haunted small towns in America. In 1913 a now forgotten writer for the St. Louis Globe Democrat wrote this about Lakeview.

Midway between East St. Louis and

Alton, Illinois along the electric line connecting the two towns there is a

castle-like home that for years has been attracted the attention of

travelers and has been the subject of vague rumors and

conjecture in the countryside. People living in the vicinity call it the

haunted palace on the hill. The house stands on a knoll overlooking the

surrounding country and with its strange and picturesque surroundings

is easily visible from the car window. There is something of a medieval air about this place.

...