You can check out anytime you like.

The song says, but you can never leave.

Obviously, this isn't a tune written about the Mineral Springs Hotel in Alton, but

I mean, it could have been.

This hotel is a place that is literally haunted by its past.

The remnants of yesterday lingering to the present within its walls, and even though no guests

have stayed the night in its rooms in decades, you almost expect to see them, strolling through

the lobby.

Traces of those old days remain intact.

They linger as shadowy corridors, ominous staircases, tile floors, flecked with Italian

marble, ornate trim, and even as the hotel's old safe, which remains on display.

Much has changed at the Mineral Springs since it opened more than a century ago, but if

you stand in the lobby when the lighting is just right, you almost expect to see those

ghosts in old-fashioned clothing as they hurry past on their way to a Mineral Cure, or

to have a cocktail in the hotel bar.

And if all the stories about this place are true, they still do.

Welcome to a special alternative podcast from American Haunies, which is dedicated to bringing

you the history, hauntings, legends, lore, and the dark side of our hometown, Alton,

Illinois.

We've returned home to Alton for a special limited season of shows that takes us back

to the very beginning of the podcast.

We've got updates and a lot of news stories to go along with season 1 of American Haunies,

...