In Kansas, two ghost stories are considered the most frightening:
Sallie House in Atchison and the legends surrounding the Stull Cemetery. While Stull has an urban legend of being a “gateway to hell,” the Sallie House features decades of documented, escalating paranormal violence and demonic overtones, making it arguable the scariest ghost story in the state.
The Sallie House haunting in Atchison
Located at 508 N. 2nd Street, the Sallie House is a typical-looking brick home with a horrific history. The haunting is centered on the spirit of a young girl named Sallie, but the terrifying and escalating nature of the attacks suggests something far more sinister is at play.
Origin of the haunting
- The botched surgery: The legend begins in the early 1900s, when a doctor who lived in the house performed an emergency appendectomy on a six-year-old girl named Sallie.
- A traumatic death: Believing Sallie was close to death, the doctor began the surgery before the anesthesia took effect. Sallie woke up screaming and died on the operating table from the trauma, believing the doctor was torturing her.
The Pickman family terror
The haunting escalated significantly when newlyweds Tony and Debra Pickman moved into the house in 1992.
- Initial activity: Strange occurrences began shortly after the birth of their son. Objects moved on their own, lights flickered, and their dog would growl at the nursery door.
- The harmless act: At first, the spirit seemed to protect the baby, playing harmlessly with his toys. This facade, however, hid a much darker and more sinister presence.
- Physical attacks: The spirit, or spirits, began to physically attack Tony, but would leave Debra and the baby alone. The attacks started as unexplained scratches on his back and chest.
- Demonic escalation: The physical abuse grew more intense and violent. Tony was attacked in front of others, with deep scratches appearing on his body.
- Demonic suggestion: Tony started having dreams where he was told to kill his wife. After he was physically pushed down the stairs by an invisible force, the Pickmans fled the house in terror.
A sinister cover
Paranormal investigators believe that Sallie’s spirit may have been a cover for a more malevolent, demonic entity. The spirit’s abuse of Tony while protecting the child suggests a demonic lure designed to create chaos and terror.
Stull Cemetery
While the Sallie House is horrifying due to its documented violence, the legends surrounding Stull Cemetery are terrifying in their sheer satanic magnitude.
The legend
- A gateway to hell: The most persistent and frightening legend is that the old, abandoned church ruins in the Stull Cemetery are one of the seven gateways to hell.
- Satanic rituals: It is rumored that Satan holds court in the cemetery twice a year, once on Halloween and once on the spring equinox. It’s said the devil and his followers use the cemetery for satanic worship and rituals.
- The disappearing stairs: Another element of the legend is that steps leading down into the church crypt appear on Halloween night. These stairs are said to lead directly to hell itself.
Modern encounters
The urban legend was born out of local gossip and student rumors in the 1970s, but it has gained a life of its own. The cemetery has become such a magnet for occultists and thrill-seekers that the landowners have posted “No Trespassing” signs and demolished the church.
