As a paranormal investigator, I am always looking for spots that are considered haunted. However, there are only so many “new” things to read and write about; what is new to you may not be new to me, and vice versa.
Lately, I have been diving into the podcasts Stuff You Should Know and Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know on iHeartRadio. During the spooky season, they like to dive into different stories, and this always gives me great fodder for research. Of course, after hearing those stories, I go down the figurative rabbit hole of haunted stories. Into all of my own personal dives, I discovered the story of The Sallie House.
Atchison, Kansas
Located 50 miles northwest from Kansas City along the Missouri River is the city of Atchison, Kansas. Atchison is known for being the birthplace of Amelia Earhart and the home of Benedictine College.
Atchison is also known for its haunted location, The Sallie House.
The Sallie House
Atchison’s tourist website tells the story of the house as follows:
Originally built at the turn of the century, this house became the residence of an Atchison physician. The front served as office space and examination rooms, while the doctor and his family lived upstairs. One day, a frantic mother arrived carrying her 6-year-old daughter, Sallie. The child had collapsed from severe abdominal pain. The doctor diagnosed appendicitis and knew there was no time to delay surgery. Believing the appendix would soon burst, the doctor began cutting Sallie before the anesthesia took full effect. Sallie’s screams suddenly stopped and she grew pale and limp. She died on the operating table – her last memories of a man whom she believed was torturing her.
Whoa. Can you imagine? I do love a good horror story plot, but when it is reality, I get chills – and this is straight out of a horror movie. But like any good horror movie, the story of the haunting has to be embellished, right?
The Sallie House Paranormal Events
So what have people experienced at the Sallie House?
According to the Atchison website, here are some of the events that happened:
Events that have been witnessed by visitors to the Sallie House include:
- video and investigative equipment that stop working
- batteries that are full immediately and completely draining
- experience moving objects
- unexplained scratches or bruising on their bodies during/after visits
- physical touches
- mysterious coldness
- Trained guide dogs refuse to enter the nursery
My Perspective as a Paranormal Investigator
I will never discount the personal experiences of any individual because I was not there to understand the situation they were in, but a few of these don’t ring out “paranormal” to me – some of these are the standard tropes one would experience in any haunted house and call it “paranormal”. However, I have experienced some of these events before in my own investigations, so I cannot claim these to be paranormal or not.
I think the most interesting of these events is that trained guide dogs refuse to enter the nursery. What I have read and researched leads me to believe that animals are not sensitive to the paranormal, but there is no real definitive way to prove it. What we do know is that their sense of hearing and smell is much better than humans, and that may lead us to think they have a sixth sense. But the fact that “dogs” is plural is something my investigator’s heart likes to see. If it were one dog, sure, I could write it off. However, several dogs? Yeah, there’s something there I’d like to experience myself.
Want to Read More?
There is a book written on the house: The Sallie House Haunting – A True Story by Debra Pickman. She and her husband and son lived there (and subsequently fled from there) and she wrote about her personal experiences. I have not had the chance to read the book yet, but I am interested (anyone want to send me a copy?).
Maybe one day I’ll have the chance to head out to Kansas and experience a night there myself. You can actually book overnight stays (for a decent price, too!).
