Halloween is on the horizon, and we’re focused on things that go bump in the night. Read on — if you dare — about 3 well-known + historic Kansas City landmarks with terrifying tall tales.
🕷️ Folly Theater
The Folly Theater — known as “The Pink Lady” — was completed in 1900. It was managed by Joe Donegan for ~20 years. He brought big names to the area like the Marx Brothers, Gypsy Rose Lee, and boxer Jack Johnson.
Over the years, employees + visitors have reported paranormal activity inside the theater. A former custodian said he saw a male figure in a bowler hat he believed to be the spirit of Joe Donegan. Others have described a woman in a long, flowy gown rushing to the stage.
🕷️ Hotel Savoy
Hotel Savoy — now the 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City — is noted as America’s oldest continuously-operating hotel west of the Mississippi River. Hotel Savoy got its start in 1888 and attracted prominent characters like Harry S. Truman + John D. Rockefeller.
One guest who checked into this hotel never checked out. Accounts indicate room 505 is haunted by the ghost of Besty Ward, who died there in the 1800s. Her spirit is said to turn the room’s water on and off. Others have reported music coming from the room while no one was there.
🕷️ Longview Farm
Built between 1912 and 1914, Lee’s Summit’s Longview Farm boasted 1,780 acres, 42 buildings, and a racetrack. Loula Long Combs, daughter of Robert A. Long, lived at Longview + was a nationally-known equestrian.
Loula and her sister, Sally, donated land on which Metropolitan Community College — Longview now sits. Loula passed away in 1971 at the age of 90. Students say they have heard ghostly hooves clacking on pavement + have seen a woman on horseback. When the mansion was chosen as the Symphony Designers Showhouse in 1987, a staff member reported having to remake Loula’s bed every morning.
What other urban legends lurk around KC? We want to hear your stories in our inbox. 📧
