Most Haunted Places in America: Plumer Street House

Nebraska is known as the quite, heartland prairie of the country. A solemn landscape with little more than serenity and awesome sunsets as its most recognizable feature – and the finger-licking-good corn, of course. But in the small village of Maxwell, NE, where a mere population of about 300 resides, sits one of the state’s most haunted houses; the Plumer Street House.

The history of the house is a bit murky, but there are clear stories of what occurred within the home over the many years. Plumer Street House is said to be the home of several ghostly children, all of which died heartrending within its walls, and at least one adult specter.

The stories are not just local legend, but come directly from the owners of the Plumer Street House.

One premature death came about late one night when a young boy was trying to make his way to the outhouse. He fell down the stairs before reaching his destination, breaking his neck in the process. It is believed he died instantly.

In the upstairs bedroom, an infant died in its cradle. The reason for the death is uncertain, perhaps sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). When the mother discovered the baby’s terrible fate, she cradles the child in her arms and rocked back and forth in the rocking chair continuously until someone finally found them there.

Another young boy died in the house when he hung himself from an upstairs light fixture.

If these tragic stories weren’t horrific enough, yet another death is known to have occurred in the house. The story is not very clear, and the details are a bit sketchy, but apparently there was a lover’s quarrel in the parlor, and one of the two did not survive.

With so much suffering reported in a single family home, it comes as little surprise that the Plumer Street House would be so haunted. One of the most common reports of paranormal activity is that of a baby’s cry being heard throughout the home, but mostly in the upstairs area.

The rocking chair – the same rocking chair that the deceased baby’s mother rocked in as if helping the baby to sleep – has been seen many times rocking back and forth with no assistance from any living being. Sometimes a woman clad in a white dress is actually seen in solidified or apparitional form rocking in the chair.

A strange thumping noise is heard on the stairs, maybe that of the poor young boy who fell to his death here. There is also a naked light bulb that swings sometimes, seemingly of its own accord.

Does this mean that the Plumer Street House in Maxwell, Nebraska is haunted? It would certainly seem so. However, we should point out that investigators came into the home to seek answers to this very question and hidden walkways were discovered between the walls of the upstairs rooms. It doesn’t mean it is not true, but it does add some degree of speculation to the haunting of the house.

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4. Hauntings of the Woodruff-Fontaine House
5. The Haunted Farnsworth House in Gettysburg