Most Haunted Places in America: Depot Antique Mall

The Depot Antique Mall in Billings, Montana is the state’s largest antique resource, home to more than 90 antique dealers under one purposefully accommodating roof. In the mid-1900’s, tragedy struck the Billings area by way of a devastating plane crash, and the Depot Antique Mall now said to be haunted by the ghost of a WWII veteran who didn’t survive the accident.

Built in the early 1900’s, the Depot Antique Mall is nearly an antique in and of itself. Constructed in 1928 of brick and beam posts, the building has served as a warehouse, saloon, restaurant, dinner theatre and is now the home of the Depot Antique Mall. It has certainly withstood the test of time, now giving antiques connoisseurs a one-stop shopping extravaganza hosted by antique vendors, consignors and dealers alike.

In the 1940s, it was known as the Sawyer building. Serving as a multi-use warehouse, the basement area had a rather large refrigerated area for stocking goods that necessitated cooler temperatures. By sheer circumstance and convenience, the structure became the temporary resting place of countless deceased bodies.

The tragic plane crash occurred on December 8, 1945 when pilot Captain George D. Miller and his co-pilot, First Officer Vernon W. Pfannkuck, prepared to deliver a number of World War II soldiers safely to Billings, Montana, where they would continue traveling on to Seattle for stateside reassignment or discharge. Having just come back from overseas, the passengers were elated to be back on US soil. The flight left Fargo, North Dakota for Billings and didn’t experince any problems until about 2AM.

The C-47 airplane hit snowy weather while most of the citizens of Billings were sleeping. The pilot could barely see the landing strip, and was informed by the tower that their plane was too high. They had to circle back around for another try, and this time were informed that the plane was too low. Still unable to see clearly, the pilot brought the plane southward and into a rocky escarpment that descended some 400 feet into the valley, wherein lies the town of Billings. By the time the pilot realized what he had done, it was too late.

He desperately pulled up the nose of the plane, but one wing hit the trees and was tore free from the plane. It was all Captain Miller could do to avoid the residential homes, bringing the plane down to its final resting place in a snowy field.

Flames burst from the transport plane as the people of the neighborhood looked on in horror. There were 21 WWII veterans aboard the plane, plus the two pilots. Captain Miller and First Officer Pfannkuck both survived the initial crashes, along with two other passengers, but died the next day at the hospital.

With so many bodies to be placed, the small town morgue simply didn’t have space for them all. Instead, 13 of the young WWII soldiers’ bodies were stored in the basement cooler of the nearby Sawyer building (now the Depot Antique Mall).

Ever since then, the ghost of a man dressed in the attire of a WWII soldier has been seen roaming the building, usually just above the basement coolers.

One such report was from an actress who once worked at the Depot Antique Mall when it was a dinner theater in the 1980’s. There was a wall of mirrors above the basement cooler area that made it easier for dining guests to watch the show from any angle. She claimed that while performing on stage, she would often see a young man dressed in a WWII soldier’s brown clothing, drifting across the mirrors. She knew it must be a ghost because there was no human form to accompany the ghostly reflection in the mirrors.

The ghost continues to haunt the Depot Antique Mall today. His spectral form has been reported on numerous occasions over the years. One employ claimed that she was working down in the basement when she heard her co-worker whisper to her from upstairs for assistance. When she got to the first floor, her co-worker was not there. She was, in fact, in a whole different area of the antique mall, and swears she never called out.

Many customers have complained of a “strong presence”, actually leaving the area and walking over to the counter to tell workers of their feelings. Many are so convinced that something was there, they not surprised to hear that it is just the ghost of the Depot Antique Mall WWII soldier who roams the grounds.

His ghost is not considered frightening at all, but does tend to relay a “sad feeling” to most who encounter him. Those who actually see the Depot Antique Mall ghost say that he disappears when you walk towards him.

Other claims of paranormal activity at the Depot Antique Mall include objects disappearing and turning up elsewhere, and motion sensors being set off down in the basement area, late at night when there is no present to set them off.

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