Fort at Abraham Lincoln State Park - Mandan North Dakota

The Haunted Fort at Abraham Lincoln State Park

The History

The Custer House, known to be the most haunted in the compound, was built for Lt. Col Custer and Libby Custer, who only lived in their house together for less than two years, before the Battle of Little Big Horn, on June 25 and 26, 1876. Fort Abraham Lincoln was in the middle of nowhere and housed military officers and their families. When Lt. Col. Custer and his men, including a brother and nephew, lost their lives that day, they left behind their mourning families. Eventually the widows and their families moved back home, and new cavalry troops and officers were sent to replace their loved ones. However, the post was decommissioned and left to the elements in 1891, by order of Congress, after a new Fort Abraham Lincoln was built on the other side of the river.

It wasn’t until 1932, during the Great Depression, that the buildings began to be rebuilt. The Custer House wasn’t rebuilt until 1989, historical objects from the original inhabitants were placed on the property, and paranormal activity put the finishing touches on the historical home to make it come alive.

The Hauntings

It seems that when the Custer House was reconstructed in 1989 the men and women who long ago lived and died at Fort Lincoln were themselves resurrected. Interpreters and tourists both reported paranormal experiences from the beginning, and as more buildings were added, so too were hauntings to the chronicles of the strange and unexplained at Fort Lincoln. A woman wearing a black dress is seen looking out a second-floor window of the Custer House; footsteps are heard pacing the sergeant’s quarters in the Barracks; the voices of weeping women echo along the boardwalk; a shadowy figure stalks the Commissary at night; horses’ hooves stomp the dirt of their stalls in the Stables.

The Haunted Fort prides itself on having frightened even the most skeptical thrill-seekers. One of the most “active” buildings is the Custer House. There is documented clear EVPs and apparitions. Professional ghost hunting groups have captured clear EVPs from one specific female. Others have seen apparitions of the looming spirits, felt cold spots, doors opening and closing and lights turning on then off on their own, heard hooves stomping, women wailing and guards footsteps on patrol. People have said they seen the entity of Lt. Col. George Custer caught lurking throughout the house. Others have said they saw a woman wearing a black dress, looking out the second-floor window of the Custer House, believed to be Libby.

THE ATTRACTION:

During October, the site becomes a fund-raising haunted attraction. The haunted buildings open during the event are the granary, Custer House and barracks. Each building has it’s own mortifying, surprise theme. However, to limit on wear and tear, the Custer House plays on its own Victorian mansion theme. Nonetheless, with the most paranormal activity happens in the Custer House, leaving more to the participant’s imagination.

They also offer a "Kids Bash", a downgraded haunt for children.

The ticket office for the

Haunted Fort opens at 7 p.m.,

gates open from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Dates for the event include,

Oct. 11-12,

Oct. 17 -19,

Oct. 25 - 26 and 31

Nov.1 - 2

Please confirm actual time and dates with website

General admission tickets are $12
VIP tickets available for $32

(which allows patrons to skip the line)