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The
Haunted Decatur Tour was created by
Skip Huston and
author Troy
Taylor in 1994
and is downstate
Illinois'
original ghost
tour. It's one
of the
longest-running
in the state and
has won several
awards for being
one of the most
authentic in the
Midwest. The
tour continues
today and takes
a look at the
darker side of
the city --
revealing ghost
stories,
hauntings and spirits
that you won't
find in the history
books.
From
it's earliest days, the city of Decatur
gained a reputation as a place where
ghost stories
were common --
from tales told
by the settlers
to haunted
houses and
hotels. But Decatur's dark origins can
be traced back to the earliest days of the
city, when the original settlers built over
the top of Native American burial grounds
that were scattered throughout the downtown
area of what would become Decatur. The
destruction of these burial mounds cast a
mysterious pall over the city -- a darkness
that continues to linger today. |
Decatur's sordid
reputation also
added to the
ghostly stories
of the city
through
incidents of
murder and
death. Known as
one of the most
corrupt cities
in Illinois
during the
1920s, crime
truly came to
Decatur in the
1850s with the
arrival of the
railroads. Vice
districts,
gambling parlors
and brothels
sprang up in the
wake of the
railroads and
the Civil War,
bringing
bloodshed and
violence to the
city. The
horrific events
that followed
have become an
indelible part
of the city's
unusual history,
making us one of
the most haunted
and unusual
towns in the
Midwest!
From lost
burial grounds to haunted theaters, the Haunted
Decatur Tour is much more than just a
run-of-the-mill ghost tour! This is not just
a collection of
ghost stories,
but a true
history of how
the city became
so haunted --
which means we
also include
local sites of
death, unsolved
murders, strange
crimes, gambling
parlors, vice
districts and
more plagued the
city in days
gone by. It's
not just haunted
history but also a chance for
visitors to possibly encounter the past
residents of Decatur face-to-face! We can
promise that
you'll never
look at the city
of Decatur in
the same way
again!
New Tour
Schedule for our 20th
Anniversary Year
(2013) Coming
Next Year! |
Haunted Decatur Book!
The tour is
based on the
best-selling
book by Troy
Taylor!
Click on the
cover to see
Haunted Decatur
titles! |
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April 27: Haunted
Decatur Tour
7:00 PM -- Departs from
the Avon Theater
SOLD OUT!
|
May 18: Haunted Decatur
Ghost Hunter's Tour
7:00 PM -- Departs from
the Avon Theater
$45 Per Person
Join us for one of our
extended Ghost Hunter's
Tours of Decatur -- More
History, More Hauntings
and a behind the scenes
look at the local
ghosts!
Click Here for
Reservations! |
June 15: Haunted Decatur
Tour
7:00 PM -- Departs from
the Avon Theater
$30 Per Person
Join us for a
Night of Decatur's
Spirits, Scandals & Sins
and we go in search of
the history and
hauntings of the past!
Click Here for
Reservations! |
June 21-22:
Haunted America Annual
Ghost Hunter's
Conference
Held each year
at the Haunted Lincoln
Theater!
Join us for a full
weekend of speakers,
workshops, ghost hunts,
hauntings, horror and
the explained!
Click Here for More
Information! |
July 20: Haunted Decatur
Tour
7:00 PM -- Departs from
the Avon Theater
$30 Per Person
Join us for a
Night of Decatur's
Spirits, Scandals & Sins
and we go in search of
the history and
hauntings of the past!
Click Here for
Reservations! |
August 10: Haunted
Decatur Tour
7:00 PM -- Departs from
the Avon Theater
$30 Per Person
Join us for a
Night of Decatur's
Spirits, Scandals & Sins
and we go in search of
the history and
hauntings of the past!
Click Here for
Reservations! |
 |
Free Email
Newsletter!
Contact Haunted
Decatur! |
Tour
Departures:
All of
the Tours depart from
the
Avon
Theater,
located
at 426
North
Water
Street
in
downtown
Decatur.
Free
Parking
is
available
in the
garage
across
the
street.
Please
arrive
no
earlier
than
10-15
minutes
before
the
start of
the
tour.
While
drinks
and
popcorn
are
available
at the
Avon
concession
stand,
it is a
working
theater,
so
please
be
respectful
of the
customers. |
Private Tours:
Private Haunted Decatur
Tours are available on
our black bus and can be
booked with up to 16
people. All private
tours are offered at a
flat fee, depending on
the type of tour
requested. Standard
tours are available, as
are Ghost Hunter's
Tours!
Advance notice and
payment is required!
Click Here to see More
About Private Tours! |
 |
Public Tours:
Tour season for the
Haunted Decatur
& Wicked Decatur
Tours begins in April
2013 and all of the
tours are offered in the
spring and summer months
(April through
Mid-August). Our most
popular tours are the
Haunted Decatur Tours
offered during the
Halloween season. The
tickets for the October
tours go on sale
September 14, 2013
and will be sold on a
first come / first
served basis. Tours for
Halloween 2013 will
include our standard
Haunted Decatur Tours,
our extended "Ghost
Hunter's Tours" and a
limited number of our
Ghosts, Murder & Crime Tours, hosted by
Troy Taylor.
Prices range between $30
- $45 -- Take Note: This
is our 20th Season and
Fall Tours will Sell Out
Fast!
Private Tours:
Private Haunted Decatur
Tours (offered with our
ghost van or the
American Hauntings bus)
are available for groups
of up to 16 people. All
private tours are
offered for a flat fee,
depending on the type of
tour requested. Standard
tours are available, as
well as Ghost Hunter's
Tours.
Advance notice and
payment is required.
Click Here to Reserve a
Private Tour!
Private Tours for
October:
All private tours for
October must be booked
no later than September
6, 2013. We will be
unable to accept any
additional private tours
after that date. Be sure
to contact us in advance
to book a private outing
during the Halloween
season!
Private Tours for Larger Groups:
Private Haunted Decatur Tours
with our larger buses are
also available for groups of 25 people or more.
A 30-day notice and deposit are required for
reservations. Private tour prices start
at $30 per person (minimum $750) and we can go
up to as many as 50
people. Check with us about
booking a larger private
tour by calling
1-888-446-7859.
Different Types of Public & Private Tours
Offered:
Haunted Decatur
Tour:
Travel throughout
the city of Decatur in
search of history,
hauntings and
spirits!
Join us for a journey back into the history of
one of America's most haunted towns and discover
why Decatur has earned a
reputation for ghosts
and the unexplained.
From old theaters to
haunted houses, railroad
stations and ghostly
graveyards, you'll have
the chance to possibly
meet some of the past
residents of the city
face-to-face! Popular
with ghost buffs and
history enthusiasts
alike and includes new
and favorite haunted
locations! Lasts
approximately 3 hours --
$30 per person
Ghost Hunter's Tour:
An expanded edition
of the Haunted Decatur
Tour with additional
locations and a "behind
the scenes" look at the
places that make Decatur
so haunted! More
History, More Hauntings
and an additional hour
of sites that aren't
normally featured on the
standard tours! Lasts
approximately 4 hours --
$45 per
person
Haunted
Decatur' Ghosts, Murder
& Crime Tour (Hosted by
Troy Taylor):
Discover the dark side
of Decatur's history
with another tour
created by author Troy
Taylor! The supernatural
and criminal
history of Decatur comes
alive with this chilling
-- and sometimes
terrifying -- tour that
visits the city's most
haunted places, as well
as scenes of death,
unsolved murders, former
vice districts and more!
Find out how Decatur
became so haunted and how murder,
bootlegging, kidnapping,
gambling, prostitution
and corruption became
commonplace in the city
during the late 1800s
and into the 1900s. It's
a tour that you won't
soon forget! --
$45 per person |
Click for Our
Facebook Fan Page!
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Email
us Here for More Information or
Call Us
Toll-Free at 1-888-446-7859
© Copyright
2013 by Troy Taylor. All Rights Reserved.
Questions or
comments? Contact webmaster
Troy Taylor
All written material on this website is copyrighted by Troy
Taylor and Whitechapel Productions Press. No material may be
used without permission of the author. The written material on
this website has been excerpted from copyrighted works by the
author. Use of this information without permission falls under
international copyright laws. |
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