Nebraska Museum Packed with Haunted Artifacts

The Museum of Shadows has been having some spirited problems, much to the delight of its owners. When taking a historic location and filling it to the brim with haunted objects, it seems as if this is the goal. The location has gained the reputation of being the most haunted location in its home state of Nebraska, and some claim, in the entire Midwest.

The museum is owned and operated by Nate and Kaleigh Raterman. Nate is a season paranormal investigator and founder of Trip Paranormal. He has worked on paranormal reality series for the A&E, Discovery, and National Geographic channels as well as working on paranormal based Hollywood productions.  Kaleigh is a sensitive who discovered that she could connect to the other side at a young age and has honed her ability throughout her life. The couple shares a passion of collecting haunting items and seems like the perfect owners of such an inimitable location.

The Museum of Shadows is in a 127 year old building which has been through many incarnations since its construction in 1890. The original owner was Herman Dettman, a German immigrant who ran an upscale general store out of the location as well as operating an insurance office there. While there are some gaps in the location’s history that the Ratermans are trying to fill, it is know that their building once held Harry Green’s mercantile, which had the unique offering of embalming on top of the typical general store wares.

There are over a thousand haunted artifacts housed within the Museum of Shadows, with the number increasing almost daily. An example of the objects found there are antique dolls, ceremonial masks, and old fashioned medical supplies.   Among these is a horned mask that produces ghostly drumbeats and phantom chanting, and an oil lamp from Turkey that makes those who touch it feel sick.  A doll named Ayda is claimed to be the most haunted artifact in the museum and possesses the ability to move about the museum on her own.

There is other paranormal activity happening within the museum. People claim to get touched when no one was around. Unexplainable noises fill the rooms, and phantom perfumes can be smelled. Apparitions and shadows travel about the building. Items are seen moving. Lights turn on and off on their own. Disembodied voices are heard, and EVPs are captured. Mrs. Raterman was quoted in The Daily Nebraskan that “it’s super active. There’s always something different every night. We’ve never had an evening where nothing has happened.”

The Museum of Shadows is located at 116 North 4^th Street in Elmwood, Nebraska. The Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The cost of touring the museum is fifteen dollars, and while there is not age limit is set, it is suggested to be for mature individuals. The museum also offers guided ghost hunts on select nights.  Dates, hours, and prices on these vary, but the information can be found by visiting the museum’s webpage.

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BethAnn Williams, Paranormal Journalist and Ghost Hunter at Large, is happy to be continuing her role at Ghost Hunters Fans and looks forward to sharing tales of the paranormal with you in the upcoming year.

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