Join the ghosts of Dawn Manor for a whole-souled time
The Haunted Room invites today’s guests to dine alongside visitors from Dawn Manor’s past. Known for strange sightings and whispered tales, this storied space captures the mansion’s most mysterious moments — with just the right amount of spirit.
The Haunted Room is inspired by reports of hauntings and strange happenings from past owners of Dawn Manor.
Dawn Manor’s early years in the 19th century saw the emergence of Spiritualism, a movement in which people became obsessed with trying to communicate with the dead. Seances, mediums, and other forms of contact rose in popularity during the Victorian Era. The invention of photography caused the introduction of spirit photography, which attempted to capture photos of ghosts and other spirits.
There are many rumored ghosts around the region from the era Dawn Manor was built, including Leroy Gates, who was a river pilot in Wisconsin Dells from 1849 to 1858.
Helen’s great-grandson, George F. Raab was the last person to live in Dawn Manor and reported on several occasions that strange spiritual activity was going on in the old house. The most striking artwork here is the colored pencil sketch of a mysterious Helen Raab image to the right of the fireplace done by Wisconsin artist George Raab. The pocket doors found upon the entrance to the Haunted Room are the originals from Dawn Manor itself as is the beautiful fireplace mantlepiece as well.
The mid-1800’s was a time when people engaged in seances and believed strongly that there were spirits about and that the living could use mediums to communicate with those who had gone before. Mary Todd Lincoln often consulted a spiritualist to attempt to reach out to her dead sons Eddie and Willy.
