Ghost Stories Come Alive on Rochester and Mantorville’s Haunted Bus Tour

Earlier this week, I posted a video featuring employees from the Hubbell House in Mantorville sharing some of the eerie experiences they've had while working in the historic restaurant.

Not long after that story went up, I heard from the team of Dr. Hawk Horvath, a paranormal investigator who leads ghost tours in both Rochester and Mantorville. She joined our radio show on Friday morning to discuss some of the haunted places around Southeast Minnesota. 

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Haunted Locations in Southeast Minnesota

The Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester is said to be haunted by a woman who stayed there in the 1970s.

According to Wikipedia, Helen Marie Brach (born Helen Voorhees in 1911) was a wealthy American philanthropist and heiress to the E.J. Brach & Sons Candy Company fortune through her marriage to Frank Brach.

In February 1977, after a routine checkup at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, she mysteriously disappeared. Witnesses last saw her leaving a gift shop near the clinic, saying she was in a hurry to meet her houseman. She was never seen again and was declared legally dead in 1984.

Following Helen's disappearance, numerous guests and staff reported seeing her ghostly figure throughout the hotel. In the book Minnesota Road Guide to Haunted Locations, authors Chad Lewis and Larry Fisk note that several people have claimed to ride the elevator with a mysterious woman who vanishes just before the doors open.

The Most Haunted Town in the Midwest

20 miles west of Rochester, you'll find Mantorville, Minnesota, which has been described as the most haunted town in the Midwest.

Several buildings in Mantorivlle are reportedly haunted, including the Hubbell House restaurant, the 1918 Opera House, the Restoration House, and the Old Log Cabin.

Ghost Tours Take You Inside Rochester and Mantorville’s Haunted History

Dr. Hawk Horvath has been a paranormal investigator since 2007. She is a ghost hunter, psychic, medium, and spiritual mentor. Horvath leads tours each weekend that take guests to the most haunted places in the area.

All tours start at the Olmsted County Government Center, where guests meet up and board the haunted school bus for a fun evening that includes evidence collected from Hawk's investigations, stories, history, and a demonstration of ghost-hunting equipment.

​Tickets are available online. The Mantorville Tour is on Thursdays, and the Rochester tour takes place on Friday and Saturday nights.