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Topeka High School –
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topeka-hauntings

Address:

800 S.W. Tenth Street
Topeka, Kansas 66612

LOCATION:

Topeka High School can be found about 4 blocks west of the State Capitol Building on S.W. Tenth Street, between S.W. Western Avenue and S.W. Polk Street.

DESCRIPTION:

"The Topeka High School faculty and staff are committed to the education of all students into responsible citizens with the knowledge and essential skills necessary in today's society."

Topeka High School is the largest of seven high schools in Topeka and the surrounding Shawnee County, averaging 2000 students total in all four grades, with over 40 teachers and administrators who teach these young people.

The most impressive structural relic from the early days is the tall bell tower, which is the most visible landmark of Topeka High School's architecture. Other notable places on campus include:

* Hoener auditorium, site of at least one inauguration of a Kansas Governor.

* U.S.S. Constitution spar on the east lawn.

ghost-school

HISTORY:

The city of Topeka, a Free-State town, was founded in 1854, by Eastern antislavery men immediately after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. In 1857, Topeka was chartered as a city. The original Topeka High School building was constructed in the late 1890s and was fully integrated from its start. Throughout its 10 + years of history new buildings have been built, old ones renovated and still others were remodeled or torn down. Topeka High School was the only public high school in town until Topeka West High School opened in 1961! As of 2006, Topeka High School is one of the district's 3 high schools

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:

As the city of Topeka grew, the need for a public high school became very much evident. As cities grew in the late 1890s, graveyards were moved to make use of the cemetery land for other purposes. San Francisco, Denver, Cincinnati and San Diego moved their graveyards for such reasons as well.

The land chosen to be the location of Topeka High School used to be an old graveyard, where graves were ether moved to a new burial plot or perhaps just left there. In both cases, moving remains, or just building on top of the graves has caused hauntings by the disturbed entities who are confused, upset or lost. (Cedar Grove Mansion, Cincinnati Music Hall, Grant Humphreys Mansion)

The energy and youthful emotional highs and lows of being a teenager has had the further effect of drawing some of these entities to be among the youth and their teachers.

MANIFESTATIONS:

Unexplainable paranormal occurrences have happened around the campus and in the classrooms over the years.

Apparitions have been seen wandering around campus.

The living have reported hearing disembodied conversations between unseen presences and seen apparitions.

STILL HAUNTED?

Probably yes; but don't know for sure. It is entirely possible. It is never a good idea to build on top of a cemetery. School officials probably won't allow paranormal investigations to take place here, but it would be interesting to see if any real evidence to back up the eye witness accounts could be collected.

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