Local students tell tales of a haunted property right here in Baldwin City, which rivals the validity and creepiness of any manufactured spook house.

The supposedly abandoned property sits on North 200 Road on the outskirts of Baldwin City immediately past the train tracks. A long gravel driveway leads a thrill seeker to an old farmhouse with a number of equally run-down buildings behind it.

The two-story house is full of nothing but broken windows, doors hanging off their hinges and the trash of intruders. Posted high in a tree at the beginning of the driveway is a yellow sign warning trespassers of prosecution.

The posted signs are not enough to keep out many young Baldwin locals, though, especially around Halloween.

Senior Kyle Ruona said he used to go up to the property when he was in high school. Ruona said he and his friends would ensure frights by jumping out at people from hiding spots.

“We made up a story that it was haunted and would bring a bunch of people up to the house, mostly girls, and scare the crap out of them,” he said.

Ruona said the story he heard is that the property once belonged to a farmer that owned livestock. Ruona said alleged murders took place in the slaughterhouse that stands on the property.

He said despite the old, creepy buildings, it could be a really nice property with the proper care.

“(The house) is interesting, but I don’t think it is haunted,” Ruona said.

Sophomore Josh Wood said the house is located about a mile from where he grew up.

Wood said he helped perpetuate the legend by telling everyone the house was haunted by a Civil War soldier. Wood said he heard the legend from his uncles.

“Going out there is a cool thing to do,” he said. “You can take a girlfriend out there.”

Senior Sam Coffey said he went to the property about six years ago with a group of friends around Halloween. Coffey said, unlike his friends, he was not expecting anything spooky to happen.

Coffey said the legend he heard was that the former occupant of the home was murdered, but he doesn’t believe in the story.

“(The house) is what you would expect to have in a small town,” Coffey said.

Local law enforcement discourages trespassing on these sorts of properties no matter what time of year it is, however.

Lt. Kari Wempe, public information officer at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said being on someone else’s property, whether it is abandoned or not, is not a wise idea. Especially if there are signs posted, Wempe said.

“If they have no business being on the property, than they should not be there at all,” Wempe said.

Freshman Courtney Masrud said she has not been to the property personally but she knows of friends who have. Masrud said she thinks the police should be lenient on young trespassers unless they are doing something bad.

“It makes life more exciting to think that Baldwin has a haunted house,” Masrud said.