Ashmore Estates sits along a quiet stretch of East County Road 1050 North outside the small town of Ashmore, Illinois, about ten minutes north of Charleston in Coles County. The three-story brick building looks out of place against the surrounding farmland, which is part of what makes it so striking. Once a county poor farm and later a private nursing home, Ashmore Estates has spent the last few decades building a reputation as one of the Midwest's better-known paranormal destinations. If you're driving through central Illinois and have a taste for local history with an unsettling edge, this is a stop worth planning around.

Why Ashmore Estates matters

Most historical landmarks in this part of Illinois are courthouses, one-room schoolhouses, or Civil War monuments. Ashmore Estates is different. It represents a less comfortable chapter of American social history, the era of county poor farms and asylums, when communities housed the elderly, the indigent, and the mentally ill under one roof with minimal oversight. The building's later life as a nursing home, and the persistent local stories of neglect tied to both eras, have made it a focal point for people interested in how institutions like this actually functioned. It's also become a magnet for the paranormal tourism crowd, which has kept the building standing and maintained rather than left to collapse like so many similar sites across the Midwest.

Quick facts

• Location: 22645 E Co Rd 1050 N, Ashmore, IL 61912, in rural Coles County
• Nearest city: Charleston, roughly 10 to 15 minutes south by car
• Original use: county poor farm and infirmary, later a private nursing home
• Current use: privately operated historical and paranormal tour site
• Building type: three-story brick institutional structure
• Notable exposure: featured on paranormal investigation television programs

History and background

Ashmore Estates began as the Coles County Poor Farm, an institution built to house residents who had nowhere else to go, including the elderly poor, orphans, and people with mental illness or disabilities that families could not care for at home. Poor farms like this one were common across rural America into the early 20th century, functioning as a mix of workhouse, asylum, and almshouse. Residents were often expected to work the surrounding farmland to help offset the cost of their care.

The building later transitioned into use as a nursing home, operating for decades before closing. Local accounts describe conditions in both eras as difficult, and stories of mistreatment, isolation, and death within the building have circulated in Coles County for generations. It's hard to verify the specifics of every claim, but the broader history of underfunded, understaffed care institutions in this period is well documented, and Ashmore Estates fits that pattern closely.

After the building stopped operating as a care facility, it sat vacant for a stretch before being purchased and reopened as a tour attraction. The current operators lean into the building's reputation, offering both historically framed tours and overnight paranormal investigations, which has helped fund the upkeep of a structure that might otherwise have been demolished.

The layout and experience

The building itself is large for a rural county structure, three stories of brick with long institutional hallways, communal rooms, and smaller cells or wards branching off the main corridors. Depending on which tour you book, you might move through the building with a guide who focuses on the architecture and documented history, or you might join a smaller group carrying EMF meters and flashlights through the darker corners of the upper floors.

Some rooms still carry furnishings or fixtures from the building's nursing home era, and the contrast between mundane details, like old wheelchairs or peeling wallpaper, and the heavier history of the space is part of what makes a visit here land differently than a typical historic house tour. The basement and the rooms once used for the most vulnerable patients tend to be the focal points of the paranormal-oriented tours.

Tickets and entry

Ashmore Estates operates on a tour basis rather than open walk-in access, so you'll need to book ahead through the operator rather than showing up expecting a self-guided visit. Options generally range from shorter daytime historical walkthroughs to extended overnight paranormal investigation sessions that run late into the night and require a bit more physical stamina and patience. Group sizes are typically kept small for the investigation-style tours, so booking early is smart, especially around Halloween when demand spikes and the site often adds seasonal haunted house programming.

Best time to visit

If your interest is architectural and historical, a daytime tour in spring or fall gives you the clearest light and the most comfortable walking conditions, since the building isn't climate controlled the way a modern museum would be. If you're after the paranormal angle, most people time their visit for October, when the site tends to run its most extensive Halloween season programming alongside standard investigation tours. Summer nights can get uncomfortably warm inside, and winter visits mean a genuinely cold building, so dress for the season either way.

Facilities and preparation

Come prepared for an old, unrenovated building. Flooring can be uneven, lighting is minimal outside of what your tour provides, and there's no elevator, so stairs are part of the experience on every floor. Wear closed-toe shoes you don't mind getting dusty. If you're doing an overnight investigation, bring your own flashlight or headlamp as backup, water, and layers, since interior temperatures shift a lot between floors. Restroom facilities exist but are basic, in keeping with the building's age. Cell service in this stretch of rural Coles County can be inconsistent, so don't count on it for navigation once you're close.

Combining with nearby attractions

Charleston, home to Eastern Illinois University, sits about 10 to 15 minutes south and makes a sensible base if you're staying overnight, with more dining and lodging options than Ashmore itself offers. Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, which preserves the homestead of Abraham Lincoln's father and stepmother, is also within a short drive and pairs well with Ashmore Estates if you want to round out the day with a lighter dose of regional history before or after a tour.

Practical tips

• Book your tour in advance, especially for October dates or overnight investigations
• Check the operator's current tour calendar directly, since schedules shift seasonally
• Bring a flashlight or headlamp even if the tour provides lighting
• Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes for uneven flooring and stairs
• Fuel up in Charleston beforehand, since Ashmore has limited dining options nearby
• Expect no cell signal reliability once you're on the rural approach roads

FAQ

Is Ashmore Estates open for casual walk-in visits?
No. Access is through scheduled tours booked with the operator, not open daily browsing.

What was Ashmore Estates originally used for?
It began as a Coles County poor farm and infirmary before later operating as a private nursing home.

Is it suitable for kids?
The historical daytime tours can work for older kids interested in local history, but the paranormal investigation tours are generally aimed at adults and older teens.

How far is Ashmore Estates from Charleston, Illinois?
It's roughly 10 to 15 minutes by car from central Charleston, making it an easy add-on if you're already in the area.

Whatever draws you to Ashmore Estates, the building holds onto its history in a way few Midwestern landmarks do. It's not polished, and it's not meant to be. That rough edge, paired with the genuine weight of what happened here over the decades, is exactly why the site keeps pulling visitors off the highway and down a rural county road in Coles County.