Revisiting the Palmer House: Ghosts, Guilt, and Growth

This week on The Activity Continues, we took a detour through the ghost-filled halls of one of our very first episodes—The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Yep, we’re talking mixing bowls flying off counters, disembodied footsteps, and one very mysterious chaos magician.

Why revisit this one? Well, partly because our scheduled guest had to postpone (life happens), but mostly because we’ve learned a lot since our early podcasting days... and we had some new info that deserved a spotlight.

Wait... What Did We Miss?

Thanks to AP’s deep dive into Minnesota history, we learned about the Dakota 38+2, the largest mass execution in U.S. history, which was barely touched on in The Dead Files episode and definitely deserved more than a passing mention. AP shared some incredibly moving details, including a letter from one of the men executed and the legacy of the Memorial Honor Ride that continues to this day. If you’ve never heard of it (we hadn’t either back in Episode 3), prepare to get your heart properly punched.

But Don’t Worry, It’s Not All Heavy

We also:

• Revisited some chef’s kiss early podcast chaos, like forgetting a Patreon’s name (SORRY SHANNON, WE LOVE YOU)
• Wondered if Sinclair Lewis is haunting the hallways in protest of the room décor
• Debated whether residual hauntings attract new ghosts like some sort of paranormal Airbnb
• Questioned why men don’t cozy up their living spaces (seriously, Wyatt… what’s going on?)

Oh, and yes—there are plenty of tangents, theories, and side quests. Because we are who we are.

The Takeaway?

We’re growing. We’re evolving. And we’re not afraid to go back and call ourselves out when we missed something the first time. The Palmer House still fascinates us, and if we’re being honest, we’re kinda thinking about taking a field trip…

So whether you’ve been with us from the start or just discovered us last week, this episode is a solid reminder that ghosts aren’t the only ones who haunt old territory—we do too, but now with better research and microphones.

🎧 Listen to “Revisited: The Palmer House” here.
📚 Check out our show notes for links to all the resources we mentioned.

🕯 Got a haunted Midwestern location we should visit in person? Tell us!