A historic property in Ozark, Missouri, that spent a century as a morgue, funeral home, church, and museum now rents on Airbnb as a paranormal sleepover, complete with ghost-hunting gear and a strict no-refund policy for anyone who gets too spooked to stay.
The listing, called "The Historic Morgue," offers guests a night inside a building where bodies were once prepared for burial. Owner Alta Bivens supplies complimentary paranormal investigation equipment, a spirit box, an EMF detector, and dowsing rods, so renters can try their hand at contacting whatever might still linger in the walls. The property sleeps up to six across a king bed, a full-size bed, a twin bed, and a vintage settee, at roughly $150 a night depending on the dates selected.
Bivens told KRBK, a Fox affiliate, that organized paranormal teams have already put the property through its paces.
"We've had three paranormal investigations, and in all three of them, the teams have had a lot of success with communications."
She described the spirits as peaceful rather than hostile and advised guests to thank whatever presence they encounter, and to ask that it not follow them home. Practical advice or not, the host backs it up with a firm business rule: guests who bail mid-stay get no refund.
The property dates to the early 1900s. Over the past hundred-plus years it cycled through roles that few single buildings ever hold: morgue, funeral home, house of worship, and museum. A clawfoot tub from the original era still sits inside, one of several period details The Sun reported on in its profile of the listing.
Not every corner of the building is open to overnight guests. The sanctuary and basement remain off-limits as private areas, though renters have full access to the living quarters and the backyard. For visitors who want a break from the paranormal, downtown Ozark and the Finley River sit nearby, a small-town Missouri setting that feels a long way from a haunted house until you walk back through the front door.
The listing leans into its morbid history rather than running from it. Providing ghost-hunting tools at no extra charge turns every booking into a do-it-yourself paranormal investigation, and the owner's claim that three professional teams found "success with communications" serves as a selling point most vacation rentals cannot match. Whether that success amounts to anything verifiable is another question, Bivens did not specify who conducted the investigations, when they took place, or what "communications" meant in concrete terms.
Still, the market for spooky stays is real. Travelers who book a night in a former morgue know exactly what they are signing up for, and the no-refund clause makes sure they pay for it whether the ghosts show up or not.
In an age when so many businesses hide their history, at least this one puts it right in the listing title. Caveat emptor, and maybe bring a flashlight.
