By Bruce Cline, director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society

By far, our most interesting and productive paranormal investigations have taken place at the Rose Hotel. The Rose Hotel is located in Elizabethtown, Illinois on the banks of the Ohio River. The oldest wing of the hotel was built about 1830, with additions built about 1848 and 1866. It is owned by the State of Illinois and is leased by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to Sandy Vinyard who maintains the structure as a bed and breakfast. The exterior is restored to its 1866 appearance.

Rose Hotel in Elizabethtown, Illinois - Photo by Bruce Cline

We were invited by Sandy Vinyard to investigate reports of paranormal activity that had been occurring at the Rose Hotel on a regular basis. Sandy and many of her guests have reported sounds coming from parts of the hotel (it only has 6 guest rooms) where no one was present. These noises were said to sound like “a party is going on up there.” Objects have been mysteriously moved, only to reappear sometime later in a different location of the hotel. Pennies, in groups of three are found on a continuous basis throughout the hotel.

Our team captured the image of one of the former servants, Tote Wood, in a mirror in the McFarlan Suite. The image was positively identified by Sandy Vinyard using the hotel scrap book containing old photographs of the hotel and staff. We tried to debunk our photo, even going so far as to video tape the entire process, but could not reproduce the image.

Check out part 2 of this investigative report on Wednesday, and read more about the Little Egypt Ghost Society in this article by the Daily Register.

By Bruce Cline, director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society

Rose Hotel, McFarlan Suite - Photo by Bruce Cline

Oct 5, 2009 – I was standing in the center of the McFarlan Suite in total darkness and took this photo with my digital camera and flash. I was the only living person in the room at the time. Note the image of a man looking out of the far left corner of the mirror. We went back to this room Feb 11, 2010 and tried to debunk this photo. No matter what we did, we could not recapture Tote’s image in the mirror. This photo is positively PARANORMAL.

A close up view of Tote's ghost in mirror in the McFarlan Suite of the Rose Hotel.

This is a vintage photo of Tote Wood at the Rose Hotel.

We conducted several EVP experiments while at the Rose Hotel with very interesting results:
Q. “Are you alone?” A. “YES”
Q. “How do you feel?” A. “FINE”
Q. “Where are you now?” A. “RIGHT BEHIND YOU”
Another EVP captured with our camcorder said: “WE ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS”

Check out part 3 of this investigative report on Monday, and read more about the Little Egypt Ghost Society in this article by the Daily Register. Have a wonderful Christmas!

By Bruce Cline, director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society

We set up motion detectors throughout the hotel. At approximately 3:00AM, the motion detector in the Charlotte Room went off repeatedly with corresponding EMF readings of 2.3 to 2.6 milligauss. In the front lobby we took a photograph about midnight that showed the face of a young lady looking in the front window. There was on one outside the hotel at the time. This photograph was positively identified by Sandy Vinyard as one of her former workers who was killed in a car crash about a year previous.

Many times our group would smell the scent of cigars, bacon cooking (at night), lavender and logs burning when none of those items were present in or near the hotel at the time. We would hear voices and the sound of a small dog barking as well as footsteps and doors creaking open and shut upstairs when no one was up there.

There is a small graveyard behind the hotel where several members of the McFarlan family as well as some of the servants and guests are buried. Many of the graves are unmarked.

LEGS in Action - Photo by Bruce Cline

We were at the Rose Hotel filming a TV commercial. After filming, we decided to do a little ghost hunting in the McFarlan Suite. Sandy Vinyard, the proprietor of the Hotel was present with us when she heard the floor start to “creak”. At that moment, Jim and I started getting readings on our K2 and Ghost Meter EMF meters. We were able to trace the EMF field to a location near the center of the suite. We quickly realized that the EMF field was confined to an area the size and shape of an adult human! When we placed our hands into this EMF field, we discovered that the temperature was 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the surrounding area. At that point, the EMF field moved and we tracked it to an area near the fire place. Once again, the temperature inside the EMF field was noticeably cooler than the surrounding area. At this point the eclectic power went off in the McFarlan Suite, but not in any other area of the hotel. After we exited the suite, the power mysteriously came back on. We then rechecked the entire suite and could not relocate the EMF field. We firmly believe that this was the spirit of Tote Wood once again playfully letting us know that he still keeps watch over the nearly 200 year old Rose Hotel.

Happy Hauntings,
Bruce L. Cline, C.P.I.

Bruce Cline is the Director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society based in Carbondale, IL. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army as a Corps of Engineers Officer. He is a former municipal, county and state law enforcement officer. Bruce lives in Carbondale, IL with his wife, Lisa and several cats and dogs.

By Bruce Cline, director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society

A totally unrelated image

Once a month I travel to the Chicago area for the Army Reserve. I was looking for something interesting to do on my off duty hours and decided to check out Bachelor Grove Cemetery. Bachelor Grove Cemetery is a small abandoned cemetery in the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve near Midlothian, Illinois. To get to the cemetery you have to walk down a closed off section of road that used to be the Midlothian Turnpike. Today, this roadway is nothing more than a narrow pathway that is overgrown on both side with trees and shrubs. The cemetery itself is surrounded by a chain link fence that has numerous holes cut into it to gain access. Starting in the 1960’s this area became a notorious place for teenagers to hang out and sometimes vandalize. Numerous gravestones have been moved and destroyed leaving multiple unmarked graves. Occultist used this area for their rituals, exhuming graves and strewing the bones around the cemetery and surrounding area. They would make animal sacrifices here, and this practice continues to this day.

There have been many paranormal sightings in and around this area. A scum-covered pond lies adjacent to the cemetery just outside the fence. In the late 1800’s, a farmer was plowing nearby when the horse became spooked and drug the plow and the farmer into the pond drowning both of them. A two headed creature has been reported to emerge from the pond and creep towards the cemetery. One of the more well known stories is that of the phantom farm house. This house has been spotted in both day and night time and in all weather conditions. Every person that has claimed to see this phantom farm house has given the same description of a two story white farm house with picket fence and porch swing. Upon approaching the house it appears to become smaller and smaller until it fades from sight.

Another common sighting is that of the “ghost lights.” These lights rapidly move from grave stone to grave stone and leave a red streak of light in its wake. Another sighting is that of a mother holding an infant walking aimlessly around. Legend claims that a mother was buried next to her infant and now roams the cemetery on nights with a full moon. Many people that visit the cemetery will visit this mother and child’s grave site and leave small trinkets, toys and photographs at this makeshift shrine. Along with the many apparitions that have been seen, numerous voices, screams and unexplained sounds have been heard.

After hearing the strange history and unexplained happenings that surround this cemetery, I decided to check it out for myself. It was a cold, moon lit January evening. I parked my car near the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve and located the pathway that leads to Bachelor Grove Cemetery. I violated the number one rule of ghost hunting… NEVER GO ALONE. I am a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have served in “hostile fire zones” in three Middle Eastern countries. Not much scares me. I walked down the snow covered pathway noticing there were no other tracks in the snow but the ones I was leaving behind me. The moonlight cast long shadows down the pathway and it seemed to take an eternity to walk to the entrance of the cemetery.

As I approached the fence that surrounded the cemetery, I easily found a hole that had been cut in the fence that I could pass through. I was immediately struck by the disarray and overall eerie appearance of the area. Tombstones were turned over haphazardly, tree limb had fallen in the snow and were sticking out like skeletal hand reaching for me. I could tell from the freshly fallen snow that I had been the only person to visit the place recently. As I stepped further into the cemetery I could detect the distinct odor of rotting flesh and quickly located the source. My eyes easily located a blood splattered gravestone as it glistened in the moonlight and snow. On top of this gravestone were two dead chickens that appeared to have been ritualistically sacrificed.

At the moment I spotted the two dead animals I also heard voices behind me that seemed to be getting closer. Just as the voices seemed to be right behind me, I turned around and the voices faded away. At this point, I decided that this forebodingcemetery is not the place to be alone at night! I had seen and heard enough and made began to make a hasty retreat back to my car. I looked down at the pathway and noticed that the only tracks in the snow were the ones I had made upon walking in. No one else had been on the path. There is only one way in and one way out of the cemetery. Never again will I go to a haunted location alone.

———————

Bruce Cline is the Director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society based in Carbondale, IL. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army as a Corps of Engineers Officer. He is a former municipal, county and state law enforcement officer. Bruce lives in Carbondale, IL with his wife, Lisa and several cats and dogs.

Think you are ready to write an article for Trueillinoishaunts.com? E-mail us your ideas at trueillinoishaunts@blackoakmedia.org. Stories about Illinois are preferred.

Black Oak Media has recently announced the release of History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce and Lisa Cline! Over the past year, Bruce Cline has been contributing articles on southern Illinois’ most mysteries and hauntings to Trueillinoishaunts.com. Now, within the pages of History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois, uncover the secrets behind some of southern Illinois’ most famous ghost stories and legends. Bruce and Lisa Cline expose the truth behind the Murphysboro Mud Monster, present evidence of paranormal activity at places such as the Rose Hotel, Oakland Cemetery, and Harrisburg’s Cinema 4, and explain the history behind some of southern Illinois’ most controversial and eccentric figures. From the Old Slavehouse, to the Rose Hotel, to the Woodlawn Sarcophagus and beyond, join the Little Egypt Ghost Society as they explore some of Illinois oldest and most interesting places!

Order today at Amazon.com
Kindle Edition
Nook Edition

This past Saturday, a crowd lined up outside the historic Rose Hotel in Elizabethtown to get their hands on the brand new book,  History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce and Lisa Cline. The authors (as well as myself and Jack and Angela Howser of the Disclosure) were there to sell and sign copies for the eager audience. Hands were shook and stories exchanged. Attendees even enjoyed a cake decorated with the book cover! In the few days since the book signing, every single copy of the book left at the Rose Hotel was sold. Below are some photos from the event:

Bruce and Lisa Cline and Myself. Photo by Jack Howser.

By Bruce Cline, director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society

The tragic Tri-State Tornado of 1925 was responsible for 695 deaths. Many children lost both of their parents. Myrtle was one of the unfortunate orphans. She ran off into the woods near her home and lived there as a feral child until she became an adult and was discovered by some Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) workers.

Although Myrtle had live a rough and tumble life in the woods, she had grown into a very beautiful young lady. Her striking beauty was noticed with much interest by one of the camp officers. Soon, Myrtle and the officer were married. She took on the job as camp cook. Life was very happy for the loving couple.

Sadly, once again, tragedy struck hard in Myrtle’s life. Her husband was helping some of the C.C.C. workers in moving a large pile of dead timbers. It was a hot humid day and the strain was too much for the officer. He had a massive heart attack and dropped dead on the spot. Myrtle blamed the C.C.C. workers for her husband’s death and went into a homicidal frenzy. That night she armed herself with a knife from the kitchen and an axe from the tool shed and murdered several of the C.C.C. workers she was tracked to a waterfall near camp but jumped into the waters below before anyone could stop her. Myrtle’s body was never found.

To this day, knives and axes go missing from a Boy Scout camp nearby. On some dark and stormy nights Mad Myrtle can be seen, sometimes as an old hag and other times as the beautiful young lady she once was.

———————

Bruce Cline is the Director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society based in Carbondale, IL. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army as a Corps of Engineers Officer. He is a former municipal, county and state law enforcement officer. Bruce lives in Carbondale, IL with his wife, Lisa and several cats and dogs.

Think you are ready to write an article for Trueillinoishaunts.com? E-mail us your ideas at trueillinoishaunts@blackoakmedia.org. Stories about Illinois are preferred.

Check out the following books from Black Oak Media for all your scares this Halloween season!

This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost
By Amelia Cotter

“The house looked imposing and the eyes of the attic windows gazed down at me as we approached. The glass had broken away from the windows long ago, leaving nothing but space between us and whatever it was that was watching us…” Nora is a lonely fifteen year old who dreams of more adventure than life in suburban Maryland can offer. Fascinated by the supernatural, she begins exploring an allegedly haunted abandoned house on the property where her father works. She soon finds herself tangled in the mysteries of the house as she uncovers its many secrets and meets a shy ghost called “Walter.” Including original documents with the author’s notes, this book is based on real events and reveals how a girl, a house and its ghost will become intertwined forever. This second edition contains additional material and a preview of the book Maryland Ghosts: Paranormal Encounters in the Free State.

Order today at Amazon.com

Diaries of the Dark Side, 2nd Edition
By Cassidy O’Connor

This revised edition of the controversial Diaries of the Dark Side contains a new introduction and reflection on the incidents and strange occurrences since the book was first published! Young Cassidy O’Connor was an avid researcher of the supernatural. When she found herself involved in a case that was unlike any other, however, she was forced to open her eyes. With the introduction of young Matthew into her life, she began to realize this was not a normal haunting. This was something very different – this was evil. Cassidy dug through layers of historical events and learned how the past can always come back to haunt you. Combining history with folklore, she discovered that what tormented Matthew and his family was not a ghost or a simple whisper, but something out of Hell itself.

Order today at Amazon.com

More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois
By Bruce Cline

In his first book, Bruce Cline opened the archives of the Little Egypt Ghost Society and the Gaslight Ghoul Club for the first time. Now, join him again as he brings you all new tales of southern Illinois’ most notorious places and historical events. You may have heard of John Crenshaw, Little Egypt’s notorious slave owner, but did you know that he may have been responsible for the haunting screams emanating from the mysterious Pig Island? Have you heard the story behind the bloody Harpe Brothers, or braved Tuttle Bottoms and its monster? From Southern Illinois University’s hidden tunnels, to the Gates of Hell, to the stomping grounds of the Hamp Mine Monster and beyond, join the Little Egypt Ghost Society as they explore some of Illinois’ oldest and most interesting places!

Order today at Amazon.com

Chasing Shadows: Investigating the Paranormal in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa
By Larry Wilson

Do UFOs, Bigfoot, and ghosts stalk the prairie? In Chasing Shadows, you will get a firsthand look at some of the most haunted and mysterious places in the Midwest through the eyes of author and paranormal investigator Larry Wilson. Join Larry as he takes you on a journey into the unexplained at Illinois’ Williamsburg Hill, Springfield’s Legacy Theater, and the mysterious “Graveyard X;” at Missouri’s Rockcliffe Mansion, Morse Mill Hotel, and Kemper Military Academy; and at Iowa’s notorious Villisca Ax Murder House. Not only has Larry personally investigated these places, he has experienced their phantoms firsthand.

Order today at Amazon.com

Maryland Ghosts: Paranormal Encounters in the Free State
By Amelia Cotter

Join author and paranormal explorer Amelia Cotter as she presents a chilling collection of personal paranormal encounters gathered from friends, family, ghost hunting teams, and suburban adventurers across Maryland—in some of its most legendary haunted locations, private homes, hidden, and sometimes unexpected places. From classic haunted houses to UFO sightings and mysterious creatures, these true stories, powerfully told in the words of those who experienced them, are sure to entertain and engage paranormal enthusiasts in Maryland and beyond.

Order today at Amazon.com

History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois
By Bruce and Lisa Cline

At long last, the archives of the Little Egypt Ghost Society and the Gaslight Ghoul Club have been opened. Within these pages, uncover the secrets behind some of southern Illinois’ most famous ghost stories and legends. Bruce and Lisa Cline expose the truth behind the Murphysboro Mud Monster, present evidence of paranormal activity at places such as the Rose Hotel, Oakland Cemetery, and Harrisburg’s Cinema 4, and explain the history behind some of southern Illinois’ most controversial and eccentric figures. From the Old Slavehouse, to the Rose Hotel, to the Woodlawn Sarcophagus and beyond, join the Little Egypt Ghost Society as they explore some of Illinois oldest and most interesting places!

Order today at Amazon.com

Bruce Cline is a paranormal investigator and ghost historian. He received B.S. and B.A. Degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Bruce has had a long time fascination with history, folklore and ghost stories. In 2007, he formed the Little Egypt Ghost Society. Since that time, other team members and he have traveled extensively throughout the Midwest in search of the history, mystery, and hauntings of interesting people, places, and things.

You have been interested in ghost stories and the unexplained since a young man, when you formed the Gaslight Ghoul Club in 1967. What was it like being interested in that subject at the time? What was your favorite ghost story as a child?

When I started the Gaslight Ghoul Club in 1967 my friends an I were all fans of the TV show Dark Shadows.  We would meet in my backyard treehouse and tell spooky stories.  Our favorite stories revolved around vampires, witches and werewolves.

You formed the Little Egypt Ghost Society in 2007. Why did you decide to form a group at that time, and do you believe the paranormal field has changed since then?

In 2007 I started the Little Egypt Ghost Society as a more “grown up” version of the Gaslight Ghoul Club.  We still liked telling spooky stories, but now, we also went out and investigated some of the stories that we head about.

What is the most haunted place in southern Illinois? Have you investigated it? And if so, have you ever had a paranormal encounter there?

The Rose Hotel in Elizabethtown is in our opinion the most haunted location in southern Illinois.  We have conducted several overnight paranormal investigations and ghost hunts there and have found evidence of the paranormal every single time we have been there.  On one occasion I actually captured the image of “Tote” who is one of the ghosts that haunts the hotel.  We also recorded some amazing EVPs. there.

Do you think television shows about paranormal investigation have helped or hindered the field?

I think television shows have helped make ghost hunting and paranormal investigations more popular.  However, many of the shows are over dramatic and don’t really portray what paranormal investigation is really about.

We understand you are working on a follow up to your first two books, History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois, and More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois, which will round out the trilogy. Can you give us a preview of the kind of stories in this new book? Are you focusing on different parts of southern Illinois, or trying to be as inclusive as possible?

Our third book about southern Illinois is The 618 Files: The CONTINUING SAGA of the HISTORY, MYSTERY and HAUNTINGS of SOUTHERN ILLINOIS  As the title implies, this book is entirely composed of true stories that take place within the “618″ area code region.  In fact all three of our books cover the “618″ area exclusively.  There are very few books that tell about ghosts, hauntings and mysteries of southern Illinois and we want to expose more readers to what makes southern Illinois truly unique.

How can our readers reach you if they are interested in asking you a question or having the Little Egypt Ghost Society perform an investigation?

We can be reached on our Facebook page: Little Egypt Ghost Society, Southern Illinois

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“My brother and I were spending the night at our grandparent’s house in Marion, Illinois. After a fun day of play in the garden and woodshed, we retired for the night. Of the three bedrooms in the house, we were to sleep in the middle bedroom. At some point during the night, I woke up and noticed a dark shadow on the wall opposite the window. It was a shadow of a large dog or wolf-like creature. There were no pets in the house to make such a shadow. I was so scared that I pulled the covers over my head and did not sleep the rest of the night.”

-Bruce Cline, History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois

Sunset Haven along a gravel driveway, c. 2008

Another landmark is destroyed as bulldozers level one of the few remaining almshouses in Illinois

Carbondale, Illinois (mysteriousheartland.com) — Between October 25-25th, a crew from Southern Illinois University dismantled one of the few remaining almshouses in Illinois. Known as Sunset Haven, “Building 207,” Vivarium Annex, or just the “old asylum,” this rectangular red-brick building has attracted numerous tales, trespassers, and vandals since its abandonment in the late 1980s. Southern Illinois University has owned the building since 1957 and has used it for a variety of purposes.

Geoffrey Ritter wrote an article about the demolition for the Carbondale-based Weekend Times (2-8 November 2013). He interviewed Kevin Bame, SIU’s vice chancellor for administration and finance, who said, “It had been vandalized. The windows had been broken out. It was spray painted. The building really wasn’t structurally sound. We couldn’t keep it locked up.”

Bame also said that the university took precaution not to disturb any of the nearly 100 burials on the property. During the 1970s, the University made an effort to locate all the unmarked graves of the dead that had been buried during Sunset Haven’s years as the Jackson County Poor Farm almshouse. The graves are supposedly located in a grove of trees behind the building. Bruce Cline has independently identified 87 known burials that took place there between 1877 and 1943.

SIU does not seem very interested in memorializing the dead, and plans to simply leave the location as an empty patch of land unless someone comes forward with a restoration plan and the funding to carry it out. “[I] think we would entertain it, but we’re not sure,” Kevin Bame told the Weekend Times. “We’re going to leave it alone.”

Sunset Haven has long been considered haunted. Those who ventured down the long driveway at night for a look inside the notorious building got more than they bargained for. “Rumors about the place get bigger and bigger each year when some brave crowd of teenagers gather up the courage to walk the 2.5 miles all the way down the back drive in absolute darkness,” Courtney Cruse wrote in her high school newspaper, the Terrier Times (October 2005). “The ones who do stay… are almost mesmerized at how many scary artifacts are left in the eerie building.”

The demolition of Sunset Haven is an ignominious end for this allegedly haunted location. Sadly, several such places around Illinois have been demolished or threatened with demolition in recent years, including the former Charles A. Lindbergh School along Shoe Factory Road in late 2007. Earlier this year, there were rumors that the Bowen Building at the former Peoria State Hospital would be sold off “limestone block by limestone block.” Thankfully, that turned out to be an empty threat.

Copyright Black Oak Media, 2013. You do not have permission to copy this post.

Read about this location and more in Legends and Lore of Illinois: The Definitive Collection

Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois has had a long and colorful history. Its mascot, the Saluki, is an ancient Egyptian dog breed and a salute to the region of southern Illinois called “Little Egypt.” Nearly every campus building is said to be haunted, from the lost girl of Faner Hall to the ghost of “Henry” in Shryock Auditorium. The campus even boasts a labyrinth of underground tunnels.

Southern Illinois University was founded in 1869 as Southern Illinois Normal College, and its cornerstone was laid on May 17, 1870. Originally a small teacher’s college, the university grew to over 23,000 students by 1980. Enrollment has remained relatively consistent ever since.

While noted as a research institution, SIU has also been popularly known as a “party school.” During the late 1990s, Halloween celebrations broke out into riots, forcing the University to close its campus on Halloween weekend. A 15-year-long city ordinance that prevented three popular bars on Carbondale’s main strip from doing business on Halloween and the following weekend was finally lifted for a one year trial period in 2013.

Wheeler Hall, Faner Hall, Anthony Hall, Shryock Auditorium, and Mae Smith Residence Hall are all home to macabre tales.

Scott Thorne, owner of Castle Perilous Games, told author Bruce Cline that Wheeler Hall has been the scene of poltergeist activity. According to Thorne, a popular legend maintains that a woman working in the hall late at night was disturbed by chairs thrown by unseen hands.

Faner Hall is one of the strangest buildings on campus. Designed in Brutalist style using bare concrete, Faner opened in 1972. Its corridors are deliberately confusing in order to discourage student rioters from taking over the building. In Haunted Illinois (2004), Troy Taylor related the campus legend of a young woman who became lost in Faner’s maze-like interior and died. Some storytellers say she fell from a window shortly after the building opened. The coed’s ghost is said to wander the halls, appearing confused and disoriented. When students approach her to help, she disappears.

One of SIU’s most famous legends is that of Henry, the ghost light of Shryock Auditorium. The $135,000 auditorium opened in 1918 and was named after then SIU President Henry William Shryock. On April 13, 1935, Shryock died suddenly just before a morning assembly. Since his death, a stage light has mysteriously turned on and off at will. Students have nicknamed it “Henry.” There are other reports of missing items, doors opening and closing, and phantom footsteps. According to Bruce Cline, a shadowy figure has been seen near the stage and pipe organ.

The ghost of a broken-hearted resident assistant supposedly haunts Mae Smith Residence Hall. Another female ghost is said to haunt Anthony Hall. She was reportedly a secretary who died on the job. Since then, people have reported hearing the sound of fingers tapping at a typewriter and file drawers sliding open.

Finally, maintenance tunnels crisscross SIU’s campus, and they are rumored to be home to one or more students who were unfortunate enough to become trapped down there. Some parts of the tunnel system have not been visited by maintenance staff in decades. What gruesome discoveries await their return?

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From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

Southern Illinois has had its share of witches. Some witches were good, some were bad, and others were just plain scary. In the early 1800s, a young man was courting the daughter of a witch. The witch was not very fond of the young man or his intentions for her daughter. One evening as the young man went to fetch his date for the barn dance, he heard what sounded like a wild goose holler and the wind kicked up and blew off his hat. The man picked up his hat and saddled up his horse for the trip to pick up his date for the evening.

Later that night, as the young man took his date home, the lady invited him to stay the night or the devil might catch him on his ride back home. The young man said that he would take his chances with the devil. The lady asked him if he had heard a wild goose as he came to her house that evening. When he replied that he had indeed heard a wild goose, the lady said that “right there is where he will get you as you go back.”

On his way back home, the young man soon forgot about what his lady friend had told him. When he got near the spot where he heard the wild goose earlier, his horse stopped in the middle of the trail. The horse refused to go any further. The man looked toward a fence corner and noticed a headless black shadow that was tapping out a tune with its feet. This startled the horse who took off at a full gallop. The headless black shadow darted alongside of the horse and rider.

All of a sudden, the black shadow seemed to grow a mouth that was large enough to swallow the man. The black shadow chased the horse and rider all the way back to the young man’s barnlot. The frightened young man put his horse in the stable. He ran all the way to his house and told his family about what had happened. Everyone decided that they had better stay in the house for the rest of the night because they might see it too.

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From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

In March 2013, many residents of southern Illinois, particularly in the counties of Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Pope, Saline, White and Williamson, started reporting strange “booms,” shock waves, rumbling, and rattling. This mysterious phenomenon had many residents on edge. Public officials have offered no explanation of the activity.

The loud booms made many area residents think of the New Madrid Fault. This seismic zone is a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes in the Midwest stretching to the southwest of New Madrid, Missouri. Angela Howser of Disclosure News contacted the U.S. Geological Survey and was able to rule out any seismic activity. Angela then contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and was told that no flight activity in southern Illinois had resulted in a “sonic boom.” When she contacted the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals, she was informed that there was no mining activity such as blasting going on at the time that could have resulted in a boom that was heard and felt across southern Illinois.

Some residents in Saline County suggested that a meteorite event caused the boom. Several people in Carrier Mills reported a flash of light on the clear sunny afternoon. No one was certain of the point of origin of the flash of light. About 10:30 p.m. on March 16, 2013, several people in Harrisburg heard a boom and saw a flash of light.

One theory is that some sort of electrical charge is discharging in the atmosphere. It’s not certain if this electrical charge is caused by something in the atmosphere, something in the ground, or something in between.

The mystery booms could be connected with the “extinct” volcano, Hicks Dome, in Hardin County. Angela Howser stated that the majority of the booms reports come from the Hicks Dome area. Thermal maps of Hardin and surrounding counties show the dispersion of fluorspar (which is essential in enriching uranium, something that is done at the Honeywell plant in Metropolis, Illinois), silver and gemstones such as sapphire and ruby.

The thermal maps also showed that a large amount of Thorium was located underground. As any high school chemistry student knows, Thorium-232 becomes Thorium-233 when bombarded with neutrons, which will decay into Uranium-233 and is used as nuclear fuel. Experts say that the Hicks Dome volcano last erupted millions of years ago. However, there is a great possibility that Hicks Dome may have erupted only a few hundred years ago, before there were people keeping records of such things. Could static from an underground lava/magma flow be the disruptive force causing the mystery booms?

Southern Illinois sits on top of two seismic zones, the New Madrid Seizmic Zone and the Wabash Valley Siezmic Zone. These zones promise to create enormous earthquake potential. Be it either volcanic or earthquake activity, southern Illinois had better prepare now for a disaster of biblical proportions.

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From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

Rhoda Penn Calbreath was born on December 6, 1826, some 134 years after the Salem Witch Trials. Yet, prior to her death in 1876, she found herself face to face with the eyes of a witch, in the form of her daughter Hester.

Rhoda lived near Lebanon, Illinois with her husband, John Hamilton Calbreath. After her death in 1876, she was interred in a remote cemetery located in a wooded area near Trenton. Local legend has led to Rhoda’s grave being a popular destination for thrill-seeking teenagers. Reports have said that attempts to photograph her grave site are futile; the pictures are blurry. This is an interesting story, except there is a quite clear picture of her gravestone on the internet. Is this to say that spirit activity hasn’t led to unclear pictures in the past?

As any paranormal researcher will tell you, activity peaks and subsides, and we often photograph the same area multiple times for review. All the pictures being blurry would only make us believe it was a camera malfunction or other disruption. One picture being clear while another is not is more, rather than less, indicative of possible activity. Another tale says that if you kneel on Rhoda’s grave, your knees would bleed. This is a little vague for a report, giving that since it is a popular gathering site for teens it could lead one to believe broken beer bottles could be the culprit.

One account is more difficult to rebuke. After hearing the stories and legends, a group of students from the local college decided to spend the night at Rhoda’s grave. Armed with equipment and ready for activity from beyond, the group captured an amazing EVP with their digital voice recorder. The ghostly voice spoke out from the grave “Mommy, please don’t kill me.” Obviously the voice of a child, begging for mercy from the person she most trusted: her mother.

What is the cause of all this turmoil at the final resting place of this woman? As the story goes, Rhoda was the mother of a young girl named Hester. While walking in the woods near their home, Rhoda came upon her daughter alone in a clearing. Her heart was broken to discover her child practicing the evils of witchcraft. The tale is told that unable to accept such wickedness even from her own daughter, she killed Hester in the woods, ending the child’s life and beginning a mystery that haunts Southern Illinois to this day.

Interestingly enough, through research of census records, there is no indication that Rhoda and John had a daughter named Hester. Documents indicate they had four daughters: Sarah, Caroline, Josephine and Theodosia; but no Hester. Seemingly, this would debunk the whole story except for facts that anyone who researches old records knows: records are not always complete. Births and deaths occurred without being documented. Records were lost. Registers burned in courthouse fires. And some simply never submitted the information.

It was also common in those days for children to be called by different names than their given ones. Any of the four daughters could have been known by Hester, a loving family nickname passed down. The name could have also changed after years and years of retelling. A lack of documentation does not in itself debunk a legend. There was often a real story, a quite true story, which led to the myth. A story, somewhere in time, led to the haunting.

Copyright 2014 Black Oak Media, Inc. You do not have permission to copy this post.

From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

On April 19, 1928, Charlie Birger was the last man to be publicly hanged in Illinois. His execution was presided over by George Phillip Hanna who was a southern Illinois banker, farmer, and volunteer hangman. The hoods used to cover the head of the person to be hung were sewn by Hanna’s wife. The prisoner was given their choice colors: black or white.

Hanna would visit each prisoner before the execution and tell them, “I am here to help you.” He told them that he would try to spare them any misery and assured them that their death would be painless. Charlie Birger was offered the customary choice of either a white or black hood by hangman Hanna. Birger’s reply was “I’m not a kluker” (referring to the Ku Klux Klan, which was fighting bootleggers in Southern Illinois during the 1920s). Birger was hung wearing a black hood.

The gallows used for the hanging of Charlie Birger was loaned to Franklin County by Jackson County. Shortly after the hanging of Birger, Illinois state law on executions changed. The prisoners sentenced to death were now to be executed by electrocution in the electric chair. Since the gallows would no longer be used (and sadly for Phil Hanna the ever-eager hangman) it was returned to Murphysboro in Jackson County and placed into storage in the courthouse basement.

The gallows was forgotten for several decades. Sometime in the 1970s, The courthouse basement was cleaned and the gallows was moved to the Jackson County Highway Department. The gallows was last seen during a reenactment of a historical event in Grand Tower. For the next 40 years, its whereabouts was a mystery.

In 1995, the Franklin County Historic Preservation Society built a reproduction of the gallows used to hang Charlie Birger. The replica gallows was set up next to the old Franklin County Jail in the exact spot as the original. Many Birger fans traveled to the Franklin County Historical Jail Museum to view the gallows and other Charlie Birger Memorabilia on display. Still, many people wanted to see the real gallows. Where was it? No one seemed to know. It was a mystery that would not be solved until recently.

In early 2013, the long lost gallows was discovered in a rural Grand Tower barn. Now after 85 years the Charlie Birger gallows has been returned to the place that made it famous. The macabre historical artifact is now on display in the old Franklin County Jail for all to enjoy.

Copyright 2014 Black Oak Media, Inc. You do not have permission to copy this post.

From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

I felt that familiar uneasiness in my stomach. The woman had just told me her father had laid in rest beneath those double windows. Those double windows where one of the encounters had occurred. I was a teen working at a local restaurant, and we were recounting ghost stories during a slow time. I discussed the house I had lived in until I was nearly 10 years old, only to find there may have been a very good reason for the stories.

Yes, I was young, but I remember some things about the house. I didn’t like being in the house alone, it didn’t feel right. I’m sensitive, suppose I was from birth, and that house triggered those odd feelings I get. In the basement, there was an old coal room, where coal was stored after being loaded through the coal shoot until it was needed for heating. The house had long been converted to natural gas, and the room was then used for storage. I didn’t like that room. Even with the light on, I would not go in that room. I remember standing at the doorway when Mom would be getting a box or some old toy we wanted, but I would not go in. I did not like that room.

I’ve heard many stories over the years about that house. My dad worked at a quarry, and came home covered in lime dust. He always came in the back door, heading straight down the basement stairs to the small shower stall to clean up before supper. One evening, Mom, my sister, and I weren’t home when he arrived. During his shower, he distinctly heard footsteps in the kitchen above, and he leaned out of the shower, calling for Mom, thinking we were home. No answer; because we weren’t there. When we did get home, I remember Dad telling Mom the story and was visibly shaken. Apparently, this wasn’t the only occurrence. Other instances included him hearing a ball roll down the basement steps and land, only to find there was no ball.

The story that shook me when the woman told me about her father’s wake involved one of my older brothers. While visiting one summer, he was asleep on a pallet on the floor under those double windows (we only had two bedrooms; one for my parents, the other for my little sister and I). He was awakened during the night to footsteps coming across the living room floor; very loud and distinct footsteps that stopped right at his head. When he looked up, no one was there. He covered his head with the sheet and slept fitfully the rest of the night. Slept fitfully under the double window where the woman’s father had laid in state many years before.

I have been told these are only a couple of stories of the many unusual and unexplainable events in that house. We moved when I was in the fourth grade. Once after we had moved, Mom was talking to our former neighbor who informed her that immediately after we moved, the ghost moved to their house. They had never experienced anything in their house before, and suddenly, they heard footsteps and had other weird occurrences. My mom recently spoke with the current resident of our former neighbor’s house who confirmed the ghost is still there.

Copyright 2014 Black Oak Media, Inc. You do not have permission to copy this post.

From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

River Pirates, the Harpes, Mason and Bixby; these are the stories that come from this little community along the Ohio River. But no recounting of tales from Hardin County would be complete without the Legend of Billy Potts and Potts’ Inn.

Along the Ford’s Ferry Road, near what is now known as Illinois Route 1, sat the infamous inn; sometimes referred to as a tavern, as many such establishments in the mid-1800s provided not only a place for weary travelers to lay their heads at night, but food and drink, and occasionally the company of a young lady. The road was a path for many traveling north, crossing the Ohio on a ferry operated by Jim Ford. Ford was less than a respectable citizen, conducting business of a more criminal kind with Potts, the spoils split between them. As legend goes, Ford would size up the travelers, determining the worth of the prey and sending ahead a messenger to Potts at the inn. Billy would welcome the wayfarer to his establishment, feed him, and provide stabling for the horses, all the while telling of a wonderful spring just to the back of the inn.

The water was cold and refreshing, especially on hot summer nights in the muggy heat of the Ohio valley. Potts proudly showed his guest the fount, offering a taste from the drinking ladle already present. As the unsuspecting traveler would bend down to drink, Billy attacked, murdering without conscience, and taking possession of the deceased’s valuables and money. Whoever escaped the escapades of the Harpe brothers in Kentucky was fair game for Ford and Potts.

Billy Potts had a son. Some say he took the lessons of murder and robbery his father taught him to other parts of the country, others that he went a legitimate way, but both stories conclude he moved away from Hardin County during his young adulthood. At a point some years later, he decided it was time to return and visit his homeplace. Arriving at the ferry, age and a beard made him unrecognizable to his father’s business partner who mistook him for a wealthy traveler. He sent a message to Potts to await the arrival of their next conquest. Potts proceeded to charm his guest, also unable to recognize his own son. The son decided it would be a good joke to go along, only to spring on his father his identity at the last minute. His last minute came a minute sooner than he expected, and he went to meet his maker by the same hand as so many others.

The next day, another traveler who was an acquaintance of the son arrived at the inn asking for his friend. Potts, bewildered, went to the shallow place he had hidden the body, exhumed it, and to his great distress identified the body of his own son by a birthmark not noticed soon enough to prevent the killing of his own offspring.

The story of Billy Potts usually ends here, no explanation for where he went, what he did or how he punished himself for such a travesty. At least, the story ends for Billy. Despite the lack of documentation of the existence of Potts or his activities, due in part to the loss of the courthouse in Hardin County twice to fire, the legend is accepted as fact; as well as the evil presence in the area where the long-gone inn stood. Many have visited the bottom of the bluff where it stood, only to recount that they would never return. They believe something evil exists there. Does Billy Potts still walk the ground, lamenting his terrible crimes and murder of his son?

Copyright 2014 Black Oak Media, Inc. You do not have permission to copy this post.

From Even More History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois by Bruce Cline and Tracey Todd Bragg.

My grandpa, Clyde Damron, was a fox hunter, as were many men in Hardin County in the mid-1900s. Fox hunting required the use of some type of hound, and between hunting trips, the dogs required exercise. Grandpa was proud of his beagles, and took good care of them, letting them run whenever he got the chance. The farm was an excellent place for the dogs, the expanse of wilderness surrounding it ideal to stretch their legs and practice their tracking skills.

Grandpa kept his dogs in a pen near the garden at the farm at Shetlerville. Founded in 1866, Shetlerville was once a town with businesses and family homes. At one time, it was the largest shipping port in Hardin County, essential for a community that relied on the Ohio River for transportation and commerce. By the 1940s and ‘50s, much of the town stores had closed and houses were moved to nearby Rosiclare. What remained were a few farms, one of which was home to my grandparents.

On a warm evening, as was his practice, Grandpa went to the garden to let the dogs run. Whenever he ran the dogs, he would remain in the yard, squatted down, listening to them as they sprinted through the woods, howling and barking. The garden area was fairly distant from the house, down past the barn, and Grandpa was alone as he listened. Or so he thought. After he released the dogs and was in position, he heard someone walk up behind him, but remained squatted facing the woods.

“What ya doin’?” my Grandpa heard someone ask, and without turning he merely replied, “Just letting my dogs run.” For a short period of time they chatted, about the dogs, the weather, things that men-folk generally spoke of. He continued to listen for his dogs, lest they get too far and he need go after them, while conversing with the unseen stranger. After a moment of quiet, Grandpa finally stood and turned to face his visitor… only to find he was still alone.

My mother and Grandma were in another part of the yard hanging clothes on the line. They saw someone run into the house, so fast they couldn’t see who it was, the screen door slamming shut. Curious, they entered the house only to find my Grandpa sitting at the table, visibly shaken. And he wouldn’t move from that spot for a very long time. No one else had been in the yard or garden area. No one had come up to the house. No one ever questioned what Grandpa heard, nor would he speak of it.

The farm house burned down some time later and my grandparents moved “to town” (Rosiclare). They kept the barn and surrounding area, as well as the dogs. Grandpa spent very little time with his dogs in the years to come. In my lifetime, I don’t recall him ever fox hunting, he had given it up. For many years after, when I was a child, I remember Grandpa saying he had to go feed the dogs “before it got dark.”

Did Shetlerville ever really cease to exist? Or just shifted to another realm?

Copyright 2014 Black Oak Media, Inc. You do not have permission to copy this post.