Ghosts Much In Evidence

House on North Side Said to be Frequented by Beings of Other World. Furniture Moves; Chairs Rock: and Footsteps are Plainly Heard by Residents.
Eau Claire Leader | July 20, 1906

Eau Claire- Mothers who use the old story of the “bogy” man to frighten their children with can find the genuine article in a house on the North side if reports can be believed, for it is said that a certain house opposite the paper mill is nightly visited by ghostly beings of the other world who indulge in all sort of pranks, not excepting the groans, etc…, that are always part and parcel of a first-class ghost story. For some time people have moved into this house and as quickly or more so, moved out again, and around the city that the house is haunted.

To those that indulge themselves in the belief that the residents of the other world return to this sphere and visit the scenes of their credence, but to the popular mind some other cause is assigned for the noises and other things that take place there. A short time ago a lady with a good-sized family moved here from Duluth and rented the house in question, and after living there just about long enough to get the furniture in place moved again, ascribing as a reason that it was too far from her son’s work, but to those on the inside it was whispered that there had been visitations and noises that she was unable to account for, and of so unearthly a nature that she had decided to move. Other families have from time to time moved into the house, and as quickly moved out again. Asked as to their reasons for so summarily moving they have all told the same story-of moving furniture, chairs rocking when no one was near them, and of footsteps, groans etc…, being heard.

The matter of the haunted house has caused much comment and lately several of the more venturesome of the young men of the city have gone to the house with the avowed intention of staying all night. A few nights ago a member of the police department in response to several requests went to the house and remained until midnight, but neither saw or heard anything, but it is said that on Wednesday evening a couple of young men went there and as one of them was ascending the stairs to the upper floor, her received a resounding slap on the face that put him out for about fifteen minutes.

This much is sure- haunted or not haunted- all who have attempted to live in the house have heard and seen the same phenomena, and be the ghosts real or bogus they have got them all scared. It is extremely likely that someone is making his home there and does not care to be compelled to move to other quarters where perhaps the landlord may not be afraid of ghosts and will appear and demand the rent.

Chad’s Take: Believe it or not!

Stories like this one often appeared in newspapers during the late 1800s and early 1900s. These stories were looked upon then much like they are today. Some people were deathly afraid of the home and avoided it at all costs, while others viewed it almost as a tourist destination. This story of a north side ghost made a couple of appearances in the Eau Claire paper. What is interesting about this story is that it contains no specific information at all. No address of the haunted home, no names of former renters, and no names of those who tried to spend the night. I mention this fact because this was a time when privacy and political correctness were not a priority of the newspapers. If you would have taken your own life the paper would have told how you did it, covered all the grisly details, and even speculated on the reason why you did it. Even other ghost stories from this time period would often contain more specifics.

I should note that just because the story did not contain detailed information does not mean it was not true. Perhaps everybody was aware of the old haunted house on the north side. Actually many of the ghost stories I hear today also lack specifics. For example there is a legend in Wisconsin of the “Bloody Bride Bridge” where the story states that many years ago a young bride was involved in a car accident on her way home from the wedding. The young woman bleed to death in her gown while she waited for help to arrive. Today those who are brave enough to travel down the road at night often encounter the ghostly spirit of a woman dressed in a bloody bridal gown standing by the bridge. This story provides no date of the accident and no name of the woman who met her fate, yet I still get dozens of accounts from witnesses who believe they have come in contact with the bloody bride.

I also found it interesting that no one could live in the home for any real amount of time. This was a common thread in haunted house stories. Families would often move in only to move out under questionable motives shortly after. The frequent rotation of renters only added to the home’s haunted reputation. Without any details this case becomes extremely difficult to prove or disprove. Even if we knew the address of the home it most likely no longer standing 106 years later. However, a newer home had probably been built in its place, and I guess you can only hope that the newer home is not yours.

Keep an eye out.

– Chad Lewis, Unexplained Research