Hey All,
So what better way to start off the Fall season then a trip to a real haunted house, in this case the Mcpike mansion in historic Alton, Ill.
The mansion must have been something else in its prime, built in 1869 with 16 different rooms and a lower level basement wine cellar. Even today the building is impressive and the latest in a long line of owners Sharyn and George Luedke are doing their very best to restore it to its former glory. One thought Sharyn had was to make it a bed and breakfast not unlike St. Louis’s Lemp mansion (also reported to be haunted).
The mansion boasts no less than 4 or 5 spirits that have been known to roam the empty rooms and halls of this fading building on Alby street. One spirit is thought to be that of Sarah Wells who when she makes an appearance one can smell lilac’s perfuming the air. Faces have shown up in photographs peering out of windows and footsteps have been heard from the floor above the wine cellar while investigators were the only people in the house.
So with that in mind my wife and I along with our 16 year old daughter drove over to Alton on a pleasant Sunday evening to join a group of 50 photographers and see if we just might catch something on film.
It was warm all day in the low 80’s but it being October I took a jacket with me, we parked across the street and walked over for our first up close look at the Mcpike mansion. A small group of photographers were already there milling about with tripods and cameras strapped over their shoulders. I noticed as well a few folks with ghost hunting gadgets you would see the guys use on TV (my only gadget was a small pink flashlight I bought on sight there from a nice lady who was selling tee shirts and sweatshirts, my daughter picked out a white fluffy sweatshirt and claimed the evening a success right then and there). I was just approaching the house when I felt an icy cold spot on my back, I slipped on my jacket but it would not go away, a few seconds later I was warm again and had to carry my jacket, not saying supernatural just a moment I noted.
The house is eerie up close, on one of the side walls twisted metal sheets covered in rust were blocking a window and were bent in such a manner that it looked like a great force was trying to escape. We found a foot path in the back that led to a small section where two slabs stuck from the ground and we were told they were grave markers thought to be of children.
We were allowed to walk into the front door and take a few pictures of open rooms and a stair case, the house is not considered safe to have folks stroll about so we had to content ourselves with this brief glimpse.
Later on after everyone had their sneak peek inside of the house Sharyn set up some display boards and shared some history and even had an actor come out dressed as Henry McPike give us a quick background on the man, all very entertaining. A lady was introduce to the crowd as a medium ( I also noted she was the lady selling tee-shirts) and gave out some friendly advice of what to expect out of the spirits, things like cold spots or maybe someone tugging at your hair or playing with your earrings (I felt safe on both counts). The medium gave a demonstration on dowsing rods and handed out sets to anyone interested. My wife was handed a set of the dowsing rods ,so we were all prepped and invited to go the basement wine cellar!
We were led to the back of the house and through a cellar door, the basement was cool and we took a quick turn and down a few steps to the wine cellar which had a large rusted metal door.
Once inside the wine cellar we all took a seat and the medium said to prepare yourself and we will shut off all the lights.
It was a very strange feeling to be in such absolute darkness. The room was cramped and filled with people yet with the cool air and the darkness I felt like I could have been in a field.
Some people started to see flashes here and there, the medium would announce things like Henry has joined us “say hello Henry” and so on. I was busy being a skeptic, so I tried things like closing my eyes and then open them to see if it caused any flashes etc.. My wife claimed she saw some blue flashes on the ceiling and my daughter who was now holding the dowsing rods felt that someone was trying to pull one of them out of her left hand at one point.
I did see a dull glow move along the left side of me, but it turned out to be a women’s glow in the dark watch face.
I was enjoying the darkness and trying my best to notice anything when a very strong smell of candy like perfume filled the air. No one said anything but it got so strong I spoke up and the lady next to me said she smelled it as well, but no else seemed too. The scent just as quick as it appeared went away, was this this Sarah Wells and her lilac perfume??
A lot of people said things like Henry just walked past me, or I think someone touched my hand. We all got a jolt when a man nearby us had his cell phone light up and we were told they like to turn things on as well as drain the batteries of things.
They turned the lights back on and said feel free to take pictures, soon they were crazy flashes going everywhere and my wife noted that one of her two cameras had drained all its battery life. I took a selfie of the three of us and one two shots of the frenzy of camera flashes.
We walked outside and people were telling me they had caught orbs and mists etc.. from the sessions.
I reviewed all the pictures and nothing jumped out at me, the cold chill I felt at the start I shrugged off, the smell of perfume from the wine cellar was odd. Perhaps the oddest thing to happen to me was I left the house feeling sad, which filtered into my dreams that night just extreme sadness.
I love a good ghost story, but the haunting here to me was that of a bygone era. The people who lived and died at the Mcpike mansion may have left some traces of themselves behind,what will you find when you visit there? A relic, a couples dream of a B&B or maybe you might find one side your body very cold as Henry Mcpike stands next you in what was once his front yard looking up at his home.
Peace and Love all
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