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Let me preface this story by saying that I have never been much of a believer in the existence of ghosts or other supernatural phenomenon for that matter, although I have to admit, the idea that life continuing after death in spirit form is fascinating to me. Who can say for certain what happens to the energy that is our life force when the body dies?
Since the beginning of human life, seeking out and communing with that energy has played a part in the way we perceive the world. When my youngest daughter suggested doing a haunted Wisconsin road trip story, I was immediately on board. Unfortunately, with two young children, she was unable to accompany me, so I struck out on the ghostly trail alone.
For anyone interested in doing a little ghost hunting, there is an abundance of lore in books and on the Internet, listing hundreds of allegedly haunted places in Wisconsin. Just be considerate. Some of the sites listed are on private property, and the owners do not always welcome visitors.
Remember, too, that when it comes to the truth of these hauntings, your mileage may vary.
I made a loop through the state, skirting the Milwaukee area and using the ghostly theme as a reason to explore the back roads of Wisconsin.
The abandoned Salvatorian Seminary looms imposingly on 38 acres in St. Nazianz and includes the seminary building, a cathedral with monastery and a small cemetery for priests.
Reports of apparitions surround the grounds. Some say the ghosts are the souls of abused children who stayed in an asylum for girls that once occupied the site. There are also rumors of a sealed room where a priest confronted Satan. The grounds currently are being restored and signs ask that visitors not trespass between dusk and dawn.
From St. Nazianz, my next stop was the Hotel Karsten, newly reopened as the Kewaunee Inn, in Kewaunee. The Hotel Karsten was built by William Karsten in 1913 on the grounds of an earlier lodging, the Steamboat House, which was destroyed by fire. William Karsten and his grandson William Karsten III, passed away within just six weeks of each other at the hotel.
According to ghost aficionados, the apparition of William Sr. is sometimes seen in the pub area where he used to sit and talk with guests, and young William is often heard running through the halls. A servant named Agatha who lived in room 310 and was reportedly in love with William Sr. has also been reported to make her ghostly presence known.
In Portage County, I visited old gravestones in Spiritland Cemetery, which the infamous Ed Gein allegedly robbed for his grisly purposes. Some believe that Gein's tampering has disturbed the rest of those buried there, and that those spirits now haunt the graveyard.
Eau Claire is home to a popular haunt known as the Stones Throw. There are several reports of paranormal activity at the tavern. A jukebox in the basement bar reportedly sometimes plays songs from the 1920s and '30s that are no longer on the box. Beer bottles have also been reported to fly off the shelves. Some attribute these activities to the ghost of a man who supposedly hung himself in the bar. Another story is that a man was killed in the alley behind the bar and his body was thrown down a back stairway into the basement.
River lore
The Devil's Punch Bowl near Menomonie in Dunn County is an enchanting niche carved by water into the surrounding sandstone cliffs. The punch bowl has been said to be the home for gnomes that scale the cliffs, and orbs of light reportedly have been seen there at night. Tread lightly, because it is also the home of several endangered species of plants.
Mississippi River towns are full of strange stories surrounding river lore and the early settlers of the area. In Genoa, the Big River Inn has a reputation for paranormal activity. The second floor of the inn, originally a roller-skating rink, was once used as a makeshift morgue following a disastrous boating accident on the river. Also the ghost of a previous owner has been said to make his presence known by repeatedly turning the channel of the TV in the bar to CNN, his favorite station.
Ghosts in Boscobel
Continuing down the Great River Road and then cutting east along the Wisconsin River, I came to Boscobel and the Boscobel Hotel, originally called the Central House. The Central House was built in 1865 by Adam Bobel, and was the birthplace of the Gideon Bible. In 1881, a fire gutted the building and Bobel rebuilt the structure using the existing stone walls and operated the hotel until his death in 1885.
Many of the hotel's original architectural features remain. The two upstairs floors largely have been abandoned and are in disrepair. The ghost of Adam Bobel is said to haunt the building, as well as the ghost of a 12-year-old girl who was abandoned outside the hotel as an infant.
Some employees refuse to enter the basement of the hotel, which has the original foundation from 1865. Heather Norsby, who owns the hotel with her husband, Greg, tells a story that supports the hotel's spooky reputation. One night after closing the bar, she reports having seen a man sitting with his back to her as she prepared to leave. She assumed the man was her husband, and she spoke to him and told him it was time to go. When the man got up and started walking through the hotel, she followed him, still believing it was her husband, until suddenly the figure disappeared.
The Walker House was built 1836 in Mineral Point, one of Wisconsin's earliest settlements. Many ghostly presences have been seen and felt by visitors and staff at the inn. One ghost is believed to be that of William Caffee, who was hanged after murdering a man in 1841. Another rumor is of a horse thief who was hanged by an angry mob that found him in the tavern enjoying a drink. After many years of neglect, the Walker House is newly reopened and being restored by John and Susan Dickenson.
Some of the old hotels embrace their haunted status and are having events celebrating Halloween. The Kewaunee Inn will hold a séance on Halloween; the Boscobel Hotel is hosting a "Haunted House" for charity on Friday and Saturday; and the Walker House is hoping to have a Celtic celebration of Samhain.
Sources: www.prairieghosts.com, www.ghosttraveller.com, www.theshadowlands.net/places/Wisconsin.htm, "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations" by Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk (Unexplained Research Publishing paperback, $14).