Illinois Ghost Adventures (part 4)

The Hannah House
Alexander Moore Hannah built his Italianate home in antebellum Indianapolis.

One of the few sympathetic Hoosiers, he used his house as a station on the Underground Railroad. After his death, his children sold the home and the property. The new owners, the Oehlers, moved into the house in 1899. Soon after, they began experiencing strange phenomena. Moving objects, phantom sounds, the smell of charred bodies.

After some investigation, they discovered the grisly truth. One night, Hannah sheltered a group of escaped slaves in his cellar. Someone knocked over the lantern, igniting the straw mattresses. Everyone in the cellar burned to death. Hannah later buried the bodies behind the cellar wall.

Today, people still experience ghostly figures moving through the house, cold spots, unexplained sounds, and the smell of burning.

Ghost Hunt
We spent Saturday night investigating the Hannah House with a group of other Ghost Hunters. The moment we arrived, we were filled with a strange sense of foreboding.

We explored the grounds before the events began. The woods around the house were filled with an eerie silence.

We found a hastily disassembled guillotine. Were the current owners French? Were they hiding the murder of the local aristocracy?

Inside the service branch of the house, we met with the other Ghost Hunters.

One couple were clearly professionals. The husband had a tactical vest and both were bristling with expensive ghost hunting technology. EVP recorders, EMF detectors, flashlights, digital cameras. I felt totally outclassed. I later learned that they had investigated hauntings all over the country. There was also a mother-son team who had been to a handful of other haunted houses. When those four learned of our inexperience, they did not seem amused. They moved away from us on the Group W bench. In addition, there was a group of four college kids, also on their maiden ghost hunting voyage.

While waiting for the tour to begin, I inspected the disturbing artwork. What could it mean? What secrets did these writhing, nipply figures hold?

The Guide gave us a tour of the house, explaining the history, pointing out the hotspots. Then they turned us loose to investigate. Aine and I staked out the attic while it was still light. What we found there unnerved us.

According to the Guide, the rugs mysteriously move around the attic floor. I took this picture during the tour.

When we returned, the chair had been moved and the rug missing. I found it behind a column on the other end of attic.

After sunset, we found, to our dismay, that the flash on our camera no longer worked. Did the spirits sabotage our equipment? What follows is the raw, uncut video footage we took as we explored the house.

The Attic
We didn't experience any paranormal activity in the attic, even though people before us had experienced being pushed and hit by an unseen entity. You'll notice the rug has moved from the earlier picture.

On the way up to the attic, I thought I saw one of the other investigators step out of a room, look at me, then return to the room. When I got to the room, no one was there.

Grandma Oehler's Bed
The Guide told us Grandma didn't like people messing with her bed. We taunted the old lady for over an hour, but couldn't rouse her. At one point, Aine was laying on the bed and I was sitting on the other side of the room. I thought I heard Aine whisper something. She sat up. Did you say my name, she asked. I said no. She said it sounded like someone whispered her name in her ear. We both heard it, but have no idea who said it. Also, while in the room, Aine heard a child say the word "mama" twice from the hallway. I didn't hear it and there were no children in the house.

Also, Aine downloaded a Ghost Communicator App on her iPhone. It displays words that, allegedly, are being communicated by nearby spirits. It kept showing us the words airplane and airport which didn't make much sense. But it also kept displaying my name. Then it displayed the word run. Which was a little disturbing. It didn't display my name in any other room or since we left the house. Only in Grandma Oehler's room.

Did Grandma Oehler know who we were? What was she trying to tell us?

The Cellar
We went down to the cellar where people burned to death and were hastily buried.

We took an EMF detector the Guide let us borrow. It didn't react anywhere in the house. While in the basement, the air grew suddenly chilly and the EMF started lighting up. The Ghost Communicator started repeating the words army, murder, and burning.

Extras
A couple other oddities in the house.

Parting Shot
The mysterious rocking chair.

Homecoming 2013

At the end of May, we took a two week trip back to Austin. I needed to put some face time in at the office and we wanted to restomp our old stomping grounds.

The first thing we did when we got into town was stop by our two favorite Austin stores.

I kid you not. There are no decent Used Books or Sport & Outdoors Stores in Champaign.

That middle weekend fell over Memorial Day, so we headed out to the Webb Homestead on Indian Lake, where the agaves and the guineas roam.

I wanted to get in a couple National Historic Register Sites while we were in town. We drove up and down a few back roads looking for the site of the Chicken Ranch, career booster for Marvin Zindler of Slime in the Ice Machine fame, and inspiration for the musical Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Pretty much because it was a whorehouse.

Just outside of La Grange is the Monument Hill State Park. In 1842, Mexican troops attacked a small band of Texas militia, killing 36 of them. In retaliation for this skirmish, which became known as the Dawson Massacre (named after the militia's commander), the Texas militia launched a raid against Mexican border towns which culminated in the Battle of Mier. In the so-called Mier Expedition, the militia inflicted heavy casualties on the Mexican Army, but they eventually had to surrender. The 243 prisoners were marched south to Mexico City. Most of them escaped, but became lost in the desert without supplies. They had to surrender again. Santa Anna, enraged that they escaped, ordered them all executed. After diplomatic pressure from US and British diplomats, Santa Anne compromised. Only 1 in 10 had to die. The men were forced to draw beans from a jar. For every 9 white beans, there was 1 black bean. The man who drew a black bean was taken outside and shot.

In the 1848, the State of Texas recovered the remains of the dead from the Dawson Massacre and the Black Bean Incident and buried them in a common tomb. In the 1930s, They erected this Art Deco monument over it.

The 40 acre park has several trails, one of them overlooking the La Grange and the Colorado River. The old Kreische Brewery sits in ruins in the park, along with Kreische's house. A German immigrant and prominent member of the community, Kreische operated the third largest brewery in Texas and tended the tomb. After his death in the 1880s, the brewery fell into disuse and the State of Texas bought the land.

Also, there were hundreds of lizards. Probably Texas Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus olivaceus). When two males of this species vie for dominance, they have a push up contest. They continue until one gives up and runs away.

We took a drive through downtown to see an official Historic Texas Tree, the Muster Oak.

The men who would die in the Dawson Massacre first mustered under this tree. The tree became the muster point for troops from La Grange. Soldiers mustered under this tree for the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and both World Wars.

La Grange is a quaint little town, not run down and closed up like a lot of smaller towns. Downtown, across from the Muster Oak, you'll find the Fayette County Courthouse. Down the street are the Texas Quilt Museum and the Community Garden.

Anniversary Weekend

Jon and Teddy drove up from Oklahoma to Dash with us. They both seemed surprised to learn it was also our First Anniversary.

Allerton in the Rain
We Did the Dash on Sunday. On Saturday, we opted for a laid back non-Lincoln Illinois experience. About half an hour away from Champaign, you'll find the little town of Monticello and Allerton State Park. I knew that the Allerton Estate had been left to the University and that it had some gardens. I had no idea they would be some old school Downton-style English Gardens that sprawled over several acres. They included Chinese Sculptures, Buddhas, Fu Dogs, mini-labyrinths, and a sunken garden.

It was cool, overcast, and drizzly the entire time, which gave it this sort of mysterious, Old World feel.

Look:

We ate at the Main Street Pub in downtown Monticello. I had to try their Horseshoe Sandwich. It didn't blow me away. My favorite is still the Norb Andy's version.

But, it was nice to enjoy a cold Harp Lager outside on the Piatt County Courthouse Square after trekking for a couple hours around Allerton. We also had fried green beans with wasabi ranch dipping sauce. Super tasty.

Paper Anniversary
Ainers and I decided to follow the traditional anniversary gift tradition. It forces us to be a little creative and keeps us from getting in the rut of buying each other books or something like that every year.

The First Anniversary is paper. Aine loves musicals, so I designed theater tickets from scratch, printed them on card stock, and cut them out.

If you scanned the barcode, it would show our anniversary date, 06162012. So, now she has to pick a Broadway in Chicago performance and I'll buy her real tickets. I think we're going to see the award-winning Book of Mormon, but she hasn't picked a date yet.

I thought I did pretty good job, but then Aine made me look like a chump.

She got me this book.

I'm supposed to read this and take notes. Next month, we're spending a Saturday night doing a private ghost hunt in the haunted Hannah House in Indianapolis. A small group of us will get free pizza, a tour of the house, and a run down of the house's history. Then they'll set us loose until 4 am to see what paranormal evidence we can gather.

It will be our first real Illinois Ghost Adventure. I just hope nothing follows us home. Cue organ music.

The Next Ten Years
Here are the anniversary gifts for the next ten years. Looks like next years, Aine's getting a T-shirt.

• 1st: Paper
• 2nd: Cotton
• 3rd: Leather
• 4th: Linen or Silk
• 5th: Wood
• 6th: Iron
• 7th: Wool or Copper
• 8th: Bronze
• 9th: Pottery
• 10th: Tin or Aluminum

The Irish Invasion of Campus

Falling Down on the Job
So much has happened since my last post. I took a two week trip to Texas. We have new living room furniture. The catalpa has bloomed. I tried making Neufchatel and failed horribly. My classy next door neighbors vacated. No one has replaced them yet. Which makes me uneasy. Like the saying, the devil you know is worth two in the hand. Or something like that.

We have a long way to go to catch up. I'm afraid we have to go back to March to wrap up the Irish Invasion.

Shen-Anne-igans
We took Anne for a tour of campus. You know what that means. We had to visit all the usual spots.

Ricker Redux
You remember our old buddy, Nathan Ricker: first person with an Degree in Architecture in the US, designed Altgeld Hall and Harker Hall.

He also designed the Natural History Building which sits to the East of Harker Hall.

Built in the American High Victorian Gothic style, whatever that means, in 1892, it served as the home to a variety of science departments as well as the now dispersed Natural History Museum. The 3,000 piece cultural artifact collection moved to the Spurlock, another local gem we have not yet strip mined for a Jabbo post.

We also dragged Anne to the Ricker House. It's interesting to see what architects design for themselves. Frank Lloyd Wright chose the Shingle Style rather than the Prairie Style for which he was famous. We've seen Ricker work in Richardsonian Romanesque (Altgeld), Second Empire (Harker), and (most recently) Gothic (not to mention two more buildings we haven't seen yet). So how did he design his own home? In 1892, he designed and then moved into a quaint little American Gothic house on Green Street in Urbana.

And, yes of course, both of these buildings are on the National Historic Register.

What is American Gothic?
Ok, that's a tough one. Since its popularity peaked around the same time as Victorian, it's difficult to tell the two apart. In fact, they sort of ooze together at times. Look for a steep, cross-gable roof (as opposed to the a hipped roof with cross gables that you usually see in Victorian). These houses are mostly symmetrical with ornate scroll work on the eaves and porches. Roughly 1840s to 1880s.

Disappointment: It's What's for Dinner
We've still been trying some new things. Some better than others. Here are two that didn't cut the mustard.

Millet Chard Wraps from the Forks over Knives Cookbook. I executed this dish flawlessly. If you like rainbow chard or millet, this is probably the dish for you. We liked neither.

I found the innocuously named Root Vegetable Bake online. It included almost every root vegetable you could imagine: red potatoes, yams, carrots, parsnips, jicama, and turnips. After baking for an hour and a half, most of the ingredients were still a little crunchy and we mostly didn't like it at all. If I ever do this one again, I'll probably boil the roots first. That is, if I can talk myself into the half hour of peeling and chopping required.

Sticks to Your Ribs
We did find a couple recipes we loved.

Also from the Forks over Knives Cookbook: Cuban Style Black Beans with Brown Rice. We slapped these on some corn tortillas and added some feta. This is now a popular dish in the McWebb household.

And just as glorious was the Pad Thai with Shrimp we tried. I found this recipe on the Closet Cooking blog. It tasted super duper, but next time we'll probably try the version in the Betty Crocker Cookbook as is popular among certain Holmeses we know. It's slightly tastier and a lot easier to fix.

But this one was still top notch.

Parting Shot
In unrelated news: ANGRY CAT!