Spirit of Suicidal Maid

Earlier in the 20th century, she appeared to a young servant and a butler in the fourth floor hallway. Her presence has been felt strongly by many people throughout the years.

She perhaps is one of the entities that climbs the stairs to the fourth floor, to her unseen rope on the landing there.

While climbing this staircase, and standing in the hall as well, people during the day have felt a “sense of foreboding,” anxiety, and feelings of distress, that could be quite strong, as three newsmen found out one night, when they came to gather information for a series on ghosts.

After setting up camp in the big room on the top floor and armed with two cameras (one regular and one with infra-red aimed at the well-lighted, top of the stairs and fourth floor hall)  and a tape recorder, the men each went out to the hall, but scooted back to the room when they were filled with an overwhelming sense of fear.

They heard heavy footsteps coming up those stairs. One brave newsman went though the hall to the stairway, and though he saw nothing, he felt a strong presence on the stairs. They left in a hurried manner together down the stairs, feeling nothing was worth staying a night there.

Spirit of the Thin Man

Perhaps a former gentleman who was an owner or a teacher at the school? Dressed in a black suit and top hat.

This apparition visited people in many rooms of the mansion, but two eye-witness accounts are given below.

Dr. Delmar Kolb in the early 1950s, joined the art school’s teaching staff, and moved into the front basement apartment in the mansion. He awoke one night by the pressure of two dead, cold fingers on his forehead, and found himself in a cold sweat.

After turning on the light, he saw a blue flash that disappeared. Two nights later, he was again awakened to find a clear, detailed apparition of a man dressed in a black suit and top hat, who was standing at the foot of his bed.

At first, the alarmed Dr. Kolb thought it was a prowler dressed in costume, but realized it was a ghost when the apparition dissolved into the brick wall.

In 1964, a Mr. Weschke bought the mansion with the idea of using the place as both an office and his home. He published books on the occult.

In 1967, Mr. Weschke was working at the desk in the library. When he stopped to take a break, he saw visually in the doorway of the library, a thin, long-faced man with white hair, dressed in a black suit, who was studying him. The apparition faded away after about 30 seconds.

Spirit of Gardener, Charles Wade

Various people have heard an unseen presence frantically, flipping through the books.

Perhaps this distressed entity died before he was finished with his latest gardening project, and feels he has unfinished business.

A Child Apparition

In 1959, two college students moved into the front basement apartment.

One night, something woke up one student, who usually was a sound sleeper.

He looked up and saw the head of a child floating above his bed.

Spirit of Amy

When a St. Paul spiritualist/medium by the name of Roma Harris came to visit the mansion, He felt the “shadowy presence” of a teenage girl, who calls herself Amy.

She had had many happy moments playing the mansion’s piano.

She died young, and perhaps hangs around the mansion where she was happy making music.

Perhaps she lived during the art school days of the mansion.

Spirit of Civil War General, perhaps Chauncey Griggs?

Roma also “saw” a Civil war officer, dressed in a general’s blue uniform, with the gold trim.

As the original owner, Chauncey Griggs, was a Civil War officer, it is theorized that this entity is Chauncey, who likes to keep an eye on his mansion.

It also could be another earlier, former owner, who didn’t want to leave his mansion.

General Activity

Many unexplained, but typical incidents common in haunted houses have been reported, though no specific entity has been found to be responsible for the noises, annoying behavior that makes the living uncomfortable or befuddled.

Windows that had been firmly closed, even nailed shut, have been found open in the morning.

Footfalls have been heard traveling up and down the staircases.

Shadowy presences have been seen.

Unsuspecting students who rented the apartments, have been shaken awake, to find an undistinguished apparition head floating above their beds.

Doors open and close by themselves.

“Rasping coughs” have been heard coming from empty rooms.

Light bulbs suddenly shatter, paper bags have been known to jump off the shelves, and jump across the floor.

People in the mansion have felt presences walk by them.

Some of the presences happen to appreciate art. While working in the art studio room, with the skylight on the top floor, students had felt presences peering over their shoulder to get a good look at their drawings in progress, perhaps studying with interest the student’s efforts.