The haunting part 5

Let’s visit a few houses in our neighborhood.

Just down the road from my office is a lovely Queen Anne’s style mansion on the National Historic Registry. Known simply as Brucemore, it was built back in the 1870’s, it’s only had two families reside in its beautiful rooms, use its grand staircases and walk the gorgeous grounds with the lions and german shepherds.

Where you want to be careful of is going into the library. Supposedly the entity haunting the house loves books and activity centers around there. Groaning, disembodied laughing, objects moving and a glowing apparition was once seen.

If you are in the mood for dinner after visiting Brucemore, just go down the street to a great little restaurant, Daniel Arthur’s. That is if you can deal with the ghost that haunts it.

Originally a small mansion located close to the downtown, it was sold and became a funeral home in the early 1950’s. As the story goes, in 1967 the funeral director committed suicide in the attached garage. Turned into a restaurant in 2000, dinners, guests and employees have talked about apparitions, disembodied voices, hair pulled, chairs moved and flying and disappearing silverware.

Want Mexician food? Carlo’s O’Kelly’s in Marion(one of my favorite eateries, btw) is said to have dishes fly across a room and unplugged blenders start whipping up cocktails for those at the bar. I’ve heard some first-hand comments about phones ringing and things appearing and disappearing from tables.

Still with us? How about a walk through a couple of cemeteries? We’ve already visited the Black Angel in Iowa City, but again, just a few more blocks away from Daniel Arthur’s, we have the lovely Oak Hill Cemetery.

One of the oldest in the city, and located near the Czech Village area of town(other side of the river), two different stories about a lonely specter of a woman who walks the graves at night. Some people say it’s a young Czech girl named Tillie who will grant you a wish if you are respectful of her but disrespect to her or the graves will bring you bad luck. Is she a witch that was stoned to death then buried with an iron fence surrounding her grave? Only to be let loose to walk when the fence was removed? Or is she simply an old woman who died with nothing and roams the graves looking for something?

Now taking a little walk-ha, drive, north to Palo. Known as the 13-Steps Cemetery, my Uncle is buried there. Actually called Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, during the day light, you can only see 12 steps, but during the night the 13th appears. Also many have seen a ghostly phantom running through or a green ball of light hovering over the then famous Lewis Family graves. Some have been pushed, poked, or touched or if you leave your car near the entrance, lovely night creatures will come and cover the car.

Over the years, I must admit, lots of the lore has been exaggerated.  But the best part is finding out the truth for yourself.  Happy Haunting and I'd love to hear your own ghostly encounters from where you live!

Later gators....
C