PRIVATE RESIDENCE ON WAUSAU’S EAST SIDE   

 

Merrill History

There is very little recorded history of early exploration in the area now known as Merrill.  The earliest documentation found was from 1661, when Jesuit missionary Father Rene Menard came to Wisconsin with the intent of converting the Native American population to Catholicism.  The same year, he lost his life at “Big Jim Falls”, a location roughly 9 miles north on the Wisconsin River.

Wisconsin became a territory in 1836, and by 1848, the U.S. had claimed title to all Wisconsin land.  Reservations were established by 1854 and it is believed that the Chippewa (Ojibwe) Native Americans in the now-Merrill area were relocated to the reservation lands in either Red Cliff, Bad River, Lac du Flambeau, or Lac Court Oreilles. 

Prior to relocation, the Chippewa inhabited both sides of the Wisconsin River near what is now West Main Street in Merrill.  Burial grounds are located along the Wisconsin River in what is now known as the Sixth Ward and also believed to be along the nearby Prairie River.  Burial grounds next to rivers were prevalent due to the symbolic and vital significance of water for transportation, energy, resources, and spirituality.  The map below shows how close the Park Place Apartments (marked as 215 Grand Ave – Orig. Badger Hotel & Theatre) are to this ward and the Prairie River.

 

Merrill began as the Town of Jenny Bull Falls in 1854, about ten years after the first trading post was constructed, though the name was eventually shortened to Jenny.

A few years later, Andrew Warren established a sawmill which was powered by a dam he constructed over the Wisconsin River.  This sawmill was in operation until 1899 when it burned down; at that point it was owned by Thomas Blythe (T.B.) Scott who had purchased it from Andrew Warren in 1870.

Lincoln County was established in 1874 with a population of 875 and extended north until the Michigan border.  Jenny was named the County Seat.

In 1881, Jenny became a city and was renamed Merrill, after S.S. Merrill, who managed the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroads.

In 1883, T.B. Scott was named the first mayor and the population grew to 7,000 by 1900.  Nearing 1900, the logging industry began to decline.  Like other cities in the area, Merrill was forced to bring in new industries and became the home of Church Mutual Insurance Company, Weinbrenner Shoe Company, Agra Industries, Merrill Manufacturing, and Lincoln Wood Products, to name a few.

 

The Legend of Jenny

It is rumored that the area was named Jenny after the beautiful daughter of a Native American chief.  There are several legends describing her death - a couple of which are 1) Jenny had relations with one of the French traders who visited the area and became pregnant, unfortunately passing away during childbirth, and 2) Jenny contracted influenza after an outbreak in the village and passed away.

According to both legends, her father blamed the White Man for her demise and asked the Great Spirit to curse the land.  He asked that her burial site (now known as Holy Cross Hill) be sacred and to never be prosperous for white men.  This land is believed to be where T.B. Scott began construction on his mansion in 1884.  Unfortunately, T.B. Scott never saw the completed mansion, as he passed away from Bright’s Disease in 1886.

A series of strange, untimely deaths and misfortunes then followed for those with connections to the mansion.

A.E. Scott (wife of T.B.) – passed away unexpectedly in 1887 while awaiting surgery.

Walter Scott (son of T.B. and A.E) – fatally stabbed with a letter opener in 1902 in Chicago after an argument with an architect.

Edward Kuehle – owner of the mansion in 1899 suffered extreme financial woes after losing his wealth in a California gold mine fraud case; he developed mental illness and passed away in an asylum.

John Barasanti – a saloonkeeper who foreclosed the mansion in 1899 when Edward Kuehle lost his wealth; he was fatally stabbed in Chicago on his way up to Merrill.

Charles W. Gibson – occupied an office in the mansion in 1901; he was the General Manager when the property became The Lawyers Home, a home for elderly lawyers. He mysteriously disappeared after leaving for an appointment and was never seen again.

One-Armed Popcorn Dan – Lived in the mansion as a caretaker and operated a popcorn stand in Merrill.  After saving enough money for a visit to England, he boarded the Titanic for the trip home and is listed amongst the missing after it sank in 1912.

The T.B. Scott Mansion was rumored to be haunted until it was demolished in 2021, with witnesses claiming to see the spirit of Jenny in the mansion’s tower amongst other unexplained activity.  This site is roughly 1.5 miles away from the Park Place Apartments.

 

 

Park Place Apartments History

The site of the Park Place Apartments began as The Badger Opera House, which was built by August H. Stange in 1905-1907 adjacent to the Badger Hotel.  In the mid 1920s it was renamed Badger Theater and then called the New Badger Theater from 1939 on when the J.P. Adler theater chain acquired it.  John F. Kennedy visited this theater in 1960.  It was known as the Badger Hotel and Theater or Hotel Badger until it burned down in 1967.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August H. Stange, who built the theater/hotel, was born in Stettin, Germany in 1864 and immigrated to Watertown, WI at age three.  He started in the woodworking trade and supervised the Wright & McCord sawmill/sash and door factory in Jenny.  He eventually purchased Merrill Company Manufacturing and opened his own sash, door, and blind plant.  He went on to establish the Lincoln County Bank in 1897, the Badger Opera House in 1907, as well as involvement with many other lumber companies in the area.  He served as alderman and mayor and also volunteered with the fire department.  He donated land to establish city parks and funded several churches in the area.  He lived at 115 South Prospect Street with his wife Amelia in an Italianate-style mansion built in 1893 until 1911 when they moved into living quarters built at the Badger Hotel.  He died on April 28^th, 1935.

After the Badger Hotel and Theater burned down in 1967, elderly housing was built in its place in 1970.  That building exists today, though was extensively remodeled to bring it to ADA code with completion in 2019.

 

Investigation

WPRS arrived on Saturday, July 13th, 2023, at 1:00PM. The weather conditions were partly cloudy and the temperature was approximately 80

degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Investigators Brown, Christiansen, and Thelen-Brazier were present. Equipment used during the investigation included:

 

·         Digital camera ·         Cellphone cameras ·         K-2 EMF meter ·         Spirit box ·         Digital voice recorders

·         iPhone voice recorder ·         Body camera ·         Digital thermometer ·         Digital EMF meter

 

The client was present to allow the WPRS into the building and detail some of the activity witnessed.  She remained on-site for the duration of the

visit.  Her cousin, Kathy, was also in attendance for the duration of the visit.

 

The client’s apartment is located on the second floor and is 685 square feet with one bedroom and one bathroom.  There are apartments above

her and community space on the first level. 

 

Note: Due to the location being an occupied apartment complex, a full standard investigation was not planned due to 1) the apartment being too

small to properly monitor infrared cameras – it is too far away from the street to use the trailer as a command center, and 2) normal sounds of

the street, pets, other people, other electronic devices in other apartments would contaminate any potential evidence collected.

 

The apartment itself was very quiet and no noise was heard from other units and the street outside was quiet.

 

The client discussed with WPRS the following activity:

 

Activity has occurred since she moved in (5 years ago) and she stated that it follows her wherever she goes.

 

Client feels a male presence constantly touching her – including her private parts but mostly her hair and her left hip.  She feels it is male

due to the perceived size of the hand touching her.

 

She feels shooting pains from what she describes as “things inserted” and has seen doctors about it with no explanation/diagnosis.  She also

feels vibrations.

 

In her bedroom, there is a smoke detector on the wall with a green light.  At night, usually between 3:00-4:00AM, that light (or something like

it) moves around the room, getting up to 6” in diameter and changes from green to white to red.  It is an orb but does not light up the room even

though it itself is bright.  She has caught the red light on her phone video camera, but it is difficult to see.  She is unable to share the video with

WPRS due to it being 19 minutes long and too large to send. WPRS reviewed the video on-site and cannot offer any explanation for it at this

time.

 

Client has a walk-in closet in her bedroom.  Sometimes there appears to be a light on in the closet, but when she opens the door, there are

 

no lights on or any objects giving off light.  WPRS found no windows or any vent sources in the closet that would allow or produce light.

 

 

Kathy (client’s cousin who was in attendance during WPRS’s visit) has witnessed the strange light phenomenon.

 

 

Lots of noise is heard coming from both the walk-in closet and the closet by the front door – it sounds like someone is doing remodeling.

 

 

Client had a different paranormal/psychic group investigate a while back but didn’t remember the name of the group.  They did not provide a

 

activity possibly became worse after their visit.

 

 

She put a Christmas tree in her front closet thinking that the little girl spirit would enjoy it.  Days later when she opened the closet door,

 

positioned under the tree were two 1967 quarters which is the year the theater on that site burned down.

 

 

Client hears random music at times – drumming sounds, opera singing, bells ringing, and unidentifiable instruments.

 

 

Her daughter sends her crystals, incense, sage, black salt, etc. but the client feels these have not helped.

 

 

Client stated other people in the building believe there is activity – especially on the third floor with activity beginning around 2:00PM.

 

 

WPRS Initial Findings

 

WPRS began the investigation by considering possible explanations for the paranormal activity reported by the client.  The client had recently

been evaluated by medical professionals with no explanation/diagnoses given.  She has had no changes to her medication or medical history.

Her cousin Kathy stated she had attended appointments with the client and confirmed the same. No one else has access to her apartment, such

as maintenance personnel, cleaners, caregivers, medical aides, etc.

 

Temperature and electromagnetic field (EMF) readings were taken in multiple areas.  The air conditioning unit and fans were turned off.  Ambient

temperature varied from 82-83 degrees Fahrenheit with wall/floor temperatures ranging from 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the kitchen, living room,

and bathroom to 73-74.5 degrees Fahrenheit in her bedroom and walk-in closet.

 

No unexplainable elevated EMF levels were detected.  Zero EMF was found other than near electronics as expected: microwave (10), air

conditioning unit (5), and alarm clock (3).  There is a large service elevator on the opposite side of the client’s bedroom wall.  WPRS initially

believed that could possibly be a source of very high EMF which is known to cause health issues such as hallucinations and sleep disturbances.

However, it was surprisingly not giving off any EMF at all.

 

Digital photographs were taken from every angle but nothing of note was found upon review.

 

An Estes EVP session was held at 1:30PM. Below are the questions and responses in the order in which they were asked/received; the answers

are not lined up with the questions asked.

 

Questions   ·         Is there anyone here who wants to talk with us? ·         Can you tell me how many of you there are? ·         Can you tell me your name? ·         Why do you stay here? ·         Did you live here before anything was built here? ·         Were you here when there was a theater or hotel here? ·         We know there was a fire in the theater; were you injured in it? ·         Can you tell me what year it is, or what year you think it might be? ·         When you’re touching (the client), is there a message you’re trying to convey or is there something you want her to do? ·         We’re happy to be a voice for you, if there’s a message you’d like us to give to anybody.  But (the client) isn’t really comfortable with the touching so if there is a different way we can get a message out for you, please let us know how we can help you. ·         Can you tell me how old you are; if you’re a man or a woman? ·         Are you the one who makes the lights do strange things in here? ·         Can you tell me how you do that? ·         Is it OK that we’re here? ·         Do you contact anyone else in this building or do you basically just stay here? ·         Are you saying you are buried near this building? ·         Does that make you upset? ·         Was the fire started on purpose? ·         How many of you are here?  Are there more than one right now? ·         Do you have a message you want us to give to anybody or is there anything we can do for you? ·         Are you a man? ·         Are you a woman? ·         Was that for us – do you want us to get out? ·         Can we help you move on; help you be at peace? ·         When you say “seven”, does that mean there are seven people here?  And is that seven including all of us, or just you and the ones we can’t see? ·         Is there something keeping you here?

Answers   ·         It’s resting. ·         Help me. ·         River. ·         Damage. ·         Dark. ·         Voice. ·         Dark. ·         Not mine. ·         Building. ·         Buried. ·         People. ·         Arson. ·         Sitting. ·         I’m sorry. ·         (Beth heard a drumming noise and a voice but was unable to make out words) ·         Out. ·         Stand. ·         Seven. ·         Two. ·         You. ·         (Beth heard opera music.)

During this session, Investigator Christiansen placed a K2 device on the client’s bed and explained what it was and that it could be used for

yes/no questions.  It began flashing but stopped when questioning resumed.

When WPRS investigators were conducting EVP in the bedroom, Investigator Thelen-Brazier experienced an unexplainable, high-pitched

vibration/clicking sound in his ear. He noticed the client in the reflection of her dresser mirror; the client was in the kitchen area and at the exact

same time he experienced the vibration/clicking noise, he saw her hold up a hand to hear ear and state to Kathy that she was hearing a

vibrating/clicking noise.

Investigator Brown performed a cleansing ceremony with Palo Santo.  Palo Santo is a cleansing and protective “spirit wood”; it is believed spirits

live in the trees, which are from South America.  Only trees that fall naturally are harvested.  The intent with Palo Santo is to carry away negativity

via the smoke and out the window.

The client was advised to assert dominance and not be afraid.  She must stand her ground - that this is her home and body and the spirits need

to coexist peacefully or move on; she was encouraged to say this out loud during periods of activity.

Investigator Thelen-Brazier provided the client with Selenite, Black Tourmaline, and Amethyst for protection.  He explained the Black Tourmaline

is the best protection stone, Selenite acts like a spotlight to push things away, and Amethyst is a multi-purpose protection stone.  The client has

been advised to keep these near. 

The client had also been advised to not use other crystals, incense, sage, etc. without proper training as they can attract spirits or worsen the

existing situation.

The client was advised to keep in touch, because 1) it may take time for the cleansing effects to take place, 2) sometimes multiple cleansings are

required, 3) potentially help the client set up a Ring-like camera system to try to capture additional evidence on video, and 4) set up time for

another WPRS visit. 

On the way out, WPRS investigators encountered a mother and child (roughly 6-7 years old) who hadn’t been to the building before.  Immediately

upon entering, the child stated “I don’t like this building”.  This is notable as children are often more energy-sensitive than adults and he may have

picked up on something.

 

Conclusion

 

The client has advised that as of 8/3/2024, the activity seems to have improved at times, but it is still occurring and would like WPRS to return.

Per a WPRS team discussion on 8/4/2024, it was agreed that another visit is warranted as the activity continues, the initial suspected cause

(EMF from the service elevator) was disproven, and the site’s history provides a lot of rationale for paranormal activity to occur.

Investigator Christiansen will be contacting the client to schedule the next visit.

 

**ADDENDUM TO FOLLOW AFTER SECOND VISIT** 

 

*Any use or reproduction of this document is prohibited without the sole permission of Amy Christiansen or the WPRS.