Private Residence on Wausau's West Side

 

 

Background

The residence is an older home that is currently a duplex. It is being remodeled back into a single family home. It is approximately 1,500 square feet. The clients live downstairs, and the upstairs apartment is not in use. They have lived there for around 3 years, and have experienced strange activity the entire time.

 

Case History

The house was built in 1907 or 1908 in the area that had been a Park and Ballgrounds. It was built by a 41 year old carpenter, who lived here with his wife, Minnie (36), son Herbert (13), and daughter Irma (3).

In 1925, the house became a duplex. At that time, Herbert L. was the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer for a local Hardware and Supply Co.

Over the years, the upstairs apartment was rented to several tenants, including Lawrence L. in 1926, David S. in 1931, John P. in 1933 and Edward and Leah P. in 1956.

In 1961, Harvey and Laura L. occupied the apartment. The house continued to belong to Herbert and Erna L. until 1982, at which time it is listed as belonging to Jean J. 

Six separate tenants lived in the home over the course of the 80s and 90s. The last listing for the house was in 2003, when it belonged to Gary and Shaun F.

Although I was unable to find any information about deaths in the home, or other significant events, it's interesting to note that it belonged to the same family for 75 years.

 

Paranormal Activity

·        Both residents report a creepy feeling of being watched while seated in the kitchen dining area.

·        The client was once awakened by the sound of someone saying her name when no one else was in the house.

·        The client was awakened one night by what seemed like a small person standing or crouching by her bed, tugging on her pillow.

·        A picture that had been propped in the window frame of the client's room was found broken in the middle of the floor.

·        Beaded curtains that used to hang in the doorway of the client's room were often seen swaying by themselves. The client was unable to find a draft or source of airflow that could be making the curtains move.

The client’s goal is to find logical explanations for the things that are occurring.

 

Investigation 

The investigation took place on Monday, April 26 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Investigators Blaschka, Duginski, Kurth and Spialek were present. Equipment used during the investigation included digital cameras, digital voice recorders, Tri Field Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) Meter, an infrared thermal probe, and a Geiger counter.

The clients and two of their friends were present at the beginning of the investigation, and they gave a thorough tour of the downstairs apartment, the basement, and the unused upstairs apartment.  Areas noted for feeling uneasy, feeling as if you are being watched etc. were the dining area of the kitchen, both bedrooms, the parlor, and the basement laundry area. Pictures were taken during the tour.

After the tour, temperature, radiation and EMF readings of the main floor apartment were taken. Investigators noted EMF levels up to 10 Milligauss around the doorway between the foyer and the kitchen, and levels ranging from 2.5 to 3 Milligauss in the dining area. In the client's bedroom, a reading of 2.5 Milligauss was noted near the bed. In the roommates bedroom, a reading of 8 Milligauss was found from two alarm clocks kept directly beside the head of the bed.  EMF levels in the rest of the apartment ranged from 0 to 1.5. The temperature in the apartment was steady, ranging from 67 to 70 degrees. There were no unusual levels of radiation found in the home.

Investigators then spent some time in the basement. It is the opinion of the investigators that the uneasy feeling in the laundry room of the basement could be due to the situation of the room. Between the washer and dryer is a doorway that leads into the larger part of the basement, which is unused and contains many separate rooms and compartments. This lends to the feeling of being watched, as you go back and forth in front of the door.

Investigator Spialek spent some time alone sitting on the stool that the client's reported they often feel as if they are being watched on. Spialek noted that there was an open doorway directly behind the stool, and a total of eight doorways circling the dining area. This, as well as the high EMF level in this area, could lead to the feeling of being watched or not feeling alone. Spialek found that she was uneasy, especially due to the location of the open doorway behind her. Investigator Blaschka then spent some time on the stool, and reported the same feeling, also concluding that it was due to the location of the doors in conjunction with the high EMF.

The investigators then split up into different rooms to see if they experienced the feeling of being watched. Kurth sat in the parlor and Duginski in the client's room. Spialek spent time in the roommates room with her head near the alarm clocks that emitted a high EMF. After about 20 minutes, she began to experience a headache. Kurth and Duginski reported no activity in their locations.

Duginski, Kurth and Spialek then conducted an evp session in the foyer while Blaschka went to the client's room to see if the alarm clocks had an effect on him. There were no anomalies caught during the evp session. Blaschka reported feeling some pressure on his head and not feeling well.

During the evening, investigator Kurth experienced an odd bouncing of the EMF detector reading in the kitchen that could not be readily explained. Also, there were two instances of elevated EMF in the foyer. The EMF detector picked up a reading of 2.5 Milligauss in the middle of the room that lasted for approximately 30 seconds, and another ten minutes later of 2 Milligauss in the same location, which also lasted for about 30 seconds. Investigators tried to time this to see if it corresponded with the refrigerator turning on or off, but it did not. While no explanation was found, the regular timing and location of the spikes suggest that they are not paranormal in nature.

In the client's room it was noted that several scarves are tied around a bedpost on the side of the bed where she experienced the tugging on her pillow. It is possible that the scarves were stuck under the pillow, causing the tugging sensation as she moved.  It was also noted that there is a cold air return close to the previous location of the beaded curtains, which could have caused their movement. As to the picture that was broken, it is reasonable to believe that normal jarring of the window, due to traffic or movement in another part of the house, could have knocked the picture out of the window frame, causing it to break.

 

Conclusion

There were no anomalies found in photographs. After reviewing the audio, one anomalous sound was found. It occurred during the walk-through, while the client's roommate and investigator Spialek were walking upstairs to look at the unused apartment, and resembles the sound of a female voice saying “Get out.” Because several people were present at the time and the audio was not taken during a controlled evp session, it is difficult to determine if this is a legitimate evp or an outside noise.

Investigators feel that the majority of the experiences the residents are having are due to the high EMF levels in certain areas of the home, as well as the location of the doorways in relation to one another.

 

*Any use or reproduction of this documentation is prohibited without the sole permission of Anji Spialek or the WPRS.