Ghosts In The News

I love to find such accounts making the news.this was in May

Collapsed Cracker Factory Has Long Haunted History

Kim DeVer, manager of the old cracker factory building, had a lot on her mind after the third floor of the building collapsed - and paranormal activity wasn't far from her thoughts.

On two occasions in the past year, Brian Lavigne of Alton and the Paranormal Researchers of Southern Illinois team conducted paranormal investigations in the old factory.

The determination that DeVer observed and the preliminary conclusion by the research group is that the building displays strong paranormal activity.

The Kendall Cracker Factory was built in 1864 with deep arched vault-like recesses, once used as ovens. The factory was built on the site of Alton's First Baptist Church in 1836 and utilized at least part of the basement foundation of the early church, which burned in 1860.
or the most part, Julie believes that the ghosts that are in the building are harmless and are notorious pranksters. The changing signs and turning thermostats have been just a couple of their tricks. In addition, they have been known to turn lights on and off, hide things and to change the station on the radios that have been placed around the store. “We have three radios,” Julie explained,” but we keep them all turned to the same jazz station. On some mornings when I have come in, I will find the radios have all been set to some strange station that we would never listen to. I don’t know how this happens but it’s really bizarre.”

Around the time of this writing, Julie bought an old pie safe at an auction and had it displayed in the store. In the bottom racks, she placed three antique pie tins that she was also offering for sale. Inexplicably, when Julie comes into the store in the morning, she will often find the tins to be moved around, switched in position, turned upside-down or outside of the pie safe. There is no explanation for how they could have gotten this way and I have tried to fiddle with the rack myself (trying to get the pie tins to move) but I had no luck with it. Is this an example of Julie’s prankster ghosts at work – or a specter attached to the pie safe itself?

Julie and Sam Thames have not been the only people to experience odd happenings in the basement. Many customers who have come in, including attendees on the History & Hauntings Tours, have claimed weird encounters inside of the old bricks ovens that line one side of the store. These encounters range widely between the smell of something burning (which then vanishes), cold chills, eerie sensations and even feeling as though they have been touched or their clothing pulled on. I never tell anyone what to expect when they go into the building, but rather allow them to look around the place for themselves.

Ross DeVer, a 16-year-old Marquette Catholic student, spent the night in the building with friends. He was walking around filming when a friend heard a creak and a towel was yanked off the rack near them.

"We also walked by doors that were open and five minutes later they would be closed," he said. "We went to bed about 4 in the morning and woke up at 8 in the morning. I had a hard time getting to sleep. I was afraid I would miss something. I definitely think there are spirits inside the building. On the PRoSI visit, all the walkie-talkies started making noise and we went into the room and they were all still off. That was weird. I went on both hunts."...

Lavigne works with a partner, Rob Simmons, in PRoSI. He said his team believes Broadway in Alton is unusually active in the paranormal realm because of the area's limestone and springs.

"These materials can act as a recording device for the events, whether traumatic or festive," he said. "These types of hauntings are residual and appear when the conditions are just right."

The paranormal chaser said even if the old Kendall Cracker Factory is torn down, the spirits could still be there because of a theory called grounding....