July 15, 2026 • 52 mins
When a tornado tore through Ashmore Estates, it didn't just damage a historic building—it reminded the paranormal community why some places are worth saving.
In this special bonus episode of Generation X Paranormal, we sit down with Robbin Terry and Ashley Burgoon for one of their most personal interviews to date.
Rather than focusing solely on paranormal experiences, this conversation explores the people behind one of America's best-known haunted locations.
Robbin shares the remarkable story of how Ashmore Estates seemed to "call" to him, why he devoted more than a decade of his life restoring the building, and why he believes its greatest legacy isn't the paranormal—it's the people who once called it home.
Ashley reflects on leaving everything behind to move next door to Ashmore, the emotional experience of witnessing the recent tornado damage firsthand, and the overwhelming support that poured in from the paranormal community.
Together, they discuss:
• The true history of Ashmore Estates
• The Poor Farm residents who inspired the phrase "Some Call It Home"
• Why they believe there is nothing evil or demonic inside Ashmore
• What really happened during the June 2026 tornado
• The restoration efforts now underway
• The incredible generosity of investigators and paranormal teams around the world
• What's next for Ashmore Estates
This isn't just a story about preserving a haunted location.
It's about preserving history.
It's about stewardship.
And it's about why some places become home—not only to those who lived there, but to everyone who visits.
If you'd like to support Ashmore Estates, visit AshmoreEstates.net, book an investigation, attend a public event, or consider donating toward the upcoming masonry restoration project.
Generation X Paranormal
Where curiosity meets the unexplained... and the paranormal gets personal.
Connect with Generation X Paranormal
Join the conversation and never miss an investigation!
Website: https://gxparanormal.com
Follow us on social media:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenXParanormal
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generationxparanormal
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/GXParanormal
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@generationxparanormal
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generationxparanormal
Listen on your favorite podcast platform:
Apple Podcasts • Spotify • iHeartRadio • Amazon Music • Pandora • YouTube Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a paranormal experience you'd like to share?
Email us at info@gxparanormal.com.
Become a supporter and unlock exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/GenerationXParanormal
Generation X Paranormal explores haunted locations, UFOs, cryptids, high strangeness, folklore, and the unexplained—one story at a time.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
And I said, I just need a tagline and I'm like, you know, I said, This was their home.
I said, Let's go with some call it home and so that's what we did.
And it it's it's gone, you know, it's it's worked out pretty well and I think uh I thinkthe residents are happy there.
(01:00):
Hey everybody, welcome back.
So you are listening and watching a very special bonus episode of Generation X Paranormal.
That's for a very good cause.
Um so what we're gonna be talking about is Ashmore States.
Uh Ashmore States just recently had some some damage.
It did.
did.
June 16th of 2026, tornado went through Illinois where Ashmore is located and did somedamage to the roof and some of the side of the building.
(01:31):
And we all love Ashmore.
I mean, we've been there and you can go back and listen to that episode, which is amazingbecause we talked to Chris and Ana, who invited us to go with.
Thank you.
We just had, I mean, it's just a very special location and it's hit our community veryhard.
mean,
And we're gonna talk today to the owners of Ashmore.
(01:51):
To try to help them out a little bit.
So yeah, let's let's not wait.
Normally we have a pretty pretty long banter, but since this is a special episode and abonus, let's let's get to talking to Robin and Ashley.
Yes, let's talk to him.
Well hey Ashley, hey Robin, welcome Generation X Paranormal.
Hey, thanks for having us on.
(02:11):
Yeah, absolutely.
So Ashley, we've had a chance to uh to meet.
We we did a great uh investigation out there and it was a lot of fun and um you know it Iit's something that I'll I'll we'll we'll definitely cherish.
It was a good time.
But uh this is the first time we get a chance to actually interview Robin.
We've met obviously in person, but uh so we're gonna start with you, Robin.
(02:32):
You're you're a first in the hot seat.
So so
Again, this will be this these questions will be kind of for the both of you, but we'llstart with you, Robin.
And and I think this is gonna be very um probably pretty candid.
So hopefully it's a little bit different than what you guys normally uh hear.
But uh but anyway, we'll start with for listeners who may not know you, um, which again,uh you're very well known within the community, but there's probably some people out there
(03:00):
that may not.
Um, how did Ashmore States first come into your life?
I I actually was out there investigating it in September, I think it was at twenty twelveand kind of enjoyed it.
It was kinda fun.
But then there was so much crap in the building and they were doing haunted house stuffout there and you just couldn't see anything.
And so I actually was helping a friend of mine with a tour group that was out there.
(03:23):
So I was gonna take the three o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock in the morninggroup and about one o'clock or one thirty everybody started disappearing because they had
the same problem I had.
So you couldn't see anything or hear anything and
There was people in every room and you just so much, so much contamination.
So they all left.
And I I was gonna stay in my car for a little bit, then at three o'clock take over.
(03:43):
And finally he said, Hey, everybody's gonna be gone.
If you want to go home, go ahead.
So I drove two hours home and got out of there.
But then the following year, we kind of shut down our haunted house that we used to runhere in the theater that I live in now in Auburn, Illinois.
And I had had a guy contact me and said, Hey, I saw you're selling all the props in yourtheater.
(04:03):
And I I mentioned buying So I told him, Hey, come on over, take a look, see what you want.
So he came over and started taking a look at everything and he he went through a bunch ofthem and bought just picked out tons of props and everything.
So I asked him, What what are you doing?
You gonna build a haunted house or what are you doing?
He's like he said, Well, I have one now.
He said, But I'm gonna build a new one.
Like, Okay.
So and I said, Well, I live here in the theater and I said, So no problem, this is wherewe used to do the haunt.
(04:26):
He's like, Well, you live there.
He's like, Any chance you give me a tour of the place?
And I'm Yeah.
So we're we're wandering through the building and I'm showing the house and everything and
We got upstairs.
I said, So what haunt do you have right now in in Illinois that you're gonna get rid of?
And he said, Ashmore Estates.
I'm like, well, I've been out there before.
And I said, What are you gonna do with it?
He said, I'm gonna sell it.
I'm like, Oh, and my wife's sitting on the other side of the room going, crap.
(04:47):
And so I I said, you know, I said, I'd be interested in looking at that, if you don'tmind.
So went out the following week.
Usually it was Easter Easter weekend and went out looked at everything.
And there was something about the building that just kind of
called me in and you know, I'm not sensitive as a rock.
So it's like but you know, there was just something there that said, you know, help ourbuilding.
(05:08):
And I always thought that the spirits in the building weren't problem.
They had they had but they were okay with living there.
They just didn't like the way the condition of the building was.
And the me the theater that I own, I when I bought that it sat empty for three and a halfyears and there was no roof basically on it when I bought it.
And that's pretty much the same thing with Ashton.
There was no roof, no lights, no water, no windows,
(05:31):
No electrical, I mean, there was basically nothing out there.
There's really no reason to even buy it.
But I um on the way home it says something it's just start talking to my wife a little bitabout it.
She's like, You gotta just buy it.
You know you're going to oh So it was like, you I'm not gonna argue with you.
So I stand up working out a deal with Robert and ended up buying it for him about a monthlater we closed on it and uh owned it from that point on.
(05:54):
So I bought it in May of twenty fourteen.
Oh.
That's a great story.
I know.
That's really good.
It sounds just like us.
Yeah, it really I know when he's just going to do something, I'm just like, just do it.
Yeah, well I also know that there are things you're not gonna allow me to do, so I don'teven really think about it.
That's true.
But Ashley, uh, you know, same question to you.
(06:16):
From same thing.
I was on a team from the Alton area, which is where I'm from and actually where I'm atkinda now.
Um, and I went up there and started helping kind of clean out the building and there wasjust something about the building that um kind of grabbed on to me and I kept going back
(06:39):
and helping out and um he asked me to help out with tours and investigations, so of courseI started doing that.
So I was driving up there every weekend, which is a two hour drive also.
And then one day I, you know, opened my mouth and just said, you know, if you just build ahouse next door, I'll just move up here.
(06:59):
And well, that was supposed to be a joke.
And well, that of course has now turned into me living next door.
So
Yeah, we've we've had the privilege of being there and seeing it and you are very, veryclose.
So it's cool, but yeah.
(07:20):
It is it's good because we know you're there if you ever need anything or you know, you'rejust cool to have around.
But um that is that is a very interesting uh I guess situation to be in to be that closeto, you know, reputably a very, very active building.
So
and it I remember when we talked in the past, uh, you said that they don't just hang outat the uh at the estate.
(07:42):
They come and and visit you.
we have yeah, stuff happens outside the building.
Um, we have stuff that happens outside in the yard.
The bunkhouse that is there have stuff happening And at our house we have stuff thathappens too.
So yeah, it's not just the building.
Yeah.
Yeah, at that we've we we definitely had our experience in the bunkhouse.
Yes we did.
Um so yeah, that was that was an interesting uh interesting time.
(08:05):
So Robin, the next question goes to you.
Uh people often romanticize owning a haunted location.
What is something no one tells you until you're actually responsible for one?
Probably the upkeep that most people excuse me, probably probably the upkeep that mostpeople don't realize they're gonna have to go through.
Because if you know, I always you know, I had people like to you that talk about wantingto buy them things like that.
(08:29):
I'm like, unless you know how to do a lot of mechanical skills yourself, you're probablygonna be wasting your money because you can't just hire that stuff out.
You can, but the expense would be just is astronomical on doing things.
So it when I bought the place, there was no windows.
Well, we put
like 83 windows and coverings in the building.
And if you went to you went to the local, you know, department store, hard hardware store,whatever, Lowe's Menards, Home Depot, and bought those windows, you're looking at about
(08:57):
probably $200 to $250 a window just to, you know, buy the window itself.
So you're looking at, you know, about, you know, $17,000 just for windows.
Now if you can't put those in yourself,
Now you're gonna spend about another five hundred dollars probably per window to put thosein.
So you're looking at another forty thousand.
So windows alone would have cost about sixty thousand dollars to put them in thatbuilding.
(09:17):
Wow.
And there was no roof when I bought it either.
So, you know, I knew how to put the rubber roof on and how to do that stuff.
So when we did it and, you know, there was no electrical and I could hook up all theelectrical.
Well, electricians right now are about a hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars an houryou know, to come in and do stuff.
And I probably spent about a month doing all the wiring in there.
You know, I said
(09:38):
you know, the expense just everybody thinks they can buy these really cheap, 'cause youcan because a lot of are in such disrepair.
Right.
But they don't realize how much money they're gonna put into it.
The first year I dropped seventy five thousand dollars into the building just to get it upand going.
And that wasn't even any expenses.
That was just basically all the material I needed to get everything, you know, to put theyou know, hook up the electrical, hook up the the windows and get all that stuff done.
(10:02):
And then the water and you know, and dumpsters, you know, things like that because
A lot these buildings, there's some out there that don't care.
And fortunately Ashley and I do that we don't want the place to look like a dump.
And and we've seen a lot of them that do.
And they don't take air, they don't clean up, they don't do anything with them.
They just like take the money.
Send me your here's my QR code, send me your money and come out and investigate and don'tworry about all the crap you're gonna trip over in the building.
(10:27):
It'll be okay.
You'll be fine.
Yeah, that's for sure.
Just make you sign the paper.
Yeah, here's your lease.
Good luck.
Hope you don't lose a toe.
Um yeah.
I've we have we have had our fair share of that.
Um
I'm like, ooh, maybe we shouldn't have signed it.
Yeah, I I won't we won't name names, but there have been locations where we've been uhcurious if we need a tetanus shot or something right afterwards.
(10:52):
so yeah, that's that's pretty frightening stuff.
And and you're right too, Rob.
And you don't you never really remember or I guess you can't think about not just buyingthe materials, but if you don't have that sweat equity in it, man, you're gonna be toast
with good call on that.
Ashley, how about yourself?
What's what what's that answer for you?
Just the amount of kind of along the same lines.
(11:15):
Everybody thinks it's a cash grab and you're gonna make money off of it and you're gonnabe rich off of it.
No, you're not.
You are absolutely not.
Um I mean I guess you could be if you, you know, put every dime that people give to you inyour pocket and then you don't do anything with the building, but then you're not gonna
have that building right that's gonna last very long either.
(11:36):
Um, and that money's gonna, you know, disappear.
very shortly because you're not gonna have a building that's gonna last very long either.
and you know, another thing is a lot of your personal life and your personal time goes tothat building too.
Um so you have to be ready for that also.
Um it it takes a lot and you know I would do it all over again because I absolutely lovethat building.
(12:02):
But it is you know you have to be willing to literally give blood, sweat and tears into
a place to make it what you want it to be.
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
And having walked the grounds with you, we we know just exactly what that building meansto you.
So it's it's interesting because um, you know, kind of kind of dovetailing a little bitwith what Robin said.
(12:25):
Yeah, there's the financial aspect, but then there's like the the emotional and everythingelse that comes with it.
which we'll get into a little bit here in a minute.
But uh but yeah, I I can only imagine
Um, you know, not just uh seeing the the money being spent, but the emotional toll ittakes when people don't realize that yeah, there's financial connection, but then the
(12:46):
emotional connection probably can be just as as taxing.
I've asked a lot of owners and we've spoken to quite a few, and I've always asked thisquestion of them, and I'm always interested in the response, but has Ashmore Estates
changed you personally?
Now I know we've talked a little bit about this, Ashley, but and Robin, I'm I'm sure Iknow the answer to this though, but
(13:07):
not as investigators and not as as business owners, but but as people.
Has it changed you as a person?
Yeah, it it it definitely has.
I mean, what when I you know, just to kind of give you a really easy synopsis of that, isin November of twenty uh twenty thirteen, I bought a boat and it went on the water one
(13:28):
time in November of twenty fourteen.
Cause I bought Mashmore in May of twenty fourteen.
The next time it went on the water was about a week and a half or actually two weeks agotoday or a week ago today.
Yeah, a week ago today was the next time.
So it spent twelve years before this boat got back on the water.
the first about the first five years I was probably out there almost every weekend, youknow, working on stuff and doing stuff out there.
(13:52):
So, you know, my life was put on hold and it's basically been on hold for twelve years.
You know, because it just ties up everything.
I mean, the last tornado Ashley calls me on Wednesday night and tells me the roof's cough.
I said, Be there first thing in the morning.
So, you know, we were over there by I think about eight o'clock in the morning.
You know, we were getting over there to come over there and do stuff.
So
didn't have to, but I can't I can't let her or the building go, you know, topless, so tospeak.
(14:18):
So And um but but yeah, it just like yeah, it just had to be done.
So yeah, you're gonna give up everything.
I mean, my life stopped, you know, when I bought Ashmore.
You know, I didn't realize it I didn't realize it was gonna do that.
You know, or I might have had second thoughts, especially living two hours away.
But uh you know, so fortunately now it's pretty much there.
(14:41):
other than, know, some things here and there and and easy things that could be done orhandled or something like that.
But, you know, for the most part it's like you know, it's kinda like you know, I don'twant to say live in condition, but it's it's investigative con you know, condition now.
Yeah.
So so that works out pretty well.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I mean, when we were there, the one thing that I found interesting was not just that shehad power, but there was Wi-Fi.
(15:04):
And I'm like, that's really unusual for, you know, a building that has, you know, that hasthat kind of age in it and not just, you know, the the wiring and everything that she went
through, but you know, you went through the forethought of saying, Hey, let's provide thatas a service for people.
And that that was pretty unique.
I was surprised.
very clean.
I surprised how clean it was.
(15:25):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean we've again we've been places I can't say that.
Good job.
Well, you know, one thing about when owning the buildings, one thing, 'cause I investigatemyself.
I've been doing parallel investigations for about twenty years.
And, you know, I kinda when I bought Ashboard, I thought, I want to set this up how I'dlike to see s a place if I was gonna investigate.
huh.
So we ran ran wires, we ran the VNC wires on on the second and third floor so people couldhook up cameras without running wires up and down stairs and having to spend all that time
(15:54):
to do it.
Well then a friend of mine called me and he's like, You don't have the you don't haveEthernet.
wiring on there.
my camera's all Ethernet.
Like, damn.
So bought Ethernet cables and I ran those the following week and we put them up out there.
So, you know, we we try to we try to put stuff in out there that people are going to likeand it's going to work out and help them out.
And it's like, you know, with the bathrooms.
We put those in because there's no bathrooms I bought the place.
(16:16):
There was not, you know, the closest bathroom is seven miles away.
And so yeah there was no
that very much.
And but yeah, so we've we've tried to do some stuff and Ashley and I've talked about doingthings.
We've actually, you know, put our heads together.
It's like, you know, and I ask her all the time, what if you had a magic wand and youcould do something out here, what would you do?
And uh and she's you know, she'll come up and tell me it's like uh nothing or what do youthink about if we did this?
(16:40):
So, you know, usually yeah, we try to we try to think past out of the box what somebodymight want to do.
Right.
And it shows too.
Ashley, how about yourself?
I'm trying to think it is hard because I I don't really know how to answer, honestly.
(17:01):
Um I never thought I would be and I don't really want to stay on love with a buildingbecause that sounds weird when you say it like that.
Um but I guess infatuated with a building.
Um as much as I am, like to move two hours north, um, and leave like your home and family.
(17:22):
for a building.
Um but I did it and I I have no regrets whatsoever of doing it.
I've never thought twice about, you know, doing it.
I would do it all over again.
Um and love every minute of it.
I mean, yeah, it's you know, it's not the easiest thing to do.
(17:43):
Um and it takes a lot of hard work and um you know, sleepless hours 'cause
You know, I don't get up at the crack of all like some people do.
Um but I yeah, I don't regret any of it.
Yeah, I don't blame that.
I feel like that was a shot at you, Robin.
Yes.
(18:03):
I'm surprised that was the only ones.
Close to two in now where I am, so I gotta be nice.
That's right.
So that never stopped you before.
But when when Ashley came up and decided to move in the house, I think when she moved inup there, one of the first things I actually told her after we were like moving in, I
(18:24):
said, You know you're gonna own this place, right?
And she's like, There's no way.
I'm like, No, you're gonna own this place.
And she's like, I can't afford it.
I'm like, Don't worry about that.
We're gonna make this work, you're gonna own this place.
So and I just kind of true to my word, told her and sat down with her and
spelled it all out and at that time she took it to her papa and talked to him about it andyou know what he thought about it and everything and uh but you know, 'cause you know,
(18:49):
she's the perfect person for it.
You know, and I told her that right up front because, you know, I was interviewed yearsago up for a book that was being written.
And the guy asked me, it's like, so if some guy comes out of Chicago and and maybe Ishould even say someplace down south, like that that seems to be buying locations right
now, it's ridiculous amounts of money.
Yeah.
But if this guy came up and offered you a ridiculous amount of money, would you sell it tohim?
(19:10):
I said, you know, I said, probably not.
And he threw out a number like, would you sell it to him for half a million dollars?
I said, Probably not.
I said, but he said, Well but a million.
I'd like, you know, anybody that would would turn down a million dollars for a locationthat you don't have that much money into it would be crazy.
But at the same time I said, I'd rather sell to somebody that I think is going to takecare of it, preserve it, and love it as much as I have.
(19:33):
And you know, and she's the girl.
She's the one.
And
Yeah, and we've had we we have this uh this brother sister relationship as uh as somebodysaid there last night to me.
She's like, I love watching you guys do videos together.
Can you have this brother-sister relationship?
Yeah, we get in arguments and we fight and everything.
And uh but at the same time we always kinda s we always joke about it and say, you know,we get done, we can say, F you, F you, okay, let's hug and let's go off and grab something
(20:01):
to dinner.
And that's what we do.
So so we we get it worked out in the long run.
And and that's what we'll continue to do, I hope.
Could imagine that'd be the case.
And we we have a very similar relationship sometimes.
Yes, we do.
So I I think knowing some of the history of of what you guys have been through, you know,let's talk a little bit about the building itself.
(20:31):
again, it is a for those who don't know what Ashmore Estates is, which I I don't know thatthere's a ton of people that don't, but if you don't, it is gosh, I gotta admit, it's
probably one of the more active places in so many different ways.
But it's
It's I mean it it is an experience.
I I I really don't know how to put it other than that.
(20:53):
But um but as far as as the building itself, it has worn so many hats throughout history.
and we did an episode on it and we kind of covered a little bit of that, but looking back,what part of its history do you think I think deserves more attention than it usually
gets, Robin?
(21:13):
The part that I really enjoy more than anything is the original poor farm structure sideof it.
Mm-hmm.
Because when I when I look at that, those were people that had no money, had nowhere togo.
And and there was a lot of bad people there at the same time.
But when I look at those pictures that we have up on the third floor, and I look at theyou know, the whites and the blacks and the uh and the and the the browns all together on
(21:35):
a Sunday afternoon, sitting out on the porch, dancing and singing, playing guitars, youknow, to me it's like, you know, they have more going for them.
than the rich people did in Charleston and Mattoon.
And they're just there's more togetherness and more you know, they had nothing.
But they knew nothing about having money because uh they just never had it.
But at the same time, like I said, they you know, that's those are the ones I think youknow, that deserve it.
(22:00):
And I I I note those are the ones that I would rather, you know, try to reach out to andtalk to there at the building.
And rather I mean the the people that were there when they were sick from the mentalinstitutions and stuff like that.
I feel sorry for them.
But at the same time, you know, there's nothing they could there's nothing anybody coulddo for them in most cases at that time, especially.
You know, and uh, you know, other than they I mean they tried different things and shocktreatments and stuff like that, but but it wasn't working.
(22:26):
But the the people that were the original residents there, those are the ones that I feelthat really, you know, deserve a a chance to talk.
And I think they did.
When I when I went out and looked at that building, they're like, help our building.
And it like I said, it wasn't about
them not liking it there.
It was just their building wasn't in the best of condition and they wanted to clean it upa little bit.
(22:46):
And that's when we came out with the when when the guy that drew the picture for me forthe artwork for our regular original t shirts and all, he had uh he said, You want the the
skulls and crossbones and everything?
I No, I don't want any of that.
And I said, I want something that's more true to the life of that building.
And so he came out with the the you know, Joe and Elva in that, you know, the that pictureand everything.
(23:07):
And I'm I'm like, that's perfect.
That's it.
That's what I want.
Yep.
And I said, now you just need a tagline.
And I'm like, you know, I said, This was their home.
I Let's go some call it home.
And so that's what we did.
And it it's it's gone, you know, it's it's worked out pretty well.
And I think uh I think the residents are happy there.
I don't think there's anything, you know, anything there's in fact, you and and Ashleywill tell too, there's nothing malevolent there at all.
(23:31):
There's nothing evil at all.
It's just there's probably some angry people there, but there's angry people in real lifetoo.
So that happens.
Very true.
Absolutely.
Um and and once we're done with with Ashley's response on that, we'll we'll kind of giveyou a little bit of what we thought too.
But um Ashley, kind of same question to you.
Yeah, just to hit on what he said, there is nothing evil or demonic there.
(23:54):
I don't care what anybody says.
Um, you know, we do a kid day there twice a year where, you know, we bring kids in andinvestigate.
And if I thought anything was remotely like that there, we would not do that.
Um, you know, just like he said, Yeah, do we have sound that, you know, play tricks andstuff like that?
Of course we do, but nothing like that.
(24:17):
Um
But yeah, kind of the same thing.
I think, you know, the core farm days were probably the best because I think some of thepeople there, that's probably the only place that they ever knew.
I mean, that was their home.
You know, that was the only home they had.
Um, so whether to us it was horrible conditions and maybe the worst place on earth, but tothem that was the greatest place because at least they had a roof over their head.
(24:44):
At least they had food on the table.
You know.
Yeah, I that and that makes perfect sense to us too.
Um, and I think that's kind of the story we felt too in the building.
Yeah, yeah, because we actually got invited by AC Ghost Hunters, Chris and Ana, our reallygood friends, and they just love, love Ashmore.
I know they've been there, what they tell us, over 20 some times.
(25:06):
um So they wanted to share that with us.
I mean, and we, all our interactions, when we interacted with Joe, we interacted withElva, everything felt, I felt like a loving presence from that building.
So it was very active, but a loving presence.
Very, very active.
And you know, Joe, we we had our own uh interaction with Joe and I feel like we had apretty good understanding with what was going on there.
(25:29):
So we didn't think there was anything evil at all there either.
But uh I guess if uh since that's both of your stories, and I would imagine thisquestion's gonna be pretty similar.
If the walls could tell one story, a true story, not a not a ghost story, what do youthink that it's witness, what do you think it would choose?
(25:52):
I think the walls would actually talk about the that the everybody that lived there theduring the poor farm days, everybody that lived there was basically a four a family and
that they considered themselves a family.
Yeah, there was probably a couple of bad eggs here and there that came in and filteredthrough, but I think they probably looked out for their own.
And they just made sure nothing like that happened.
And I think that was what it was.
And in fact, actually if you probably remember, but you may have forgot by now, it's likedown at the bottom of the the stairs at the first floor.
(26:18):
At the very end of the hallway on the east side, there's a sign and there's some graffition the wall in there and I left it just purposely.
It said, These walls can talk.
Open your mind and listen.
And I think that's so true of the building in that it uh it will talk to you.
And I always tell people just find some place comfortable, let the building come to you.
And just relax and enjoy the building.
And I mean I've had numerous experiences just by you know, working in the building.
(26:41):
And uh but yeah, it's I think that's what it is.
I think it the building would just be just it would just
would share their their family atmosphere with you, uh what they did on a Sunday afternoonwhen they're having a chicken cook out outside or what they were doing when they were
playing music on the steps out front or maybe they're playing cards inside and they youknow they'd probably joke about who was the best card player or who cheated and s you know
(27:02):
and who had the best voice and who sounded terrible.
So I think all of that would be would come out
For sure.
Yeah, I I couldn't agree more.
How how about yourself, Ashley?
Yeah, but my favorite is when like people will come out of like the dining room andthey'll especially on weekends and they'll ask me about fried chicken.
(27:23):
Why does it smell like fried chicken in here?
Well, on Sundays that's what they would have cooked.
It would have been fried chicken.
So sorry if you're hearing stuff in the background.
That was a door alarm coming off.
Guest people are walking in and out.
Well dinner's done?
Yeah.
Somebody mentioned chicken?
(27:44):
My ex wife must be cooking, so
And I am so not editing this out because it's hilarious.
You
You know, it's it's my family, what can I say?
that's perfect.
Trust me, we've we've got uh dogs that have made appearances and I'm sure FedEx too, but
(28:05):
But and we're talking about family.
Yeah, we are talking about family.
a hundred percent, yeah.
Yeah.
Sure.
So kind of the really kind of the one of the main reasons we wanted to have you guys on sosoon, and and this is kind of be a a bonus episode because of of what's going on, but the
recent damage, you know, and and it really hit us pretty hard.
(28:27):
I I think kind of in I guess in the spirit of what we've been talking about, it touched ustoo.
The building touched us.
There was something being there that
Of course, we were there with some very, very close friends, but there was something aboutbeing in that building that that really spoke to us.
I think that the minute we left the bunkhouse, even though we had no sleep at all, um, wnot because it wasn't a nice place, it's just because they came in with us.
(28:54):
They they wanted to hang out a little longer.
but but we immediately said we gotta come back.
I mean, this place is amazing.
You know, i there's something that speaks to you, but when you first saw the
The recent damage.
What was I guess what was the first thought in your mind, Rob?
Ashley sent me the she called me and and I think we start talking originally, she's like,Hey, everything looks j pretty good, nothing going on and I'm like, Okay, great, that's
(29:19):
cool.
Yeah, I'm glad to hear that.
And then all of a sudden I get this phone call.
I'm like, ah crap.
Because whenever she calls or I call, it's usually not good.
And so she called me, I'm like, and she was in tears and crying.
And she said, you know, she said sent me pictures of everything and she's like, It's it'sit's blown off, it's gone off and so I mean I I probably didn't sound really emotional.
(29:41):
Too much on the phone with her, but it's not my first rodeo.
So it's like uh it's like, okay, well, here we go again.
So doing it for him.
So yeah.
So so yeah.
And so it's like, well, back to it.
So I, you know, and I I work, I'm not retired or anything, and I own an insurance agency.
And so, you know, but fortunately we can also take our insurance agency on the road.
(30:04):
And so that's I told my wife, I said, Well, gotta go over.
And I said, packing stuff up.
So
We started throwing stuff.
I started throwing trying to throw all the tools I could think of that I might need in myvehicle to take over there, 'cause I got minimal stuff over there, but I needed a lot of
stuff here.
And brought the trailer over so I could pick up supplies and everything and got it allgoing and got over there and uh and saw it.
(30:24):
Her and I walked out there and I'm like, Well, you know, I thought could be worse, butyeah, it was uh it was tough and it was hard to see it happen.
And you know, and I you know, you know that that building affects people when the guy thatbrought the lift over two weeks prior
do another section of roof that came off.
He is the same guy that brought the lift back over to me two weeks later.
(30:45):
He's like, I saw the news report.
I'm like, my God, those guys just replaced the roof.
He's like, I feel so sorry for him.
You know, he was emotional over it and he did I mean, he's a he's a the the lift driverfrom thirty miles away.
So yeah, and it bu it got to him too.
So so you know that building has connections when people are you know are you know, theydon't even come into the building, but you know, they see things happen.
(31:07):
And you know, when when I bought that place it was
It wasn't the the community around there didn't like it at all.
Nineteen ninety nine they wanted torn down because they said it could never be saved.
And the community didn't like the way it was and after the after the first year then thatall changed and it's great and the community's loved it ever since.
So so yeah, it was an emotional time when the roof came off.
(31:30):
Yeah, but it's like, Well, okay, gotta fix it.
You know, the the the emotions are gone now, it's time to time to get to work.
Yeah.
Yeah, I've been down that road.
Uh I I can only imagine Ashley, judging by by Robin's response, but yeah, how d how didthat go for you?
I am normally not an emotional person.
(31:51):
Most people who know me can tell you that that I don't cry very easily.
Most people who know me have never seen me cry.
Um but that yeah, that phone call um was more tears than words.
because it it was well, we were in the building when it happened, first of all.
Um that's the first time that me and my family have gone to the building during a stormsince we lived out there.
(32:16):
So we were actually in the building.
when it happened.
yeah.
So it was just the noises and stuff is I mean it's not the first tornado I've beenthrough.
Um it's the second one.
So I mean, you know, being from the Midwest you're kinda used to it.
But being in that building is a whole different a whole different ball game.
(32:38):
Um and then to walk outside and to see that and everything and then to have to call Robinand tell him it's you know
It's yeah.
But thankfully, like he said, you know, it could be it could have been a lot worse.
So, you know, in the grand scheme of things we got lucky.
(32:59):
I mean, it could have been a lot w I mean, the building could be gone, you know.
So I mean we did get we did get very lucky.
and you know, what an amazing the biggest thing I took away from all of it is just theamazing I don't think I realized how much that building
meant to people.
Um just the amount of text messages, phone calls, you know, from everybody that Rob andgot, I got just from everybody was absolutely amazing.
(33:29):
Yeah, actually we were we were with Chris and Anna actually going to a week after.
And I'm like, we we've got to figure something out 'cause we were literally on the roadand of course immediately we did the whole t shirts and we and we gave too because it's
just you know, there's a lot of a lot of talk, a lot of people talk about the unity andeverything, and you see it, it's out there, and of course there are some times it doesn't
(33:53):
work that way.
you know, and I
It it's just when a community is a community, you're gonna have kind of like what youtalked about, Robin, there's gonna be bad apples out there and bad players, but when when
it matters most and good people stand up, it was amazing to see kind of how the communityresponded.
(34:13):
It was.
It was very heartwarming.
We we took it to heart and that's the I'm so excited that uh to have you guys on for thatreason.
Um, you know, do you know was it a direct hit, Ashley?
Were were you guys hit directly by the tornado or was it did you get sideswiped or whathappened?
I still don't know.
Um, we even tried to look up on the cameras, but because of losing the power and the WiFi, we didn't get anything on the cameras.
(34:40):
Um, I don't I don't know.
I know Robin can probably answer more because he knows about the stuff up on the roof.
Um with the hurricane straps and stuff that he was talking about up there.
So I'll let him answer that.
Yeah, I I don't think that it was a direct hit or it probably taking a lot more of thatroof than it did.
(35:00):
It took about probably well, the the roof's about uh is it twenty, forty thirty twohundred square feet and it ended up taking about a thousand of that.
So it took about a third of it off the roof.
If if it had been a direct hit, the whole thing would have been gone.
And but I think that the wind ended up you know, it was pretty strong and took it, youknow, took a bunch of it off there and and peeled it over.
(35:22):
Most of the tornado actually
left it went south of route sixteen towards Westfield.
So it wasn't coming up our way, but I think we caught a lot of the aftermath as far as thethe winds that came through.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's it's been wild this year.
We we were on our way to Ohio and we were literally a day or two after um what was thelocation that we went by?
(35:45):
We both forget the name of the city all the time.
Anyway, I mean Illinois has been getting absolutely hammered the l this year, and it'swe're in Missouri, so obviously we're pretty close and we know kind of how that situation
works.
on our way home we were driving and we were just barely ahead of the storm.
got to Illinois to cross over and we heard the storms were coming close to you guys againand I'm like, my God, please don't let it.
(36:11):
Cause you guys already started repairs and everything.
I'm like, please don't let it hit Ashmore again because it was really bad.
There was like what four or six tornadoes that dropped down that day.
We were rushing like ahead of it to not get caught in them.
So I mean, it's just been brutal.
I've never been so excited to see Saint Louis in my life.
Yeah.
Well, we've we've broke our record this year so far.
(36:33):
We've had a hundred and forty seven tornadoes in twenty twenty six and that's more than bthan Illinois ever had.
So yay us.
Sounds like Yay right.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Talk about winning the lottery.
Yeah.
You know, we talk about the the community and how it rallied behind you guys, which againis amazing.
But and you don't have to single anybody out if you don't want to, but what was like themost unexpected act of kindness that you guys have witnessed?
(37:01):
And I think we can probably jointly say every single person that donated, every single uhgroup that started a a fundraising drive, every person that walked on that roof, every
person that came out there and helped her in the yard, just every person that wasinvolved, you know, completely with it.
That's those we didn't we didn't expect.
When I go out and do something like that, I figure I'm doing this, I'm on my own.
(37:23):
I'm just, you know, I'm doing it myself.
That's it.
You know, Norma came up on the roof to help me.
And start things.
Uh Ashley's sons were up there some.
I kinda figured I could count on them.
But other than that, I figured there's n you know, I'm on my own after that.
Yeah, but that wasn't the case.
Yeah.
Yeah.
How about yourself, Ashley?
Just the same thing, just uh the amount of people that called us, messaged us, um, justwhat do you need?
(37:48):
What can we do?
the amount of people that just pr sent personal donations, didn't even do raffles oranything, just literally sent us money.
'Cause me and Robin, we are not gonna fundie people.
We are not people that just take money from people.
That's just not who we are.
Um
And 'cause we had people saying, Well, are you gonna do a go fund me?
(38:10):
And that's just not just not the type of people we are and so for those people to do thatand then all the raffles that people started doing, the T shirts and uh Crystal who did
Rhodes, she did some raffles for those and then Mike and Sam to do the raffles and um theOuija board that Matt with Project Eighty three two did just everything that everybody
(38:35):
did.
Um
was just absolutely amazing 'cause n nobody had to do that.
You know, absolutely nobody had to do that.
Um, and just the amount of unity that everybody did that came out to help us was justabsolutely amazing.
Like I said, I mean I know how much the building means to us.
So it was it was just I don't know, I guess I was explored that as how much the buildingmeans to other people.
(39:03):
Absolutely.
And it is partially the building, but it's also the both of you.
It's Robin and Ashley.
thanks.
I we all, you know, love you guys.
You guys love the building.
And that's why everybody's come forward.
So you need to know that as well.
I was in Greenwood, Indiana Saturday and uh with actually with Crystal Couch who ownsRhodes Hotel.
(39:24):
And we went we went into a a place over there that she wanted to show me.
So we went in this place and the guy that owned the place was there and it's like aHalloween knickknack place and all.
And so we walked and she was talking to him, she's like, Hey, it's like that place thatlost the roof, did did they ever get that fixed and taken care of?
And she took and she points to me, it's like
my God, you're the one that owns it.
(39:45):
So it's like he's did you I Well, if I didn't have it on, I wouldn't be here.
So he's like, he's like, I was kind of really worried about that.
He's like, I saw that.
I thought, my god, they lost their rope over there.
But but yeah, it was kind of cool.
I mean, here's a guy that's two hours away, has nothing about Ashmore Estates, but he'dseen some stuff, he'd seen some stuff to come through on Facebook or wherever, and and
yeah, it was uh something he was he was thinking about, which is kind of amazing to me.
(40:07):
It's like, you know, the guy, you know, he he does parallel investigations.
But he's never been to Ashmore.
He's you he's he's saying I wanna get there sometime, but but yeah, so he it was it waseven in his thoughts and he's never been there.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
That's amazing actually.
that must have been one of those experiences where you're just like that, did that reallyhappen?
(40:28):
That I think that's what he thought too, but a when Crystal just turns around and pointsto me and and points to me and the guy's like 'cause I had an Ashmore shirt on, he's like,
That's you.
It's like yeah, that's me.
So
That's awesome.
Well, you know, and and we know that the the work still continues.
Uh and we know that things are still going on.
Um, for listeners and and people that that are listening to this or watching this, um,where where can they help?
(40:53):
How where can they go donate or or what can they do to give you help you guys out?
As far as the work goes on the roof, there it's pretty much done.
There's a a little bit of a project that still needs to be done up there at some point intime.
You know, but you know, for the for the money part right now, that's it's pretty muchtaken care of.
Um as far as donating, you know, things there there's still a lot of brickwork that has tobe done.
(41:16):
And uh, you know, the money that came in is pretty much all, you know, in fact I wasactually looking at numbers and trying to put them all, finish them off today and
everything, and I'll finish them off this week with everything we've spent 'cause I savedall receipts, saved all that stuff.
And give her spreadsheets on everything that we've done.
But uh but the brickwork is the next step and that's uh that'll be an expensive venture toto do that.
So and but yeah, so you know, I'm thinking that'll be about ten grand is probably whereit's at when it starts.
(41:42):
Wow.
Yeah, and masonry work.
I know that is I mean, I I'm like you.
I try if if if there's something going on in the house or anywhere else, YouTube's myfriend.
I'm I'm I'm a big believer in YouTube university.
but I think masonry work is something that I just I don't think I could do.
That's first of all.
(42:03):
I don't have I don't know if I got the patience for it and and I'm pretty sure it wouldlook horrible after I'm done.
So um but yeah that
Big thing with that is I think tuck pointing is pretty simple.
It's really not that tough to do.
Once you get above eight feet or six feet orver you can reach, now all of a sudden you'reinto scaffolding and lifts.
And the brickwork that they have to do, they can't even use a lift because it'll be toomuch, there'll be too much weight with bricks and everything.
(42:28):
So they got to go scaffolding.
And the scaffolding will be about 35 feet in the air.
And when they get that set up there.
And the bricks are actually pulled back from the wall about five inches.
So I mean I do most of the stuff myself.
I'm not that familiar with masonry work.
You know, so I usually end up doing all the other stuff, you know, to get it all primedand ready to go.
I helped Nathan, you know, because I met Nathan, he came out to Ashborn, I met him, he'shelped me out a bunch.
(42:50):
And we've got him and another guy that are willing to do it at a much reduced pricecompared to what Mason, you know, I say it's about ten grand.
If I was gonna ask somebody to come out and do what they're gonna do, I think we'dprobably be closer to seventy-five thousand dollars.
My
But they're pretty much doing it for really, really, really, really, really, really cheap.
(43:11):
So Yeah.
Well, that's that's good to know.
I'm glad you guys were able to kind of work that out.
That's that's awesome.
so kind of kind of in closing, and and I always like to to end things with with uh with aI guess something that makes people think about.
You know, twenty, thirty, heck, even fifty years from now, there's good chance some of uswon't be around.
(43:36):
there's a good chance in fifty years I sure won't be around.
But
I'm hoping to get through the next year.
Yeah.
Understood.
Yeah, I'm with you on that one.
But, you know, when you look back at at some of the things we talked about with Ashmoreand its history and and um and of course the hauntings and the building's so much more
than just hauntings.
But when we're all gone and you look back at the legacy that you guys have created and thethings that you've done that have been absolutely amazing and how our community has
(44:06):
rallied, um, I I guess my question is.
What do you hope they see or what do you hope they take away?
Because what we're doing right now, this conversation will probably live on long beforewell, I hope that it does.
I mean, you never know, but it lives on long before any of us or long before uh past us, Ishould say.
Um, what is the one thing you would hope people take away from the the damage thathappened, the rallying that everybody did, and kind of what Ashmore estate should mean or
(44:36):
hope it means in the future?
Yeah, I th I think it's it's basically on the back of the T shirts almost.
It's it's you know, instead of some call it home, you know, we all call it home.
And hopefully people just kinda remember the place uh like that and that it'll besomething that uh they can look back and say, you know, Robin got this place up and
cleaned up and taken care of and handed that torch to Ashley and she's kept it going eversince.
(44:58):
So and so yep, so that's that's what I'm hoping that
you know, in the twenty or thirty years after, you know, when maybe Ashley will sit thereand, you know, twenty years she might decide to sell it.
So hopefully she'll find that person, you know, like herself that uh is willing to to takeit on and do it and hopefully it'll still be there.
I know I won't, but hopefully it will be.
So um but yeah, so but yeah, we'll see what goes on from there.
(45:20):
Yeah.
I got a feeling it's gonna be there.
I just got a feeling.
Ashley, how how about yourself?
Yeah, yeah, same.
I I wanna, you know, I wanna keep it saying it for at least at least thirty, thirty, fortyyears, or at least until I'm gone and then, you know, uh hopefully I can find somebody
like me that I can pass it to that's gonna do the same thing and then what they do with itis what they do with it.
(45:43):
Absolutely.
I would say I wanna leave it to my kids, but they're they're not as gung ho about it as Iam.
So we'll see.
Got feeling there's gonna be a lot of people out there that'll willing to take up the themantle, so to speak.
Uh it's it like you said, like we've kind of talked about this whole this whole interview.
It there's something about that building and something about the the vibration, somethingabout that's happening there.
(46:09):
and and and I know that there's been a lot of history there, and I just think that there'sno way that I think uh people are gonna let it go.
But uh
On that, listen guys, thank you so much for for hanging out.
And and it um Robin, if you could or Ashley, if you could, when that masonry starts, ifyou guys do kind of put together uh some kind of fundraising, please let us know.
(46:35):
We'll we'll put that out and kind of get that going too.
Um that way you see f I'm I'm certain the the community will rally once more.
well we appreciate yeah, it probably won't start until about September is what we what theguys have told me.
Okay.
Sounds good.
Well, again, guys, thank you so much for hanging out with us for a bit.
Um, we really hope to continue to success.
(46:55):
I know you will.
Um, Ashley, we will be back out.
Robin, guys, we'll be back out there.
I I don't know when, but it will be sometime.
I mean, our schedule's crazy, just like everybody else's.
But uh well, we can't wait to get back out there and and see you guys.
Well thanks for having us both on.
Absolutely.
Pleasure.
Yeah, have a good night, guys.
(47:16):
Hey, thanks, Robin.
Thanks, Ash.
And guys, uh, you know, obviously the work continues.
we'll we'll get some more information on that as as it comes.
Um I know that uh the mastery work will be as a
sounds pretty Probably going to be more and hopefully the storms are, I mean, they'restill coming.
It's been a rough year, especially for those in the Midwest.
(47:39):
We're in Missouri, they're in Illinois, so just adjacent to them, but they've gotten hitreally hard and it's just been, and like I said earlier, this hit and then the next,
within just a few days, something else was coming through and I'm like, my goodness, itjust never stops.
You know, something like that.
Something like that, but it's just.
(47:59):
That it's insane.
It's been a really rough year for storms.
And as you, can hear or see, mean, they're great people.
They are.
And they love their building.
All of us love that building.
We love them.
I mean, they really, truly care and they need the help.
And that's why we wanted to do this.
I mean, there's so many different people.
(48:20):
I know our friends, Mike and Sam did a raffle for them.
Um, you know, offbeat design, which is run by offbeat paranormal.
Did these t-shirts, I mean, and they done an amazing job.
They're beautiful.
If I didn't have to stand up and turn around, I'd show you the back of them, but we'lljust put a picture up here, what the back looks like.
And we all call it home, you know?
Because we do, we feel that way and we're all trying to help.
(48:43):
So if there's anything that you can send em to Ashmore Estates to try to help them out,even if you just book a tour or book an investigation, that helps as well because that
money goes to restoring the building.
And like we were saying earlier, we go to places all the time.
All the time.
And investigate.
(49:03):
And I can only like maybe just a little small handful of owners that we know that trulycare about their place of ownership.
you get to know them well.
They become like family.
And we have several of those.
The morgue is one.
em
Brooks Estate is another where the owners just truly care about the building.
(49:26):
They care about what happens to it and they care about the spirits that are located inthat building.
And Robin and Ashley are included in that.
And so if there's anything that you can do to try to help them out, just even if it's like$5, I mean, that goes towards trying to repair this building from the damage and it's just
really sad.
(49:47):
I've got some information here.
um If you want to just send them some money over to Vinmo,
You'll send it to ashmoreestates.poorfarm1959.
That's what you're going to look for at Poorfarm1959.
You can also um email them at info at ashmoreestates.net if you want to find out any moreinformation.
(50:11):
em If you go to ashmoreestates.net, that is their website, and it'll tell you about thehistory of the building, anything you could possibly want to know.
but there is a tours and investigations tab that you can click on.
They have public tours where you go, you know, just with a bunch of different people andthey kind of take you through the building and tell you the stories and stuff.
(50:33):
But they also have daytime investigations and nighttime investigations.
And they have a calendar on there and you can, you know, book it and find out depositsand, and how you go about that.
And there's bunk houses.
So this is actually really cool because most locations do not have a place for you tosleep.
It's either you bring your cot and you can sleep there or you can't sleep there at all andyou get a hotel and you're driving at four o'clock in the morning when you're tired.
(50:58):
So it's really cool to have that availability to have that bunkhouse right next door andto be able to stay in it.
Absolutely.
I love that about that place.
Everything is very thoughtful.
I mean, just like what Robin was saying, he put that stuff in there.
Let me tell you, there is love.
Most owners do not do that for the people, especially in a large building like thatbecause
(51:20):
Smaller ones, it's easier to do that, but in a large building like Ashmore, they don't dothat.
They care because they're investigators as well.
They care.
um And we care about them.
So anything you can do to help them, whether you book an investigation, go on a tour, sendthem some money, and there's going to be stuff.
have a feeling in the future that more teams and people in the paranormal are going to tryto arrange to help them out.
(51:44):
um So anything you can do, um we encourage you to do so.
They're great people.
Or just visit Ashmore because it's a special place if you've never been there.
It is.
It's definitely one of our favorites.
And having only been once is a complete travesty in our end, but we're going to remedythat.
Yes, we are.
We're just busy little people.
But guys, thanks again.
(52:06):
Um, thank you for listening for this bonus episode.
And we will be back with a new uh episode this season and gosh season five, I tell you.
Yeah, guys, thank you so much and we'll talk to you soon.
See you soon.
And I said, I just need a tagline and I'm like, you know, I said, This was their home.
I said, Let's go with some call it home and so that's what we did.
And it it's it's gone, you know, it's it's worked out pretty well and I think uh I thinkthe residents are happy there.
(01:00):
Hey everybody, welcome back.
So you are listening and watching a very special bonus episode of Generation X Paranormal.
That's for a very good cause.
Um so what we're gonna be talking about is Ashmore States.
Uh Ashmore States just recently had some some damage.
It did.
did.
June 16th of 2026, tornado went through Illinois where Ashmore is located and did somedamage to the roof and some of the side of the building.
(01:31):
And we all love Ashmore.
I mean, we've been there and you can go back and listen to that episode, which is amazingbecause we talked to Chris and Ana, who invited us to go with.
Thank you.
We just had, I mean, it's just a very special location and it's hit our community veryhard.
mean,
And we're gonna talk today to the owners of Ashmore.
(01:51):
To try to help them out a little bit.
So yeah, let's let's not wait.
Normally we have a pretty pretty long banter, but since this is a special episode and abonus, let's let's get to talking to Robin and Ashley.
Yes, let's talk to him.
Well hey Ashley, hey Robin, welcome Generation X Paranormal.
Hey, thanks for having us on.
(02:11):
Yeah, absolutely.
So Ashley, we've had a chance to uh to meet.
We we did a great uh investigation out there and it was a lot of fun and um you know it Iit's something that I'll I'll we'll we'll definitely cherish.
It was a good time.
But uh this is the first time we get a chance to actually interview Robin.
We've met obviously in person, but uh so we're gonna start with you, Robin.
(02:32):
You're you're a first in the hot seat.
So so
Again, this will be this these questions will be kind of for the both of you, but we'llstart with you, Robin.
And and I think this is gonna be very um probably pretty candid.
So hopefully it's a little bit different than what you guys normally uh hear.
But uh but anyway, we'll start with for listeners who may not know you, um, which again,uh you're very well known within the community, but there's probably some people out there
(03:00):
that may not.
Um, how did Ashmore States first come into your life?
I I actually was out there investigating it in September, I think it was at twenty twelveand kind of enjoyed it.
It was kinda fun.
But then there was so much crap in the building and they were doing haunted house stuffout there and you just couldn't see anything.
And so I actually was helping a friend of mine with a tour group that was out there.
(03:23):
So I was gonna take the three o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock in the morninggroup and about one o'clock or one thirty everybody started disappearing because they had
the same problem I had.
So you couldn't see anything or hear anything and
There was people in every room and you just so much, so much contamination.
So they all left.
And I I was gonna stay in my car for a little bit, then at three o'clock take over.
(03:43):
And finally he said, Hey, everybody's gonna be gone.
If you want to go home, go ahead.
So I drove two hours home and got out of there.
But then the following year, we kind of shut down our haunted house that we used to runhere in the theater that I live in now in Auburn, Illinois.
And I had had a guy contact me and said, Hey, I saw you're selling all the props in yourtheater.
(04:03):
And I I mentioned buying So I told him, Hey, come on over, take a look, see what you want.
So he came over and started taking a look at everything and he he went through a bunch ofthem and bought just picked out tons of props and everything.
So I asked him, What what are you doing?
You gonna build a haunted house or what are you doing?
He's like he said, Well, I have one now.
He said, But I'm gonna build a new one.
Like, Okay.
So and I said, Well, I live here in the theater and I said, So no problem, this is wherewe used to do the haunt.
(04:26):
He's like, Well, you live there.
He's like, Any chance you give me a tour of the place?
And I'm Yeah.
So we're we're wandering through the building and I'm showing the house and everything and
We got upstairs.
I said, So what haunt do you have right now in in Illinois that you're gonna get rid of?
And he said, Ashmore Estates.
I'm like, well, I've been out there before.
And I said, What are you gonna do with it?
He said, I'm gonna sell it.
I'm like, Oh, and my wife's sitting on the other side of the room going, crap.
(04:47):
And so I I said, you know, I said, I'd be interested in looking at that, if you don'tmind.
So went out the following week.
Usually it was Easter Easter weekend and went out looked at everything.
And there was something about the building that just kind of
called me in and you know, I'm not sensitive as a rock.
So it's like but you know, there was just something there that said, you know, help ourbuilding.
(05:08):
And I always thought that the spirits in the building weren't problem.
They had they had but they were okay with living there.
They just didn't like the way the condition of the building was.
And the me the theater that I own, I when I bought that it sat empty for three and a halfyears and there was no roof basically on it when I bought it.
And that's pretty much the same thing with Ashton.
There was no roof, no lights, no water, no windows,
(05:31):
No electrical, I mean, there was basically nothing out there.
There's really no reason to even buy it.
But I um on the way home it says something it's just start talking to my wife a little bitabout it.
She's like, You gotta just buy it.
You know you're going to oh So it was like, you I'm not gonna argue with you.
So I stand up working out a deal with Robert and ended up buying it for him about a monthlater we closed on it and uh owned it from that point on.
(05:54):
So I bought it in May of twenty fourteen.
Oh.
That's a great story.
I know.
That's really good.
It sounds just like us.
Yeah, it really I know when he's just going to do something, I'm just like, just do it.
Yeah, well I also know that there are things you're not gonna allow me to do, so I don'teven really think about it.
That's true.
But Ashley, uh, you know, same question to you.
(06:16):
From same thing.
I was on a team from the Alton area, which is where I'm from and actually where I'm atkinda now.
Um, and I went up there and started helping kind of clean out the building and there wasjust something about the building that um kind of grabbed on to me and I kept going back
(06:39):
and helping out and um he asked me to help out with tours and investigations, so of courseI started doing that.
So I was driving up there every weekend, which is a two hour drive also.
And then one day I, you know, opened my mouth and just said, you know, if you just build ahouse next door, I'll just move up here.
(06:59):
And well, that was supposed to be a joke.
And well, that of course has now turned into me living next door.
So
Yeah, we've we've had the privilege of being there and seeing it and you are very, veryclose.
So it's cool, but yeah.
(07:20):
It is it's good because we know you're there if you ever need anything or you know, you'rejust cool to have around.
But um that is that is a very interesting uh I guess situation to be in to be that closeto, you know, reputably a very, very active building.
So
and it I remember when we talked in the past, uh, you said that they don't just hang outat the uh at the estate.
(07:42):
They come and and visit you.
we have yeah, stuff happens outside the building.
Um, we have stuff that happens outside in the yard.
The bunkhouse that is there have stuff happening And at our house we have stuff thathappens too.
So yeah, it's not just the building.
Yeah.
Yeah, at that we've we we definitely had our experience in the bunkhouse.
Yes we did.
Um so yeah, that was that was an interesting uh interesting time.
(08:05):
So Robin, the next question goes to you.
Uh people often romanticize owning a haunted location.
What is something no one tells you until you're actually responsible for one?
Probably the upkeep that most people excuse me, probably probably the upkeep that mostpeople don't realize they're gonna have to go through.
Because if you know, I always you know, I had people like to you that talk about wantingto buy them things like that.
(08:29):
I'm like, unless you know how to do a lot of mechanical skills yourself, you're probablygonna be wasting your money because you can't just hire that stuff out.
You can, but the expense would be just is astronomical on doing things.
So it when I bought the place, there was no windows.
Well, we put
like 83 windows and coverings in the building.
And if you went to you went to the local, you know, department store, hard hardware store,whatever, Lowe's Menards, Home Depot, and bought those windows, you're looking at about
(08:57):
probably $200 to $250 a window just to, you know, buy the window itself.
So you're looking at, you know, about, you know, $17,000 just for windows.
Now if you can't put those in yourself,
Now you're gonna spend about another five hundred dollars probably per window to put thosein.
So you're looking at another forty thousand.
So windows alone would have cost about sixty thousand dollars to put them in thatbuilding.
(09:17):
Wow.
And there was no roof when I bought it either.
So, you know, I knew how to put the rubber roof on and how to do that stuff.
So when we did it and, you know, there was no electrical and I could hook up all theelectrical.
Well, electricians right now are about a hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars an houryou know, to come in and do stuff.
And I probably spent about a month doing all the wiring in there.
You know, I said
(09:38):
you know, the expense just everybody thinks they can buy these really cheap, 'cause youcan because a lot of are in such disrepair.
Right.
But they don't realize how much money they're gonna put into it.
The first year I dropped seventy five thousand dollars into the building just to get it upand going.
And that wasn't even any expenses.
That was just basically all the material I needed to get everything, you know, to put theyou know, hook up the electrical, hook up the the windows and get all that stuff done.
(10:02):
And then the water and you know, and dumpsters, you know, things like that because
A lot these buildings, there's some out there that don't care.
And fortunately Ashley and I do that we don't want the place to look like a dump.
And and we've seen a lot of them that do.
And they don't take air, they don't clean up, they don't do anything with them.
They just like take the money.
Send me your here's my QR code, send me your money and come out and investigate and don'tworry about all the crap you're gonna trip over in the building.
(10:27):
It'll be okay.
You'll be fine.
Yeah, that's for sure.
Just make you sign the paper.
Yeah, here's your lease.
Good luck.
Hope you don't lose a toe.
Um yeah.
I've we have we have had our fair share of that.
Um
I'm like, ooh, maybe we shouldn't have signed it.
Yeah, I I won't we won't name names, but there have been locations where we've been uhcurious if we need a tetanus shot or something right afterwards.
(10:52):
so yeah, that's that's pretty frightening stuff.
And and you're right too, Rob.
And you don't you never really remember or I guess you can't think about not just buyingthe materials, but if you don't have that sweat equity in it, man, you're gonna be toast
with good call on that.
Ashley, how about yourself?
What's what what's that answer for you?
Just the amount of kind of along the same lines.
(11:15):
Everybody thinks it's a cash grab and you're gonna make money off of it and you're gonnabe rich off of it.
No, you're not.
You are absolutely not.
Um I mean I guess you could be if you, you know, put every dime that people give to you inyour pocket and then you don't do anything with the building, but then you're not gonna
have that building right that's gonna last very long either.
(11:36):
Um, and that money's gonna, you know, disappear.
very shortly because you're not gonna have a building that's gonna last very long either.
and you know, another thing is a lot of your personal life and your personal time goes tothat building too.
Um so you have to be ready for that also.
Um it it takes a lot and you know I would do it all over again because I absolutely lovethat building.
(12:02):
But it is you know you have to be willing to literally give blood, sweat and tears into
a place to make it what you want it to be.
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
And having walked the grounds with you, we we know just exactly what that building meansto you.
So it's it's interesting because um, you know, kind of kind of dovetailing a little bitwith what Robin said.
(12:25):
Yeah, there's the financial aspect, but then there's like the the emotional and everythingelse that comes with it.
which we'll get into a little bit here in a minute.
But uh but yeah, I I can only imagine
Um, you know, not just uh seeing the the money being spent, but the emotional toll ittakes when people don't realize that yeah, there's financial connection, but then the
(12:46):
emotional connection probably can be just as as taxing.
I've asked a lot of owners and we've spoken to quite a few, and I've always asked thisquestion of them, and I'm always interested in the response, but has Ashmore Estates
changed you personally?
Now I know we've talked a little bit about this, Ashley, but and Robin, I'm I'm sure Iknow the answer to this though, but
(13:07):
not as investigators and not as as business owners, but but as people.
Has it changed you as a person?
Yeah, it it it definitely has.
I mean, what when I you know, just to kind of give you a really easy synopsis of that, isin November of twenty uh twenty thirteen, I bought a boat and it went on the water one
(13:28):
time in November of twenty fourteen.
Cause I bought Mashmore in May of twenty fourteen.
The next time it went on the water was about a week and a half or actually two weeks agotoday or a week ago today.
Yeah, a week ago today was the next time.
So it spent twelve years before this boat got back on the water.
the first about the first five years I was probably out there almost every weekend, youknow, working on stuff and doing stuff out there.
(13:52):
So, you know, my life was put on hold and it's basically been on hold for twelve years.
You know, because it just ties up everything.
I mean, the last tornado Ashley calls me on Wednesday night and tells me the roof's cough.
I said, Be there first thing in the morning.
So, you know, we were over there by I think about eight o'clock in the morning.
You know, we were getting over there to come over there and do stuff.
So
didn't have to, but I can't I can't let her or the building go, you know, topless, so tospeak.
(14:18):
So And um but but yeah, it just like yeah, it just had to be done.
So yeah, you're gonna give up everything.
I mean, my life stopped, you know, when I bought Ashmore.
You know, I didn't realize it I didn't realize it was gonna do that.
You know, or I might have had second thoughts, especially living two hours away.
But uh you know, so fortunately now it's pretty much there.
(14:41):
other than, know, some things here and there and and easy things that could be done orhandled or something like that.
But, you know, for the most part it's like you know, it's kinda like you know, I don'twant to say live in condition, but it's it's investigative con you know, condition now.
Yeah.
So so that works out pretty well.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I mean, when we were there, the one thing that I found interesting was not just that shehad power, but there was Wi-Fi.
(15:04):
And I'm like, that's really unusual for, you know, a building that has, you know, that hasthat kind of age in it and not just, you know, the the wiring and everything that she went
through, but you know, you went through the forethought of saying, Hey, let's provide thatas a service for people.
And that that was pretty unique.
I was surprised.
very clean.
I surprised how clean it was.
(15:25):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean we've again we've been places I can't say that.
Good job.
Well, you know, one thing about when owning the buildings, one thing, 'cause I investigatemyself.
I've been doing parallel investigations for about twenty years.
And, you know, I kinda when I bought Ashboard, I thought, I want to set this up how I'dlike to see s a place if I was gonna investigate.
huh.
So we ran ran wires, we ran the VNC wires on on the second and third floor so people couldhook up cameras without running wires up and down stairs and having to spend all that time
(15:54):
to do it.
Well then a friend of mine called me and he's like, You don't have the you don't haveEthernet.
wiring on there.
my camera's all Ethernet.
Like, damn.
So bought Ethernet cables and I ran those the following week and we put them up out there.
So, you know, we we try to we try to put stuff in out there that people are going to likeand it's going to work out and help them out.
And it's like, you know, with the bathrooms.
We put those in because there's no bathrooms I bought the place.
(16:16):
There was not, you know, the closest bathroom is seven miles away.
And so yeah there was no
that very much.
And but yeah, so we've we've tried to do some stuff and Ashley and I've talked about doingthings.
We've actually, you know, put our heads together.
It's like, you know, and I ask her all the time, what if you had a magic wand and youcould do something out here, what would you do?
And uh and she's you know, she'll come up and tell me it's like uh nothing or what do youthink about if we did this?
(16:40):
So, you know, usually yeah, we try to we try to think past out of the box what somebodymight want to do.
Right.
And it shows too.
Ashley, how about yourself?
I'm trying to think it is hard because I I don't really know how to answer, honestly.
(17:01):
Um I never thought I would be and I don't really want to stay on love with a buildingbecause that sounds weird when you say it like that.
Um but I guess infatuated with a building.
Um as much as I am, like to move two hours north, um, and leave like your home and family.
(17:22):
for a building.
Um but I did it and I I have no regrets whatsoever of doing it.
I've never thought twice about, you know, doing it.
I would do it all over again.
Um and love every minute of it.
I mean, yeah, it's you know, it's not the easiest thing to do.
(17:43):
Um and it takes a lot of hard work and um you know, sleepless hours 'cause
You know, I don't get up at the crack of all like some people do.
Um but I yeah, I don't regret any of it.
Yeah, I don't blame that.
I feel like that was a shot at you, Robin.
Yes.
(18:03):
I'm surprised that was the only ones.
Close to two in now where I am, so I gotta be nice.
That's right.
So that never stopped you before.
But when when Ashley came up and decided to move in the house, I think when she moved inup there, one of the first things I actually told her after we were like moving in, I
(18:24):
said, You know you're gonna own this place, right?
And she's like, There's no way.
I'm like, No, you're gonna own this place.
And she's like, I can't afford it.
I'm like, Don't worry about that.
We're gonna make this work, you're gonna own this place.
So and I just kind of true to my word, told her and sat down with her and
spelled it all out and at that time she took it to her papa and talked to him about it andyou know what he thought about it and everything and uh but you know, 'cause you know,
(18:49):
she's the perfect person for it.
You know, and I told her that right up front because, you know, I was interviewed yearsago up for a book that was being written.
And the guy asked me, it's like, so if some guy comes out of Chicago and and maybe Ishould even say someplace down south, like that that seems to be buying locations right
now, it's ridiculous amounts of money.
Yeah.
But if this guy came up and offered you a ridiculous amount of money, would you sell it tohim?
(19:10):
I said, you know, I said, probably not.
And he threw out a number like, would you sell it to him for half a million dollars?
I said, Probably not.
I said, but he said, Well but a million.
I'd like, you know, anybody that would would turn down a million dollars for a locationthat you don't have that much money into it would be crazy.
But at the same time I said, I'd rather sell to somebody that I think is going to takecare of it, preserve it, and love it as much as I have.
(19:33):
And you know, and she's the girl.
She's the one.
And
Yeah, and we've had we we have this uh this brother sister relationship as uh as somebodysaid there last night to me.
She's like, I love watching you guys do videos together.
Can you have this brother-sister relationship?
Yeah, we get in arguments and we fight and everything.
And uh but at the same time we always kinda s we always joke about it and say, you know,we get done, we can say, F you, F you, okay, let's hug and let's go off and grab something
(20:01):
to dinner.
And that's what we do.
So so we we get it worked out in the long run.
And and that's what we'll continue to do, I hope.
Could imagine that'd be the case.
And we we have a very similar relationship sometimes.
Yes, we do.
So I I think knowing some of the history of of what you guys have been through, you know,let's talk a little bit about the building itself.
(20:31):
again, it is a for those who don't know what Ashmore Estates is, which I I don't know thatthere's a ton of people that don't, but if you don't, it is gosh, I gotta admit, it's
probably one of the more active places in so many different ways.
But it's
It's I mean it it is an experience.
I I I really don't know how to put it other than that.
(20:53):
But um but as far as as the building itself, it has worn so many hats throughout history.
and we did an episode on it and we kind of covered a little bit of that, but looking back,what part of its history do you think I think deserves more attention than it usually
gets, Robin?
(21:13):
The part that I really enjoy more than anything is the original poor farm structure sideof it.
Mm-hmm.
Because when I when I look at that, those were people that had no money, had nowhere togo.
And and there was a lot of bad people there at the same time.
But when I look at those pictures that we have up on the third floor, and I look at theyou know, the whites and the blacks and the uh and the and the the browns all together on
(21:35):
a Sunday afternoon, sitting out on the porch, dancing and singing, playing guitars, youknow, to me it's like, you know, they have more going for them.
than the rich people did in Charleston and Mattoon.
And they're just there's more togetherness and more you know, they had nothing.
But they knew nothing about having money because uh they just never had it.
But at the same time, like I said, they you know, that's those are the ones I think youknow, that deserve it.
(22:00):
And I I I note those are the ones that I would rather, you know, try to reach out to andtalk to there at the building.
And rather I mean the the people that were there when they were sick from the mentalinstitutions and stuff like that.
I feel sorry for them.
But at the same time, you know, there's nothing they could there's nothing anybody coulddo for them in most cases at that time, especially.
You know, and uh, you know, other than they I mean they tried different things and shocktreatments and stuff like that, but but it wasn't working.
(22:26):
But the the people that were the original residents there, those are the ones that I feelthat really, you know, deserve a a chance to talk.
And I think they did.
When I when I went out and looked at that building, they're like, help our building.
And it like I said, it wasn't about
them not liking it there.
It was just their building wasn't in the best of condition and they wanted to clean it upa little bit.
(22:46):
And that's when we came out with the when when the guy that drew the picture for me forthe artwork for our regular original t shirts and all, he had uh he said, You want the the
skulls and crossbones and everything?
I No, I don't want any of that.
And I said, I want something that's more true to the life of that building.
And so he came out with the the you know, Joe and Elva in that, you know, the that pictureand everything.
(23:07):
And I'm I'm like, that's perfect.
That's it.
That's what I want.
Yep.
And I said, now you just need a tagline.
And I'm like, you know, I said, This was their home.
I Let's go some call it home.
And so that's what we did.
And it it's it's gone, you know, it's it's worked out pretty well.
And I think uh I think the residents are happy there.
I don't think there's anything, you know, anything there's in fact, you and and Ashleywill tell too, there's nothing malevolent there at all.
(23:31):
There's nothing evil at all.
It's just there's probably some angry people there, but there's angry people in real lifetoo.
So that happens.
Very true.
Absolutely.
Um and and once we're done with with Ashley's response on that, we'll we'll kind of giveyou a little bit of what we thought too.
But um Ashley, kind of same question to you.
Yeah, just to hit on what he said, there is nothing evil or demonic there.
(23:54):
I don't care what anybody says.
Um, you know, we do a kid day there twice a year where, you know, we bring kids in andinvestigate.
And if I thought anything was remotely like that there, we would not do that.
Um, you know, just like he said, Yeah, do we have sound that, you know, play tricks andstuff like that?
Of course we do, but nothing like that.
(24:17):
Um
But yeah, kind of the same thing.
I think, you know, the core farm days were probably the best because I think some of thepeople there, that's probably the only place that they ever knew.
I mean, that was their home.
You know, that was the only home they had.
Um, so whether to us it was horrible conditions and maybe the worst place on earth, but tothem that was the greatest place because at least they had a roof over their head.
(24:44):
At least they had food on the table.
You know.
Yeah, I that and that makes perfect sense to us too.
Um, and I think that's kind of the story we felt too in the building.
Yeah, yeah, because we actually got invited by AC Ghost Hunters, Chris and Ana, our reallygood friends, and they just love, love Ashmore.
I know they've been there, what they tell us, over 20 some times.
(25:06):
um So they wanted to share that with us.
I mean, and we, all our interactions, when we interacted with Joe, we interacted withElva, everything felt, I felt like a loving presence from that building.
So it was very active, but a loving presence.
Very, very active.
And you know, Joe, we we had our own uh interaction with Joe and I feel like we had apretty good understanding with what was going on there.
(25:29):
So we didn't think there was anything evil at all there either.
But uh I guess if uh since that's both of your stories, and I would imagine thisquestion's gonna be pretty similar.
If the walls could tell one story, a true story, not a not a ghost story, what do youthink that it's witness, what do you think it would choose?
(25:52):
I think the walls would actually talk about the that the everybody that lived there theduring the poor farm days, everybody that lived there was basically a four a family and
that they considered themselves a family.
Yeah, there was probably a couple of bad eggs here and there that came in and filteredthrough, but I think they probably looked out for their own.
And they just made sure nothing like that happened.
And I think that was what it was.
And in fact, actually if you probably remember, but you may have forgot by now, it's likedown at the bottom of the the stairs at the first floor.
(26:18):
At the very end of the hallway on the east side, there's a sign and there's some graffition the wall in there and I left it just purposely.
It said, These walls can talk.
Open your mind and listen.
And I think that's so true of the building in that it uh it will talk to you.
And I always tell people just find some place comfortable, let the building come to you.
And just relax and enjoy the building.
And I mean I've had numerous experiences just by you know, working in the building.
(26:41):
And uh but yeah, it's I think that's what it is.
I think it the building would just be just it would just
would share their their family atmosphere with you, uh what they did on a Sunday afternoonwhen they're having a chicken cook out outside or what they were doing when they were
playing music on the steps out front or maybe they're playing cards inside and they youknow they'd probably joke about who was the best card player or who cheated and s you know
(27:02):
and who had the best voice and who sounded terrible.
So I think all of that would be would come out
For sure.
Yeah, I I couldn't agree more.
How how about yourself, Ashley?
Yeah, but my favorite is when like people will come out of like the dining room andthey'll especially on weekends and they'll ask me about fried chicken.
(27:23):
Why does it smell like fried chicken in here?
Well, on Sundays that's what they would have cooked.
It would have been fried chicken.
So sorry if you're hearing stuff in the background.
That was a door alarm coming off.
Guest people are walking in and out.
Well dinner's done?
Yeah.
Somebody mentioned chicken?
(27:44):
My ex wife must be cooking, so
And I am so not editing this out because it's hilarious.
You
You know, it's it's my family, what can I say?
that's perfect.
Trust me, we've we've got uh dogs that have made appearances and I'm sure FedEx too, but
(28:05):
But and we're talking about family.
Yeah, we are talking about family.
a hundred percent, yeah.
Yeah.
Sure.
So kind of the really kind of the one of the main reasons we wanted to have you guys on sosoon, and and this is kind of be a a bonus episode because of of what's going on, but the
recent damage, you know, and and it really hit us pretty hard.
(28:27):
I I think kind of in I guess in the spirit of what we've been talking about, it touched ustoo.
The building touched us.
There was something being there that
Of course, we were there with some very, very close friends, but there was something aboutbeing in that building that that really spoke to us.
I think that the minute we left the bunkhouse, even though we had no sleep at all, um, wnot because it wasn't a nice place, it's just because they came in with us.
(28:54):
They they wanted to hang out a little longer.
but but we immediately said we gotta come back.
I mean, this place is amazing.
You know, i there's something that speaks to you, but when you first saw the
The recent damage.
What was I guess what was the first thought in your mind, Rob?
Ashley sent me the she called me and and I think we start talking originally, she's like,Hey, everything looks j pretty good, nothing going on and I'm like, Okay, great, that's
(29:19):
cool.
Yeah, I'm glad to hear that.
And then all of a sudden I get this phone call.
I'm like, ah crap.
Because whenever she calls or I call, it's usually not good.
And so she called me, I'm like, and she was in tears and crying.
And she said, you know, she said sent me pictures of everything and she's like, It's it'sit's blown off, it's gone off and so I mean I I probably didn't sound really emotional.
(29:41):
Too much on the phone with her, but it's not my first rodeo.
So it's like uh it's like, okay, well, here we go again.
So doing it for him.
So yeah.
So so yeah.
And so it's like, well, back to it.
So I, you know, and I I work, I'm not retired or anything, and I own an insurance agency.
And so, you know, but fortunately we can also take our insurance agency on the road.
(30:04):
And so that's I told my wife, I said, Well, gotta go over.
And I said, packing stuff up.
So
We started throwing stuff.
I started throwing trying to throw all the tools I could think of that I might need in myvehicle to take over there, 'cause I got minimal stuff over there, but I needed a lot of
stuff here.
And brought the trailer over so I could pick up supplies and everything and got it allgoing and got over there and uh and saw it.
(30:24):
Her and I walked out there and I'm like, Well, you know, I thought could be worse, butyeah, it was uh it was tough and it was hard to see it happen.
And you know, and I you know, you know that that building affects people when the guy thatbrought the lift over two weeks prior
do another section of roof that came off.
He is the same guy that brought the lift back over to me two weeks later.
(30:45):
He's like, I saw the news report.
I'm like, my God, those guys just replaced the roof.
He's like, I feel so sorry for him.
You know, he was emotional over it and he did I mean, he's a he's a the the lift driverfrom thirty miles away.
So yeah, and it bu it got to him too.
So so you know that building has connections when people are you know are you know, theydon't even come into the building, but you know, they see things happen.
(31:07):
And you know, when when I bought that place it was
It wasn't the the community around there didn't like it at all.
Nineteen ninety nine they wanted torn down because they said it could never be saved.
And the community didn't like the way it was and after the after the first year then thatall changed and it's great and the community's loved it ever since.
So so yeah, it was an emotional time when the roof came off.
(31:30):
Yeah, but it's like, Well, okay, gotta fix it.
You know, the the the emotions are gone now, it's time to time to get to work.
Yeah.
Yeah, I've been down that road.
Uh I I can only imagine Ashley, judging by by Robin's response, but yeah, how d how didthat go for you?
I am normally not an emotional person.
(31:51):
Most people who know me can tell you that that I don't cry very easily.
Most people who know me have never seen me cry.
Um but that yeah, that phone call um was more tears than words.
because it it was well, we were in the building when it happened, first of all.
Um that's the first time that me and my family have gone to the building during a stormsince we lived out there.
(32:16):
So we were actually in the building.
when it happened.
yeah.
So it was just the noises and stuff is I mean it's not the first tornado I've beenthrough.
Um it's the second one.
So I mean, you know, being from the Midwest you're kinda used to it.
But being in that building is a whole different a whole different ball game.
(32:38):
Um and then to walk outside and to see that and everything and then to have to call Robinand tell him it's you know
It's yeah.
But thankfully, like he said, you know, it could be it could have been a lot worse.
So, you know, in the grand scheme of things we got lucky.
(32:59):
I mean, it could have been a lot w I mean, the building could be gone, you know.
So I mean we did get we did get very lucky.
and you know, what an amazing the biggest thing I took away from all of it is just theamazing I don't think I realized how much that building
meant to people.
Um just the amount of text messages, phone calls, you know, from everybody that Rob andgot, I got just from everybody was absolutely amazing.
(33:29):
Yeah, actually we were we were with Chris and Anna actually going to a week after.
And I'm like, we we've got to figure something out 'cause we were literally on the roadand of course immediately we did the whole t shirts and we and we gave too because it's
just you know, there's a lot of a lot of talk, a lot of people talk about the unity andeverything, and you see it, it's out there, and of course there are some times it doesn't
(33:53):
work that way.
you know, and I
It it's just when a community is a community, you're gonna have kind of like what youtalked about, Robin, there's gonna be bad apples out there and bad players, but when when
it matters most and good people stand up, it was amazing to see kind of how the communityresponded.
(34:13):
It was.
It was very heartwarming.
We we took it to heart and that's the I'm so excited that uh to have you guys on for thatreason.
Um, you know, do you know was it a direct hit, Ashley?
Were were you guys hit directly by the tornado or was it did you get sideswiped or whathappened?
I still don't know.
Um, we even tried to look up on the cameras, but because of losing the power and the WiFi, we didn't get anything on the cameras.
(34:40):
Um, I don't I don't know.
I know Robin can probably answer more because he knows about the stuff up on the roof.
Um with the hurricane straps and stuff that he was talking about up there.
So I'll let him answer that.
Yeah, I I don't think that it was a direct hit or it probably taking a lot more of thatroof than it did.
(35:00):
It took about probably well, the the roof's about uh is it twenty, forty thirty twohundred square feet and it ended up taking about a thousand of that.
So it took about a third of it off the roof.
If if it had been a direct hit, the whole thing would have been gone.
And but I think that the wind ended up you know, it was pretty strong and took it, youknow, took a bunch of it off there and and peeled it over.
(35:22):
Most of the tornado actually
left it went south of route sixteen towards Westfield.
So it wasn't coming up our way, but I think we caught a lot of the aftermath as far as thethe winds that came through.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's it's been wild this year.
We we were on our way to Ohio and we were literally a day or two after um what was thelocation that we went by?
(35:45):
We both forget the name of the city all the time.
Anyway, I mean Illinois has been getting absolutely hammered the l this year, and it'swe're in Missouri, so obviously we're pretty close and we know kind of how that situation
works.
on our way home we were driving and we were just barely ahead of the storm.
got to Illinois to cross over and we heard the storms were coming close to you guys againand I'm like, my God, please don't let it.
(36:11):
Cause you guys already started repairs and everything.
I'm like, please don't let it hit Ashmore again because it was really bad.
There was like what four or six tornadoes that dropped down that day.
We were rushing like ahead of it to not get caught in them.
So I mean, it's just been brutal.
I've never been so excited to see Saint Louis in my life.
Yeah.
Well, we've we've broke our record this year so far.
(36:33):
We've had a hundred and forty seven tornadoes in twenty twenty six and that's more than bthan Illinois ever had.
So yay us.
Sounds like Yay right.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Talk about winning the lottery.
Yeah.
You know, we talk about the the community and how it rallied behind you guys, which againis amazing.
But and you don't have to single anybody out if you don't want to, but what was like themost unexpected act of kindness that you guys have witnessed?
(37:01):
And I think we can probably jointly say every single person that donated, every single uhgroup that started a a fundraising drive, every person that walked on that roof, every
person that came out there and helped her in the yard, just every person that wasinvolved, you know, completely with it.
That's those we didn't we didn't expect.
When I go out and do something like that, I figure I'm doing this, I'm on my own.
(37:23):
I'm just, you know, I'm doing it myself.
That's it.
You know, Norma came up on the roof to help me.
And start things.
Uh Ashley's sons were up there some.
I kinda figured I could count on them.
But other than that, I figured there's n you know, I'm on my own after that.
Yeah, but that wasn't the case.
Yeah.
Yeah.
How about yourself, Ashley?
Just the same thing, just uh the amount of people that called us, messaged us, um, justwhat do you need?
(37:48):
What can we do?
the amount of people that just pr sent personal donations, didn't even do raffles oranything, just literally sent us money.
'Cause me and Robin, we are not gonna fundie people.
We are not people that just take money from people.
That's just not who we are.
Um
And 'cause we had people saying, Well, are you gonna do a go fund me?
(38:10):
And that's just not just not the type of people we are and so for those people to do thatand then all the raffles that people started doing, the T shirts and uh Crystal who did
Rhodes, she did some raffles for those and then Mike and Sam to do the raffles and um theOuija board that Matt with Project Eighty three two did just everything that everybody
(38:35):
did.
Um
was just absolutely amazing 'cause n nobody had to do that.
You know, absolutely nobody had to do that.
Um, and just the amount of unity that everybody did that came out to help us was justabsolutely amazing.
Like I said, I mean I know how much the building means to us.
So it was it was just I don't know, I guess I was explored that as how much the buildingmeans to other people.
(39:03):
Absolutely.
And it is partially the building, but it's also the both of you.
It's Robin and Ashley.
thanks.
I we all, you know, love you guys.
You guys love the building.
And that's why everybody's come forward.
So you need to know that as well.
I was in Greenwood, Indiana Saturday and uh with actually with Crystal Couch who ownsRhodes Hotel.
(39:24):
And we went we went into a a place over there that she wanted to show me.
So we went in this place and the guy that owned the place was there and it's like aHalloween knickknack place and all.
And so we walked and she was talking to him, she's like, Hey, it's like that place thatlost the roof, did did they ever get that fixed and taken care of?
And she took and she points to me, it's like
my God, you're the one that owns it.
(39:45):
So it's like he's did you I Well, if I didn't have it on, I wouldn't be here.
So he's like, he's like, I was kind of really worried about that.
He's like, I saw that.
I thought, my god, they lost their rope over there.
But but yeah, it was kind of cool.
I mean, here's a guy that's two hours away, has nothing about Ashmore Estates, but he'dseen some stuff, he'd seen some stuff to come through on Facebook or wherever, and and
yeah, it was uh something he was he was thinking about, which is kind of amazing to me.
(40:07):
It's like, you know, the guy, you know, he he does parallel investigations.
But he's never been to Ashmore.
He's you he's he's saying I wanna get there sometime, but but yeah, so he it was it waseven in his thoughts and he's never been there.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
That's amazing actually.
that must have been one of those experiences where you're just like that, did that reallyhappen?
(40:28):
That I think that's what he thought too, but a when Crystal just turns around and pointsto me and and points to me and the guy's like 'cause I had an Ashmore shirt on, he's like,
That's you.
It's like yeah, that's me.
So
That's awesome.
Well, you know, and and we know that the the work still continues.
Uh and we know that things are still going on.
Um, for listeners and and people that that are listening to this or watching this, um,where where can they help?
(40:53):
How where can they go donate or or what can they do to give you help you guys out?
As far as the work goes on the roof, there it's pretty much done.
There's a a little bit of a project that still needs to be done up there at some point intime.
You know, but you know, for the for the money part right now, that's it's pretty muchtaken care of.
Um as far as donating, you know, things there there's still a lot of brickwork that has tobe done.
(41:16):
And uh, you know, the money that came in is pretty much all, you know, in fact I wasactually looking at numbers and trying to put them all, finish them off today and
everything, and I'll finish them off this week with everything we've spent 'cause I savedall receipts, saved all that stuff.
And give her spreadsheets on everything that we've done.
But uh but the brickwork is the next step and that's uh that'll be an expensive venture toto do that.
So and but yeah, so you know, I'm thinking that'll be about ten grand is probably whereit's at when it starts.
(41:42):
Wow.
Yeah, and masonry work.
I know that is I mean, I I'm like you.
I try if if if there's something going on in the house or anywhere else, YouTube's myfriend.
I'm I'm I'm a big believer in YouTube university.
but I think masonry work is something that I just I don't think I could do.
That's first of all.
(42:03):
I don't have I don't know if I got the patience for it and and I'm pretty sure it wouldlook horrible after I'm done.
So um but yeah that
Big thing with that is I think tuck pointing is pretty simple.
It's really not that tough to do.
Once you get above eight feet or six feet orver you can reach, now all of a sudden you'reinto scaffolding and lifts.
And the brickwork that they have to do, they can't even use a lift because it'll be toomuch, there'll be too much weight with bricks and everything.
(42:28):
So they got to go scaffolding.
And the scaffolding will be about 35 feet in the air.
And when they get that set up there.
And the bricks are actually pulled back from the wall about five inches.
So I mean I do most of the stuff myself.
I'm not that familiar with masonry work.
You know, so I usually end up doing all the other stuff, you know, to get it all primedand ready to go.
I helped Nathan, you know, because I met Nathan, he came out to Ashborn, I met him, he'shelped me out a bunch.
(42:50):
And we've got him and another guy that are willing to do it at a much reduced pricecompared to what Mason, you know, I say it's about ten grand.
If I was gonna ask somebody to come out and do what they're gonna do, I think we'dprobably be closer to seventy-five thousand dollars.
My
But they're pretty much doing it for really, really, really, really, really, really cheap.
(43:11):
So Yeah.
Well, that's that's good to know.
I'm glad you guys were able to kind of work that out.
That's that's awesome.
so kind of kind of in closing, and and I always like to to end things with with uh with aI guess something that makes people think about.
You know, twenty, thirty, heck, even fifty years from now, there's good chance some of uswon't be around.
(43:36):
there's a good chance in fifty years I sure won't be around.
But
I'm hoping to get through the next year.
Yeah.
Understood.
Yeah, I'm with you on that one.
But, you know, when you look back at at some of the things we talked about with Ashmoreand its history and and um and of course the hauntings and the building's so much more
than just hauntings.
But when we're all gone and you look back at the legacy that you guys have created and thethings that you've done that have been absolutely amazing and how our community has
(44:06):
rallied, um, I I guess my question is.
What do you hope they see or what do you hope they take away?
Because what we're doing right now, this conversation will probably live on long beforewell, I hope that it does.
I mean, you never know, but it lives on long before any of us or long before uh past us, Ishould say.
Um, what is the one thing you would hope people take away from the the damage thathappened, the rallying that everybody did, and kind of what Ashmore estate should mean or
(44:36):
hope it means in the future?
Yeah, I th I think it's it's basically on the back of the T shirts almost.
It's it's you know, instead of some call it home, you know, we all call it home.
And hopefully people just kinda remember the place uh like that and that it'll besomething that uh they can look back and say, you know, Robin got this place up and
cleaned up and taken care of and handed that torch to Ashley and she's kept it going eversince.
(44:58):
So and so yep, so that's that's what I'm hoping that
you know, in the twenty or thirty years after, you know, when maybe Ashley will sit thereand, you know, twenty years she might decide to sell it.
So hopefully she'll find that person, you know, like herself that uh is willing to to takeit on and do it and hopefully it'll still be there.
I know I won't, but hopefully it will be.
So um but yeah, so but yeah, we'll see what goes on from there.
(45:20):
Yeah.
I got a feeling it's gonna be there.
I just got a feeling.
Ashley, how how about yourself?
Yeah, yeah, same.
I I wanna, you know, I wanna keep it saying it for at least at least thirty, thirty, fortyyears, or at least until I'm gone and then, you know, uh hopefully I can find somebody
like me that I can pass it to that's gonna do the same thing and then what they do with itis what they do with it.
(45:43):
Absolutely.
I would say I wanna leave it to my kids, but they're they're not as gung ho about it as Iam.
So we'll see.
Got feeling there's gonna be a lot of people out there that'll willing to take up the themantle, so to speak.
Uh it's it like you said, like we've kind of talked about this whole this whole interview.
It there's something about that building and something about the the vibration, somethingabout that's happening there.
(46:09):
and and and I know that there's been a lot of history there, and I just think that there'sno way that I think uh people are gonna let it go.
But uh
On that, listen guys, thank you so much for for hanging out.
And and it um Robin, if you could or Ashley, if you could, when that masonry starts, ifyou guys do kind of put together uh some kind of fundraising, please let us know.
(46:35):
We'll we'll put that out and kind of get that going too.
Um that way you see f I'm I'm certain the the community will rally once more.
well we appreciate yeah, it probably won't start until about September is what we what theguys have told me.
Okay.
Sounds good.
Well, again, guys, thank you so much for hanging out with us for a bit.
Um, we really hope to continue to success.
(46:55):
I know you will.
Um, Ashley, we will be back out.
Robin, guys, we'll be back out there.
I I don't know when, but it will be sometime.
I mean, our schedule's crazy, just like everybody else's.
But uh well, we can't wait to get back out there and and see you guys.
Well thanks for having us both on.
Absolutely.
Pleasure.
Yeah, have a good night, guys.
(47:16):
Hey, thanks, Robin.
Thanks, Ash.
And guys, uh, you know, obviously the work continues.
we'll we'll get some more information on that as as it comes.
Um I know that uh the mastery work will be as a
sounds pretty Probably going to be more and hopefully the storms are, I mean, they'restill coming.
It's been a rough year, especially for those in the Midwest.
(47:39):
We're in Missouri, they're in Illinois, so just adjacent to them, but they've gotten hitreally hard and it's just been, and like I said earlier, this hit and then the next,
within just a few days, something else was coming through and I'm like, my goodness, itjust never stops.
You know, something like that.
Something like that, but it's just.
(47:59):
That it's insane.
It's been a really rough year for storms.
And as you, can hear or see, mean, they're great people.
They are.
And they love their building.
All of us love that building.
We love them.
I mean, they really, truly care and they need the help.
And that's why we wanted to do this.
I mean, there's so many different people.
(48:20):
I know our friends, Mike and Sam did a raffle for them.
Um, you know, offbeat design, which is run by offbeat paranormal.
Did these t-shirts, I mean, and they done an amazing job.
They're beautiful.
If I didn't have to stand up and turn around, I'd show you the back of them, but we'lljust put a picture up here, what the back looks like.
And we all call it home, you know?
Because we do, we feel that way and we're all trying to help.
(48:43):
So if there's anything that you can send em to Ashmore Estates to try to help them out,even if you just book a tour or book an investigation, that helps as well because that
money goes to restoring the building.
And like we were saying earlier, we go to places all the time.
All the time.
And investigate.
(49:03):
And I can only like maybe just a little small handful of owners that we know that trulycare about their place of ownership.
you get to know them well.
They become like family.
And we have several of those.
The morgue is one.
em
Brooks Estate is another where the owners just truly care about the building.
(49:26):
They care about what happens to it and they care about the spirits that are located inthat building.
And Robin and Ashley are included in that.
And so if there's anything that you can do to try to help them out, just even if it's like$5, I mean, that goes towards trying to repair this building from the damage and it's just
really sad.
(49:47):
I've got some information here.
um If you want to just send them some money over to Vinmo,
You'll send it to ashmoreestates.poorfarm1959.
That's what you're going to look for at Poorfarm1959.
You can also um email them at info at ashmoreestates.net if you want to find out any moreinformation.
(50:11):
em If you go to ashmoreestates.net, that is their website, and it'll tell you about thehistory of the building, anything you could possibly want to know.
but there is a tours and investigations tab that you can click on.
They have public tours where you go, you know, just with a bunch of different people andthey kind of take you through the building and tell you the stories and stuff.
(50:33):
But they also have daytime investigations and nighttime investigations.
And they have a calendar on there and you can, you know, book it and find out depositsand, and how you go about that.
And there's bunk houses.
So this is actually really cool because most locations do not have a place for you tosleep.
It's either you bring your cot and you can sleep there or you can't sleep there at all andyou get a hotel and you're driving at four o'clock in the morning when you're tired.
(50:58):
So it's really cool to have that availability to have that bunkhouse right next door andto be able to stay in it.
Absolutely.
I love that about that place.
Everything is very thoughtful.
I mean, just like what Robin was saying, he put that stuff in there.
Let me tell you, there is love.
Most owners do not do that for the people, especially in a large building like thatbecause
(51:20):
Smaller ones, it's easier to do that, but in a large building like Ashmore, they don't dothat.
They care because they're investigators as well.
They care.
um And we care about them.
So anything you can do to help them, whether you book an investigation, go on a tour, sendthem some money, and there's going to be stuff.
have a feeling in the future that more teams and people in the paranormal are going to tryto arrange to help them out.
(51:44):
um So anything you can do, um we encourage you to do so.
They're great people.
Or just visit Ashmore because it's a special place if you've never been there.
It is.
It's definitely one of our favorites.
And having only been once is a complete travesty in our end, but we're going to remedythat.
Yes, we are.
We're just busy little people.
But guys, thanks again.
(52:06):
Um, thank you for listening for this bonus episode.
And we will be back with a new uh episode this season and gosh season five, I tell you.
Yeah, guys, thank you so much and we'll talk to you soon.
See you soon.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!