March 27, 2024 • 27 mins
IN THIS EPISODE:
“Strangers On The Road To Castletown” by Amelia Cotter
“Five Weird Syndromes You’ve Probably Never Heard Of”
“The Haunting of Crenshaw Mansion” by Molly Briggs
Subscribe to Paranormality Magazine at https://weirddarkness.com/magazine. Paranormality Magazine is a collaborative endeavor driven by a deep passion for the mysterious, unexplained, and paranormal. We are captivated by the enigmatic realms and the individuals who shape this extraordinary community. Our mission is to delve into all things Fortean, embracing topics ranging from apparitions to extraterrestrial encounters, and exploring the diverse array of cryptid creatures in between. With a global team dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, we gather captivating stories, conduct insightful interviews, and provide up-to-date coverage on groundbreaking paranormal projects that are propelling our community forward. Curious to be a part of this extraordinary journey? Visit https://paranormalitymag.com/about-us/
SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
All stories originally published in Paranormality Magazine or website at https://weirddarkness.com/magazine
Paranormality Magazine podcast theme by Alibi Music Library
Background music by Nicolas Gasparini at http://www.thedarkpiano.com
Narration by Darren Marlar at https://DarrenMarlar.com and https://WeirdDarkness.com
©Paranormality Magazine, 2024; ©Weird Darkness, 2024
CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/haunting-of-crenshaw-mansion/
“Strangers On The Road To Castletown” by Amelia Cotter
“Five Weird Syndromes You’ve Probably Never Heard Of”
“The Haunting of Crenshaw Mansion” by Molly Briggs
Subscribe to Paranormality Magazine at https://weirddarkness.com/magazine. Paranormality Magazine is a collaborative endeavor driven by a deep passion for the mysterious, unexplained, and paranormal. We are captivated by the enigmatic realms and the individuals who shape this extraordinary community. Our mission is to delve into all things Fortean, embracing topics ranging from apparitions to extraterrestrial encounters, and exploring the diverse array of cryptid creatures in between. With a global team dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, we gather captivating stories, conduct insightful interviews, and provide up-to-date coverage on groundbreaking paranormal projects that are propelling our community forward. Curious to be a part of this extraordinary journey? Visit https://paranormalitymag.com/about-us/
SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
All stories originally published in Paranormality Magazine or website at https://weirddarkness.com/magazine
Paranormality Magazine podcast theme by Alibi Music Library
Background music by Nicolas Gasparini at http://www.thedarkpiano.com
Narration by Darren Marlar at https://DarrenMarlar.com and https://WeirdDarkness.com
©Paranormality Magazine, 2024; ©Weird Darkness, 2024
CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/haunting-of-crenshaw-mansion/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Ads heard before, during, orafter the podcast are not endorsed by Paranormality
Magazine or myself unless voiced by mepersonally. All other ads are pre recorded,
inserted my ad agencies and are notunder our control. Welcome to Paranormality
(00:20):
Magazine. Each week, Paranormality Magazineexplores all forty en subjects, from phantoms
to UFOs and every cryptid creature inbetween. Each week you're treated to a
collection of well researched and investigated stories, interviews and reports on cutting edge paranormal
projects and topics they know you crave. And here in the podcast, I
(00:44):
share stories from the magazine to giveyou just a taste of what you receive
in every issue. I'm Darren Marler, and this is Paranormality Magazine. At
the crest of Hickory Hill in GallatinCounty, Illinois stands a classic Greek style
(01:11):
house painted a deep shade of cranberry, sporting three stories, a balcony,
and multiple large white pillars in thefront. Once a magnificent site to behold,
the Cringshawn Mansion was a masterpiece thatheld a terrible secret. The home
is the site of the Reverse UndergroundRailroad a station where free black men and
(01:34):
women were held before being trafficked andillegally sold back into slavery. The third
floor of the home served as aprison for free slaves. It is said
that the men, women and childrenwere chained, raped, and beaten inside
the historic home. Shortly after thehome was built, it became station for
the Reverse Underground Railroad, a systemused for transporting and selling escaped and freed
(01:59):
slaves. The third floor of thetwelve room home held areas divided into cells.
Cuffed chains used to trap free blackslaves hung from the attic walls.
Shackles littered the third floor of thehome. Built before the Civil War,
This savage harboring of souls is undoubtedlywhy it's christened the most Haunted House in
(02:21):
Illinois. Scores of black people fellvictim to the abuse and cruelty of John
Crenshaw. Curiously, the crimes tookplace during the time of the anti slavery
movement eighteen thirty to eighteen seventy.Built in eighteen thirty four, what is
now known as the Old Slave Housewas the residence of John Crenshaw and his
(02:43):
family. Crenshaw was a prominent enslaverand descended of an old American family with
quote ties to our country's founding quote. A profoundly political business man, Crenshaw
lived on Hickory Hill with his wife, five kids, and seven hundred enslaved
people. Being a LEAs see ofmultiple salt reserves in Illinois allowed Crenshaw the
(03:05):
right to enslave people in a freestate. Bizarre noises, whispering, and
rattling of chains are heard inside theold slave home. Disembodied voices, cold
spots, and the feeling of beingtouched happen frequently within the home. Unexplained
occurrences have been reported since eighteen fiftyone, when a German family was hired
(03:27):
to look after the home. Crenshawsold the property amid legal trouble in eighteen
sixty four. Seven years later hewould be dead. They say there's no
such thing as death. That ourspirits either ascend to the heavens, travel
to an unspeakable place, or lingeras spirits here on earth. They are
(03:49):
seeking a lost love, closure,or possibly even justice. Is it Crenshaw
who is haunting the home looking formore people to pillage, rape, and
or is it the slaves once shackledby Crenshaw that are haunting the mansion today.
He not only dabbled in the traffickingof free slaves, but John Crenshaw
(04:10):
also owned a store, a postoffice, a sawmill, and was also
involved in the local railroad construction.He was political, a member of the
Whig Party, and wealthy beyond measure, once serving as a director of the
Bank of Illinois. At one time, Crenshaw's pockets were so deep his taxes
were equal to one seventh of thetotal revenue of Illinois. In eighteen twenty
(04:33):
nine, as America began its unfoldingfrom the evils of true racism, black
families began to surface in Illinois.Briscilla Baltimore, who bought her freedom,
started the first black community in thestate, calling it Brooklyn. In eighteen
thirty six, a man named FrankBick Whirther established New Philadelphia. These communities
(04:55):
became critical sanctuaries for the survival ofmany black men, women, and children.
Mcwherther's sons assisted in getting others seekingfreedom to as far away as Canada,
but it was not enough. Someblacks were not so fortunate, falling
into the dirty clutches of the evilJohn Crenshaw and his henchmen. In an
(05:15):
attempt to increase his slave population,Crenshaw sent out nightstalkers, men he ordered
to sit in the fields during thedead of night, waiting to capture innocent
enslaved people running for their lives.Crenshaw would have them captured, lock them
up, and sell them for aprofit. He was known to keep some
of the people captured for his ownlabor purposes. Rattling chains and whippering cries
(05:41):
are some of the terrifying occurrences happeningon Hickory Hill, Although the home has
been abandoned since it was sold tothe state of Illinois in two thousand,
On one occasion, a ghost hunter, intending to spend the night, attempted
to free the anguished spirits of thedead to release them to their final resting
place. Unfortunately, for him andmaybe the spirits too, the place was
(06:03):
so terrifyingly spooky that after just afew hours, the petrified ghost hunter fled
the building, quickly morphing into assand elbows all the way home. Until
the end of the reign of toursat the old slave Home, no one
has ever been able to last anentire night in the company of the spirits
lurking inside the Crenshaw mansion. Saltwas big business in Illinois during the eighteen
(06:28):
thirties, and someone needed to mineit. Although Illinois was technically a free
state since eighteen twenty one, awell placed legal loophole allowed John Crenshaw to
occupy seven hundred enslaved people. Theloophole allowing the exception insisted quote, no
free white men would be capable ofsuch difficult and arduous work. Unquote,
(06:49):
the bigoted line separating the willing andthe capable is a gray one. Indeed,
adding to his already eleven thousand acres, Crenshaw leased thirty thousand more from
the state of Illinois. The massiveproperty was adjacent to the saline springs in
a town known as Junction. Aroundthe time that Crenshaw was amassing his fortune,
(07:11):
salt was in high demand. Itwas not only a necessary nutrient,
but salt was also used to preservefood. Illinois happened to be the mother
load of salt. Crenshaw leased theland surrounding the salt reserves and used his
stockpile of enslaved people free labor towork the mines for a massive, bloody
profit. The state then turned overthe money from selling the saline springs to
(07:34):
build necessary prisons, prisons that would, unfortunately never see the likes of mister
Crenshaw. Crenshaw was indicted multiple timesfor the crimes he had committed, but
was never convicted of. Many peopleand incriminating documents disappeared on John Crenshaw's watch,
(07:54):
but the closest the state came toa conviction was an acquittal in the
form of a technicality. Proof ofthe crimes Crenshaw had committed came by way
of contemporary letters, ones that mysteriouslydisappeared, making a conviction of the dreadful
man all but impossible. Children hauntingthe old slave home Maria and her kids
were eventually sold off in the stateof Texas. Or is it the ghost
(08:16):
of Frank Granger and fifteen others roamingthe mansion? These souls were a few
of many sold down river by Crenshawin Tipton County, Tennessee. Nothing lasts
forever, as John Crenshaw soon foundout. In eighteen forty two, during
the year of his last indictment,significant salt reserves were discovered in Ohio and
(08:37):
Virginia, making his load less valuableand causing the eventual decline of the Crenshaw
fortune. Adding salt to the wound, legend states that it was around this
time that John Crenshaw was caught beatinga black woman working in his fields.
The black man who spied his brutalattack of the woman took vengeance on the
evil Crenshaw by hacking off his legwith an axe. It was not long
(09:03):
before rumors began running rampant around thetown of Hickory Hill. Reports the violent
atrocities taking place at the mansion orcirculating, and soon Crenshaw's mill was burned
to the ground. The mansion waseventually sold in nineteen thirteen to the Sisk
family. Capitalizing on the mansion's darkhistory, the family turned the home into
(09:24):
a museum advertising a thrilling experience.The Sisk family permitted the public to roam
the halls after paying a nominal fee. Of course, the Crenshaw Mansion is
currently closed, awaiting seven million dollarsfor renovation fees. A little paint a
public bathroom up to code. Goodluck with that, Illinois. There are
(09:56):
many strange and rare medical conditions outthere there that most of us have never
ever heard of. Here, we'regoing to discuss five of the weirdest syndromes
that you probably haven't heard before.These syndromes can range from causing odd physical
symptoms to making people act in bizarreways. Although many of these syndromes are
still not well understood, scientists areworking hard to find treatments for them.
(10:22):
So what are these strange syndromes andwhat do they entail? I'll keep listening.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome. This syndromeis named after the Lewis Carroll novel
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as itcan cause people to experience distorted perceptions of
size and distance. People with thissyndrome may feel as though they are either
(10:45):
shrinking or growing, and objects aroundthem may appear to be either larger or
smaller than they actually are. Thiscan be a very confusing and disorienting experience
for those affected by it. Thereis no known cure for Alice in Wonderland's,
but some treatments can help lessen thesymptoms. Capgris delusion. The Capgris
(11:07):
delusion is a rare condition that causespeople to believe that their loved ones have
been replaced by impostors. This delusionalbelief can be so strong that people may
even act aggressively toward the impostors.The cause of capgris delusion is still not
fully understood, but it's thought tobe linked to damage to the brain's facial
(11:28):
recognition area. There's no known curefor this condition, but treatments such as
cognitive behavioral therapy can help manage thesymptoms. Foreign accent syndrome. Foreign accent
syndrome is a rare condition that canoccur after a person suffers from a head
injury or stroke. It causes peopleto speak with a foreign accent, even
(11:50):
though they are native speakers of theirown language. The exact cause of foreign
accent syndrome is still not fully understood, but it is thought to be related
to changes in the way the brainprocesses speech sounds. There's no known cure
for this condition either, but speechtherapy can help people to learn how to
speak with their new accent. Jerusalemsyndrome Jerusalem syndrome is a condition that causes
(12:16):
people to develop sudden and intense religiousbeliefs after visiting the city of Jerusalem.
People with this condition may feel compelledto preach or sing religious songs in public,
and they may also have delusions aboutbeing a biblical figure or having a
special mission from God. The exactcause of Jerusalem syndrome is still not fully
(12:37):
understood, but it is thought tobe related to the stress of visiting a
holy city. There is no knowncure for this condition either, but treatment
can help people to manage their symptoms. And finally, there's zombie apocalypse survival
syndrome. This may sound like somethingout of a horror movie, but zombie
apocalypse survival syndrome or ZAZAS, isa real condition that affects some people.
(13:03):
People with ZAS may have intense fearsabout a zombie apocalypse happening, and they
may also experience symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and paranoia. The cause
of ZAS is still not fully understood, but it is thought to be linked
to a combination of psychological factors.As with the others, there is no
known cure for this condition, buttreatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy can help
(13:28):
people to manage their symptoms. Wantmore Paranormality subscribe to Paranormality magazine and each
month get it delivered digitally or viamale in our print version. Paranormality Magazine
(13:48):
is a collaborative endeavor featuring works frompeople like you who have a passion for
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captivating stories from our own team ofwriters, researchers, and investigators, as
well as from writers such as yourself. Each monthly issue also includes a list
(14:13):
of paranormal, horror, UFO andcryptozoology events around the country, incredible paranormal
themed artwork, articles and writing sentin from our readers, suggested books and
podcasts to consume, and more.Visit paranormalitymag dot com and subscribe today for
(14:33):
as little as three ninety nine amonth. That's paranormalitymag dot com. Paranormalitymag
dot com. Paranormality Magazine's Amelia Cutterbrings us this story. On August twenty
(15:01):
ten, I embarked on an epiccamping trip through Glacier National Park, Montana
with my travel buddy Sarah. Uponreturning from our backcountry adventures to the city
of Great Falls, Montana, wehad one more goal on our checklist.
That was to see the abandoned silvermining town Castletown which at its peak in
the late eighteen hundreds was home toaround two thousand residents, including infamous gunslinger
(15:26):
Calamity Jane. Our instructions, accordingto an old school website featuring sparse information
and a few pixelated maps and photos, were to drive out onto Forest Service
Road to eleven off Highway twelve andfollow signs for Castletown. This route was
used frequently by campers and other adventurers, and we didn't think much of it
(15:48):
after the terrain we had traveled elsewhereon our trip. On our Rand McNally
map, it looked like we'd reachedthe ghost town about two thirds along the
way on the service road, thendrive another short day instance out to connect
to another highway on the other side. This would be nothing more than an
afternoon jaunt, or so we thought. On the day we set out,
(16:10):
it rained heavily and was chilly andquite foggy. Clouds would pass periodically in
front of us on the highway andenvelop our car, a rented soccer Mom
mini van that had so far beenfaithful to us throughout our trip. The
sight of clouds on the road wasboth awesome and unsettling. In fact,
I had an uneasy feeling about thisexcursion altogether. We had already faced our
(16:34):
share of dangers, including multiple barencounters. There were two killers on the
loose and wyoming who were making theirway to Canada when they were reportedly spotted
at campsites near us, as wellas allegedly driving the same color, make
and model of minivan. We hadour cell phones turned off during the camping
trip, and when we left thepark and turned them back on, our
(16:56):
phones were inundated with concerned or excitedmessages about the killers. We had already
learned about them. However, whilecrossing the border into Canada to visit the
Waterton Lakes National Park, border patrolhad searched our van and showed us photos
of the suspects, asking if wehad seen them or knew anything about them.
(17:17):
Our reaction to the killers and bearswas one of awe what stories we
had to tell? It didn't quitemake sense now that a simple day trip
following all that excitement would set meso much on edge, but I felt
uneasy. Sarah admitted later that shewas nervous too, but downplayed her trepidation
(17:38):
until we were on the service roadand our anxiety became reality. We found
the service road and naively expected asmooth or at least loosely graveled path,
but in the rain, mud,muck, and fog, it was more
like an obstacle course that ambled upand over a steep mountain side other cars
(18:00):
on the road with us that day, and we lost cell phone service immediately
upon departing the main stretch of highway. Our mini van was not meant to
drive on this kind of road.There were times when all four wheels weren't
touching the ground at once, orwe were in deceptively deep mud and almost
got stuck or straddling the edge ofa steep drop off. Herds of cattle
(18:22):
greeted us along the way, thebowls aggressively stomping and fake charging the van.
We passed two lodges complete with longhornedbull skulls adorning old wooden gates,
and they were each dark inside withno cars parked around them. It was
a bad situation. The weather wasworsening, we didn't have overnight water and
(18:44):
food or appropriate clothing, and ittook us several more hours to reach the
ghost town than we had planned for, leaving us badly shaken. The ghost
town was in a valley on theother side of this steep ridge, which
was a relief to us, asthe all pixelated photos we'd seen online showed
the ghost town along a relatively flatroad. I remember how we laughed that
(19:07):
anyone approaching from the flatter side wouldonly have a simple drive there and back
out to the highway again. Andhere we took the long, torturous,
winding route. The bad weather hadmomentarily led up, and we could see
the town was comprised of a fewbuildings, surrounded by a single historic marker,
and plenty of danger no trespassers andviolators will be shot signs. I
(19:33):
was thrilled and at the same timea little disappointed. The town is located
on private property, and while therewere some cool things to see, our
frazzled state of mind didn't permit usto explore much, and of course we
were not supposed to be snooping aroundhere anyway. At this time, my
ominous feelings worsened by a lot.I had a nagging feeling we were being
(19:56):
watched and didn't belong there, andthat we needed to leave immediately. This
wasn't because of the no trespassing signs. This came from a deeper, more
primordial place in me, that gutfeeling. We got out to stretch our
legs, snapped some photos, tooka quick look around, and both quietly
(20:17):
agreed that was enough time to go. Sarah had been the driver for the
first leg of the journey, andit was now my turn. We really
really didn't want to go back theway we came. We knew the rest
of the flat looking stretch of roadwas only a few miles long, but
the idea of going that way mademe feel sick. It not only looked
(20:38):
bad, but it seemed to bethe physical direction the bad vibes were emanating
from. There were deep muddy puddleseverywhere, and places where the road disappeared
under ambiguously shallow mud or water.It looked like, if nothing else,
our minivan tires just would not beable to navigate the terrain and we'd either
bottom out or get stuck along theway. The idea of turning around and
(21:03):
going all the way back didn't inspireconfidence either. But this other way,
the easier way, felt like deathto me. We both understood that our
situation could become extremely dangerous in ashort time. We were deliberating nervously about
what to do, when out ofquite literally nowhere, a pickup truck appeared.
(21:26):
We heard no sounds like a vehicleapproaching, only noticed that it was
there as it rolled to a stopalongside us. This pickup and its occupants
were like something out of a movie. The truck was old and white.
There was a friendly looking man andwoman inside with weathered Montana skin, wearing
iconic flannel shirts with suspenders and jeans. The man who was driving had a
(21:48):
long beard, and the woman twolong, dark braids. In the back
seat was a handsome black Labrador retrieverwearing a red collar. They regarded us,
even the dog, with genuine concern. They didn't ask who we were
or what we were doing there,but asked us how we were, and
specifically if we planned on driving downthat flat stretch of road. We explained
(22:11):
what a nightmare coming over the mountainhad been, and that we were considering
taking our chances and just going therest of the shorter way out, even
though it didn't look good. Theman shook his head and explained in a
kind manner, that we should notkeep going. He said their pickup had
barely made it through. It wasextremely unsafe, and we'd best turn around
(22:33):
and go back the way we came. We explained how badly we didn't want
to do that, that the roadhad been a nightmare, and he replied
that it would all be okay becausethey were going the same way as us
and would follow closely behind us thewhole way back. As he spoke,
I noticed the pickup didn't have adrop of mud or a rain on it
(22:55):
whatsoever. Our mini van, meanwhile, was covered in mud splatter. In
any case, we felt relieved.I was trying to calm my inner voice
from being too melodramatic, while somehowutterly certain they were right that we would
never make it off that service roadif we kept going those last few miles,
(23:15):
even though it seemed so easy.We were incredibly grateful for the company
and kind reassurance, thanked them andstarted back the way we came. The
pickup remained behind us as promised fora little while, and then fell back
until the next time we glanced behindus, it was out of sight.
I remember there was a point wherewe were almost at the top of the
(23:37):
ridge and we could see the roadzigzagging all the way down to the bottom
where it flattened out. We hada clear view, but the pickup was
nowhere to be seen. It wassimply gone, had vanished. We continued,
knowing it was more important to keepgoing than to stop and wait.
We were moving steadily uphill, meaningwe couldn't really stop on the muddy terrain
(24:02):
without starting to roll backward. It'sdifficult to explain, but we could sense
the presence of the pickup truck behindus and took great comfort in knowing while
assuming it was behind us somewhere.This gave me the confidence I needed to
keep driving. We never saw thepickup again, but thankfully finally made it
(24:22):
back out onto the highway before sunset. Realizing we were safe, we both
started talking NonStop about what we hadjust experienced, Even though my friend Sarah
was not paranormally inclined. She sharedher premonition that something terrible would have happened
to us on that road if thatcouple and their dog hadn't shown up.
(24:44):
She insisted they weren't real, orat least not alive, and went so
far as to call them our guardianangels. I'd never heard her use that
kind of language before. We weremad at ourselves too. Of course,
we have been so thorough and preparingfor our camping trip, and the day
trip to Castletown was admittedly and afterthought. At the same time, people utilized
(25:10):
that road all the time. Yetwe found ourselves isolated in poor conditions,
and our situation became serious faster thanwe were equipped to handle it. If
the couple and their dog were spirits, they didn't seem like ghosts in the
traditional sense. It felt like theymaterialized off the pages of a classic novel
(25:30):
and were exactly who we needed atthat moment to comfort us and convince us
to make the right choice. I'vebeen hearing a lot about third man syndrome
lately, an inexplicable and comforting appearanceof a person presence or voice that guides
people in imminent danger to safety.There are many fascinating stories about this phenomenon,
(25:52):
and I wonder if we experienced it. I've always wondered what fate would
have awaited us otherwise on that lastflat stretch road. Visions of a stalking
mountain lion periodically ran through my headthat day and even now as I remember
the incident, But my menacing almostsurreal feelings of dread amounted to and still
(26:15):
feel more sinister than that. I'llnever forget those kind strangers, their beautiful
dog, and their old white pickup. We spoke for less than a minute,
but I'm eternally grateful for their helpand have some of the warmest feelings
for them that I've ever had foranyone, whoever or whatever they were.
(26:49):
Thanks for listening to Paranormality Magazine.Get more information about the magazine and subscribe
to our monthly publication at paranormality magdot com. That's paranormalitymag dot com,
or click the link in the showdescription, and if you're a researcher or
investigator, send us your stories.We might feature you on our next issue.
(27:12):
If you have a paranormal podcast,you can add it to our website
so our readers can find your showand artists. If you'd like your work
to be featured in our magazine oron our back cover, contact us again.
Our website is paranormalitymag dot com.I'm Darren Marler, and I'll have
more paranormal for you next time.From Paranormality Magazine.
Ads heard before, during, orafter the podcast are not endorsed by Paranormality
Magazine or myself unless voiced by mepersonally. All other ads are pre recorded,
inserted my ad agencies and are notunder our control. Welcome to Paranormality
(00:20):
Magazine. Each week, Paranormality Magazineexplores all forty en subjects, from phantoms
to UFOs and every cryptid creature inbetween. Each week you're treated to a
collection of well researched and investigated stories, interviews and reports on cutting edge paranormal
projects and topics they know you crave. And here in the podcast, I
(00:44):
share stories from the magazine to giveyou just a taste of what you receive
in every issue. I'm Darren Marler, and this is Paranormality Magazine. At
the crest of Hickory Hill in GallatinCounty, Illinois stands a classic Greek style
(01:11):
house painted a deep shade of cranberry, sporting three stories, a balcony,
and multiple large white pillars in thefront. Once a magnificent site to behold,
the Cringshawn Mansion was a masterpiece thatheld a terrible secret. The home
is the site of the Reverse UndergroundRailroad a station where free black men and
(01:34):
women were held before being trafficked andillegally sold back into slavery. The third
floor of the home served as aprison for free slaves. It is said
that the men, women and childrenwere chained, raped, and beaten inside
the historic home. Shortly after thehome was built, it became station for
the Reverse Underground Railroad, a systemused for transporting and selling escaped and freed
(01:59):
slaves. The third floor of thetwelve room home held areas divided into cells.
Cuffed chains used to trap free blackslaves hung from the attic walls.
Shackles littered the third floor of thehome. Built before the Civil War,
This savage harboring of souls is undoubtedlywhy it's christened the most Haunted House in
(02:21):
Illinois. Scores of black people fellvictim to the abuse and cruelty of John
Crenshaw. Curiously, the crimes tookplace during the time of the anti slavery
movement eighteen thirty to eighteen seventy.Built in eighteen thirty four, what is
now known as the Old Slave Housewas the residence of John Crenshaw and his
(02:43):
family. Crenshaw was a prominent enslaverand descended of an old American family with
quote ties to our country's founding quote. A profoundly political business man, Crenshaw
lived on Hickory Hill with his wife, five kids, and seven hundred enslaved
people. Being a LEAs see ofmultiple salt reserves in Illinois allowed Crenshaw the
(03:05):
right to enslave people in a freestate. Bizarre noises, whispering, and
rattling of chains are heard inside theold slave home. Disembodied voices, cold
spots, and the feeling of beingtouched happen frequently within the home. Unexplained
occurrences have been reported since eighteen fiftyone, when a German family was hired
(03:27):
to look after the home. Crenshawsold the property amid legal trouble in eighteen
sixty four. Seven years later hewould be dead. They say there's no
such thing as death. That ourspirits either ascend to the heavens, travel
to an unspeakable place, or lingeras spirits here on earth. They are
(03:49):
seeking a lost love, closure,or possibly even justice. Is it Crenshaw
who is haunting the home looking formore people to pillage, rape, and
or is it the slaves once shackledby Crenshaw that are haunting the mansion today.
He not only dabbled in the traffickingof free slaves, but John Crenshaw
(04:10):
also owned a store, a postoffice, a sawmill, and was also
involved in the local railroad construction.He was political, a member of the
Whig Party, and wealthy beyond measure, once serving as a director of the
Bank of Illinois. At one time, Crenshaw's pockets were so deep his taxes
were equal to one seventh of thetotal revenue of Illinois. In eighteen twenty
(04:33):
nine, as America began its unfoldingfrom the evils of true racism, black
families began to surface in Illinois.Briscilla Baltimore, who bought her freedom,
started the first black community in thestate, calling it Brooklyn. In eighteen
thirty six, a man named FrankBick Whirther established New Philadelphia. These communities
(04:55):
became critical sanctuaries for the survival ofmany black men, women, and children.
Mcwherther's sons assisted in getting others seekingfreedom to as far away as Canada,
but it was not enough. Someblacks were not so fortunate, falling
into the dirty clutches of the evilJohn Crenshaw and his henchmen. In an
(05:15):
attempt to increase his slave population,Crenshaw sent out nightstalkers, men he ordered
to sit in the fields during thedead of night, waiting to capture innocent
enslaved people running for their lives.Crenshaw would have them captured, lock them
up, and sell them for aprofit. He was known to keep some
of the people captured for his ownlabor purposes. Rattling chains and whippering cries
(05:41):
are some of the terrifying occurrences happeningon Hickory Hill, Although the home has
been abandoned since it was sold tothe state of Illinois in two thousand,
On one occasion, a ghost hunter, intending to spend the night, attempted
to free the anguished spirits of thedead to release them to their final resting
place. Unfortunately, for him andmaybe the spirits too, the place was
(06:03):
so terrifyingly spooky that after just afew hours, the petrified ghost hunter fled
the building, quickly morphing into assand elbows all the way home. Until
the end of the reign of toursat the old slave Home, no one
has ever been able to last anentire night in the company of the spirits
lurking inside the Crenshaw mansion. Saltwas big business in Illinois during the eighteen
(06:28):
thirties, and someone needed to mineit. Although Illinois was technically a free
state since eighteen twenty one, awell placed legal loophole allowed John Crenshaw to
occupy seven hundred enslaved people. Theloophole allowing the exception insisted quote, no
free white men would be capable ofsuch difficult and arduous work. Unquote,
(06:49):
the bigoted line separating the willing andthe capable is a gray one. Indeed,
adding to his already eleven thousand acres, Crenshaw leased thirty thousand more from
the state of Illinois. The massiveproperty was adjacent to the saline springs in
a town known as Junction. Aroundthe time that Crenshaw was amassing his fortune,
(07:11):
salt was in high demand. Itwas not only a necessary nutrient,
but salt was also used to preservefood. Illinois happened to be the mother
load of salt. Crenshaw leased theland surrounding the salt reserves and used his
stockpile of enslaved people free labor towork the mines for a massive, bloody
profit. The state then turned overthe money from selling the saline springs to
(07:34):
build necessary prisons, prisons that would, unfortunately never see the likes of mister
Crenshaw. Crenshaw was indicted multiple timesfor the crimes he had committed, but
was never convicted of. Many peopleand incriminating documents disappeared on John Crenshaw's watch,
(07:54):
but the closest the state came toa conviction was an acquittal in the
form of a technicality. Proof ofthe crimes Crenshaw had committed came by way
of contemporary letters, ones that mysteriouslydisappeared, making a conviction of the dreadful
man all but impossible. Children hauntingthe old slave home Maria and her kids
were eventually sold off in the stateof Texas. Or is it the ghost
(08:16):
of Frank Granger and fifteen others roamingthe mansion? These souls were a few
of many sold down river by Crenshawin Tipton County, Tennessee. Nothing lasts
forever, as John Crenshaw soon foundout. In eighteen forty two, during
the year of his last indictment,significant salt reserves were discovered in Ohio and
(08:37):
Virginia, making his load less valuableand causing the eventual decline of the Crenshaw
fortune. Adding salt to the wound, legend states that it was around this
time that John Crenshaw was caught beatinga black woman working in his fields.
The black man who spied his brutalattack of the woman took vengeance on the
evil Crenshaw by hacking off his legwith an axe. It was not long
(09:03):
before rumors began running rampant around thetown of Hickory Hill. Reports the violent
atrocities taking place at the mansion orcirculating, and soon Crenshaw's mill was burned
to the ground. The mansion waseventually sold in nineteen thirteen to the Sisk
family. Capitalizing on the mansion's darkhistory, the family turned the home into
(09:24):
a museum advertising a thrilling experience.The Sisk family permitted the public to roam
the halls after paying a nominal fee. Of course, the Crenshaw Mansion is
currently closed, awaiting seven million dollarsfor renovation fees. A little paint a
public bathroom up to code. Goodluck with that, Illinois. There are
(09:56):
many strange and rare medical conditions outthere there that most of us have never
ever heard of. Here, we'regoing to discuss five of the weirdest syndromes
that you probably haven't heard before.These syndromes can range from causing odd physical
symptoms to making people act in bizarreways. Although many of these syndromes are
still not well understood, scientists areworking hard to find treatments for them.
(10:22):
So what are these strange syndromes andwhat do they entail? I'll keep listening.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome. This syndromeis named after the Lewis Carroll novel
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as itcan cause people to experience distorted perceptions of
size and distance. People with thissyndrome may feel as though they are either
(10:45):
shrinking or growing, and objects aroundthem may appear to be either larger or
smaller than they actually are. Thiscan be a very confusing and disorienting experience
for those affected by it. Thereis no known cure for Alice in Wonderland's,
but some treatments can help lessen thesymptoms. Capgris delusion. The Capgris
(11:07):
delusion is a rare condition that causespeople to believe that their loved ones have
been replaced by impostors. This delusionalbelief can be so strong that people may
even act aggressively toward the impostors.The cause of capgris delusion is still not
fully understood, but it's thought tobe linked to damage to the brain's facial
(11:28):
recognition area. There's no known curefor this condition, but treatments such as
cognitive behavioral therapy can help manage thesymptoms. Foreign accent syndrome. Foreign accent
syndrome is a rare condition that canoccur after a person suffers from a head
injury or stroke. It causes peopleto speak with a foreign accent, even
(11:50):
though they are native speakers of theirown language. The exact cause of foreign
accent syndrome is still not fully understood, but it is thought to be related
to changes in the way the brainprocesses speech sounds. There's no known cure
for this condition either, but speechtherapy can help people to learn how to
speak with their new accent. Jerusalemsyndrome Jerusalem syndrome is a condition that causes
(12:16):
people to develop sudden and intense religiousbeliefs after visiting the city of Jerusalem.
People with this condition may feel compelledto preach or sing religious songs in public,
and they may also have delusions aboutbeing a biblical figure or having a
special mission from God. The exactcause of Jerusalem syndrome is still not fully
(12:37):
understood, but it is thought tobe related to the stress of visiting a
holy city. There is no knowncure for this condition either, but treatment
can help people to manage their symptoms. And finally, there's zombie apocalypse survival
syndrome. This may sound like somethingout of a horror movie, but zombie
apocalypse survival syndrome or ZAZAS, isa real condition that affects some people.
(13:03):
People with ZAS may have intense fearsabout a zombie apocalypse happening, and they
may also experience symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and paranoia. The cause
of ZAS is still not fully understood, but it is thought to be linked
to a combination of psychological factors.As with the others, there is no
known cure for this condition, buttreatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy can help
(13:28):
people to manage their symptoms. Wantmore Paranormality subscribe to Paranormality magazine and each
month get it delivered digitally or viamale in our print version. Paranormality Magazine
(13:48):
is a collaborative endeavor featuring works frompeople like you who have a passion for
all things mysterious and unexplained. Ourgoal is to pursuit of knowledge, gathering
captivating stories from our own team ofwriters, researchers, and investigators, as
well as from writers such as yourself. Each monthly issue also includes a list
(14:13):
of paranormal, horror, UFO andcryptozoology events around the country, incredible paranormal
themed artwork, articles and writing sentin from our readers, suggested books and
podcasts to consume, and more.Visit paranormalitymag dot com and subscribe today for
(14:33):
as little as three ninety nine amonth. That's paranormalitymag dot com. Paranormalitymag
dot com. Paranormality Magazine's Amelia Cutterbrings us this story. On August twenty
(15:01):
ten, I embarked on an epiccamping trip through Glacier National Park, Montana
with my travel buddy Sarah. Uponreturning from our backcountry adventures to the city
of Great Falls, Montana, wehad one more goal on our checklist.
That was to see the abandoned silvermining town Castletown which at its peak in
the late eighteen hundreds was home toaround two thousand residents, including infamous gunslinger
(15:26):
Calamity Jane. Our instructions, accordingto an old school website featuring sparse information
and a few pixelated maps and photos, were to drive out onto Forest Service
Road to eleven off Highway twelve andfollow signs for Castletown. This route was
used frequently by campers and other adventurers, and we didn't think much of it
(15:48):
after the terrain we had traveled elsewhereon our trip. On our Rand McNally
map, it looked like we'd reachedthe ghost town about two thirds along the
way on the service road, thendrive another short day instance out to connect
to another highway on the other side. This would be nothing more than an
afternoon jaunt, or so we thought. On the day we set out,
(16:10):
it rained heavily and was chilly andquite foggy. Clouds would pass periodically in
front of us on the highway andenvelop our car, a rented soccer Mom
mini van that had so far beenfaithful to us throughout our trip. The
sight of clouds on the road wasboth awesome and unsettling. In fact,
I had an uneasy feeling about thisexcursion altogether. We had already faced our
(16:34):
share of dangers, including multiple barencounters. There were two killers on the
loose and wyoming who were making theirway to Canada when they were reportedly spotted
at campsites near us, as wellas allegedly driving the same color, make
and model of minivan. We hadour cell phones turned off during the camping
trip, and when we left thepark and turned them back on, our
(16:56):
phones were inundated with concerned or excitedmessages about the killers. We had already
learned about them. However, whilecrossing the border into Canada to visit the
Waterton Lakes National Park, border patrolhad searched our van and showed us photos
of the suspects, asking if wehad seen them or knew anything about them.
(17:17):
Our reaction to the killers and bearswas one of awe what stories we
had to tell? It didn't quitemake sense now that a simple day trip
following all that excitement would set meso much on edge, but I felt
uneasy. Sarah admitted later that shewas nervous too, but downplayed her trepidation
(17:38):
until we were on the service roadand our anxiety became reality. We found
the service road and naively expected asmooth or at least loosely graveled path,
but in the rain, mud,muck, and fog, it was more
like an obstacle course that ambled upand over a steep mountain side other cars
(18:00):
on the road with us that day, and we lost cell phone service immediately
upon departing the main stretch of highway. Our mini van was not meant to
drive on this kind of road.There were times when all four wheels weren't
touching the ground at once, orwe were in deceptively deep mud and almost
got stuck or straddling the edge ofa steep drop off. Herds of cattle
(18:22):
greeted us along the way, thebowls aggressively stomping and fake charging the van.
We passed two lodges complete with longhornedbull skulls adorning old wooden gates,
and they were each dark inside withno cars parked around them. It was
a bad situation. The weather wasworsening, we didn't have overnight water and
(18:44):
food or appropriate clothing, and ittook us several more hours to reach the
ghost town than we had planned for, leaving us badly shaken. The ghost
town was in a valley on theother side of this steep ridge, which
was a relief to us, asthe all pixelated photos we'd seen online showed
the ghost town along a relatively flatroad. I remember how we laughed that
(19:07):
anyone approaching from the flatter side wouldonly have a simple drive there and back
out to the highway again. Andhere we took the long, torturous,
winding route. The bad weather hadmomentarily led up, and we could see
the town was comprised of a fewbuildings, surrounded by a single historic marker,
and plenty of danger no trespassers andviolators will be shot signs. I
(19:33):
was thrilled and at the same timea little disappointed. The town is located
on private property, and while therewere some cool things to see, our
frazzled state of mind didn't permit usto explore much, and of course we
were not supposed to be snooping aroundhere anyway. At this time, my
ominous feelings worsened by a lot.I had a nagging feeling we were being
(19:56):
watched and didn't belong there, andthat we needed to leave immediately. This
wasn't because of the no trespassing signs. This came from a deeper, more
primordial place in me, that gutfeeling. We got out to stretch our
legs, snapped some photos, tooka quick look around, and both quietly
(20:17):
agreed that was enough time to go. Sarah had been the driver for the
first leg of the journey, andit was now my turn. We really
really didn't want to go back theway we came. We knew the rest
of the flat looking stretch of roadwas only a few miles long, but
the idea of going that way mademe feel sick. It not only looked
(20:38):
bad, but it seemed to bethe physical direction the bad vibes were emanating
from. There were deep muddy puddleseverywhere, and places where the road disappeared
under ambiguously shallow mud or water.It looked like, if nothing else,
our minivan tires just would not beable to navigate the terrain and we'd either
bottom out or get stuck along theway. The idea of turning around and
(21:03):
going all the way back didn't inspireconfidence either. But this other way,
the easier way, felt like deathto me. We both understood that our
situation could become extremely dangerous in ashort time. We were deliberating nervously about
what to do, when out ofquite literally nowhere, a pickup truck appeared.
(21:26):
We heard no sounds like a vehicleapproaching, only noticed that it was
there as it rolled to a stopalongside us. This pickup and its occupants
were like something out of a movie. The truck was old and white.
There was a friendly looking man andwoman inside with weathered Montana skin, wearing
iconic flannel shirts with suspenders and jeans. The man who was driving had a
(21:48):
long beard, and the woman twolong, dark braids. In the back
seat was a handsome black Labrador retrieverwearing a red collar. They regarded us,
even the dog, with genuine concern. They didn't ask who we were
or what we were doing there,but asked us how we were, and
specifically if we planned on driving downthat flat stretch of road. We explained
(22:11):
what a nightmare coming over the mountainhad been, and that we were considering
taking our chances and just going therest of the shorter way out, even
though it didn't look good. Theman shook his head and explained in a
kind manner, that we should notkeep going. He said their pickup had
barely made it through. It wasextremely unsafe, and we'd best turn around
(22:33):
and go back the way we came. We explained how badly we didn't want
to do that, that the roadhad been a nightmare, and he replied
that it would all be okay becausethey were going the same way as us
and would follow closely behind us thewhole way back. As he spoke,
I noticed the pickup didn't have adrop of mud or a rain on it
(22:55):
whatsoever. Our mini van, meanwhile, was covered in mud splatter. In
any case, we felt relieved.I was trying to calm my inner voice
from being too melodramatic, while somehowutterly certain they were right that we would
never make it off that service roadif we kept going those last few miles,
(23:15):
even though it seemed so easy.We were incredibly grateful for the company
and kind reassurance, thanked them andstarted back the way we came. The
pickup remained behind us as promised fora little while, and then fell back
until the next time we glanced behindus, it was out of sight.
I remember there was a point wherewe were almost at the top of the
(23:37):
ridge and we could see the roadzigzagging all the way down to the bottom
where it flattened out. We hada clear view, but the pickup was
nowhere to be seen. It wassimply gone, had vanished. We continued,
knowing it was more important to keepgoing than to stop and wait.
We were moving steadily uphill, meaningwe couldn't really stop on the muddy terrain
(24:02):
without starting to roll backward. It'sdifficult to explain, but we could sense
the presence of the pickup truck behindus and took great comfort in knowing while
assuming it was behind us somewhere.This gave me the confidence I needed to
keep driving. We never saw thepickup again, but thankfully finally made it
(24:22):
back out onto the highway before sunset. Realizing we were safe, we both
started talking NonStop about what we hadjust experienced, Even though my friend Sarah
was not paranormally inclined. She sharedher premonition that something terrible would have happened
to us on that road if thatcouple and their dog hadn't shown up.
(24:44):
She insisted they weren't real, orat least not alive, and went so
far as to call them our guardianangels. I'd never heard her use that
kind of language before. We weremad at ourselves too. Of course,
we have been so thorough and preparingfor our camping trip, and the day
trip to Castletown was admittedly and afterthought. At the same time, people utilized
(25:10):
that road all the time. Yetwe found ourselves isolated in poor conditions,
and our situation became serious faster thanwe were equipped to handle it. If
the couple and their dog were spirits, they didn't seem like ghosts in the
traditional sense. It felt like theymaterialized off the pages of a classic novel
(25:30):
and were exactly who we needed atthat moment to comfort us and convince us
to make the right choice. I'vebeen hearing a lot about third man syndrome
lately, an inexplicable and comforting appearanceof a person presence or voice that guides
people in imminent danger to safety.There are many fascinating stories about this phenomenon,
(25:52):
and I wonder if we experienced it. I've always wondered what fate would
have awaited us otherwise on that lastflat stretch road. Visions of a stalking
mountain lion periodically ran through my headthat day and even now as I remember
the incident, But my menacing almostsurreal feelings of dread amounted to and still
(26:15):
feel more sinister than that. I'llnever forget those kind strangers, their beautiful
dog, and their old white pickup. We spoke for less than a minute,
but I'm eternally grateful for their helpand have some of the warmest feelings
for them that I've ever had foranyone, whoever or whatever they were.
(26:49):
Thanks for listening to Paranormality Magazine.Get more information about the magazine and subscribe
to our monthly publication at paranormality magdot com. That's paranormalitymag dot com,
or click the link in the showdescription, and if you're a researcher or
investigator, send us your stories.We might feature you on our next issue.
(27:12):
If you have a paranormal podcast,you can add it to our website
so our readers can find your showand artists. If you'd like your work
to be featured in our magazine oron our back cover, contact us again.
Our website is paranormalitymag dot com.I'm Darren Marler, and I'll have
more paranormal for you next time.From Paranormality Magazine.
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