There are some who say, "It's down there," and we can only believe them.
At night, putting your ear to the ground, you can sometimes hear a door slam.
- Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
U r s u l a B i e l s k i (of Chicago Hauntings) &
E d w a r d L. S h a n a h a n (of the Unexplained World)
p r e s e n t
B E Y O N D t h e V E I L
One night. One location. One chance to cross over.
Join Ursula Bielski, the city's acclaimed ghost hunter and paranormal reseasrcher, and
Edward L. Shanahan,
Gatekeeper of the Unexplained World, as they usher you into some of the Midwest's most notorious locations for an intimate night of exploration
and intrigue. Guests
are encouraged to bring their own philosophies about the paranormal as
well as minds open to the ideas and methods of others. Ursula and
Ed
will share their thoughts about the power of spiritual connections and
of
intuitive paranormal investigation, and they'll also introduce guests
to simple investigative tools that can be made at home.
During
the
course of each meeting, Ed welcomes guests to bring items of loved ones
for psychometry readings, and Ursula will be available throughout
each evening to answer questions on the history and folklore
of life's supernatural side. Both hosts look forward to talking with guests about each attendee's own spiritual
and paranormal journeys.
Beyond the Veil meets
on location, and attendance is extremely limited to ensure the
most profound experience possible for all involved.
Guests will learn the shadowy history of each meeting
place, hear legends of the paranormal as experienced at the
site, freely explore the physical surroundings, and participate
in a number of spiritual exercises designed to heighten spiritual
awareness and paranormal activity, including Edward Shanahan's famed
"Circle of Energy." More than anything else, we'll simply enjoy
spending time together in these
profoundly intriguing places.
A portion of the proceeds of each event will be donated to a parapsychological research foundation or organization. For reservations and more information, call 1-888-GHOST-91, or
click on the reservation link below for your desired meeting.
S C H E D U L E
Saturday evening, September 15th, 2007 T h e H u m p h r e y H o u s e Orland Park, Illinois Only 14 tickets will be sold.
Ed
Shanahan was drawn to stop his car and knock upon the door of this
unassuming home one Fall afternoon. He soon found that the house
had some tales to tell. The home of Senator and Mrs. John
Humphrey, the couple lived in this Orland Park home until their first
child died at birth. The infant girl was buried at nearby
Bachelors Grove, one of the most haunted cemeteries in the world.
When Mrs. Humphrey was found dead in the house soon after,
extraordinary events at both the home and the cemetery began, leading even the home's caretakers to wonder whether the
famed "Madonna of Bachelors Grove"--one of Chicago's most infamous
phantoms--is, in fact, the shade of Mrs. Humphrey bearing her lost
child. A ticket to this intriguing event includes full access to the
Humphrey House for the entire evening's event, and guidance through the past history and present hauntings of this fabled structure.
EVENT REPORT: Humphrey House, Orland Park, Illinois. September 15, 2007
"Had such a great time!" "Enjoyed it immensely." "Ed's readings were phenomenal." "Ursula's guidance . . . really taught me a lot." "The experience was . . . more than a little spooky. I was literally shaking."
An intriguing time was had by all who attended our September 15th event at the Humphrey House
in Orland Park, Illinois. Gracious members of the Orland Park
Historical Society were on hand throughout the evening to provide
information about the erstwhile residents of the house, and also of the family's sometimes disturbing history. Many
guests felt uneasy upon first entering into the unassuming home,
especially in the children's bedroom upstairs, where a sense of
heaviness and shortness of breath
was reported by a number of attendees. Upon further examination,
the room was found to bear an inordinate number of deep, long cracks in
the plaster, one of which passed right through
a framed family portrait, the frame and glass cracked as well. Ed
Shanahan sensed that deep emotional disturbances had occurred in the
room and had left these physical reminders behind.
After the initial tours of the house,
guests split up into three groups and spent time separately on each
floor of the house. In the parlor, each group seemed to make
contact with a little boy and his mother through the use of dowsing
rods. Temperature drops also occurred during these
"conversations," as well as several instances of unexplained
fluctuations in the EMF (Electro Magnetic Field), leading some present
to believe that something paranormal was indeed at work.
During the evening, guests participated in two circles of energy, designed to tap into the past events and present energies in the house, one held in an upstairs storage area and one in the first floor parlor. During the second circle, one of the guests became aware of a heavy force pushing down on his body, and
sensed the willful, overpowering presence of John Humphrey. This guest
sensed that the late Mr. Humphrey was preventing the other entities in
the house of making contact with the circle, imposing his will even
long after death.
We'll definitely be returning to the Humphrey House for another Beyond the Veil
event. To be informed of the next event here, please join our
mailing list by sending an email to info@hauntingchicago.com Hope
to see you soon beond the veil!
Sunday evening, September 30th, 2007 f r a n k i e ' s r o a d h o u s e Willow Springs, Illinois Only 20 tickets will be sold.
Return
to one of Chicago's most notoriously haunted sites for an evening like
you've never experienced. Previously Rico D's and Cavallone's,
this authentic speakeasy is believed to shelter a mass gangland grave
under the basement floor. Once settled, we'll enjoy dinner and ghost stories
as only Ursula Bielski can tell them. After a tour of the premises, we'll venture into a realm seldom
traversed: the ancient and spirit-ridden woods beyond Archer Avenue,
one of the most haunted byways in the world. These woods are believed
to have been part of Native American sacred ground, and Indian graves
here are said to still radiate paranormal energies throughout this
haunted region. With Ed Shanahan as our guide, we'll attempt to
tap into this sacred energy and experience the age-old truths of this
electric land. A ticket to this event includes pizza, salad
and one drink--choice of pop or beer--, tour of premises and full
access to the expansive rear woods for the duration of the evening's event.
EVENT REPORT: Frankie's Roadhouse: September 30, 2007
A
bizarre--and short--time was had by all who attended this event.
We arrived to find that there was no power in the building and
that our ghost hunt would be lit by candlelight alone. Fine by us, but
not to the Willow Springs Police Department, who showed up at the door
and forced our evacuation after about an hour. The owner told us
it was because we were ghost hunting, and claimed that one week before
there had been 150 extreme skateboarders partying on the back patio
with live bands blaring until 3am, with nary a peep form the
authorities. Hmmmm . . . . the intrigue of this place never ends . . .
We will try to reschedule this event for the future. Can't wait to see what happens next!
Saturday and Sunday, November 10th-11th, 2007 c a p o n e ' s s u l p h e r s p r i n g s & s t a r v e d r o c k
Ottawa, Illinois B&B accomodations are extremely limited. Spend
a haunted night along the Fox River in historic DeBolt House, a
comfortable bed and breakfast just a stone's throw from the abandoned
Sulpher Springs resort, a favorite haunt of Al Capone. Spend
the afternoon touring the gangland haunts of the Starved Rock
region, enjoy a campfire BBQ amid tales of the unknown, and spend
the night ghost hunting at Capone's wishing well, Stations of the Cross, and almost 71 acres of haunted forest. A
ticket to this
event includes comfortable accomodations at the Fox River Bed &
Breakfast, full tour of area gangland historical sites and haunted
Starved Rock, Bobby's famous BBQ dinner around the campfire,
on-your-own ghosthunting Saturday night on 71 acres of historic--and
haunted--land, and breakfast Sunday morning. Accomodations vary
and bed and breakfast accomodations are extremely limited. Call
early for best selection.
EVENT REPORT: Sulfer Springs and Starved Rock, Illinois. November 10/11, 2007
"Amazing. Just Amazing." ". . . one of the most eye-openings weekends I've ever had." "There is definitely something out there." "I'm hooked!"
We
gathered at noon at the historic DeBolt house just outside Ottawa,
Illinois, in the beautiful Fox River Valley. While we got settled in,
Bobby Joe, our gracious host, entertained us with tales of the historic
house, where Charles Lindbergh spent a night after his mail plane
crashed in the adjacent field during the 1920s. At 1:30, we boarded the Ottawa Fun
Bus for a fascinating tour of the Valley's gangland sites. The
afternoon was gorgeous, with the leaves having turned from the sudden
cold, and we all thorougly enjoyed the excellent guide, author Dan
Churney, an Ottawa native and expert on his subject. Before
descending into St. Louis Canyon, site of the Staved Rock Murders, we
enjoyed a drink and the view from the pub at Starved Rock Lodge.
The Canyon hike was all we had hoped for and more, as Dan knew all the
details of the murder case--which he supplemented with crime scene
photos he shared with our group. We traded theories and
possibilities for nearly an hour at the murder site before reluctantly
heading back to the bus as the sun dipped.
Back at DeBolt house, we were met by delicious smells from the kitchen.
As we eagerly awaited dinner, we enjoyed a great cocktail hour,
sharing ghost stories with our new friends-in-ghosthunting, as some
brave souls got a campfire going against the chilly evening air.
After dinner, we prepared for our ghost hunting expedition into
the haunted woods surrounding the house. Our destination?
The area known as "Capone's Wishing Well," a grotto which marked
the original healing springs. Many had felt strange sensations at
the area during our earlier walk, and Ed Shanahan in partiular felt it
would be the perfect site for his "Circle of Energy." Armed with
dowsing rods, cameras, thermometers, compasses, video and audio
recorders, and gaussmeters, we made our way through the woods to the
site, where Ed chose the members for the Circle and others readied
their monitoring equipment.
The
accompanying photos, provided by one of the attendees, provide
something of a physical counterpart to what we experienced during
that circle, when dowsing rods confirmed the presence of a former
sanitarium guest, extreme bodily pains and pressures were felt by
nearly all the circle members, and cameras and audio recorders
mysteriously died. One member or our group suddenly and inexplicably burst into tears.
Though we had planned additonal exploration into the old sanitarium and a second Circle of
Energy at the Stations of the Cross, we were all so spooked by the experience of the first Circle, and by the
feelings of dread and foreboding of the sensitive members of the group,
that we returned instead to the house for the remainder of the evening.
We'll definitely be returning to DeBolt House next year for another Beyond the Veil event.
To receive news of the next Sulpher Springs and Starved Rock
overnight, as well as all of our other special events, please join our
mailing list by sending an email to info@hauntingchicago.com Hope
to see you soon beyond the veil!
Saturday evening, December 8, 2007 t h e g h o s t s o f c h r i s t m a s p a s t Chicago Only 20 tickets will be sold.
Join Beyond the Veil
for
a Christmas party like no other. We'll gather in Chicago's Prairie
Avenue District, a neighborhood built on the killing fields of
the 1812 Fort Dearborn Massacre, to board the Chicago Hauntings bus for
on-location stories of the city's Christmastime hauntings: the Iroqouis
Theater Disaster, the supernatural tales of Holy Family Parish, the
loss of the Chritmas Tree Ship, and the deadly fire at Our Lady of
Angels School. Afterwards, we'll enjoy cocktails and dinner in the
gorgeous dining room of Glessner House, one of Prairie Avenue's only
original structures, and take a guided tour of the premises from a
museum docent. During our repast, ghostlorist Ursula Bielski will
thrill guests with tales of haunted turn-of-the-century Chicago.
At meal's end, we'll join hands for an
after-dinner seance
(Victorian-style, around the dining table), hosted by Ed Shanahan, in
an attempt to contact the spirit of the house's architect, Henry Hobson
Richardson, believed to still haunt his final commission. A
ticket to this event includes bus tour hosted by Chicago Hauntings,
tour of Glessner House, cocktails and dinner, and participation in the
after-dinner seance.
-$95 per person- (bus tour, dinner and seance inclusive)
A percentage of the proceeds of this event will be donated to the Koestler Parapsychology Unitat the University of Edinburgh
For reservations, call 888-GHOST-91
or visit our reservation page by clicking here. ______________________________________________________________________________________
Saturday evening, May 3rd, 2008 V i l l i s c a a x e m u r d e r h o u s e Villisca, Iowa Only 8 tickets will be sold.
"Almost
95 years ago, long before serial killers and mass murders had become a
way of life, two adults and 6 children were found brutally murdered in
their beds in the small mid-western town of Villisca, Iowa. Even
today, the murders remain unsolved, the murderer unpunished.
In 1994, Darwin and Martha Linn of Corning, Iowa purchased the
former home of murder victim J.B. Moore and his family. The house was
returned to its original condition at the time of the murders on June
10th, 1912. Today, the house is listed on the National Registrar of
Historic Places. Films and books on the murders have recently
captured the interest of an audience who had never heard of this
horrendous crime. Psychics claim they've identified the murderer, and
history buffs continue collecting piles of documents they say will
eventually point to the truth. Once you've . . . been
drawn into this story, I can guarantee that it will become a part of
your life. At first, you'll feel an insatiable need for information.
Secondly, you'll find within yourself a desire to know the truth, to
unmask the identity of the murder or murderers and see justice done.
Finally, you'll feel the pull to the house. You won't be satisfied with
anyone else's experiences there, and you'll need to have your own."
-Carol Knight, webmaster, VilliscaIowa.com
Surrender to the pull, and join us at this indescribable house for
a private overnight at this surreal place, during the 95th anniversary week of
the Villisca murders. We'll meet at sunset at the Linn Museum in
Villisca and learn the history of the house from current owner, Darwin
Linn. After touring the town cemetery--including the graves of
the murder victims--we'll enjoy dinner in town with old and new friends
before proceeding to
the house itself. Prepare yourself for a night of wonder and discovery
in one of the most unsettling homes in the nation. Stay as long
as you feel
comfortable. We'll have the house until dawn, and accomodations
afterward are on your own. Sleeping bags are welcomed for naps in the loft of the Moore home's barn.
-$125 per person- (dinner inclusive)
A percentage of the proceeds of this event will be donated to the MESA Project
For reservations, call 888-GHOST-91
or visit our reservation page by clicking here. _____________________________________________________________________________________
Spring, 2008
C A M P C H E S T E R F I E L D S P I R I T U A L I S T C A M P Chesterfield, Indiana Only 14 tickets will be sold
Travel
to one of the only remaining Spiritualist camps in the nation as we
join our friends in Light at historic Camp Chesterfield, one of the
centers of American Spiritualism since 1891. We'll enjoy peaceful
Springtime surroundings on the White River, enjoy a full tour of the
camp, participate in an authentic Spiritualist seance and, of course,
search for the spirits said to haunt the historic grounds of this
fabled gathering place. A ticket to this event includes overnight
hotel accomodations at the camp and seance with a camp medium, as well
as admission to The Hett Art Gallery and Museum, which strives to
preserve and display art and artifacts of the Modern Spiritualist
Movement. The museum houses the most extensive collection of
its kind, including Psychic Art and Inspirational Painting, portraits
precipitated by the nationally recognized mediums Elizabeth and Mary
Bang in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the internationally famous
Marion Buckner Pond McKenzie's collection of the Fox Sister artifacts.
Meals and additional readings and services are on your own, with
a dining hall on the grounds for guests' enjoyment. Exact date
will be scheduled soon, but you may tentatively reserve a spot for this
March or April trip as soon as you like.
-$125 per person- (includes accomodations and group seance)
A percentage of the proceeds of this event will be donated to the Division of Perceptual Studies
of the University of Virginia's Department of Psychiatric Medicine (Health System)
For reservations, call 888-GHOST-91
or visit our reservation page by clicking here.
_____________________ A B O U T Y O U R H O S T S ______________________
Edward L. Shanahan
is one of Chicago's most respected and astute psychic feelers, and is
also gifted in the art of psychometry--deducing spiritual truths from
the personal items of loved ones. Ed, a native of Chicago's
richly storied Southwest side, began his lifelong involvement with the
unknown as a young child, when his mom bought him his first magic
set at Ford City. Magic did not long hold Ed's attention; however. He
soon discovered Real Magick and, accordingly, became engaged in
exploring the realities of the unseen world. As a young man, Ed
was intrigued by the work of his uncle, a handwriting analyst, who
sometimes appeared on Eddie Schwartz's popular Chicago radio show, and
he was intrigued by the stories told by famed Chicago personality
Richard Crowe, one of the world's first full-time "ghosthunters." As a
teenager, Ed began his first wide-eyed journeys into Chicago's
paranormal underworld to explore some of Chicago's most
notoriously haunted sites. Ever since, Ed's joy has
been exploring both the spiritual and paranormal realms with
fellow travelers from around Chicago and around the world, but he's
also explored the world of high celebrity in the Pro-Wrestling and
Glamour industries. Today, Ed's web community, "The Unexplained
World," draws thousands of visitors each week, many of whom tune in to
his popular and acclaimed webcast of the same name, and he remains a
popular reader at private and public gatherings throughout the Chicago
area. Ed has contributed to Jeff Belanger's Encyclopedia of Haunted Places and Scott Markus' Voices from the Chicago Grave, as well as Ursula Bielski's forthcoming Chicago Haunts 3: From the Secret Files of Chicago Hauntings, Inc.
Ursula Bielski is the founder of Chicago Hauntings, Inc. An historian, writer, and
parapsychology enthusiast, she has been writing and lecturing about Chicago's
supernatural folklore and the paranormal for nearly 20 years and is recognized as a
Ed
Shanahan was drawn to stop his car and knock upon the door of this
unassuming home one Fall afternoon. He soon found that the house
had some tales to tell. The home of Senator and Mrs. John
Humphrey, the couple lived in this Orland Park home until their first
child died at birth. The infant girl was buried at nearby
Bachelors Grove, one of the most haunted cemeteries in the world.
When Mrs. Humphrey was found dead in the house soon after,
extraordinary events at both the home and the cemetery began, leading even the home's caretakers to wonder whether the
famed "Madonna of Bachelors Grove"--one of Chicago's most infamous
phantoms--is, in fact, the shade of Mrs. Humphrey bearing her lost
child. A ticket to this intriguing event includes full access to the
Humphrey House for the entire evening's event, and guidance through the past history and present hauntings of this fabled structure.
and
sensed the willful, overpowering presence of John Humphrey. This guest
sensed that the late Mr. Humphrey was preventing the other entities in
the house of making contact with the circle, imposing his will even
long after death.
Spend
a haunted night along the Fox River in historic DeBolt House, a
comfortable bed and breakfast just a stone's throw from the abandoned
Sulpher Springs resort, a favorite haunt of Al Capone. Spend
the afternoon touring the gangland haunts of the Starved Rock
region, enjoy a campfire BBQ amid tales of the unknown, and spend
the night ghost hunting at 
"Almost
95 years ago, long before serial killers and mass murders had become a
way of life, two adults and 6 children were found brutally murdered in
their beds in the small mid-western town of Villisca, Iowa. Even
today, the murders remain unsolved, the murderer unpunished.
In 1994, Darwin and Martha Linn of Corning, Iowa purchased the
former home of murder victim J.B. Moore and his family. The house was
returned to its original condition at the time of the murders on June
10th, 1912. Today, the house is listed on the National Registrar of
Historic Places. Films and books on the murders have recently
captured the interest of an audience who had never heard of this
horrendous crime. Psychics claim they've identified the murderer, and
history buffs continue collecting piles of documents they say will
eventually point to the truth. Once you've . . . been
drawn into this story, I can guarantee that it will become a part of
your life. At first, you'll feel an insatiable need for information.
Secondly, you'll find within yourself a desire to know the truth, to
unmask the identity of the murder or murderers and see justice done.
Finally, you'll feel the pull to the house. You won't be satisfied with
anyone else's experiences there, and you'll need to have your own."
Ursula Bielski is the founder of Chicago Hauntings, Inc. An historian, writer, and
parapsychology enthusiast, she has been writing and lecturing about Chicago's
supernatural folklore and the paranormal for nearly 20 years and is recognized as a