Story: My mom went through alot of ghost problems as a kid. Mostly because her grandma attracted ghosts and mediums that see ghosts as well. (One of her medium friends I have known since birth) Anyway, in my grandpa's house there were three ghosts. One was our Uncle Henry that just hung around playing tricks, slamming doors, messing with the lights, etc. However, the other two had already been in that house for a long time. My Grandma's friends always told her to be careful of them. They were said to be two men in their mid-twenties and were pretty vicious against women. They usually hung around the top of the staircase. My mom hated them. One of the things they did was push her down the staircase. She broke quite alot of bones from them either pushing her or her trying to get down the stairs as fast as possible and tripping. She remembers the feeling when they would push her. She said it was like someone coming up from behind and shoving you extremely hard in the back. Eventually they exercised the house and the ghosts left along with Uncle Henry. My mom laughs about it today (she's in her 30/40s) but I don't think I would be able to be so happy about it if it happened to me.

This house was on the South Side of Chicago and is no longer haunted to my knowledge. --Zoe

Response from Slim Pictures: Thanks for sharing the story - quite a unique one. If there's anything more to share (background on the guys, etc.), please let us know.

Story/Question: I currently live in Plainfield, IL, which could also be known as Joliet (we are on the border between the two). My husband and I lived here for seven years. It all started when my first daughter was born. Every night I had a routine of turning on her CD player with relaxing music. Like most CDs, there are 12 songs. They play and the CD stops. After some time, there was nights when my daughter would begin to wake and start to fuss. The CD would begin to play again on its own. This went on for months. We never though much of this.

When my daughter was six or seven months old I was bathing her when she began to look over my shoulder, down the hall as if she was looking at someone or someones face, someone she knew. This is when I got a little freaked out. There was nothing there and there was nothing that would have gotten her attention.

When she was about 2 to 2 1/2, she started to predict things. She was always right. Big deal, right? Well, then she started to talk about my Grandfather who had passed away about 12 years prior. She would say things that there was no way she could ever know unless she spent some time with him, like Grandpa Frank gave me money for my piggy. My Grandfather's way of showing love was to give things, like money, items, etc.

Then, I was laying with her in her bed when she said, " Mommy, Grandpa Frank is here." He says he will protect me. YIKES, right? I was not sure what to do. I just layed there and held my eyes closed as tight as I could.

Then, I obtained my Grandmother's old cabinets that were in her home, which my Grandfather had made by hand. Things started to get freaky. I would hear footsteps on my first floor, which is hardwood, and at the time my husband would travel a lot, so I would be upstairs and hear the sounds of suitcase wheels and footsteps across the floor. I didn't think much of it. I thought my husband was home. So I'd sit, wait, and nothing. Of course I'd go downstairs and no one was there. My garage door would sound like it opened and closed and once again no one was here.

Just recently, my brother in-law was over and we had been doing some work in the basement and discussing the cabinets, my Grandfather, spirits, etc. and he made a negative comment about sprits and ghosts and all of a sudden the beer he had been drinking started to foam. Any advice or comments? -Kareen

Response from Slim Pictures: It is very easy to understand and emphasize with someone finding an uneasy feeling (to say the least) in having a brush with the "other side." That said, the type of haunting you and your daughter have experienced is one of the most common types of hauntings - a visitation haunting. There certainly is a long history of younger people being able to see things that adults cannot. Though it may be a bit disconcerting, most people do find comfort in knowing a loved one you may miss is not far away after all.

Your next occurrence involving hearing footsteps, garage door and suitcase wheels are a different type of haunting all together. In truth, it's a phenomena that may have been happening all along. The reason you haven't witnessed it until now is that, as a result of knowing of your daughters 'encounters,' you are more aware, and, know it or not you are exercising your psychic muscle. We've had similar stories at my house. Our offices are in the basement and we would hear someone enter the house, walk across the kitchen and toss their keys on the counter. Just like your story, no one is there, and it's fairly common. Theoretically, the person coming home was thinking about their actions (or we were thinking about the person coming home and their typical actions), and these are represented in an auditory form. Just a theory, like everything else in this field, but, again, it's not uncommon.

At the same time, having an 'entity' connected to a physical object (your grandfather's cabinets) is also something that happens. I know sensitive people who won't even go to an antique shop for just that reason.

As far as advice goes, there isn't much to give. What you have going on around your home is positive and, at the very least, not destructive or angry. It's not a bad idea to find a medium to visit your home simply to make sure that the spirit(s) in your house are happy there. However, it seems like they are and it's something you should embrace.

Also, what kind of things did your daughter predict correctly?

Response from Slim Pictures: It is very easy to understand and emphasize with someone finding an uneasy feeling (to say the least) in having a brush with the "other side." That said, the type of haunting you and your daughter have experienced is one of the most common types of hauntings - a visitation haunting. There certainly is a long history of younger people being able to see things that adults cannot. Though it may be a bit disconcerting, most people do find comfort in knowing a loved one you may miss is not far away after all.

Your next occurrence involving hearing footsteps, garage door and suitcase wheels are a different type of haunting all together. In truth, it's a phenomena that may have been happening all along. The reason you haven't witnessed it until now is that, as a result of knowing of your daughters 'encounters,' you are more aware, and, know it or not you are exercising your psychic muscle. We've had similar stories at my house. Our offices are in the basement and we would hear someone enter the house, walk across the kitchen and toss their keys on the counter. Just like your story, no one is there, and it's fairly common. Theoretically, the person coming home was thinking about their actions (or we were thinking about the person coming home and their typical actions), and these are represented in an auditory form. Just a theory, like everything else in this field, but, again, it's not uncommon.

At the same time, having an 'entity' connected to a physical object (your grandfather's cabinets) is also something that happens. I know sensitive people who won't even go to an antique shop for just that reason.

As far as advice goes, there isn't much to give. What you have going on around your home is positive and, at the very least, not destructive or angry. It's not a bad idea to find a medium to visit your home simply to make sure that the spirit(s) in your house are happy there. However, it seems like they are and it's something you should embrace.

Also, what kind of things did your daughter predict correctly?

Reply: It all started with simple things. My daughter and I would be in the kitchen playing together or reading a book and she'd say," Mamma, Pappa's home (my husband)," and I'd say, "No, he's not." She continued to insist, so I walked over and looked out the garage door. Nope, then I'd walk to the front door, after she still insisted. Sure enough as soon as I opened the door there he was pulling in the drive-way.

She said she was getting a Lion Care Bear for christmas... and I just said, "Oh, really, we'll see what Santa brings." She insisted. Later I came to find out that my mother got one for her. Before that there was never any talk about such item or anything like it.

She'd say, out of nowhere, "Mom, my fairy godmother (her godmother) was sick." Note that she does not see her very often nor does she talk with her. I then called my dad, her sister and asked him to call and see if she was okay. Later, found out she was very ill.

Story: There is an old white farm house near the site of the train wreck on route 24. It is severely haunted. My dad lived in this house when he moved from Forrest. I hated to come and visit him. The TV would turn channels by its self and the old wringer washer in the basement would be moved around. Something could always be heard on the stairs and cabinets and drawers would be opened. My brother lived with him here and I would only visit in the summer. I never stayed in the house and would not go in to use the bathroom alone. We played outside a lot. There is a big pole barn in the back and a propane tank towards the side front of the house. There is also a cemetery in the far back of the property. My dad moved a long time ago but still lives in Chatsworth and although his new house looks scary and haunted I am okay to be there. I live near Joliet and to this day I cannot drive by that house and look in that direction. Something or someone is in that house.
I know Chatsworth is haunted. -- Randi C

Response from Slim Pictures: Thanks for your submission. I know you're not the first person to write to us about Chatsworth, Illinois being a haunted town. For those who don't know, Chatsworth is about four hours south of Joliet and two hours west of Evansville, IN. Those of us in Northern Illinois tend to be pretty narrow-sighted in terms of history, often not looking further south than Chicago when it comes to local history. However, the Chatsworth train wreck of 1887 that killed 80 people who were traveling from Peoria, IL to Niagra Falls, NY. You can find out more here. I'd love it if you had any pictures of the house today or from your past there. When was your last visit to the house. Do you believe the hauntings to be linked to the cemetery, to the train wreck or something else? Have you ever done any research on the house?

Comment: Got your book and video Book very good, Just wondering about Brads haunted House in Oak Park. I belong to the Ghost Research Society of Oaklawn. We would be interested in any Hauntings that your readers have. Thanks DG

Story: Two nights ago me and my friends were driving around looking for "creepy" roads and the like, and stumbled upon this big white house. My friend's mouth just dropeed and she turned white. I look at her and ask whats going on and she says she knows about this house and that its haunted. A mutual friend of ours, Kim, as she explained to me, babysat for these people who live right behind this creepy house. When Kim went to babysit, the mother said to her, "They kids may say some things that are kinda weird, don't listen to them and tell them they are not aloud to talk about it." So she
said ok and the mom left. Of course, curiosity kicked in and and she asked the kids about it. There is a 3 year-old boy and a 7 year-old girl. Kim asked the 3 yo boy first. He said he sometimes goes outside and sees 3 shadows of boys walking into the forest. So Kim thought, ok wierd but whatever. Then she asked the little girl. The girl said sometimes at night in her window she sees a face of a lady that talks to her. Kim got a little scared at this one and just told the kids there was nothing to it and to calm down. Later, the mom came home and asked how everything went and Kim said fine and left.
She went home and looked up the legend of the white house and read that it was a Catholic school and one day 3 boys left class and found an ice cream truck with alcohol in it and got drunk. They walked into the forest and were missing for several days and later found dead with their heads on crosses back in the forest. The school was blamed for all of this and was shut down. Now the nun that was teaching the class those boys were in got fired and had
nowhere to go. No money, no friends, no family, so she hung hereself in one of the top rooms.
A few days later Kim went back to babysit and asked the mom if she knew of the story of the house. The mom said that she did but did not believe it. Kim also said that the mother never told the kids about it, yet the young boy saw 3 shadows walking into the forest...with no prior knowledge of it.

Tonight at midnight me and some of my buds are gonna go in with a video camera. Reply if you want to know more from our expierence.

response from Slim Pictures:  Yes! Send as much info as you can. The story is phenominal so far!

Story/Question: Hi! I am very curious about this picture that was taken in the kitchen of our house by a friend of my daughters that was spending the night. The picture is of my daughter taken with a digital camera. I was just wondering if you could give me your opinion of the picture.
I can, if you would like, e-mail you the details off this location in our home and give you more details about sightings there.

I would also like to include a story about White Cemetery on Cuba Rd. which happened at least 15 yrs ago. Having nothing better to do, a group of us planed a trip to the cemetery (which was our favorite pasttime). The gates to the cemetery were open almost like it was waiting for us to come. We were all dressed in dark colors to act as camouflage from passing cars. We had all for the most part split up throughout the cemetery. Me and this other person were in the back left corner of the cemetery. A car had just passed, so we resumed our activities of exploring. I got a very weird foreboding that I should watch this other person all I could really see were their white gym shoes so I was watching their feet move through the cemetery which then passed behind a head stone only they never came out on the other side. I called everyone over and we immediately began to look for this person we checked the fence line which gave no indication of having an opening for a person to get through. We searched everywhere after about half an hour we decided that we needed to go back to where all of our cars where parked.

He was waiting there with a story that we left him there and he walked straight down Cuba Road to 59 to the nearest gas station and called someone for a ride and here he was almost out of nowhere. I'd like to say that this was an elaborate hoax and he had someone waiting there to drive him to the other location, but I really still cannot explain how the white gym shoes disappeared out of my sight. Any direction that he could have gone in I would have seen the shoes. Thank You For Your Time -- Jodie

response from Slim Pictures: 

Story: I am not sure where this house was, but when I was 16 years old, and now I am 47, we found this deserted mansion, in the Cuba road area.

It was the strangest thing, and it haunts me to this day.

This beautiful home was deserted. Being teenagers, naturally we were drinking beer and exploring the house. It was so huge to us, and we could not believe that someone could just close the door and leave a place like this.

I don't remember much in the main house, but I do remember a smaller house, or guest house, that was on the property across from the main house, and we found all sorts of pictures of the of the house when it was in it's glory, I think I remember being in an attic or upper floor. People were standing in front of the mansion, like a family, and we also found receipts from funerals and very personal stuff. There were lots of law books like the person was a lawyer or something.

It had been ransacked previously, but I vividly remember the pictures of the famlily in front of the mansion. I have often wondered what caused this abandonment and where did the family end up. Can you shed any light on this? -- Lisa

response from Slim Pictures: 

Question: Me and my friend visited a house and we video taped the house and we heard voices and stuff on it and trains that weren't there. We would like to know the history on it, if you could provide that. it is located in Willow Springs. We don't know if its abandoned or what. its a blue house (Victorian) with crosses on the windows and it has an ambulance in the drive way on the side of the house from the 20's or 40's.  Please, it would be so awesome if you could give us some info on it. please peace, --kristine and stephy

Response from Slim Pictures:  If the house you speak of, is it the one pictured here: theunexplainedworld.com/ Unexplmiscphotos/ pages/ housefront_jpg.htm, send an eMail to Ed Shanahan (the web master of The Unexplained World). That's his neck of the woods and he knows more than I. Thanks for your inquiry, good luck in your quest for info.  What I can tell you is that it is not abandoned.  It is a private residence and please respect the privacy of the people living there  I doubt anybody would be crazy about 'ghost hunters' crawling around their yards with video cameras in hand.

Update: There's some crazy Hickory Hills police officer out there (or someone impersonating one) that is by eMail threatening people who even mention the house on a web site (I know first hand and the webmaster of "The Unexplained World" has had to deal with this guy as well. So, yeah, they're apparently crazy up-tight, so steer clear.

Story/Question: I'm pretty sure my house is haunted. I'm never that sure what to think when weird stuff happens in my house. My parent's think I'm nuts whenever I say our house is haunted. There have been a few really freaky things that have happend to me. I live in Plainfield. My parents say our house was built on farm land. There was one night I remember so clearly. I was 8, I think. I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so I got up. I looked down the hall to the kitchen and saw a girl about my age then standing at the fridge, getting some water. She was just standing there, drinking the water and looking at the magnets and pictures of my brother and I. I thought it was my friend, who might have spent the night until I remembered it was a school night. I freaked out and jumped back in bed. Nothing more like that happend for a while. I learned to not look down the hall when I woke up to go to the bathroom. My friend and I are Wiccans so we believe Oujia boreds really do work. Last year on Halloween, we were working with her and we contacted a little girl that was alive during the Civil War and had her throat slit by Confederate soliders. There have also been cases of me seeing things out of the corner of my eye. There was one other thing the scared the hell out of me. I was standing in the door way of my bathroom while I was putting my belt on and I looked up. I saw someone through the foyer wall into my living room. I booked it out to my bus. I've also heard people walking around behind me as I'm at the computer. Last year, I even had a ghost...stalker for lack of better words. It's all starting to really get the better of me. Is there anyway to figure out if my house is haunted? -- Jessica

response from Slim Pictures:  Jessica, First off, thanks for sharing your interesting story.  It certainly does sound like there's quite a bit going on at your place.  First thing's first though, always remember to determine something happening as being a paranormal event as a last resort.  Skepticism is one of the best traits a paranormal investigator should have.  As fir Oujia boards, I'm sure you're aware that they have the potential to be dangerous and the answers you get aren't necessarily true stories - even if you are getting answers from the other side.  Tall tales, jokes and outright lies are just as common coming from people living or dead.  As for getting an answer, I would suggest contacting a medium such as McHenry's Denise Guzzardo, Mundelein's Susan Wiseheart, or Chicago's Dave Black (sos-chicago.com).  Good luck with your quest and keep us posted!

Question/Comment: Hello Scott, I received your book on Monday and I have not put it down yet. Thank you very much it is very informative!!!!

I l led several ghost hunts this year to Robinson Woods. Last year I caught many highly glowing orbs and colored ones as well. I have so far caught two orbs and had many temperature changes this year. The digital thermometer went from 57 degrees to 46 degrees and in another area on a different night it went from 47 degrees to 61 degrees. I am going to head back there next Friday with my group. We will be heading however to Cuba Rd first on the night of 10/29/04 to examine White Cemetery and the bridge with the suicide. I have been to the asylum last year several times. We had a friend who would drive around because of the parking issue and a small group of us would deploy and look around for about 45 minutes. We would then call him and he would come and get us. Unfortunately he is now in San Francisco. Anyway those are the ghost-hunting plans for next week. Thanks Again - Dan

Response from Slim Pictures:  Dan, I'm very happy to hear that you're happy with the book. Feel free to submit your stories and/or pictures to the web site. Of course have fun and be careful on Oct. 29, but also keep a look out. Being such a well-known ghost site, the Cuba Road area is highly patroled.

This same letter was sent to fellow ghost hunters/researchers Henry Pena (chicagoghosthunterssociety.net), Dale Kaczmarek (ghostresearch.org) and John Cachel (http://pages.prodigy.net/ghostfish/)

Question: My wife and I have been interested in "ghost hunting" for years.  We have also been researching the subject for years.  We recently broke down and started buying some equipment (no touch infra red thermometer, EMF detector, assorted audio recorders) along with our existing Sony camcorder w/ night vision, digital and analog cameras.  So I assure you this interest is not seasonal.  Now I am starting to reach out to the Chicagoland paranormal community and see what is going on.  Does your club get together often, share info, that kinda stuff?

We have a little tour scheduled for the 22nd of October, kinda for my wife's birthday on the 21st.  Nothing truly scientific, more for fun, seeing that we have 14 chicagoland spots to hit.  But I truly hope to begin scientific and professional investigations for fun.   We have taken a few popular ghost tours and always came away saying "we can do better".  These tours always make me feel like a tourist in my own town.

Like I said I am just beginning to reach out to the community and see what is going on outside.

Have you heard of any activity at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park IL?  I work in Oak Park and have dealt with the "Home and studio" often.  I think I might get permission for an opportunity to conduct an extensive study in the building.  Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Steve

Response from Slim Pictures:  There are certainly a lot of drawbacks to bus tours, just the nature of the beast: it's hard to create an intimate atmosphere when there are a few dozen other people walking around you snapping off pictures and some places you may want to visit don't welcome busses full of tourists, so they are off limits to you.  Before you go on  your self-guided tour, please send me your list of locations.  Likely I've been to most of them and I may have a good tip to share with you from my experience.

Unlike the others you eMailed, my organization is a production company that does a lot of different work.  It just so happens that we have produced a video and a book/CD-ROM about Chicago ghosts.  I consider myself a ghost reasearcher rather than hunter (though I respect anyone looking to learn more).  Other than speeches, we do not have events or meetings.  Of all of Chicago's 'names' in this field, I would endorse anything Ursula Bielski or Troy Taylor does.  The same goes for Dave Black of sos-chicago.com.

Not being a ghost hunter I cannot contribute much technical information, however I would say - don't go anywhere without infrared camcorder or analog camera.  There are debates regarding whether or not digital cameras pick anything up.  I'm undecided, but tend to lean away from digital.  Troy Taylor would have most anything you'd want to know on prairieghosts.com.

As for the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, I have heard that it was haunted, but that's all I heard.  We were given that tip too close to the deadline of our book to be able to research it.  Whenever we to a revisited version of the book, we will look into it and a number of other Oak Park locations we've heard were haunted.  Good luck and above all, be safe out there!

Story:  The night of my son's high school graduation party, I had a house full of guests and was busy getting drinks, replenishing food, etc. My nephew, who was about 6 or 7, came downstairs and told me that there was a man in my bedroom. I made a joke about it, and then my son went upstairs with my nephew to check things out. I was so busy I never gave it another thought.

About a week or two later, my neighbor, a young lady who lived in the back apartment downstairs, asked if I had heard her screaming the night before. She said she woke up to seeing a man standing at the foot of her bed. Every time she looked at him, he'd move just enough that she'd see him with her peripheral vision... She called her parents and her brother and everyone came over, checked the windows, etc. and everything was tight and locked. The man had just disappeared. Kim described the man as being mean looking, dressed in kind of rough clothing and he had on boots... these boots seemed to be the most outstanding feature and his "meanness." I mentioned it to my son and he told me that Kim had seen the same man that my nephew had seen the night of the graduation party. Little Robert had described the man the same way and said that he disappeared into the closet and through the wall. My son went to the local library to do research on the house, and found that it was 100 years old and had been owned by the father of a local architect who was very famous. The father was apparently a "taskmaster" of sorts and it was said that children who misbehaved in school were sent to visit him to be "straightened out" (this is all information my son found in the library!). My neighbor, Kim, saw this guy a couple more times... New Year's Eve he was there and accompanied by some other ghosts... and there was stuff that looked like tissue flying through the air. She moved out shortly after that. I never saw this ghost, nor did my son... we both prayed that we wouldn't! But I figured he was a clean freak and that's why he visited Kim so often... because she was a mess! My son's room was also always a mess... then he moved out and I cleaned his room.

When my husband and I married, we lived in that apartment a few months before we bought a house nearby. On moving day, I was in my bedroom doing my hair. I was looking in the mirror and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man standing in the doorway. Assuming it was my husband, I turned to look but that quickly the man was gone (and my husband was still downstairs). I figured the ghost had finally shown himself to me to just say "good bye"

Story:       When I was younger, we lived with my grandmother in her house in Calumet City, IL. I don't know the history of the house at all, but it is very creepy there. I remember being very young and laying in bed in my bedroom by the bathroom, when I heard someone in there use the bathroom and then I heard the shower turn on. I thought nothing of it until I rolled onto my back and saw all the steam pouring into my room. When I checked, the bathroom light was off, and the shower was on full blast hot water. Nobody was in the bathroom.
        My mother also told me that when she and my stepfather were there alone for the weekend one time, they cleaned up my toys and put them in the room before going to the grocery store. When they returned, a toy was sitting in each spot that they had been sitting on, on the couch.  Also, the garbage can was moved from it's normal spot to in front of a curio cabinet in the dining room, where the door was open, as if someone had been looking for something. There was also now dust on the coffee table and a "D" was written in it and was circled as well...my mom's name is Dawn. My step father searched the house with a gun, but found nothing and all the doors and windows were locked. She also told me that she used to see a man out of the corner of her eye, but she never mentioned it to anybody until one day my step dad told her that he kept seeing this man out of the corner of his eye and described the same man.
        When I used to have friends spend the night we would sleep in the living room, late at night when everyone was asleep, we could hear the kitchen cabinets opening and closing. My grandfather died last year and now my grandmother lives alone in the house. She swears the house isn't haunted and never was, but she did tell me of a strange occurrence that has been happening recently. She wakes up in the middle of the night to someone knocking on her front door. She goes to the front door, but no one is there.
      There is a very scary room in the basement that I refuse to go in because I am afraid of it, but I think it has something to do with the hauntings. It is located in a very small back room in the basement. The wall to the room has been knocked out because when my grandparents moved there, my grandfather knew there had to be a room behind that wall, so he knocked it out. The room behind it is very small and has a dirt floor. My mother and I both think that somebody was murdered there and buried in that room and then it was sealed, but we have nothing to go on because we don't know anything about the house other than the fact that it is well over a hundred years old and was at one time used as either an apartment house with very small one room apartments or some kind of boarding house. We would love to know the history, if you would find the time or curiosity to look into it.

Response from Slim Pictures:  Unfortunately for you, I cannot personally look into your case as I am now living in Honolulu working on my next book.  However, there are several things you and your family can do to satisfy your curosities.  On the historic side, go to your local historical society.  On the metaphysical and acientific side you can contact psychics and other mediums.  The best way to find a 'legit' one would probably be by contacting Dave Black and his group at sos-chicago.com/sos.html.  Also, you might decide to try Ed Shanahan at theunexplainedworld.com.  They might be interested in your story enough that they'll want to bring their small television crew, which would include video cameras and people who are sensitive to the 'other side.'  Keep us posted!

Story: There's an apartment place in Mundelein that I swear is haunted. Washington Apartments off of Alanson. I was at my friend Amy's apartment sleeping over. This might be back in 96 or so. She lived on the first floor of the building that is on the left when you enter from the front entrance. We, of course, were playing with the weejee board. (i hate actually spelling it, creeps me out.) After a while Amy went to sleep on the couch and I was lying on the futon on the floor. I was watching this comedy show when I decided to go to sleep. I turned off the TV and closed my eyes, and fell asleep. I woke up to the sound of the TV going on and off, on and off. Amy was moaning on the couch like she was having a bad dream. I assumed that she fell asleep on the remote and by her movement, she was making the TV go spastic. So I raised my head up to wake her and I looked on the floor. The TV remote was right in front of me, Amy was not on it and some "thing" was turning the TV on and off. So I quickly placed my head down, saying the lords prayer over and over, and I fell asleep to the sounds of my words and the TV going off and on. I woke up to the news being on the TV and Amy's mom was in the kitchen making breakfast. I assumed she turned on the TV to listen to the news and I was just dreaming. So I went in to say good morning. She said, "I woke up and the TV was on. I didn't want to turn it off because I didn't want to wake you girls." I stood there in shock, because I remember fully well, turning off the TV before I went to bed. That means that Amy was having a nightmare and that my bad dream was real. There was no other way for the TV to be going on and off other than some invisible hand doing it. My body was lying right in front of the TV and my eyes were right on the remote. Let's just say I was totally freaked out.

There was another time in another apartment there where we had some problems with weird feelings and glowing eyes out of paintings. But I'll save that for another time. Plus, we were stupid enough to use the weejee. They really have to put a warning label on those things.

Response from Slim Pictures:  Keep me in suspense no longer.  What's the glowing eye story???

Reply: It's really hard for me to tell the glowing eyes story without flying my hands all over the place. (I should have been Italian) And then I can't type. Well, I'll try. Keep in mind, we were all high schoolers. So we didnt' know better.

Same apt. complex, different wing, and of course different apartment. Amy, Joe and I were doing some "Healing" things like laying of hands, and other holistic stuff we thought we knew we were doing in a bedroom. Amy, Joe, and I were all holding hands in a triangle on the bed. Well, Amy "Felt" Something outside the window. A light, and she said it asked her to come in. She said it was a good spirit. So she "let it in" and it was talking to her. Then all of a sudden she gasped for air and I felt this shockwave go through her to Joe to Me and out my other arm and back to her. She started really crying and felt something bad. Joe and I started saying the Lords Prayer (the only thing I felt worked) and when we were done doing that he decided to do the Hail Mary. Then he started to feel really bad and "icky" and in pain. I told them all to get out of the bedroom. So here we were running out of the bedroom, Amy's crying and lying down in the hallway, and Mike's mom is going "What the hell is going on!" We came back inside his bedroom and discussed what happened. Now there's this old picture on his wall that almost looks Napolionesk. I felt something to my right and I looked at it and it's eyes glowed red for a few seconds and diminished.

So that's the story of the glowing eyes. It's much better when i tell it in person. Who knows if what we felt was real or just a bit of our imagination running wild because of what we experienced in Amy's apartment. But I gotta tell you. That place still freeks me out when I pass it.

Story:  I was looking at your site.I love it. only one thing. you guys have one of the sites listed as the flight of 191... des plaines mobile home park. wrong! it was actually touhy mobile homes park. i know because i live there. the plane had crashed in the field next to the park.  The engine was laying on the ground down the street from where i now live. between trailer 67 & 66....... it was a horrible crash. I was not living here at the time. however i- like you guys live to find ghosts.

After living here for quite sometime. i can tell you that i feel alot of the horror here in the park from that crash. i just wanted you guys to correct the web page and say that it was touhy mobile home park.... not des plaines. des plaines is the next park over from  here. if you guys ever get the chance please come out here and check out the crash site......... i think you would find it to be interesting to say the least.....

Touhy mobile home park is located right next to the k-9 place.. the park right next to that one is called Des Plaines mobile home park.. I live on that side on the park ( the left side of the park closest to the k-9 place) The park that everyone lists in books is wrong. always has been. The landlord here is totally against bad raps that this trailer park gets from the airplane crash. When the accident happened I was living in Arlington hts. ( not too far away from des plaines ) When I moved here I had heard about the crash and began asking the local residents about the crash. I have always had a sort of "pull" to ghost sites.  After questioning a ton of people in here. I went to go look around the land behind my house. I can feel vibrations and you just " know" this place has several " ghosts."

But I can tell you that someone needs to come out here and check out this whole area. Over 200 people died when this plane went down. Some of the people were never found. My mother in law did clean up there on that night. I guess children were on the plane as well. I believe that these ghosts are what I call "recording ghosts" every year they repeat the same actions.

I am moving very soon. I bought a home in Antioch, IL. Have you guys heard anything about the history out there at all (Antioch H.S. Abbey Woods, etc.)? I do know the town was founded in 1853 or something like that. and that there was a huge fire around the turn of the century, claiming many lives. Also anything thats around water has some paranormal action to it.  Please let me know if you guys have anything on lake county at all. Esp. Antioch. -- Janet

Response from Slim Pictures:  Janet, as far as Antioch High School is concerned, there is no concrete edivence as to why it is haunted. One student died in the gymnasium and another died during a school-sponcered Halloween function, but it is the art wing in the basement of the school that is haunted. The haunting has been acknowledged by students, teachers, and the principal, although the principal is attempting to keep it quiet, ignore what's happening. Abbey Woods is actually the grounds of monastary, so, technically, even visiting the area is tresspassing. From what I've been told through interviews the area was very often used for "Fight Clubs" ever since the movie "Fight Club" came out. Also, I know one Antioch HS teen attempted suicide on the land, however they did not die. The amount of info on the location I've found so far is really not enough. That's why, after doing interviews, we decided not to include it in the book we put out.

However, "The Gate" (a Lake County Haunt), Antioch High School, and the crash of Flight 191 is in the book. I have not come across any Antioch hauntings relating to the fire, but you are absoluetely right that it's worth looking into further. Places like Antioch, Milburn, Waukegan, and Crystal Lake are really overshadowed in the ghost community by places like Lake Forest, Cuba township, and Justice, IL, and overshadowed in the historical community by Chicago and, again, Lake Forest despite the fact that these smaller towns have a long and rich history.  As far as "The Gate" is concerned, I have a page on my site that has pretty much everything I know on it. Check out www.slimpictures.com/thegate.htm.   Lastly, ghost images on film. I can say without a doubt that we've captured images on still photo film and on infrared videotape that we cannot fully explain. On video in Bachelor's Grove we captured strange lights and even the image of a boy on infrared video. In most images of the type it's a far-off blur, but in this case the boy is standing in front of a tree about four feet from the camera. Also, this image was only descovered upon returning home and watching the video again - we did not notice it at the time.  It's a very safe estimate to say we've visited known haunted locations - always with video and photo equipment - at least 500 times, but we never expect to see/experience/photograph anything unusual. It's rare that we ever do. saying this, we've had the most 'success' at Bachelor's Grove Cemetery (Midlothian) and Robinson Woods Indian Burial Grounds (Norridge).  All the best & keep your questions coming!

Response from Faeriesdust74 (a fellow reader): I am responding to a question about Antioch, IL. I attended Antioch High for a couple of years and never heard of hauntings, but that was back in the late '80s/early'90s. However, while I attended Antioch, many students died in crashes, suicides, and there was also a murder committed by a classmate against another classmate. I lived in Oakwood Knolls subdivision and had been to Abbey Woods often. There was many sighting in and around the Abbey itself. Antioch is also known to have been a retreat area for Al Capone. It's said he owned a house in Antioch and that it's haunted.

Haunted Chatsworth:

I currently live in Chatsworth, IL, which is known for one of the worst train wrecks in American history in 1887. I believe this town has many ghosts. It is a very small town of 1300 people. I bought an old house that was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s. I believe this house to be haunted. Often while taking pictures, many strange things show up in them and while walking on the stairs, people often feel as of they are being pushed. Several accidents have happened on these stairs. The attic door opens by itself and things are heard throughout the house as if people are moving about when I am the only one home. Have you heard of any other hauntings in this area?