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    Haunted Wausau: The Ghostly History of Big Bull Falls
    Haunted Wausau: The Ghostly History of Big Bull Falls
    Haunted Wausau: The Ghostly History of Big Bull Falls
    Ebook158 pages1 hour

    Haunted Wausau: The Ghostly History of Big Bull Falls

    By Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek and Sharon Abitz

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    About this ebook

    Walk through the Gateway to the Northwoods into a place teeming with apparitions, electrical disturbances, physical manifestations and veiled forces. Glide among the praying whispers in the basement of Rogers Theater or the unmanned piano music floating through the halls of the Hotel Wausau and gaze upon the unusual acorn pyramid at the Gillett home. Join Wausau Paranormal Research Society members Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek and Sharon Abitz as they present what they have discovered about Annie and the Blue Cowboy, the Bat-Man and the Mosinee poltergeist. This chilling collection of ghost lore searches out the dark secrets of Wausau s most public places.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe History Press
    Release dateAug 16, 2011
    ISBN9781625841520
    Haunted Wausau: The Ghostly History of Big Bull Falls
    Author

    Shawn Blaschka

    Shawn Blaschka co-founded the Wausau Paranormal Research Society in 2000 and is the current director. Shawn was born in Wausau and has lived there his whole life. He first became interested in ghosts as a young boy when his dad would share stories about his experiences in the old Plumer mansion, where he worked. Shawn has a degree in criminal science and holds certifications in corrections, fire science and scuba diving. Anji Spialek has been studying supernatural phenomena for as long as she can remember. She joined the Wausau Paranormal Research Society in 2007 and is currently the assistant director and research specialist. Anji hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and has called Wausau her home since 2001. Sharon Abitz was born and raised near Wausau and has been interested in the paranormal since childhood. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served as a Morse code intercept operator in the United States and South Korea. Sharon has an associate�s degree in accounting and a bachelor�s in sociology and is currently a senior investigator with the Wausau Paranormal Research Society.

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      Book preview

      Haunted Wausau - Shawn Blaschka

      Published by Haunted America

      A Division of The History Press

      Charleston, SC 29403

      www.historypress.net

      Copyright © 2011 by Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek and Sharon Abitz

      All rights reserved

      Cover image: Courtesy of Shawn Blaschka.

      All images are from the WPRS Collection unless otherwise noted.

      First published 2011

      e-book edition 2013

      Manufactured in the United States

      ISBN 978.1.62584.152.0

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Blaschka, Shawn.

      Haunted Wausau : the ghostly history of Big Bull Falls / Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek, and Sharon Williams.

      p. cm.

      Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

      print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-110-9

      1. Haunted places--Wisconsin--Wausau. 2. Ghosts--Wisconsin--Wausau. I. Spialek, Anji. II. Williams, Sharon. III. Title.

      BF1472.U6B58 2011

      133.109775’29--dc23

      2011018253

      Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      For my patient and loving wife, Jenny, and my sons, Spencer and Andrew. For my dad, who inspired my love of the paranormal, and my mom, who taught me to have patience. Also for my grandpa and grandma, whom I miss each day.

      —SB

      For my children, Rosemary and Ragnar,

      my supportive husband, Terry, and for Pappy.

      —AS

      For my parents, who thought I wouldn’t amount to anything, my husband, who agreed with them, and my children, who call me a nerd.

      And especially for my granddaughter, Lotus, who is my connection to the future.

      Be brave, little soldier.

      —SA

      CONTENTS

      Preface

      Acknowledgements

      Introduction

      Investigative History and Tools of the Trade

      Big Bull Falls

      PART I. HAUNTED ESTABLISHMENTS

      Waiting in the Wings

      The Heart of Old Wausau

      Beauty Discarded

      Burning the Midnight Oil

      In the Dog House for Eternity

      Haunted Halloween Attraction

      Stage Fright

      Open for Business

      Extended Stay

      Graveyard Shift

      Fraternal Phantoms

      The Voice from Beyond

      Annie and the Blue Cowboy

      The Startled Specter

      Nightingales of Old Hospital North

      Spirits of the Sanatorium

      PART II. HAUNTED HOUSES

      Home Is Where the Haunt Is

      Philanthropic Spirit

      Final Call

      A Little Child Shall Lead Them

      Bat-Man of the North Woods

      Stranded in Sugar Camp

      Historical Ghosts of Gillett

      Mosinee Poltergeist

      Coloma Shadow Person

      It’s in the Blood

      Wausau’s Haunted Mansion

      Help for the Haunted

      Bibliography

      About the Authors

      PREFACE

      The Wausau Paranormal Research Society (WPRS) is a small group of dedicated individuals who have over thirty-five years of combined paranormal investigation experience. We officially formed in July 2000 and are based in Wausau, Wisconsin. We conduct investigations throughout the state of Wisconsin, as well as some other areas of the United States. Our members are drawn from a number of fields, including academic, criminal justice, social work, business administration, forestry and communications. Our diverse backgrounds allow us to approach paranormal investigations from a variety of perspectives. Our team members are trained in standard ghost investigation methodology and protocols.

      We use a variety of the latest equipment to detect and measure electromagnetic/geomagnetic fields, temperature change, ionizing radiation, audio and infrared phenomena in an attempt to obtain scientific evidence of paranormal events. We are TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) family members representing the state of Wisconsin. Most people are familiar with TAPS as Ghost Hunters, the popular paranormal show on the SYFY channel. We are also area representatives of the American Ghost Society. We conduct professional investigations of reported paranormal phenomena, including, but not limited to, UFO sightings, unknown animal sightings, hauntings, poltergeist outbreaks, apparitions and any other ghostly events. We make every effort when investigating to look for all reasonable explanations for activity before accepting the possibility that it may be paranormal in nature. Our group’s mission is to collect evidence to aid in understanding paranormal phenomena and events. Most importantly, we strive to provide understanding to our clients so that they may coexist with paranormal activity. We also aim to educate the general public regarding paranormal activity. We never charge for our investigative services, as we feel it would be a breach of our professionalism and integrity. At the request of various organizations or groups, we conduct seminars to aid in educating the general public.

      The stories presented in this book are true accounts of activity that have been reported to us, some of which we have personally investigated. Some of the names and locations have been changed or left unlisted to protect our clients’ anonymity. In writing this book, we hope that you, the reader, enjoy the following pages and that it educates and opens your mind to the infinite possibilities that may exist.

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      We would like to thank the following:

      Todd Roll

      Edward, Tammy and Kevin Blaschka

      Dennis Dalsky

      Jane Bubolz and family

      Nancy Smith and family

      Gillett Historical Society

      Marathon County Historical Society and Gary Gisselman

      Marathon County Corporation Council

      Marathon County Sheriff’s Department

      Marathon County Public Library

      Wisconsin Historical Society

      Thomas Gibberd

      Tom Pospyhalla

      Brad Ludwig

      Jim Coscio

      Betsy Duginski

      Sara Shaw

      K.J.

      Robin Kurth

      Bill Beaudry

      Kristen and Justin Lowe

      Richard Hendricks

      Mike Wanie

      Val Nicholson

      Alyssa and Josh Geurink

      Noah Voss

      Kimber Renel

      Chad Knight

      Tommy Zieglmeier

      Robb Shepherd

      Dan Miller

      The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS)

      Candice Shatkins and the Paranormal Investigators of Kenosha

      All those who have shared their stories with us over the years.

      INTRODUCTION

      Many years ago, I read that Wisconsin was one of the most haunted states in the country. With seventy-two counties in the state, at least one haunt has been associated with each county. With more than fifteen known haunts in the downtown Wausau area alone, I would say Marathon County is definitely in the top ten when speaking of hauntings. Why is our area so active? Theories abound in the paranormal community. Could it be that Wisconsin has such a long and rich history that much of this energy has stayed behind in one form or another? Perhaps the high amount of quartzite and granite in the ground around this area is conducive to the storage of spirit energy and past crises. We may never know the true cause of this paranormal activity, but stories will continue to surface. Nonetheless, most of these stories and encounters with the unknown seem to be harmless and sometimes even helpful. In very rare cases, spirit activity is found to be malevolent and house cleansings and religious ceremonies are necessary to eradicate the unwelcome entity.

      Many people, including members of the WPRS, have different beliefs when it comes to ghosts. I became interested in the paranormal largely due to my father and his experiences. As a boy, my father would tell me of encounters that he had while working in the old Channel 7 mansion, formerly the Plumer mansion. These ghostly tales piqued my interest in the paranormal, and from that point on, I was hooked. I read anything about the paranormal that I could get my hands on and watched anything on television about the subject. Nowadays there are many ghostly programs to choose from, some more believable than others. The program I most remember when I was young was In Search Of, and the investigative catalyst was Scooby Doo, Where Are You! While I realize that this is an odd combination, it was in fact the basis for my lifetime preoccupation with the paranormal.

      People always ask me why spirits stay behind after death. One would have to experience death to know, but many theories exist. Maybe they stay due to an earthly attachment to a place or dwelling or due to unfinished business. Perhaps they have a message to give to a loved one or they have died suddenly and unexpectedly and may not even realize that they have passed, staying on in the afterlife in a state of confusion and misunderstanding. Whatever the reason these spirits stay behind, I believe that they are here, and the WPRS is here to try and help these lost or confused souls. As amateur parapsychologists, we look for reasons as to why a haunting is occurring. In the paranormal community, we classify hauntings to determine what may be going on at a site. The four categories by which we classify are: intelligent haunt, residual haunt, poltergeist outbreak and crisis apparition. An intelligent haunt is characterized by spirit activity that is able to communicate with you and has some consciousness of its surroundings. A residual haunt can often be confused with an intelligent haunt, but has one major difference: it has no ability to communicate. Often, residual haunts are much like a film loop playing over and over and doing the same thing each time they are seen. Over time, this type of apparition will fade away. A poltergeist outbreak is thought to be a spirit that uses a living host to manifest itself, usually a female at the age of puberty. Most often they present in a way that is very physical, such as doors opening and closing, cupboard doors slamming, pots, pans and silverware flying across the kitchen and a multitude of electrical anomalies. This type of activity will

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