GHOSTS GET IN THE WAY - By Linda Houle

When George and Sharyn Luedke bought the historic McPike mansion they had no idea it was haunted... During their restoration work they suddenly realized they were in the company of a large group of spirits, some identified as former residents. The ghosts made themselves known, then the word got out--the media came calling--it's been featured on numerous TV specials including "Scariest Places on Earth."  I learned about the mansion through a haunted tour of Alton, Illinois. McPike was one of our stops, and I was instantly drawn to this mesmerizing mansion. I met Sharyn, and told her I admired her for taking on the daunting task of restoring the crumbling structure. A year later, on a return trip to Alton, I was able to tour the mansion--what a thrill! But it was also depressing to see how much work Sharyn still needed to do. So much time and money spent yet so much still needed to be done. It must have been synchronicity that drew me to the McPike Mansion, because within months Sharyn and I put our heads together and came up with some projects to help raise funds, including two DVD movies--one is a Virtual Tour through all the rooms, including evidence of the spirits in the cellar, the other includes even more ghosts caught on tape. It was during the filming of the very first project, the Virtual Tour, that the ghosts almost stopped the production. Sharyn was giving commentary in each of the rooms while I filmed. At one point, when I had the camera turned off to change tapes there was a loud BANG on the floor directly under my feet (we were on the first floor, and the cellar was below us.) We didn't think anything of it at the time, it could have been a loose board falling--until it happened again a few minutes later, in the same spot, right under my feet! A moment after the second bang the clamp light we had hooked up for filming started flashing off and on. I ran to check the cord to see if it was loose (it wasn't) and Sharyn went looking for anyone who might have made the sound, both inside and out. Nobody... I acknowledged out loud to the spirits that I knew they were there, and I'd move my camera to another location (just in case the floor was rotten under my feet and they were trying to warn me...) Later, when filming in some of the upstairs rooms my camera batteries kept suddenly draining--fully charged then instantly dead! Sharyn gave the spirits a talking-to--letting them know we were doing something to benefit the mansion's restoration so could they please stop doing that and let us finish! The project was eventually completed--in spite of the mischievous spirits!

  Mystery Game Clue 7 - Click on the audio button to the left to listen to the next clue! NOTE - If you want to play our "Dead and Breakfast" Mystery Game you need to start at the beginning! Click HERE - More Hints for our Players - A weekend in a spooky mansion wouldn't be complete without a thunderstorm - and there's more than bad weather brewing at the Dead and Breakfast Inn - Cynthia is nowhere to be found... Now click HERE to continue on your journey!