Ghost hunting in Illinois
October 6, 2006
With the Halloween season approaching, it is fitting that the ghost stories of southern Illinois start to creep back into campfire tales and conversations. The Old Slave House, otherwise known as the Crenshaw House, has been closed to the public since 1996, but the history and folklore of the building carries some chilling tales.
The overgrowth of fields swallows up a decaying barn at the bottom of the drive, but the massive red house looms on top of a hill, staring over the valleys of Gallatin County. It is almost as if time pauses upon reaching the building, and an eerie silence surrounds the area. The house looks mournful while it silently waits for the day its doors re-open and visitors can uncover its haunted history.
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Built in 1842, owner John Crenshaw kidnapped freed slaves and either forced them to work in the salt mines of Saline County or sold them back to their Southern plantation owners. Crenshaw, who was arrested several times for kidnapping, kept those he captured in unlivable conditions. With such horrible events having taken place by such a predominant area figure, stories of the house being haunted started as early as 1851.
John Musgrave, author of “Slaves, Salt, Sex and Mr. Crenshaw,” said: “There was an interview with a woman who had lived there with her family as a little girl. She mentioned that there were several instances that strange noises were heard coming from the third floor attic.”
The attic of the house contains a dozen cells complete with bars and shackles that housed the slaves during their time of imprisonment. Picture a small closet with beds stacked to the ceiling and that is an estimate of how small these cells were. There is also a whipping post where Crenshaw or one of his men were said to beat his slaves to death.
There have been many bizarre incidents experienced by visitors over the years, ranging from cold chills to unexplained whispers. Gary DeNeal, editor for Springhouse magazine and researcher of the Old Slave House, reportedly experienced odd noises while visiting the house. He said that on the third floor there is definitely a strange, unidentifiable feeling.
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“I was visiting the upstairs one time by myself, and the wind blew through the awnings making a very eerie sound, “DeNeal said. “That house definitely has a dark and impressive feeling to it.”
According to Musgrave, the house still contains some of the original ball and chains that were used to shackle captured slaves. He has heard stories of people hearing what sounded like the ball and chain being slowly dragged up the stairs. Other stories included actual contact.
“I’ve heard two different accounts of female researchers feeling a hand touching the back of their shoulder,” Musgrave said. “When they turned and looked to see who was touching them, no one was there.”
The hand could have been that of a slave known as “Uncle Bob.” Crenshaw singled out this man because of his strength and used him to breed his own slaves. “Uncle Bob” is said to have fathered more than 300 children during his imprisonment.
On an even stranger note, Abraham Lincoln is said to have stayed at the mansion in 1840. After he became president, Lincoln was responsible for freeing the slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation of 1864. The oddities that surround the house are numerous, including the genealogy of the Crenshaw family.
Though Musgrave has never experienced anything paranormal in his visits, he has received a fright of a different sort.
“The scariest thing that has happened to me wasn’t supernatural,” Musgrave said. “During the course of my research into the family history I found out that I was a Crenshaw descendant.”
Some human beings actually enjoy that strange sensation that makes hairs on the back of the neck stand up and the heart feel as though it will stop. Some even go to the lengths of hunting for that experience
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