(South Dodge Street)
Courtesy of the Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society; Ghosts of Galena book available at the Museum gift shop.
It was in July 1992 that Bill purchased and moved into a very quaint and historic cottage on one of Galena’s older streets. The original part of the house was constructed in 1836 and various alterations have been made by many families over the years.
Bill was very comfortable with the house except for one thing: lights kept coming on by themselves. He would leave for work and everything would be shut off. Upon his return, however, he would find a basement light- - or some other light- -shining brightly.
At first he blamed it on being new to the house. Maybe there was an electrical problem. But he made a special effort to be careful- - to turn everything off when he left- - all to no avail.
The bathroom light was a case in point. It was wired to a dimmer switch on the wall. Because of his dog, Bill liked to leave the switch on dim so the animal could see her way around at night while he was out. Imagine his surprise when he came home to find the light on the bright setting. When asked if the dog could have adjusted the dimmer switch Bill replied, “No way, it was not the dog.“
There were other things. Out of the corner of his eye, Bill would sometimes see shadows move in front of windows, especially the dining room and kitchen windows. It was never anything identifiable, for the minute you look again, it was gone. After Bill had lived in the house for a while, things quieted down. In fact, everything seem normal.
Then, in July 1994, Bill’s girlfriend and her daughter moved in. Things began to happen again almost immediately. The answering machine, for example, began turning itself on.
Sometimes objects would fall or tipped over on the kitchen counter for no apparent reason. One morning Bill’s girlfriend was coming down the stairs and felt someone tapped her on the shoulder! She also felt little blast of cold air. This was more than a little unnerving since no one else was near. On another occasion she was taking a shower with a sudden blast of cold water- -immediately followed by warm- -sprayed from the shower head. No one else in the house was using any water.
“Since there is no exhaust fan in the bathroom,“ Bill said, “we always open the window when the shower is used to let the steam out.“ One day he open the window and took a shower. But upon finishing, the window was closed. “The window,“ continued Bill, “is located in the shower stall, works hard- -it sticks- -and could not have closed by itself.“
Another puzzling incident happened one evening as Bill walked from the kitchen through the dining room. He noticed a rather large wet spot on an area rug in the middle of the room. “It was odd,“ Bill said, “because two edges of the carpet were also wet, but the carpet was still dry between the spot and the edges.“
There was also moisture trailing off to a hole in the floor, following the slant of the floor. From there it had dripped into the basement where it seem to have evaporated. The dog was outside so Bill knew that it wasn’t her fault.
“Where did the water come from?” Bill wondered. “There is no plumbing or water pipes in this part of the house, and nothing was spilled upstairs in the room above. Weird!“
Now, any one of these things by themselves would not cause anyone to think twice, but when added up overtime, even the skeptic might wonder. Bill has yet to collect all of the history on the house, but when he does, he hopes to find a clue to the many little things he can’t explain.
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Elizabeth Emma Bergmann Wilhelmi (6/29/1888—9/3/1969)
Robert Sanford Wilhelmi (3/20/1889—4/22/1934)
Elizabeth and Robert Wilhelmi were my grandparents and early owners; therefore, I have a very personal connection with this house. Shortly after their marriage in 1913, they bought the property. My mother and all her siblings were born here. Mom was the second youngest child of eight, and she lived here until she married.
Grandma’s home was a big part of my childhood. It was a happy place always filled with love and laughter. At Christmas time it overflowed with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I still don’t know how we all fit in that small house! Family was very important to Grandma, and she loved having everyone together.
My cousins and me, Paula, in the parlor. I am the second one on the right.
Grandma surrounded by a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Despite all the happiness that filled Grandma’s house, there were also times of sorrow. In 1922, my grandparent's third child and second son, Robert Jr., died from a fall he sustained while at the next door neighbor’s house. Little Robert was only three years old.
In 1934, my Grandpa Wilhelmi died as a result of tuberculosis. My mom, Marilyn, was only five, and Grandma was left to raise their eight children alone.
Twelve years later, in 1946, tragedy struck again. My Uncle Frank (second child, first son) had returned from World War II and was hired as a switchman for the Milwaukee Railroad in Savanna, Illinois. He was killed in the railroad yards in a terrible accident. He was only 20 years old.
My grandmother was the strongest, kindest woman I have ever known! She had the biggest heart, and she was loved and adored by everyone who knew her!
In 1968, when I was 14 years old, my grandma passed away leaving me heartbroken. It was the saddest day of my young life! She was 81 years old. The second saddest day for me, and all my cousins, was when we sold Grandma’s house. However, the loving memories that filled that house will always be with me.
Therefore, I feel anyone who has the privilege to live in this house is very fortunate!
If there are little odd occurrences, who knows. . .perhaps it’s young, mischievous Robert Jr. having a little fun!
