John Gardner/John Henry House
812 S. Bench Street
(#50 Bench Street Tour)
Courtesy of the Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society; Ghosts of Galena book available at the Museum gift shop.
Ed and Amy fell in love with Galena while on a visit from the suburban Chicago area. They wanted to become a part of the community, even though Ed’s business would keep at least one of them in the “City” for several more years. They purchased a large, turn-of-the-century two-story brick home that had not been lived in for many years. It needed a tremendous amount of work, but they were willing. They began by virtually gutting the house. It was during this time that they first noticed something unusual.
At one end of the dining room were too large swinging doors. The hinges were rusty and they would not swing well. When Ed and Amy left after a weekend of work, the doors would be left shut. Imagine their surprise when, upon returning the next week, one of the doors was found in an open position! The house was locked, no one was inside, and nothing else had been touched. Ed, however, was (and is) a nonbeliever and could always explain the phenomenon through some rational explanation.
Amy, however, wasn’t so sure. She later noticed their dog Maggie roaming from room to room, simply unable to settle down. This was very uncharacteristic behavior.
The renovation work went well, however, and soon the house was ready. One afternoon, soon after moving in, Amy was going up the stairs when she stopped suddenly. She could definitely hear men’s voices coming from one of the bedrooms, but no one else was supposed to be in the house. She quickly checked to make sure, but not a soul was to be found!
The cookbook literally flew off the shelf. . .
Amy began to call their “visitor” John Gardner, first resident after whom the home was named. it was about this time that she was out in the kitchen working when suddenly- -with no warning- -a cookbook literally flew off the shelf and fell to the floor. Amy and her two pets- -a dog and a cat- -all hovered together for a moment, each as startled as the other!
While this first episode was quite a shock, Amy adjusted, for over the next few months the same thing happened several more times- -always the same shelf and the same cookbook.
Amy also noticed little things turning up missing, only to be found much later. They were the kinds of things you would think had simply been misplaced. . . only Amy knew better. She even got to the point where she’d say, “John Gardner- -knock it off!”
Because they have a guest house, Amy and Ed do not bother guests with tales of ghostly presences. It was with much surprise, then, that guests one morning asked, “Does John Gardner come by very often?” They had been sitting on the porch swing the previous afternoon and had turned to see a man walking through the dining room. But there was absolutely no one in the house!
More recently, both Amy and Ed have heard yet one more thing to make them wonder. Their bedroom is on the third floor, but one night both distinctly heard those dining room doors swinging. Again, they were the only ones in the house!
Things have settled down, now, at Ed and Amy’s house. Little unusual has happened recently. Ed remains a nonbeliever, but not Amy. She remains convinced that someone else is still there.
This is actually the front of the house overlooking the Galena River.
(This story was written in 1995. Ed and Amy have since sold the house. It is now a private residence.)