“Children At Play”


111 N. Main

 

(# 57 Main Street Tour)

 

 

 

 



Located at 111-113 N. Main is a three-story brick building. Many funeral directors operated from this location. In fact, the building was home to the first funeral parlor in Illinois. From 1900-01 it was the location for the Armbruster and Ross funeral business before John Ross took over the business from 1901-06. The next owners were Uerhen and Furlong funeral directors from 1906-1954. (My Uncle Delbert Muehleip was one former owner of the building and operated his furniture store here. As kids, my cousins and I would play hide-and-seek throughout the three-stories. We never had any encounters with the spirits, however. Maybe we were too noisy to hear them!) 

Subsequently, in 1954, Jimmy Furlong took ownership of the funeral business; and Furlong’s Funeral Home operated here until relocating to 227 N. Main in 1966.



Galena has long been associated with ghosts, and what better place for a ghostly encounter than a former mortuary!

 

Over the years there have been various owners of the building, and several owners have reported hearing mischievous children playing on the upper floors. A store owner once heard the sound of children’s laughter and a thumping like the sound of a bouncing ball. She went upstairs to investigate, but found no one. This happened more than once. Fearing they were disturbing customers, she told her “kids“ they would have to wait until the store closed before they could play. Evidently, this solved the problem because she didn’t hear them after that.



Bonnie Bellendier, a friend of mine, once owned the building.

She knew from the building’s history that it was originally a funeral parlor and furniture store. This was common at the turn of the century because many woodworkers made coffins for the funeral homes. So having these side-by-side was very practical. 

 

When Bonnie owned the building, she said the spirits were always active! After the building became a restaurant, she went to dinner there with some friends. Bonnie was sitting at the table when she felt someone walk up behind her. Suddenly, her clunky earring was ripped off her ear and flung across the table! It ricocheted off her friend’s plate!  At that, her friend’s eyes got big and she nervously exclaimed, “Oh my God, did you see that?“  Bonnie was shocked and immediately whirled around expecting to find the culprit. However, no one was there! She was left confused, rubbing her stinging earlobe!

 

 



Jack Coulter was the owner of the restaurant, 111 Main,  at the time. He too had noticed many unexplained activities. In fact, his wife had a frightening experience on the third floor. As she ascended the staircase and entered the large open room, she noticed an elderly woman around 75-80 years old. The woman was on her knees in the middle of the room quietly stroking a pigeon! Jack’s wife couldn’t believe what she saw! Terrified, she called out to her husband. Jack dashed up the stairs to find his wife pale and visibly shaken! He thoroughly searched the room, but the old woman and pigeon were nowhere to be found! Consequently, it is not surprising that many employees refused  to go up there after dark. It didn’t take long before it was the talk on Main Street!



After his wife’s strange experience, Jack was intrigued and contacted two different agencies to request an investigation for the unusual occurrences at 111 N. Main. One investigation was conducted by the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society and the other by the Chicago Paranormal Detectives. In July, 2008, an investigation was formally conducted by a trained team of investigators from the Chicago Paranormal Detectives. What they found is documented in Ghosts in Galena, a Charles E. Parker Film by Parker & Sloan Productions 2011. Investigators noted that on one of the upper floors there was a trap door that was once used to lower the coffins through. In the back of that room was the embalming area. A lot of energy was felt there!



One story relates an experience told by a local Galena contractor. He was working on putting the finishing touches on the bar, when he had the feeling that someone was behind him. . . watching! He peered over his shoulder and saw a boy around 12 years of age intently observing him from the staircase landing. He described the young boy as being dressed all in black in what looked like a sailor suit. On his head was a black hat with a red bow tied around it. Needless to say, the contractor packed up his tools and called it a day! It was only after numerous others came forward with their experiences that he shared his story.

 

During this time of remodeling, Jack actually captured a picture of an energy or spirit which he displayed in the restaurant.



The second story featured on the film, was also well-known around town. It involved 111 Main’s first head chef, Ryan Boughton. Ryan told the story of his encounter with one of the building’s ghosts. The first day he visited the building, he was greeted by a creepy old lady waiting outside the entrance way. She invited him in and gave him permission to explore the building. As he entered, she told him not to pay any mind to the children playing on the 3rd floor. “Odd,” he thought. Ryan toured the whole building, but where were the children? He never saw the children or this woman again.  (I wonder if this could be the same old woman Jack’s wife encountered on the 3rd floor?)

 

Chef Ryan also had a bizarre occurrence with the restaurant’s piano that had Galenians’ tongues wagging. One night both he and Jack were working past midnight in preparation for the restaurant’s opening. Since they were the only two in the building, the lights were dim and all was quiet. Ryan left his second floor office and walked through the bar toward the restroom. As he approached the piano, he observed it shaking a bit. Weird, but he didn’t give it too much thought. However, on his return, he was shocked and dumbfounded to see the piano violently rocking and actually slamming against the nearby wall!! Not wanting to disturb Jack, who was in his office on the 3rd floor, he thought he would investigate to find the cause of this bizarre occurrence. He unsuccessfully grabbed the piano and tried to steady it. No luck!



Things were getting freaky, so he hollered for Jack to come down. Together they stood in wonderment and couldn’t believe what they were seeing! Jack was first to regain his composure and exclaimed that perhaps it was the building’s “kids” playing on the piano. He then proceeded to play a few keys. This seemed to trigger something because immediately the piano loudly began pounding back at them!  The knocking got increasingly louder and faster! It sounded like it was coming from inside the piano! Was there possibly a squirrel trapped inside? They had never seen anything like this before! They gingerly slid open the piano top, half expecting some rabid creature to come flying out. But to their amazement, the piano was empty! Now the hairs on the back of their necks stood straight up! 

Jack  learned there was a connection between the original owners of the piano and the early owners of the funeral home. Had the piano resided here at one time and finally found its way back? Or were the children being mischievous in the wee hours before dawn?

 




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The above photo is of a picture displayed at 111 N Main. It captures the  orbs playing in front of the building!

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The following story and pictures are from an encounter by a local Galenian:

 

 


Ghostly Orbs of One Eleven Main

Cathy Dorwick

 

My husband Kevin and I came to Galena in 2010.  I found myself fascinated with all the history and stories I would hear.  It seemed a town with a past was still somehow... present. 

 

I began hearing about spirits and mysterious balls of light called “Orbs.” Some say these are just a reflection on your camera’s lens, or a spark of dust lit up.  Others believe that these light-beings are none other than ghosts, angels, or even spirit guides.

 

I’d heard of orbs, some even playful, which were said to still haunt the building of One Eleven Main. The story told, was that at one time this beautiful restaurant was once a funeral home. On the main floor caskets were made and stored on the second or third floor.  There was a little boy, possibly the son of the undertaker, who enjoyed playing around those upper floors and got trapped inside a casket and died.  It is said that you can sometimes hear little footsteps running around while nobody is there.  Another story was of a spirit that would occasionally play the beautiful grand piano that still sat on the second floor.  I HAD to check it out!

 

So, with our dear old friends, Scott and Tammy, and permission from the lively and busy restaurant, we began our ascent up the stairs to the second floor.  We passed a picture on the stairway showing a ghostly image caught at this location sometime in the past. We were giddy with excitement!

 

Tammy considers herself to be quite a spiritual empath, often sensing things or spirits that others cannot see.  I was in charge of the cell phone camera, and my husband Kevin and Tammy’s husband Scott were in charge of goofing around—a skill they’d honed well over the years.  I’d already taken pictures of the piano and all around the rooms, being diligent in my quest to take more than one of each shot in case something appeared from one frame to the next. Oh boy, was I right!

 

Tammy noted that it was a clean space without a lot of dust in the air.  Instantly she could feel a good energy and felt they wanted to be seen or acknowledged in some way, so she began calling to them. While holding her hands out she tenderly asked them to come, as if reaching for some sweet lost soul.  Tammy was feeling the energy all around her.  She continually spoke to the “spirits” when the orbs began to appear.  We were shocked and amazed by those bright white orbs!  They were of many different sizes and strengths of light, and the one that came and “sat” next to her seemed large and gray.  I kept photographing and even when she went to sit down and giggle with Scott about the whole thing, those orbs just kept visiting.

 

I believe there are many spirits among us.  Young and old.  Was it a spiritual encounter we had?  You decide.

 









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 “Children At Play”


Courtesy of the Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society; Ghosts of Galena book available at the Museum gift shop.



   Barbara has been involved with Galena and it’s business community for over fourteen years. She had never been a believer in ghosts, but a couple of personal experiences, combined with that of several friends, have caused her to reconsider.

     Her experience involved a main street business property. The building in question is typical of those pre-Civil War brick buildings which line Galena‘s main street. Many owners and many businesses have played a part in its history. Perhaps the only unusual period of occupancy, if you can call it such, was right after the turn-of-the-century when a funeral home took up residence in one portion of the building.

     Barbara, along with Kay, her mother, and Ron, a realtor, were looking to invest in such a property. Ron knew the building well, but since he was tied up at the office, Barbara went with another realtor for a showing. She viewed the one building, but upon entering the doorway of the adjoining building, abruptly stopped and said, “I don’t want this building.“ The realtor laughed as he walked in behind her, but Barbara turned and left repeating, “I don’t want it!“ Although she could not explain it, Barbara had sensed something that she did not like.

     Both returned to the real estate office where Barbara proceeded to tell Ron that she did not like the feeling of the building and did not want to own it. The two men laughed, especially when they told Barbara that the one adjoining building had been a mortuary. It took Ron, however, six months to convince her to reconsider and invest in the property.

     Despite continued reservations, Barbara joined her partners and purchased the building. It wasn’t long, however, before others experienced things that could not readily be explained. Barbara’s mother, Kay, entered the building to open up early one morning and stopped suddenly. She heard children laughing and playing. She thought this odd, because no one else was supposed to be in the building. A look outside confirmed her distinct impression that the sound was coming from within. It sounded like the children were upstairs!

     Kay carefully climbed the stairs to the second floor, but still could not locate the sound. She then climbed to the third-floor, but still no children. Returning to the second floor, she suddenly sensed the sound of children giggling. It was really a very pleasant sound, not at all threatening. She stood at the top of the steps and listened for a while and smiled. It sounded as if children were playing on a playground.

     Kay then returned to the first floor, stopped, and clapped her hands. “That’s enough, children!” she said aloud. The sound of children playing stopped. Kay heard the sounds of these playful children on two separate occasions.



    On another occasion, Barbara received a call from a very nervous employee who asked if she could close the store at 4 P.M.—one hour early. Jane was quite upset and wanted to leave the store right away! Barbara, surprised, asked if she was ill. “No,” Jane replied, “I heard them!” Again she repeated: “I heard them!”

     To close at the regular time would have meant staying in the building until after dark, and this was something that she did not want to do! Jane described in detail exactly what Barbara’s mother had encountered—children’s voices, seemingly at play. Surprisingly, Jane was unaware of what any others had heard or experienced.



     Barbara herself came to hear voices, too. Upon entering the building one day, she heard two men and a woman talking. At first,she thought they were passing by the back door if the building, for she was the only one in the building. “But, no,” she thought, “the sound of their voices is definitely coming from the first floor!” And these were not distant, muffled voices. They were clear and distinct!

     Barbara carefully followed the sounds over to the back counter, where they seemed to be originating. Reaching over to the wall, she turned on the light switch, immediately bathing the entire area in light. The voices abruptly stopped! They did not return.



     
     Barbara remembers one other incident in this building. She was up on a ladder to better position a new quilt for display. No one else was on the floor. Suddenly, she sensed someone walk behind her. “Hello,” she said, “I’ll be down in a minute.” Climbing down the ladder,she turned to see who had come in. There was no one! Thinking perhaps it was her imagination, she continued her work, moving the ladder to attend to the other side of the quilt. No sooner had she climbed back up than she experienced the same feeling! “It was as if someone had moved past right behind me,” she remembered. But again, there was no one else on the floor! Barbara still has no explanation.