Ghosts Go To Wal Mart, Too!
Something that really struck me upon researching haunted places for the badger
state was that there were ordinary, everyday places thrown in. Most ghost
stories happen in old, Victorian homes; formerly owned by suicidal southern
belles or unhappy murdered mistresses. Not necessarily in Wisconsin:
Snowy fun with the ghosttraveller RV
We'll
start our tour of modern day haunted places in Janesville. This southern
Wisconsin town boasts a haunted shopping mall. The Old
Towne Mall, 20 S Main St, is home to a phantom door slammer. The
disgruntled spirit, apparently bored of cruising the mall for eternity, will
shake doors, slam doors, hold doors open for extended periods then close them
again. Maybe he should lay off the Starbucks stand and chill a little.
Moving northeast, we'll pull our imaginary RV into the lovely
city of Racine (home to a few of my lovely aunts, uncles and cousins, by
the way...) on Lake Michigan. I'll have to warn aunt Norma to stay away from the
north side Pick N Save at
night,as the spirit of a lonely bagboy likes to stack up cans in strange spots,
flip the lights on and off and move carts around the store.
Don't forget your Pick N Save Savers Card!
Up the
"coast" a bit to Milwaukee, we will find yet another haunted mall:
Grand Avenue Mall . Awhile back, three unsuspecting
security guards saw a shadowy phantom figure dancing about on the second floor.
Upon further investigation, she vanished.
a grand avenue, indeed!
After a quick pit stop at the Miller Brewery, we continue
further north to the picturesque city of Sheboygan. By this time, we're a
little strapped for cash and lucky for us, there just happens to be a haunted
bank there! The downtown branch of the
First Star Bank is frequented by Duke, formerly the
bank's janitor until his death. He likes to rattle doors and scoot objects
around. Our wallets replenished by the ATM, we hop in our RV and scoot north
straight into Packers country. In Green Bay, we'll visit
the YMCA for a few sets of curls, a run on the
treadmill, and the relentless torment of the ghost of a young man who was
murdered there.
Whew! That
treadmill knocked me out! Think I'll catch a nap on the way to Plainfield,
southwest of Green Bay. A stop in the antifreeze aisle of the
True Value store here will find you face to face
with the former owner, Bernice Worden,
murdered by a serial killer Ed Gein in 1957, but still rifling through
inventory slips mumbling about "antifreeze". Ed Gein, in case you had never
heard of him, was the inspiration for the "Buffalo Bill" character in "Silence
of the Lambs". He got "intense gratification" by killing and skinning middle
aged women and wearing their skins on his back, and their genitals stuffed in a
pair of panties that he wore. Ewww. That's a creepy one.
Someone stole Ed's headstone recently. That's a darn shame...
The next stop in the Subway in
Dodgeville. Not the mass transit type of subway, but the sandwich
shop. I'm not sure after the Ed Gein town that I want to "Eat Fresh",
but I would like to see the phantom "skinny middle aged lady" who scowls at
workers near the sandwich bar, only to disappear when they approach.
Apparently a fan of "Blimpies" and not "Subway", the malevolent spirit likes to
go into the lower level at night and throw things, screeching out the workers'
names. A foul smell permeates the air, as well (too many cucumbers on that
number 4, perhaps?)
This Dodgeville llama gets extra cheese on her seafood delight on wheat
Back on the road now, we circle round the state, ending our tour in southwest Wisconsin in the town of Potosi. Weary from our trip, we venture to the Brunner Food Center. The unimposing structure sits on a grassy hill where a miner was killed over 100 years ago. His ghostly form can be seen trotting down the hill carrying, not a bag of milk and eggs, but a pickaxe.
So there you have it... haunted places don't have to be old Scottish castles or southern plantations... they can be the 7 - 11 up the street or perhaps the local Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Bibliography
http://www.houseofhorrors.com/gein.htm
http://theshadowlands.net/places/wisconsin.htm