Hickory Hill Haunted Mansion

John Crenshaw was the only Illinois resident legally allowed to keep slaves in the mid 1800s, because although the state was a free one, slavery was the only method by which people could be made to work at his saline springs, producing salt. Crenshaw rapidly became the wealthiest man in Illinois as a result of the value of his product and the fact that he did not have to pay his workers, and he and his brother built Hickory Hill Mansion to a standard they thought fitting for a rich land owner and slave trader. Despite several attempts to prove his guilt, Crenshaw continued to successfully kidnap and trade black people from Illinois out to slave states, and would keep them in small cells in his attic, chained to the floor, until he was ready to move them. Years later, Crenshaw and his family moved to another town, and he hired a family to live there and manage the adjoining farm on his behalf. Almost immediately they began to notice strange noises emanating from the empty attic and in 1864, when the house was sold on, its haunted status drew tourists and paranormal investigators from far and wide, who wanted to spend the night in the attic and experience any visitations that might occur. It was not until 1978 that someone managed to spend a whole night there without fleeing from the horrific sounds, said to have been generated by the ghosts of the long-dead slaves who had been so severely mistreated there. It is currently closed to the public but plans are under way to reopen it.

1 / 5 Review by editor larapiegeler

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