Villisca, Part II

Last night when we returned from Villisca, I received a bunch of “Well how was it?” emails and IMs. Villisca is a ghost hunter Mecca. It is one of the places that every true ghost hunter has to visit. It is in the middle of nowhere, and isn’t for the type who need their climate controlled, king size hotel room with mini bar, and room service after the evening is over. Many people these days go on package tours that include dinner and a comfy bed. This isn’t it. It is roughing it, but then a lot of the best places are like that. Three people asked “Where do you stay?”, the answer is…in a barn, in our cars, and there are folks that never get a wink of sleep.There isn’t a motel nearby that covers the Axe Murder House trade.

Photo by Dr. Regina Wolf

I posted this last night to answer the emails:

Have been having folks ask about Villisca. It was fun, but it is a HUGE undertaking. It is 2 days packed with a minimum of 17 in hours in the car. It is a creepy place that you feel strange (many feel sick), just entering the house. It is a DRIVE, and the trip home is often after being up most of the night. You sleep in a barn, with no heat, or in your vehicle. There is a great cafe in town, but no gourmet food, food chains, or fine wine. No hotel, no motel, no Mc Donald’s, no police to come to your rescue. No hospital (the nearest I found, is 17 miles away). The town is 1.9 square miles….yes, that’s it.You have to be dedicated and just a little bit insane to take on the Villisca Axe murder house. It is not for the weak, in any manner, shape or form….but if like doing investigations….it is Nirvana. Then there is the aftermath, where you review video (this trip we have 48 hours to review), audio (about 7 hours), and photos (I took 109, Matt,well over 200). We spent tons in gas, reserving our spots in the house and food, yet we still had an awesome time, AND will do it again in September. I think that covers all the questions and then some!

I forgot to add that it rains like crazy on the way home. Both times we made the trip it POURED on the way home. 

This is a place that sends out vibes. Last year we felt it when we walked in, this year we felt it on the ramp before we walked in. Just opening the door was magic. There was a thunderstorm that night. Most times a thunderstorm will ramp up activity. The storm killed activity. Activity started again the next morning with the sun up when the ash cleaning door of the pot belly stove opened and hit the floor in the living room. Villisca doesn’t care if it is day or night. But apparently it doesn’t like thunderstorms. It has spiders, and sometimes troublesome kids who dare each other to approach the house or knock on the door.
When we were setting up two women pulled up in a car and got out to take pictures. They climbed up on the porch and noticed there were people in the house and hightailed it for the car. I wonder if they thought we were ghosts?

The wood stove gave us a nice piece of evidence. The door opened and fell down sideways by itself. I looked and saw I had pictures of the handle from earlier in the evening (which belongs in a vertical or right hand horizontal position) in two different positions. My husband had a picture in a third position. At one point, the door opened and fell. Now skeptics will say it fell because it was unlatched. First of all it was in a position that was not one of the options. Could that position allow the door to open? Apparently. Yet the question remains, who moved it several times? It was none of us. We weren’t paying any attention to it. We were no where near the latch. So let’s assume we somehow opened the latch in a daze…I opened the latch when I put the door back on. I jumped, stomped, leaped, and nothing, The door didn’t move, and certainly didn’t come off. I latched it tightly, so if it moves again ….. This all happened around 6 AM with the sunrise.

We have EVPs (I listened to a few in the car on the way home), some shadow movement, and had a few hits on the Frank’s Box (voices in real time). Some folks were touched, and there were lots of light anomalies. No one was hurt or rushed this year (thank goodness), and we heard kids and a woman either singing or crying.
We also talked to the locals. One lady told us her cousins owned it at one time, and nothing even happened, but she did say that as soon as the house was restored, things started to happen (which is typical). The locals are friendly and fun, and they feed us well. We stop at a cafe called TJ’s all the time, and the home cooked food is not only good, but filling.
All that said though, it isn’t a place for people who haven’t done this before. It isn’t a place for those who can’t “rough it” a little. It certainly isn’t a pace for people who have special needs. There are no facilities or services for miles. You have to bring your own bedrolls, and in the winter, it will be COLD. The best way to visit is with as much varied equipment as possible. The more equipment, the more results. You can go there and have experiences, day, night, anytime, but to get really good evidence, you need the right tools. For those who aren’t ready to spend the night, they do daytime tours which last about 4 hours. The house is active in the day, so don’t feel like you want have an experience just because the sun isn’t up. Then you can go down the rad a few miles and visit the home of bandleader Glen Miller.

We were goofing around at one point and did the old “flashlight” communication nonsense. We love to disprove flashlight communication. We found the spirit in the room is a former group member (who is still alive), and is wearing some very unconventional clothing….in other words, the flashlight lies. Well it doesn’t lie, it just arcs out from time to time, and you are the one who decides what the answers are by the questions you ask. Never use a flashlight for communication.

No one was hurt this time and we were able to get into the attic (the floor is fixed). I didn’t spend much time in there, just took come pictures, but it has that “feel” to it. But then, so does the downstairs bedroom. We had a good time. It is one that should be on a ghost hunter’s bucket list, but not those who do not know what they are doing, who provoke, or who aren’t prepared to sleep in the rough.

Like the old saying goes, it is a great place to visit, but I sure wouldn’t want to live there.

Peshaui Wequashimese

(C)2013 Dr R M Wolf. May not be used, copied or reproduced without prior written permission.