The History of Inspiration House
Inspiration House is over 150 years old. Built by a father and son team of carriage makers named Penfield, the home was originally intended for the son and his new wife, Sarah. They were to raise a family and live to a ripe old age in the home, but fate intervened. At least one of the Penfield children was born in the house. However, only a few years after construction was complete, Herbert Penfield moved to Chicago. Although standardized death certificates did not exist at this time, there is every indication that Sarah Penfield died in the home and her husband left, a widower.
This was the beginning of a long history of lives - and deaths - in the house at 36 South Street.
Initial Mysteries
When we initially acquired Inspiration House in 2018, the property had been sitting vacant for over a year. The previous owners, a married couple, had abandoned the home, leaving behind books, clothing, electronics, prescription medications, and other personal effects. It was clear that neither of them wanted to set foot in the house again. In fact, one condition of Belanger’s successful offer to buy the house involved allowing them to leave behind whatever they no longer wanted, so they could avoid coming back.
Whatever their experiences in Inspiration House, at least one of the previous owners was driven to seek spiritual aid. Rods of selenite were discovered in key locations throughout the house, placed in a manner consistent with New Age protection and cleansing techniques. Crystals were found over the threshold of several doors, in all four corners of the wainscoting in the dining room, and in a far corner of the basement. Many pieces of chalk also were found scattered throughout drawers, chests, and jewelry boxes. All of the chalk was used, although its purpose remains unknown. A small collection of occult books were also left behind in the library.
Since the initial investigations of the house, other prior residents have reached out on condition of anonymity, confessing that they, too, experienced unexplained phenomena within the home.
The Display Room
The Display Room contains a collection of haunted objects, paranormal memorabilia, and occult tools. Many of these are items that have been used in M. Belanger's own work. Several sets of oracle cards and Tarot decks, pendulums, dowsing rods, and Michelle's hand-made Ouija board are available for your own paranormal experiments during your visit.
Paranormal Dreams
Guests at Inspiration House frequently experience dreams where the ghostly residents seek contact. Dream journals can be found in each of the main bedrooms where you can add a record of your own experiences, should you choose.
Haunted Guide
Throughout the house, Michelle has posted write-ups about the haunting, including consistently reported experiences, as well as the history of the property. Guests are invited to engage with these as suits their investigation style. Be aware, however, some contain spoilers!
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INVESTIGATIONS: SPOILER WARNING
If you’re coming to Inspiration House to test your psychic perceptions, we recommend waiting to read the information below until after your visit. Of course, everyone’s investigation styles differ, so use your best judgement.
If you do read on, confirmation bias and frontloading may make it more difficult to interpret your perceptions accurately. What follows is NOT a comprehensive accounting of all the spirits that could possibly be present at Inspiration House at any given time. Some spirits may travel with you. We may not have made contact with some spirits at the house yet. And some of the spirits we have made contact with, we don’t yet fully understand. If you continue reading before your visit, take the information below with a grain of salt. Remember, do your best to both trust and verify any perceptions you pick up while you’re on site. Don’t discount your experiences just because no one else has also experienced something similar.
END SPOILER WARNING
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The Haunting
Playful Spirit
A Fisher-Price children's toy in the form of a musical television set was left by the previous residents. This item has played on its own since Michelle and Elyria first took possession of the home. It is unknown who previously owned this classic 1960s toy. It can be viewed along with several other haunted music boxes in the Display Room, where it still frequently plays. Many investigators have perceived a playful and child-like spirit attached to this object, although the precise identity of this being is unknown.
Ghost Dog
Visitors (and neighbors) have reported seeing a ghost dog on the property. The animal has been seen looking out the windows, and was mistaken for a living dog! Guests have also heard the sound of a dog's nails on the hardwood and even felt him climb up onto their beds. Nick Gleam, an English Setter registered with the American Kennel Association, lived in the house in the early 1900s and fits the description of this spirit.
EVP Screams
In addition to the house's named spirits, a brooding presence, perceived by most as masculine, moves between the basement and the carriage house. EVPs associated with this presence have been recorded on multiple occasions, including chilling screams. Theories as to this spirit's nature vary. Some suspect it is the elder Penfield who built the house. Others connect this presence not to Inspiration House itself, but to the property and its connections to the Underground Railroad. Still others identify the presence as an elemental tied to the land.
Deaths in the House
A number of deaths have occurred in Inspiration House over the course of its 150+ year history. All documented deaths have been from natural causes, typically from residents who lived a long, full life within the home. Inspiration House is home to both intelligent spirits and residual hauntings. Multiple investigators believe they have communicated with widow Roxa Ackelson, Sarah Penfield, Mayor Arden Taylor Dale, James McRoberts Wooster, and art historian Ken DuBois. All of these were previous residents; three of them died in the home. Death certificates for Roxa Ackelson, Clarence Baxter, and Nellie Mary Baxter can be found in the history binder on site.
Guests at Inspiration House have reported a variety of unexplained experiences. Common reports include music boxes that play by themselves, footsteps, disembodied voices, the apparition of a woman on the stairs, and a playful ghost dog.
Below are a selection of noteworthy experiences from the Inspiration House archives.
The Fisher Price Toy Talks Back (click to read the whole story)
Argument: These Drapes are Tasteless (ghosts and interior decorating… it’s a thing)
Who’s Haunting Inspiration House? SPOILERS!
