Is my new house haunted?

No, we have not moved into the new house.  Soon, soon.  But I was there on Saturday waiting for a fantabulous new leather love seat to be delivered - alas the sofa is on back order.  :(   Once the love seat was delivered I could not resist curling up on it in the quiet house with the sun spilling through the window onto me.  I imagined it was how one of my cats feels when they find that perfect splash of sunshine on the rug and can't but take a snooze in it.


At some point as I was dozing I heard a little girl talking, fairly close, in a conversational tone and volume, asking "can we keep it where we put it now?"  Since I was dozing in and out I opened my eyes when I heard it, and listened.  She said it again.  "can we keep it where we put it now?"  Hmmmm.  I closed my eyes again and thought it must have been  a kid playing outside, walking past the house maybe.  And it probably was.  But the windows were not open and I can't imagine how I was able to hear her so quietly yet clearly. 


After thinking about it for a minute I got up and looked out the front window.  Nothing.  No one.  Looked out the kitchen window to the deck and back yard.  Nothing.  Went downstairs and looked out those windows too.  No one around.


It didn't scare me but I must admit if it had been night instead of early afternoon, I might have been spooked.  


But I'll be keeping my ears open ..


.

And now ...............the rest .......of the story.

Vishnu Springs was a small village and resort located in west central Illinois. There is a small spring located on the property that is thought to have healing powers. So the area was sought after and went through many owners from when it was first developed for use to the present day.

The property was first developed by Darius Hicks in the late 1800’s. Hicks started out with a hotel that had many attractions to it, one of those being indoor plumbing. There were also swings and hammocks, flower gardens, a deer park, horse-powered merry-go-round, a pond filled with goldfish, and many other attractions. The village would eventually surround the resort.

Eventually the town failed though. Hicks committed suicide after the death of his wife. There were many owners after him who tried to get the place up and running. Ownership traded back and forth. Some Western Illinois University students even rented the place in the seventies because of its beauty and tranquility. Today though, Western Illinois University owns the property and will be turning it into a wildlife refuge. What will be come of the hotel which still stands? Who knows what will happen. No one can deny the history that will stay locked away in the memories of ones who have visited.

No Trespassing signs are posted.

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Trespassing at Vishnu Springs

In what's been an ongoing occurrence, people continue to trespass at Vishnu Springs. McDonough County Sheriff Rick VanBrooker says seventeen people were charged last weekend with trespassing. Around 3:30 Saturday afternoon, two cars were found parked outside the gate and blocking the entrance and the road that leads to the former hotel and springs and police ticketed *seven people. Just after 10 o'clock Sunday night police again found two vehicles parked at the entrance. This time they ticketed 10 people. The ages ranged from 18 to 22. There are rumors that the former hotel on the site is haunted and the spring water was rumored to have healing power. People pry off the boards covering the hotel windows and doors to get inside, and the walls inside are spray-painted with graffiti.

* My 21 year old good as gold daughter and friends, on Halloween. How did I find out? Her court summons came in the mail today. Am I thrilled? Not so much. Am I angry with her?

Would you be?

**Added - They did not go inside, it is all boarded up, nor did they vandalise anything. They poked around and explored outside.