Located in Jerseyville, Illinois, the Cheney Mansion has been investigated by PTF members at various times in 2009 and 2010. This mansion is both a historic and paranormal jewel which is well worth the time for those who enjoy both to take the time and travel to Jerseyville, Illinois. The Jersey County Historical Society members will make you feel more than welcome and you will leave with a warmed heart and satisfying grin upon your face. The Cheney Mansion, located at 601 N. State Street in Jerseyville, Illinois, was built after the Civil War and incorporated the "Little Red House". The "Little Red House", constructed in 1827, was the first frame structure in Jersey County. The mansion served as a tavern, stagecoach stop, a bank, a doctor's office and was also utilized as a station for the Underground Railroad until the end of the Civil War and included a false cellar that was used to hide slaves searching for freedom. The "Little Red House" was built by James Faulkner and two carpenters named Hamilton and Sweeney. A couple of years later it was sold to A.L. Carpenter, then to the D'Arcy family, and, through inheritance, was owned by the Cheney family. The D'Arcy family had obtained large tracts of land and were of considerable wealth. During their ownership, many changes and additions were added to the establishment and was carried on by the Cheney family. Today, this stately structure shows little resemblance to the 2-story, 4 room "Red House". The mansion is furnished with 19th century pieces, it houses a collection of ladies and gentleman's period clothing, and features a complete kitchen from the 1800-1900 era. In 1997, the Cheney Mansion was purchased by local benefactors Clayton Brown and Richard McCauley and donated to the Jersey County Historical Society. More information about this fabulous location and the Jersey County Historical Society can be found online at: www.jerseyusa.net - Please help support this society in preserving history for our future generations! Second Floor Hauntings Hallway - People have reported that when alone in the Mansion and when standing in the upstairs hallway or adjacent room, they will hear men and women conversing downstairs. The Children's Room - The attic door will close on its own. Also, a stuffed rabbit is sometimes moved and jacks and a ball are sometimes played with by the unseen. Prentis Dana Cheney's (P.D.) Room - It has been reported that the bed will levitate on its own then drop to the floor and at times will just move on its own. People have also reported witnessing what looks like an invisible person moving around in the bed and/or hearing heavy breathing. The Drunk Room (where P.D.'s wife Margaret would lock him in when he was intoxicated) - People have experienced the strong smell of vomit. Someone has reported the experience of being grasped tightly on their arm by an unseen hand which held onto them for two to three minutes and several others have reported being lightly touched various places and having their hair tousled. Miss Dorothy's Room (P.D.'s nanny when he was small) - The spirit of a small negro girl is reportedly living in the closet. A ball is sometimes played with if sat in front of the closet door. People also report experiencing a strong moving smell of talcum powder or soap at times that comes and goes without warning in this room. Main "First" Floor Hauntings Safe Room & Dr's Office - There have been reports of the spirit of a man and/or a small boy living in the safe. People's hair is sometimes played with while they are in the safe and at times can be tugged on quite hard! Sometimes when people sit on the stool in the safe, one of the little green safe drawers will pull out and hit them in the leg. People often hear the sounds of a little girl singing an unknown but familiar tune while sitting near the doorway of this room and it sounds as if it is coming from the adjacent room or hallway. This same singing has also been heard by people who were in the Sun Room/Control Room as well. There have been reports of people also hearing a woman laughing in these same areas. People will also at times witness the rocking chair in this room rock and/or move on its own. There are also reports of people visually seeing a blue mist on the main stairway which is sometimes captured in pictures. Basement A black moving mass has been seen and reported by many. It is also common for females to be scratched on their back and/or neck. Also many females have reported their hair being tousled, lifted, touched and blown on as well by unseen forces. Investigators have encountered moving areas of high electromagnetic filed (EMF) and of seeing an unexplainable mist in the slave tunnel. Most of the paranormal activity in the basement occurs when there are no males present. Note: EVP's have been collected from almost anywhere in the mansion. Also, the mirrors in the home are famous for providing faces in pictures or video, some of which look very similar to photos of the Cheney family. Cold spots and unexplainable breezes are felt often all over the mansion and hearing a loud breath in your ear which at times is caught on recordings is also a common experience. During investigations of the Cheney Mansion while PTF members were present, there were several human experiences and oddities which include: - Hearing footsteps above them while in the basement coming from the first floor when no one else was present in the building. Witnessed by two investigators of PTF and two members of the Jersey County Historical Society. - Odd feelings of coldness and static charge in the basement experienced by two different investigators at different times. - Scuffling sounds on the basement floor heard several times by different investigators. - Investigators visually experiencing a moving dark mass on two separate occasions. - An investigator having a high EMF spike on their meter at the same time another investigator near them felt something blow upon and touch their hair while in the basement. - Investigators being touched by the unseen while in the basement, including having their hair being touched, pulled and blown upon - Pressure sensations felt in the head and ears by various investigators at different times. - One investigator had their strong magnet that they hung in the safe swing and spin on its own then suddenly stop while it was in motion. - Investigators getting direct responses to questions while using multiple EMF meters during EVP sessions in the basement. - An investigators arm was grabbed by unseen forces while in the "Drunk Room". - An investigator hearing what sounded like a small child singing, a woman laugh and people conversing when they were the only one in the mansion and on the second floor. - An investigator was scratched three places on her back and neck while in the basement. - Investigators witnessing the attic door closing on its own. Notable audio segments have been captured by members of PTF in various locations of the Mansion which contained various classes of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) A remarkable video segment was captured on a DVR system in the basement which contained an anomaly that is still being analyzed. Remarkable evidence will be posted to this page in the near future. With the plethora of unexplainable experiences encountered by investigators during various visits and investigations coupled with remarkable audio containing EVP and an anomaly on video which may also be paranormal in nature (pending final results of analysis), there is no doubt that this location has activity occurring which is both unexplainable and paranormal in nature. Further investigations are recommended along with further analysis and study of gathered evidence in hopes to determine the haunting classifications, types and cause. It is believe at this time that the paranormal activity present could be multi-layered, thus creating several individual or independent hauntings within this historical building with each one having their own classification, type and cause. Gregory Myers, President Paranormal Task Force |
| CHENEY MANSION Jerseyville, IL |
| PARANORMAL TASK FORCE REPORT OF INVESTIGATION of the Historic Cheney Mansion - Jerseyville, IL |
| History and Profile of Location |
| Haunting History & Experiences |
| Human Experiences and Equipment Oddities of PTF |
| Resulting Evidence |
| Conclusion |
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