Ida Public Library shares ghostly encounters

By Anne Eickstadt

REPORTER

When Kathi Kresol is asked where the most haunted place in Rockford is, she responds, “Whatever place I am standing next to at two o’clock in the morning.”

Kresol is an author, historian, and paranormal investigator. On Thursday, Oct. 20, she appeared at Belvidere’s Ida Public Library to thrill her audience with stories of ghostly encounters.

Kresol became interested in true crime and the paranormal when unexplained things began happening in the house which her family moved into in the late 1980s. She discovered, through a newspaper article printed on Jan. 17, 1958, that a murder had taken place in her home.

Kresol discussed how she finds haunted locations through research and rumors of strange happenings and sightings. Then, she works with psychics who may get impressions of any spirit who might be around.

On Thursday, she told the audience at Ida the details of several haunted stories from her books and articles.

One such story was of Clinton St. Clair. He murdered Mary Macintosh, 80, on Jan. 20, 1920. The police located him through a letter he had dropped just outside Macintosh’s home. He admitted it and claimed he had killed her because he was frustrated that he couldn’t find a job. He was convicted and sentenced to death.

St. Clair was held in the Winnebago County Jail until his execution. Residence in the jail soon began to decline. Officials thought it was because the example of St. Clair’s execution was sufficient warning to criminals to stop their illegal acts.

However, they discovered that the true reason was different. Inmates at the jail spoke of hearing St. Clair pacing in his cell, muttering to himself, and laughing wildly. It was fear that kept them out of jail – fear of Clinton St. Clair’s ghost.

Other stories included the several possible identities of the ‘Woman in White” who is sighted now and again; the ghostly woman who rides the elevator at the Coronado Theater; and the women who have drowned themselves in the river.

Kresol has contributed stories to two anthologies featuring Rockford authors.

In 2015, her book Murder and Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois was published.

She writes newspaper columns and has appeared on television shows and been interviewed on the radio.

Many people know her from the paranormal tours she guides around Rockford. She offers a cemetery tour, doing the research on the families of the deceased and bringing in psychics. She organizes paranormal investigations, working with paranormal investigative teams who bring their equipment. They turn out the lights and rotate through different areas where incidents have been reported.The Haunted Pub Bus Tour visits several taverns.

“This is a drinking tour so anything can happen,” Kresol said. “I love to research and have always been fascinated with stories of real people. At first, I didn’t know if anyone would be interested in learning about the history and hauntings of Rockford, but I have been doing these tours for 10 years now, so I guess people are.”

To find out more about Kresol and her stories, go to www.hauntedrockford.com.