During my two-year stint as a resident of the Old Fort Lowell Historic District on Tucson’s northeast side, my paranormal curiosity was continually fed by intriguing tales of ghosts and hauntings.

These accounts of hauntings aren’t limited to Fort Lowell park, where remnants of the United States mililtary camp are preserved.  Reported paranormal activity circulates well outside of the boundaries of the park, and even into some of the old homes in the general vicinity. The accounts of ghosts and hauntings are known to have been circulating since the year 1900, nine years after the last living soldiers left Fort Lowell.

According to many accounts, the spirits of soldiers who died at Fort Lowell have never left.

It was first reported around 1900 that the ghost of a solder haunted the ruins of the old Fort Lowell. Residents of the area allegedly spent much time participating in a crude early form of ghost hunting. The residents were said to have spent countless hours, along with countless rounds of ammunition, firing at the ghostly soldier. The soldier would simply disappear upon attack.

It is said that the soldier turned the tables on one attacker and fired back in defense with a blast of rocks.

The newspapers of the time started covering the story. On December 14, 1900, the Arizona Daily Citizen (predecessor of the Tucson Citizen newspaper) reported that  “reputable citizens” continued to see the ghost. The story stated that these reputable citizens were preparing for a gun battle with the said spectre soldier, scheduled to take place that very evening.

The ghost was victorious, as the paper reported on December 28th that the ghost had returned to steal resident’s turkey on Christmas Eve. The Republic in Phoenix also ran the stories, as interest in all things paranormal grew at the time.  

If the reporting stemmed from an ”inside joke” of some sort, there seems to be a missing article somewhere and we don’t get the joke today. Perhaps the stories were inspired by a reporter’s vivid imagination?

We’ll never know.

Interestingly, the stories have sparked my imagination about those pre-Tucson Citizen / pre-Paranormal Old Pueblo weird news accounts by the Arizona Daily Citizen, written well over a century ago. The newspaper published their last story about the ghost April 13, 1901 - not long before the name of the newspaper changed. Later that same year, records indicate that the Arizona Daily Citizen changed their name to the Tucson Citizen.   

Isn’t it ironic that not long after the Tucson Citizen ceased distributing a printed publication in 2009 (transforming into the online TucsonCitizen.com) that the Paranormal Old Pueblo blog was born into it?

We seem to have come full circle here. The thought intrigues me.

However, I am also intrigued by ghostly tales around Fort Lowell.

There are still reputable citizens living in the Fort Lowell area more than a century later. The reports of ghosts and hauntings in the area have not ceased.  

For example, a woman I know shared with me that her father’s home, the home she grew up in, is haunted. The old house stands near Craycroft and Fort Lowell Roads, and it houses at least one ghostly resident. The woman’s father still lives in the home and claims to have witnessed strange events, in and around the house, over the span of more than four decades.

Most interestingly, he said that he began hearing the sounds of the wagon wheels turning, along with the clomping of the horses’ hooves upon the hard, dry desert ground. He stepped outside one day and witnessed  a ghostly horse-drawn wagon, steered by spectral soldiers. The eyes of the soldiers remained focused on their destination ahead, toward Fort Lowell Park. Then, the ghostly wagon simply vanished. According to the homeowner, he witnessed this event on more than one occasion and got used to it.

After a while, when he would hear the sounds approaching, he would simply go about his business and let the wagon drive by in peace. He says that the neighbors have learned to do the same.

Is the Fort Lowell area haunted? Or does the area simply spark our imaginations into a wild frenzy when we think about the soldiers who risked (and even lost) their lives at Fort Lowell?

We’ll never know.

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When I had car trouble a few years ago, I called my sister to pick me up from work. She wasn’t feeling up to taking me all the way home that day. I hung out with her for a while and called my dad for a ride home. My dad arrived at my sister’s house in his full-sized pickup truck with a shell, with his friend Carly by his side in the passenger seat. My sister came outside with me to see me off. We both noticed a boy, who we identified as Carly’s son Jimi, in the back of the truck. He looked out of the truck’s shell at my sister and me. He looked happy to see us and gave us a huge smile. My sister and I commented about how we liked Jimi. I hugged my sister goodbye.

As I approached the truck, Carly slid to the middle of the seat to allow room for me. I climbed in and took the passenger side seat. I greeted my dad, gave Carly a hug, and turned around to greet Jimi. Jimi wasn’t there.

I turned to my dad and Carly and asked, “Where’s Jimi?”

Jimi was at his dad’s house, they said. I was quite confused, but insisted that there was a young boy in the back of the truck. The boy smiled at my sister and me. My dad said I was seeing things. As we pulled away, I noticed my sister still outside, waving her hand and smiling at us. A confused look came over her face before she turned around and went back inside her house.

I called my sister later that night to tell her that there was no one in the back of the truck. She was as surprised as I was. She added that as we pulled away, she waved at the little boy, he waved back.

Months went by, during which time my sister and I received some ribbing about the ghost boy. Then it was forgotten, for while. Others started “seeing things” in the back of the truck, inside that  shell.

My dad worked as a contractor for a time for Qwest Communications, arranging for service and towing. One hot summer day, my dad answered a call for a broken down truck at Kolb and Valencia. The driver of the disabled vehicle was sitting against a fence when my dad pulled up. It was too hot for him to wait for my dad inside the vehicle. My dad examined the disabled truck, while the driver looked on. The driver asked if it was maybe a little too hot to let the kids stay in the back of the truck with no air conditioning. My dad said there were no kids in his truck. The driver took a closer look, and thoroughly examined my dad’s truck to satisfy himself. He said he distinctly saw kids looking out the shell windows.

Several months later, my dad took a job at a roofing company. One day, he arrived at the roofing yard, parked out front and walked in. Someone at the yard asked if the kids in the back of the truck were his grandchildren. My dad said that there were no children there. The inquirer decided to go outside to make sure. A couple other workers refused to even get near the truck at the mere thought of ghosts, particularly at the thought of ghostly children. The inquirer continued to insist that he saw kids looking out the window, and had even commented to another worker as my dad pulled in, saying that he was probably on his way somewhere with the grandkids.

Once since then, my sister and I joined my dad on a camping trip. Since we had other commitments, we only visited with him for a few hours and ate a steak dinner around the campfire. By nightfall, I kept my back to the truck, as I felt that someone was watching me. So did my sister. We drove back to Tucson through the Coronado National Forest late that night, feeling rather creeped out and quite jumpy.

My dad since removed the camper shell to install a tool box in the back of his truck. The  shell sits on my uncle’s property, reserved for occasional camping trips. I don’t know if the “children” are attached to the truck or to the camper shell. It could be a defect in the glass, but that would be an eerie defect, to say the least. My uncle hasn’t reported any activity associated with that shell stored in his yard. There’s seemingly no paranormal activity attached to the truck either.

One day soon, I will take a full camping trip with my dad. Perhaps those kids might come along with my dad. Although the kids in the truck look quite happy and not menacing in any way, I think I’ll keep my back to the truck again and let them play in peace.

One of my favorite “haunted” locations is The Whaley House Museum in Old Town San Diego, touted as The Most Haunted House in America. The Whaley House Museum generates a healthy amount of money from their entrance fees. The museum revenue is supplemented by donated monies dropped into the “Save Our Heritage Organization” (SOHO) box near the exit.  The museum is a cash cow, whether it is haunted or not.

The Whaley house is said to be haunted by Thomas Whaley, an early San Diego settler, as well as by the ghostly members of his pioneering family. The house even has a spectral dog running around the property. According to historians, this San Diego homesite that was chosen by Whaley in the late 1800’s, was purchased despite his knowing that the location served as the local gallows for criminals.

I’ve visited the Whaley House in San Diego on numerous occasions. I was fortunate over the years to roam the house and property after hours. I was allowed to roam freely by a former Whaley House “ghost” docent. It is a different environment inside that house when it is experienced alone and unguided. The late Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame enjoyed a private visit to the home, based on his affinity of paranormal phenomena. Talk Show King, Regis Philbin, also visited the home when he was a San Diego television host in the 60’s. Philbin was even said to have fled the home, in the middle of the night, during the after hours visit. The King of Horror Movies, Vincent Price, also visited the home outside of the boundaries of a structured tour. I can truly attest to the fact that it is truly a “thriller” to be inside that structure late at night.

There is one widely circulated “fact” about the Whaley House, however, that makes me cringe. The Whaley House is said to be one of 30 locations nationwide, “authenticated” as haunted by the United States Department of Commerce.

Huh?

Let’s back up and examine this for a bit. The U.S. Department of Commerce certification: “haunted house”. What does Government involvement in bestowing any sort of classification on a “haunted house” mean for you and me?

First, there’s a big misconception here. The U.S. Department of Commerce does NOT claim that the Whaley House or the said 29 other locations are actually haunted by ghosts. Some internet sources name the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Chamber of Commerce, or even the California State Chamber of Commerce, as the government entities that have bestowed the “haunted” designation on The Whaley House. Depending on the source, the words “designated”, “verified”, “certified” or “authenticated” are often used along with the claim that the government recognizes the location as haunted. The one word that remains constant is the word “Commerce” associated with these claims.

Definition: Commerce, n. 1. the activity embracing all forms of the purchase and sale of goods and services. – Source: www.thefreedictionary.com

Throughout my years of research into this popular claim, I have yet to find said list of 30 “certified” haunted houses that any branch of any government has “authenticated” and published. If you have said list, forward it to me. In the meantime, I am going to apply some common sense to the scenario.

Our federal government does not certify locations as “haunted” places – at least in the sense of certifying that a location is legally haunted by ghosts. The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA is also believed to be authenticated by government as “haunted”.

There is to be considered, what exactly is the government involvement with the official classification of these and other properties?

The government certification as “haunted” is simply misunderstood. The designation of a haunted house given to the Whaley House by the U.S. Department of Commerce is only partially accurate. The designation as a “haunted house” to a business that collects entrance fees from the public, serves multiple fiduciary purposes. The designation of any business, for any purpose, mandates that any business complies with structural codes, public safety requirements, property value assessments, business classification, and tax classifications. So, the United States and local government commerce divisions DO oversee businesses that are legally designated, and that DO operate haunted houses for amusement purposes.

If you think about it, there are many reasons why a location that is designated as a “haunted house” would have to comply with specific government inflicted rules. If someone freaks out, for example, there must to be easy access for the person to exit the structure. As importantly, rules are in place to allow prompt access of emergency personnel into the place of business. All places of business, in order to operate, are forced to comply with federal, state and local code, in every aspect. The Whaley House Museum dually operates as a haunted house. The government rules for businesses operating under the designation of a haunted house ensure that the paid public enjoys a safe visit to the said haunted location. Any claim that a government entity certified the house as “haunted” is only partially accurate.

The Whaley House Museum’s website states: “Although we cannot state positively that the Whaley House is really haunted, the voluminous documentation of paranormal occurances at the site makes a compelling case.”

This statement tells me that there is no government authentication or verification or certification of ghosts bestowed on the property. The Whaley House Museum has never referenced any government designation.  Yet, this “fact” is all over the internet and has been relayed to me by various persons. Even a Travel Channel show that featured the home in a “most haunted” segment referenced the government designation.

While I do think The Whaley House Museum is haunted, the United States government did not authenticate my belief that the location is haunted. The government simply ensured that my visit to the structure complied with local, state and federal regulations – even if one visit was after hours, which is a grey area, to say the least.

I decided, on my own, based on my personal experiences at the location, that I personally believe that the Whaley House Museum is haunted. Additionally, it is up to science to prove that ghosts exist, not the U.S. Department of Commerce, nor is it up to any other state or local branches of commerce regulatory agencies.

(As a side note, the rogue ghost docent who allowed access to me no longer serves on staff at The Whaley House. After hours visits can be pre-arranged for additional fees for a limited number of hours aftter closing.)

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Alexandra Holzer: Woman in the Paranormal

This is part 5 and the conclusion of my interview with Alexandra Holzer, daughter of Hans Holzer who was known as “Father of the Paranormal” and “Father of Ghost Hunting.”

Find out how you can chat with Alexandra LIVE during a ghost investation at The Shanley Hotel. Details following the conclusion of this interview.

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Alexandra, I am attending the TusCon 36 Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy Literary Convention, November 13th through the 15th here in Tucson. Do you have any advice for aspiring Tucson writers in this genre?

Just write and write some more. Get it out and then go back to it with edits and don’t over work your work. If you find yourself doing too many rewrites you are doomed and will go mad.

Seriously, trust yourself, first and foremost, and trustthat your desire to write comes from within. The rest will happen. Writing is a slow, torturous process and you need to be strong to keep at it.

Your mind writes quicker than thy fingers to the keyboard. I remember watching my father type away on his Smith-Corona and using white-out and cursing a bit off and on as he smacked the carriage return lever to get to the next line. Ding. If you have distractions like children, chores, etc. in life, it takes longer but you’ll get there.

On publishing there are two routes you can go.  Back in the day all there was, was the traditional route in which the publisher did all the work from editing to promoting. They paid an advanced fee if what they felt the book would sell in a certain amount of time. The author would embark on speaking engagements and book signings at reputable stores.

Today, traditional still exists, but unless [the author is] well-known or up there in ranks, advances don’t exist and the author has to work very hard to tell the world about your new title. 

The second route is self-publishing like a Lulu.com or Amazon.com in which you pay to have your own work published, distributed and sold. It all depends on what you can afford and what option suits you best in. I have done both and I prefer traditional.

Question 7:  I married a skeptic. Is your husband a believer in the paranormal? 

He became more [of a believer] when I had my awakening over six-years ago. His uncle came through and I started rambling off to him about this gold cross that was from his confirmation and his uncle was yelling at me to him where he lost it and how reckless he was. Youth. What can you do? Many others for him and his friends started crowding my living room and it became a great big spirit party.

You know he has such great respect for my late father and those two were history buffs. So every year my father would get excited in gifting these huge coffee table books on the Civil War, Presidents, Nostradamus, Dracula and Castles. It was a love affair for literature and history. The spirit side came from me once I awoke back to my roots and all my childhood experiences having to deal with all that I didn’t want to when young. The main reason of that awakening was to get me back into my first love, writing. It was a spirit push and today I look back and am amazed how it works over there. I am lucky because some people never awaken and finish out their life path missing out on so much life. That’s how I see it anyway.

 

Thank you, Alexandra for chatting with me.  I had so many more questions. Fortunately, there’s an opportunity for fans to ask more questions this weekend!

Chat with Alexandra during a LIVE broadcast this weekend during a live online ghost investigation at The Shanley Hotel!

WHEN? Friday, November 13th at 8:00 pm ET (Friday the 13th!) & Saturday November 14th at 10:00 pm ET. WHERE? Online on GTV. Facebook users can also become a fan of GTV’s Facebook Page to receive reminders of the event.

After the LIVE event, stay up to date with Alexandra anytime, five different ways:

Facebook group for women in the paranormal field to interact with each other (and with Alexandra): Woman In The Paranormal

Facebook Fan Page for Alexandra Holzer

Facebook Group: In Memory of Dr. Hans Holzer

MySpace: Haunting Holzer

Or keep up with Alexandra Holzer, via her website.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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Alexandra Holzer: Woman in the Paranormal

This is part 3 of my interview with Alexandra Holzer, daughter of Hans Holzer who was known as “Father of the Paranormal” and “Father of Ghost Hunting”, who is an accomplished paranormal authority herself.  

Question 4:  What challenges have you faced as a woman in the paranormal?

I am finding more and more that it looks more appealing to have men as the leaders versus woman. There’s nothing wrong with either but just seems from the up-springs of more paranormal cable television shows men seem to lead the pack. It feels a bit cavemanish to me. 

Now, interesting enough on major networks for the shows ‘Medium’ and ‘Ghost Whisperer’, they use a woman as the lead because the role is of being a medium. Funny. I feel like the perception perhaps could be women are only to be at the forefront and used as mediums and the men do the rest of the investigative work. I have had to and still am fighting tooth, nail and ghost to get my voice heard on many different levels. I bring a lot of different things to the table as a woman as a result of gender challenges. 
 
It’s not just the fact of my father’s legacy which in itself is a huge torch to carry on and still too close to my heart. I am still grieving and have yet to place his ashes properly, as there have been family issues. But, I have them with me and I’ll leave it at that. 

I am also a mother, nurturer, caregiver, writer, conceptual thinker, radio persona, and on it goes. I am not just focused on one particular area for the field. I am just too darn curious to learn about more than spirit activity and demons. I am looking for the meat, you know? I always can do what’s right for me as a woman and human being, and whatever work I do and associations I keep reflect upon my family; so I need to choose wisely and cautiously as the field itself has become quite a danger zone at times. I am referring to the human kind rather than the unknown.

Continue to Part 4: Woman in the Paranormal, True Ghost Story, Part 4 of 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |Part 5

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Have you ever:

• …worked at a haunted location?
• …lived in a haunted house?
• …slept in a haunted hotel room?
• …photographed or videotaped something you think is paranormal?

If you responded “Yes” to any of these questions, we would like to hear from you.

 
Email paranormal.oldpueblo@gmail.com with your story. Selected stories and photos will be shared on Paranormal Old Pueblo.

I love frequent day trips to The Mountain Empire, which includes the communities of Patagonia, Sonoita and Elgin. These are trips that I take with my dad and my sister to get in touch with our family roots, and to get away from the hustle and bustle of Tucson.  After breakfast at The Home Plate in Patagonia, or sometimes at the Crossroads Restaurant in Sonoita, we always make a stop for provisions to keep us going for the rest of the day. Our provisions are always purchased at The Patagonia Market. There, we stock up on sodas, water, a box of gingersnaps, lucky lottery tickets – and have even come away with ghost stories.

The Patagonia Market is thought to be haunted.

The Patagonia Market is a general store located on the corner of Naugle and Highway 82. The store provides goods to a thousand local residents, as well as thousands of annual visitors to the Mountain Empire. I spoke with Irma Sang, the owner of the store, during a recent visit to Patagonia.

Sang verified that strange things are afoot at the store. The internet reports ring true that strange sounds are often heard and that things sometimes move by themselves late at night. Shelves inside the store have even reportedly moved by themselves. This ghost also likes to make noise. Sang singled out one particular paranormal oddity at her store: the unexplained ringing of a bell. This small bell is located at the front of the store, which employees utilize if they need assistance from another employee working at the back of the store.  Sometimes when the bell rings, an employee reports front and center, and the other employee will swear that they didn’t ring it. Sometimes, it rings when employees know that no one else is inside the store.

The identity of the ghost is not known.  What is known is that the activity in the store is largely activity of a poltergeist nature. Poltergeist activity is a paranormal phenomenon where a ghost or spirit manifests itself by moving or influencing objects.

Other than these unexplained events, things are quite peaceful at this store. None of the employees at the store admitted that they have been frightened. In fact, they seem to enjoy the presence. The store has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. This tells me that if a ghost lives at the store, it exists only in a “spirit of service” that simply wants to help the store employees go about their daily business.

A popular video on YouTube shows what appears to be a “ghost” walking through the Disneyland theme park. The video was posted in September.

I do question why a shaky handheld camera captures the action from the security camera monitor. Did an “unauthorized” person capture the footage? Could it be a marketing gimmick that coincides with Halloween, in an effort to boost visitors?

When I checked it out, I found that this Disneyland video was posted by someone who goes by the name: ”ghostatdisneyland” on YouTube. 

This user has two additional videos posted under their YouTube channel. One video was posted 4 weeks ago, the next was posted 3 weeks ago, with the next posted 2 weeks ago. I wonder if there is a grand finale to be posted to coincide with Halloween?

The ghost appears to materialize in a similar fashion in all three videos.  Gimmick or Ghost? Take the poll to let us know what you think.

Watch ghostatdisneyland You Tube Channel

It is an old establishment with a new identity. Gooch’s Grill at 1118 E. Sixth Street opened in July.

Chances are that you have driven by, or maybe even stopped in to the place before; perhaps during one of the establishment’s past lives. Before it was Gooch’s Grill, it was called The Victory Bar. Before that, it was Belushe’s Bar and Grill.  Many Tucsonans might still identify the location as The Rhino Pub.  The only thing that has remained consistent about the location throughout the building’s existence, is the rumor that a resident ghost lurks inside.

At the risk of sounding cliché, spirits, in more than one sense of the word, are on tap at Gooch’s Grill.

Employees and patrons alike acknowledge the fact that strange things are afoot at the bar after closing time. Bottle caps are flicked by unseen fingers throughout the bar. The swinging saloon  style doors that lead up to the second floor office will swing back and forth for no apparent reason. The ghostly figure of a woman appears to some folks. The frequent sound of crying can be heard. Lights turn off or on by themselves. The previous owner of the bar, when it was Belushe’s, witnessed the bar’s televisions operating by themselves. It is a classic haunting.

Property owner Lon Wirtz has always disclosed the fact that the property is stigmatized, or haunted, to each enterprising bar owner who has occupied the property. Now, Gooch’s Grill occupies that spooky space.

Gooch himself states that The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) from the Syfy Channel’s television series, Ghost Hunters, has been invited to investigate the establishment. Whether or not  Ghost Hunters’ Jay and Grant will show up to debunk or prove that the place is haunted, remains undetermined at the moment.

The identity of the ghost is unknown. Wirtz believes that before he built an addition onto the property several years ago, that a woman had been brutally raped and murdered on that very spot many years before. It is also rumored that the property operated as a bordello at one time, decades ago.

If ghosts scare you, don’t let this one scare you away from Gooch’s. The entire time I have visited the location over the last 15 years, I have never heard of the ghost emerging from the darkness until closing time or after. Just don’t stay that long. If lack of parking in the UA area scares you, there’s ample parking behind Gooch’s Grill, accessible from the first alleyway behind the building, south of Sixth Street.

Gooch’s offers typical bar spirits, in addition to the unique paranormal variety. Food is available and I’ve never been disappointed with my meals. Nachos, burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers are all available at Gooch’s. Stop by for lunch, happy hour, or a night out.

More often than not, you might find Gooch himself at the bar, chatting with his customers. Occasionally, you might even find me on the front patio of the bar, gazing up toward the second floor window, hoping to lock eyes with the ghost.

Though her identity is unknown, the ghost likely has grown accustomed to nicknames over the years. She can now be referred to as: Gooch’s ghost.

Longtime Tucsonans can remember when the El Con Mall bustled with customers, back in the early 80’s. Tequila Mockingbird was a popular bar in the El Con center, where local bands like Street Pajama would perform Thursdays through Saturdays. Levy’s and Montgomery Ward’s served as anchor stores within the mall complex. Osco Drug provided mall shoppers with the convenience of picking up prescriptions, toiletries, or other needed items, before they would head home with too many shopping bags in tow.  

Osco appeared to be drugstore like any other in town. Friendly pharmacists filled prescriptions. Cashiers cheerfully rang up customer purchases. The daytime hours in that store rarely raised concern for the employees, except for dreaded trips to the basement. 

When a particular item ran low on the shelves, employees didn’t like to go down into that storage area. Every time an employee found themselves in the basement, they would hear footsteps. It sounded like women’s high heel shoes and they made the sound of click-click-click. The employees never stayed very long down in the basement. They would just grab whatever item they needed and run back upstairs, trying not to look back.

A couple of employees however, did happen to see what they thought looked like a woman, but they convinced themselves that their eyes were playing tricks on them. They all gave the same description of a lady dressed in red. They all agreed that her clothing appeared to be from the 1940’s. Perhaps she had been associated with the El Conquistador Hotel, they thought. Aside from the occasional glimpses they caught of the woman in the basement, they all thought that she was harmless. Daily operations were carried out as usual.

Afterhours activities, when all the customers were gone, were especially tense in the store for the manager and his employees. It was night time when most of the experiences took place. The manager felt uneasy working alone. His office was on the second floor, which looked down on the store aisles below. He would occasionally hear the click-click-click coming toward his office, but the sound would fade before getting too close. One night, though, the sound didn’t fade. The sound came closer and closer  – until it stopped outside his office door. The doorknob began to jiggle. The manager threw the window of his office open, and jumped, landing first on one of the store aisles, then down to the floor. He didn’t bother turning off any of the lights.

Another experience involved two store employees who were performing inventory late at night. The two women worked together in each aisle, each tending to their respective sides of the aisle. Occasionally, the sound of click-click-click could be heard in the distance. After a little while, one of the employees looked toward her colleague to ask a question. She was surpised to see that a lady, dressed in red, was standing directly behind her crouched colleague. The colleague didn’t seem to notice, as she continued to count the items on the shelf. 

The lady in red glared down at the store employee, arms crossed, tapping her fingers on her arms. Desperate to alert her colleague, she barely got out the words: “Come here!”  The crouched colleague rose and started to walk toward her co-worker. When she noticed the look of horror she was headed toward, she looked behind her, and there she saw the lady in red!

The women fled out of the store, they heard the click-click-click sound,  faster and faster behind them, as it followed them toward the door. The women made it into the parking lot, where they fell to their knees and prayed. All the while, at the door, stood the lady in red. The lady in red glared at the horrified women in the parking lot, her arms crossed…and she just stood there, steadily tapping her arms with her fingers…

After Osco was demolished several years ago to make room for the big box stores, there have been no more sightings of that lady in red. At least, not yet…