Antioch Village Hall

History:

It was one of the earliest buildings in town.  The original frame structure was built in 1850 by the Gages and moved by Levi Simons.The first owner was Darius Benjamin Gage-a founder of Antioch.  Other owners include: Sammons (probably J.H. Sammons),  John B. Rice, Harlow and Sarah Barber ran the hotel during the Civil War, Levi Simons, Ira and Ernest Simons, and Maud Simons Sabin, Charles Viegel, Mr. and Mrs. S.C. Brain, Mr. and Mrs. Chet E. Waldo.  They renamed the hotel the Hotel Waldo.  In 1930, the hotel was to become a quarter million dollar hotel-theater building; the structure was never started. In the end, the hotel was named the Ball Hotel.  The hotel also served as a civic center too.  It hosted several events including: dances, funerals, town meetings, weddings, skating parties, concerts, singing parties, lectures, and mass meetings.  In 1938, the hotel was torn down to make way for the new Village Hall.  Prior to that, the building was Snow Ice Cream, with the family living upstairs. In the 1950's Louis Donald Bauer, the son, died in a horrific car accident in Lake Forest on his way home after visiting his prospective bride, Miss Birdie O'Brien.  Donnie had fallen asleep at the wheel and was a former WWII veteran.  He is buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Antioch, IL.

Claims:

Source:  CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO):  Village Administrator Jim Keim has stated that just about everyone who works there has seen something strange.  Keim claimed that he had been walking down the hall that leads to the jail cells after hours and was certain he saw a person and heard footsteps.  During a budget meeting, Mr. Keim and the finance director saw a file cabinet drawer slowly open from across the room. The hauntings are believed to be that of a ghost named Ollie who was a caretaker of the Moose Club that later became part of the village hall building.  It is believed that things started happening when they expanded and used the old Moose Lodge as an addition. Rumors said that he may have died in the apartment.  However, new evidence from the Lakes Historical Society that there was never an Ollie, and there is no proof that there was a death upstairs.  One of the ladies working in the office just decided to name the ghost Ollie, which is where the name originated from.

Experiences:

While in the basement, Bryan & Freddy heard a sigh right between them after experiencing an overwhelming feeling of being watched and touched.  Andy had an experience of feeling that his wrist was grabbed. Shortly afterwards, the REM pod in the basement seemed to be responding to questions, after having been silent most of the night. Many of the team members had very uneasy feelings in the apartment upstairs as well, particularly surrounding the bathroom and the closet areas, along with peculiar REM pod activity near the kitchen.  There was a shadow seen in the upstairs back bedroom by a couple of members as well.