Michael McCarty - Ghosts of the Quad Cities

Published by Haunted America

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin

All rights reserved

First published 2019

E-Book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.797.2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019943508

Print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.106.2

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MICHAEL MCCARTY

My lovely wife, Cindy McCarty; my collaborator and good friend Mark McLaughlin; The Amazing Kreskin; Latte the Bunny; Chef Steph; Jack, Colleen, Camilla, Holly, Bruce, Ray, Jo Ann and Jimmy Brown; Carma and Roy; Cathy and Steve; Brian and Quinn and Izzy; Scott Faust; Ron Stewart; Igors Bistro; and the memory of my parents, Bev and Gerald McCarty.

MARK MCLAUGHLIN

My amazing friend and frequent collaborator Michael Sheehan Jr., Annikin the Super-Cat, Michael McCarty (whos also a great friend and collaborator!), Cindy and Latte, my dear sister-from-another-mister Martha G.T., Karen B., Pam M., Jan D., Denise A., Jake E. and Paula S., Quinn H., Brian K. and Mary B.G. Also, a big thank-you to the authors who have inspired me: H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Aickman, Robert Bloch, Bram Stoker and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

BOTH MARK AND MIKE

The Amazing Kreskin, Haunted America, The History Press, Chad Rhoad, Kyle Dickson, the German American Heritage Center, The Source Bookstore, The Book Rack, Barnes & Noble, Don DAmmassa, the Darker Side of Davenport tours, Ray Congrove, Bruce Walters, John Brassard Jr., Cassie Steffen, the Broadway Paranormal Society, Ariel Young, Rock Island Paranormal, Joyce Godwin Grubbs, the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Midwest Writing Center, Mel Piff, Augustana College, St. Ambrose University, Palmer College of Chiropractics, Scott Community College, Joan Mauch, Jonathan Turner, John Marx, Rick Lopez, Igors Bistro, Richard-Sloane Special Collection of the Davenport Public Library, Jeff Ernst, Kai Swanson, Stephanie Smith, Bill Michaels, Greg Dwyer, The Dwyer & Michaels Show, Doug Miller, Kyle Carter, the Quad-City Times, the Rock Island Argus, the Moline Dispatch, Paula Sands Live, City of Rock Island, Jill Doak, Miles Brainard, Downtown Davenport Partnership, Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and the Quad Cities for being so supportive of our work, and, of course, Benjamin Gibson, our fearless editor, who guided us through the winding course of getting this book published.

INTRODUCTION

BY THE AMAZING KRESKIN

Its with much pride and joy that I introduce you to Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlins new work, Ghosts of the Quad Cities. Mike and Mark have put together what I can predict is going to be a remarkable reading experience that will mesmerize your interest and attention.

To take an area of the country with much historywhere thousands of people have lived and diedand to uncover mysterious and unexplainable phenomena is to me one of the most ingenious and refreshing investigations of a historic nature. You just cant walk into a library today and pull out history books that are going to also take you to a time and period where unexplainable phenomena are taking place.

I can assure you that McCarty and McLaughlin have created a riveting work. I dare not overlook sharing the fact with you that Mike played a major role in my career by coauthoring my book, Conversations with Kreskin, but we go back furtherand ironically, find ourselves in the Quad Cities.

It was the beginning of a tour in May 1991, in the state of Iowa. I was opening in a comedy club in Davenport that evening. I had done many university performances in the United States, so there was great interest in my work among students.

I came over to the frat house Phi Kappa Chi at Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa. Mike McCarty helped immensely by finding the location and putting everything together. He could not have picked a better setting. It presented an amazing opportunity for young people to be awakened to unique, memorable experiences.

The Amazing Kreskin has mystified and entertained millions all over the world with his live two-hour one-man show. Kreskin has also starred in his own TV show, The Amazing World of Kreskin; has record-setting hundreds of television appearances on shows hosted by Joey Bishop, Mike Douglas, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson (even inspired Carsons skit The Great Carnac), Dinah Shore, Phil Donahue, Larry King, Howard Stern and Jimmy Fallon and on CNN, Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC; and he is the author of over twenty bestselling books about the mind, his abilities and his career. Courtesy of The Amazing Kreskin.

Michael had first met me when he was working at the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Davenport. At that time, Mike was a promotion coordinator, and he was truly instrumental in finding a location for a sance that I wanted to do for the press. Mike managed to pull all of this together, and the media response was remarkable.

Coverage included a local television station, news crews and newspaper people. There were even disc jockeys who attended the sance. What was exciting for the Phi Kappa Chi students was to have them attend the sance, sitting around the large table where the event would take place. Quite a number of people wanted to participate in the experience, but I narrowed it down to thirteen and we went downstairs, where the press could cover the scenario.

To tap into whatever happenings may be available in the room and setting, I spelled my name a number of times. During this time, people had formed a circle with hands on each others shoulders, and after I spelled my name, I instructed them to drop their arms. One of the people involved experienced considerable analgesia, and one boys arms twisted almost out of shape, like someone was holding or twisting his arm. They felt the floor literally vibrating, with a heavy chill going through the room.

The medias response was very positive and exciting. It was clear to all of them that this was not some group of actors or play performers. These people were actually responding to some kind of force or phenomenon and couldnt quite explain what or how it was happening. Whether I had awakened some unique force or potential within those participating, or had made them aware and sensitive to phenomena existing within the room or setting, there was no question that a force of reality was taking place and being experienced by all of them.

Let me introduce to you another unusual experience that occurred while I was investigating a haunted house. It was all the more unusual because no one could have predicted how this investigation would have ended and why it ended the way it did.

I have visited many homes and dwellings around the world that were supposed to be haunted, and Ive said on a number of occasions that there are certain rooms and buildings Ive entered that seem to have a spirit or climate all their own.