Shawn Blaschka - Haunted Wausau: The Ghostly History of Big Bull Falls

Published by Haunted America

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2011 by Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek and Sharon Abitz

All rights reserved

Cover image: Courtesy of Shawn Blaschka.

All images are from the WPRS Collection unless otherwise noted.

First published 2011

e-book edition 2013

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.62584.152.0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Blaschka, Shawn.

Haunted Wausau : the ghostly history of Big Bull Falls / Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek, and Sharon Williams.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-110-9

1. Haunted places--Wisconsin--Wausau. 2. Ghosts--Wisconsin--Wausau. I. Spialek, Anji. II. Williams, Sharon. III. Title.

BF1472.U6B58 2011

133.10977529--dc23

2011018253

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 author or The History Press. The author 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.

For my patient and loving wife, Jenny, and my sons, Spencer and Andrew. For my dad, who inspired my love of the paranormal, and my mom, who taught me to have patience. Also for my grandpa and grandma, whom I miss each day.

SB

For my children, Rosemary and Ragnar,

my supportive husband, Terry, and for Pappy.

AS

For my parents, who thought I wouldnt amount to anything, my husband, who agreed with them, and my children, who call me a nerd.

And especially for my granddaughter, Lotus, who is my connection to the future.

Be brave, little soldier.

SA

CONTENTS

PREFACE

The Wausau Paranormal Research Society (WPRS) is a small group of dedicated individuals who have over thirty-five years of combined paranormal investigation experience. We officially formed in July 2000 and are based in Wausau, Wisconsin. We conduct investigations throughout the state of Wisconsin, as well as some other areas of the United States. Our members are drawn from a number of fields, including academic, criminal justice, social work, business administration, forestry and communications. Our diverse backgrounds allow us to approach paranormal investigations from a variety of perspectives. Our team members are trained in standard ghost investigation methodology and protocols.

We use a variety of the latest equipment to detect and measure electromagnetic/geomagnetic fields, temperature change, ionizing radiation, audio and infrared phenomena in an attempt to obtain scientific evidence of paranormal events. We are TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) family members representing the state of Wisconsin. Most people are familiar with TAPS as Ghost Hunters, the popular paranormal show on the SYFY channel. We are also area representatives of the American Ghost Society. We conduct professional investigations of reported paranormal phenomena, including, but not limited to, UFO sightings, unknown animal sightings, hauntings, poltergeist outbreaks, apparitions and any other ghostly events. We make every effort when investigating to look for all reasonable explanations for activity before accepting the possibility that it may be paranormal in nature. Our groups mission is to collect evidence to aid in understanding paranormal phenomena and events. Most importantly, we strive to provide understanding to our clients so that they may coexist with paranormal activity. We also aim to educate the general public regarding paranormal activity. We never charge for our investigative services, as we feel it would be a breach of our professionalism and integrity. At the request of various organizations or groups, we conduct seminars to aid in educating the general public.

The stories presented in this book are true accounts of activity that have been reported to us, some of which we have personally investigated. Some of the names and locations have been changed or left unlisted to protect our clients anonymity. In writing this book, we hope that you, the reader, enjoy the following pages and that it educates and opens your mind to the infinite possibilities that may exist.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank the following:

Todd Roll

Edward, Tammy and Kevin Blaschka

Dennis Dalsky

Jane Bubolz and family

Nancy Smith and family

Gillett Historical Society

Marathon County Historical Society and Gary Gisselman

Marathon County Corporation Council

Marathon County Sheriffs Department

Marathon County Public Library

Wisconsin Historical Society

Thomas Gibberd

Tom Pospyhalla

Brad Ludwig

Jim Coscio

Betsy Duginski

Sara Shaw

K.J.

Robin Kurth

Bill Beaudry

Kristen and Justin Lowe

Richard Hendricks

Mike Wanie

Val Nicholson

Alyssa and Josh Geurink

Noah Voss

Kimber Renel

Chad Knight

Tommy Zieglmeier

Robb Shepherd

Dan Miller

The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS)

Candice Shatkins and the Paranormal Investigators of Kenosha

All those who have shared their stories with us over the years.

INTRODUCTION

Many years ago, I read that Wisconsin was one of the most haunted states in the country. With seventy-two counties in the state, at least one haunt has been associated with each county. With more than fifteen known haunts in the downtown Wausau area alone, I would say Marathon County is definitely in the top ten when speaking of hauntings. Why is our area so active? Theories abound in the paranormal community. Could it be that Wisconsin has such a long and rich history that much of this energy has stayed behind in one form or another? Perhaps the high amount of quartzite and granite in the ground around this area is conducive to the storage of spirit energy and past crises. We may never know the true cause of this paranormal activity, but stories will continue to surface. Nonetheless, most of these stories and encounters with the unknown seem to be harmless and sometimes even helpful. In very rare cases, spirit activity is found to be malevolent and house cleansings and religious ceremonies are necessary to eradicate the unwelcome entity.

Many people, including members of the WPRS, have different beliefs when it comes to ghosts. I became interested in the paranormal largely due to my father and his experiences. As a boy, my father would tell me of encounters that he had while working in the old Channel 7 mansion, formerly the Plumer mansion. These ghostly tales piqued my interest in the paranormal, and from that point on, I was hooked. I read anything about the paranormal that I could get my hands on and watched anything on television about the subject. Nowadays there are many ghostly programs to choose from, some more believable than others. The program I most remember when I was young was In Search Of