Paranormal Activity Investigators

Investigators Notes:

​Lead Investigator: Sarah

​

Location History:

From https://sleepermortuary.weebly.com/history.html

"The Sleeper Mortuary was established in 1886 by Lyman Sleeper. Allan Sleeper became his father's business partner in 1902. Sleeper Mortuary had two devastating fires—one in 1902 and one in 1915. The fire in January of 1915 devastated the business, and the loss was listed at $20,000.

Lyman Sleeper passed away on August 7, 1915. At the time, Sleeper Mortuary was located at 106 N. Washington (just a few doors down). There are newspaper articles that also indicate that it was also located at 108 N. Washington. It is unclear if the address was changed to the building itself or if they moved the mortuary next door.

​Sleeper Mortuary was listed as being at 110 N. Washington in 1924. A funeral was announced, stating it's at the "new Sleeper Funeral Home" in September of that year. Allan Sleeper ran the mortuary on his own from 1915 until he became partners with his son, John Sleeper, in 1946.

In January of 1948, Ed Porter and Jim Kinser also became partners in the business. Allan Sleeper passed away on June 9, 1958. John Sleeper maintained the operations of Sleeper Mortuary until his death on December 20, 1960, at the age of 49. John Lyman Sleeper was on his way home from transporting a body to Olathe, Kansas. It is said that he fell asleep at the wheel and that he was partially ejected from his vehicle. After John's death, Ed Porter and Jim Kinser purchased the mortuary from the Sleeper estate. The name transitioned from Sleeper Mortuary to Porter-Kinser Mortuary (also known as Porter-Kinser Funeral Home).

In June of 1967, Paul Friskel purchased the Porter-Kinser Mortuary, and the name became Friskel-Kinser Mortuary, but was also known as Friskel-Kinser Chapel. In about 1978, the name changed again to Friskel Memorial Chapel, where Paul Friskel and his wife, Patricia, operated the funeral home until 1982. That year, the Friskels merged the two funeral homes in Iola into one with David Yokum. The funeral home's name was then changed to Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel. They maintained locations at 110 N. Washington and 16 N. Buckeye in Iola for 17 years. In the early part of 1999, Waugh-Yokum & Friskel closed the location at 16 N. Buckeye, and the location at 110 N. Washington ceased operation as a funeral home at that time. Newspaper ads said they were at both locations up until 2000, but they were not operating out of either location. On June 23, 2001, a local newspaper ran an ad announcing an inside sale of the funeral home's contents. Research is still being done (numbers will be updated as they are found), but as of now, 2,687 families used this funeral home's services before it closed its doors for good. This number will be updated as they are found.

One of the first entities to occupy a portion of the building was called Heritage Hall. If you look at the front of the building above the awning, you can see where a sign once said "Heritage Hall". This was a family-style coed living arrangement for college students attending ACCC. The advertisement was published in July 2001 and stated that they could choose from 5 shared bedrooms. The living space was 4,500 square feet and fully furnished. The only thing the students had to provide was the bedroom furniture. They were housed on the second floor, and they did not have access to the first floor. The first floor is in the condition it was found in and has the original funeral home layout. I honestly have no idea how the first-floor funeral home layout remained intact after 24 years. I can only imagine that the universe saved it for us to enjoy because I have no other explanation. 

By November of 2001, Joy's Country Gift Baskets announced that they were moving to this building, but they had closed by January of 2002. In March of 2002, several ads were placed in the newspaper stating that the building was available to rent and that the price was based on remodeling needs. A month later, a flea market took the opportunity and moved in. They were also named Heritage Hall. I am assuming they took advantage of the signage already on the front of the building, but that is pure speculation. I also speculate that because it needed remodeling, they got cheaper rent, which ultimately preserved it for me later. The flea market ultimately closed in July 2003. In November 2003, Cathy Tyler opened a consignment shop called Mee Mee's Closet. By December 2004, it was called Shutterbug's Photography, and they remained until January 2005. In September 2006, I saw that it mentioned a law office for Rustin Rankin occupying the space. It was then called Hope's Unlimited Clothing Center from July 2007 until at least September 2007. Research is still being done, so it is unknown who occupied it from September 2007 until 2016.

​The owners that I bought the property from had purchased it in 2016. In early June 2024, I toured the property and fell in love with it. There were so many treasures left behind from the days when it served as a funeral home. The previous owner graciously left those items with the property. The entire first floor of the property was left as it was. I purchased this property in 2025 and am also keeping it as I found it. As a paranormal author, investigator, and human, preserving the stories of the dead is very meaningful to me. The part I love most about the books I write is sharing the legacy of those who have passed, so it doesn't get lost in decades-old newspapers. I had been looking for a location to call my own for years. A wise man once said, "You don't choose the building, the building chooses you". I never really understood that until that day. I knew that I had to have it, and I felt it needed to have me. I chose to name the building Sleeper Mortuary because that is where this story begins. I am going to continue the story of this building, and I hope someone continues it after me. I look forward to sharing the history and stories of the building that have been created so far. Thank you for taking the time to look at this webpage, and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting all of you very soon!"