The First Unitarian Church
Location Information
Date:24th June, 2005 Type:Business
Location Title:The First Unitarian Church City/State:Alton, IL
Investigation Times:09:00 PM - 11:15 PM Status:Analysis
Weather Information
Sunrise:05:36 AM Sunset:08:30 PM
High Temperature:93 °F Low Temperature:68 °F
Sky Condition:Overcast Wind:S at 6 mph
Humidity:88% Precipitation:0%
Lunar Phase:Waning Gibbous % disk visible:90%
Solar X-Rays:Active Geomagnetic Field:Quiet
Pressure:30.01 mmHg
Investigators Present
Kelli Patrick
Becky Ray
Miranda Stark
Question: Any visual apparations?
Answer: Yes
Question: How do the visual apparitions appear?
Answer: As a full apparition of the former minister. Grey suit, tie.
Question: Any sounds?
Answer: Yes, voices from under the building.
Question: Any music?
Answer: Yes, singing from under the building.
Question: Any voices? What do they say?
Answer: Unclear.
Question: Any physical attacks?
Answer: No.
Question: Any past investigations, priests or clergy?
Answer: Yes, several past investigations.
Investigators Notes
Kelli Patrick:Equipment used: 35 mm camera I didn't bring all of my equipment because this was a group investigation and we didn't have time to set up our usual stuff. I didn't sense anything different than a normal church, but all of the lights were out in the hallway behind the sanctuary. We were all sitting in the sanctuary listening to the history of the church by Troy Taylor. About 20 minutes into the history, Troy walked over to the doorway that leads into the hallway. We saw a shadow of person behind him and then it was gone. Everyone in the building was in the sanctuary, so that rules out anyone living. I didn't see or feel anything else there. There is a room in the basement that was supposedly used as part of the Underground Railroad. This room is not on the blueprints of the building. There was also a pastor that hung himself outside of the sanctuary in the doorway that leads to the hallway. He was found several days after.
Becky Ray:This was my second visit to this church, so I was familiar with Troy's presentation. However, while he was speaking in the sanctuary I noticed shadowy movement behind him in the doorway. I did not realize at that time that Kelli was seeing the same thing. I continued to watch this "figure" move back and forth in the darkness of the room behind the sanctuary while Troy spoke. I snapped a photo when Troy turned to face the doorway (so I would not blind him), but nothing appeared on film.
Miranda Stark:The group of nearly twenty guests sat in the sanctuary during Troy Taylor's speech giving a detailed history of the church's haunting. There were no lights except for one lantern at the front of the room. There was a darkened doorway just to the back left of Mr. Taylor as he stood at the front of the sanctaury. At one point Kelli leaned over to me and remarked that she believed that she had seen a figure moving around in the shadows of this dark doorway. I looked at the area myself, and sure enough saw a figure move past at a regular walking-pace. I only saw this the one time, but this was enough for me to be able to assure Kelli, that she had indeed not been the only witness to this.
No EVPS for this Investigation at this time
PHOTOS
This is the photo I took while we were all sitting in the santuary and Kelli, Miranda, and I witnessed the shadowy figure moving about in the doorway. (See investigation notes.) Although nothing showed up in the photo, I wanted to post it here.
To get to the room that is believed to have been used as a part of the Underground Railroad, a person has to use this crawlspace. As Kelli states in her investigation notes, this room is not on the blueprints to the building, and even more interestingly the room itself lies outside the walls of the building so it is technically only partially under the church. Singing and many voices have been heard coming from this area for years, dating back long before the room was discovered.
Recent ministers in this church have witnessed a man dressed as the former minister who took his own life was known to have dressed standing in the third pew from the back while they were alone in the sanctuary. This is that pew.
This is the photo I took while we were all sitting in the santuary and Kelli, Miranda, and I witnessed the shadowy figure moving about in the doorway. (See investigation notes.) Although nothing showed up in the photo, I wanted to post it here.