Join Patrick as we look back on over 3 years and 100 episodes of The Big Seance Podcast. Plus bloopers, funny moments, and the top 6 all-time most popular episodes.
Are trapped ghosts inside the Milton Schoolhouse? Are there mysterious spirits, unrelated to the legend, that call the Milton home? Or perhaps there has never been a ghostly presence in the building. Join me as we chat with Milton co-owner, Meredith, as well as previous guest, Ginger Collins-Justus. Paranormal or not, you MUST visit the Milton and see its current reincarnation!
“The Milton Schoolhouse is a place for innovators, dreamers, bold visionaries, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists, daring pioneers- and renaissance people.”
Do you like ghost tours? Are you a fan of the kind of paranormal history that… goes bump? Diane and Denise from The History Goes Bump podcast take us behind the scenes of their ghost tours for the theatre of the mind.
Ginger Collins-Justus poses with her hearse in front of the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion.
You won’t want to miss my conversation with Ginger Collins-Justus, owner and operator ofMissouri History and Hauntings. Ginger shares some odd tales and little known haunted history of the state that I call home. We also chat about some of the historic connections that Missouri has with spiritualism.
Her intuitive gifts and ability to speak with spirits and spirit guides.
Ginger chats about her latest event at Maevas Coffee House at the historic Milton Schoolhouse in Alton, Illinois. The Milton Schoolhouse was featured on Syfy’s Ghost Hunters a few years back.
Just before the interview, I give an update on the Third Annual Big Séance Thanksgiving Ouija Séance.
Ginger drives a hearse!
Some of Missouri’s history with witchcraft and Voodoo.
Some old Missouri legends and ghost stories.
Early St. Louis and Bloody Island.
Pearl Curran and the fascinating story of Patience Worth.
The Fox sisters and their connection to Missouri.
The tragic love story of Leona Corder and Jesse Wall.
Morbid Mondays
Ginger’s upcoming events!
For More on Ginger Collins-Justus and Missouri History and Hauntings:
The Big Séance Podcast can be found right here, oniTunes, and onStitcher. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me atPatrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on mySpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!
About three years ago, my buddy Matt and I took off for a day trip to Alton, Illinois… just for fun! I had never been and so he was going to show me around. Alton is a place full of history, absolutely beautiful buildings, and of course… ghost stories! Early this week I was chatting with friend and researcher,Randall Keller, when I remembered a specific part of that Alton trip years before. On that beautiful October day, we stopped by the Milton Schoolhouse. Earlier that year, the Ghost Hunters (T.A.P.S.) filmed an investigation there and I had been particularly impressed with that episode.
If you watch theGhost Hunters episode, they’re quick to play up the drama of the sad and gruesome events that supposedly happened inside the building years ago. According to Troy Taylor atAltonHauntings.com, the schoolhouse was built in 1904 and served students until 1984. The local legend (because apparently there’s no actual record of the events) about the school involves a little girl who was brutally murdered and raped by a janitor in the building in the 1930s. Some time later the janitor hung himself inside the school after leaving a note with the message “I did it!”
As much as I wanted to get into this place, we settled for being sneaky and walked around the property for some pictures. We had a very brief meeting with the current owners in the parking lot (probably something like “Hi. Um… can we help you?”), but we didn’t push for an invitation.
After reliving this memory and digging up the forgotten photos, I decided I MUST contact the owners to get inside, if for nothing else, to just walk around with a recorder and get some good photos. I was hoping it hadn’t turned into a paranormal trap or a “pay to investigate” place. After some new research, boy was I surprised to see what is going on at The Milton Schoolhouse now! How quickly things change. If I make a visit, it definitely won’t be the kind I had in mind.
“Purchased in 2009, The Milton Schoolhouse is actively undergoing renovation to host artists, small businesses, and community oriented groups as we work to infuse this beautiful riverfront town with a fresh burst of entrepreneurial spirit.”
“The Milton Schoolhouse is a place for innovators, dreamers, bold visionaries, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists, daring pioneers- and renaissance people.”
Currently you can get a massage at the Milton. The old schoolhouse also houses the office of an electrician, two different photography studios, an art studio, and a creative stained glass studio. Apparently there’s a business called Marie the Cheesecake Lady coming soon! (Cheesecake. Yup. I’ll be taking a trip back to Alton soon!)
So what do the new owners think about their haunted history? They’re apparently trying to distance themselves from it all, as according to their FAQ page, they say…
“Instead of haunted, we prefer to say the building has a lot of character. We’re working hard to infuse this building with new life- and prefer not to lean on an old urban legend to create a buzz about this awesome place. “
I would have to agree. It seems pretty awesome. This is probably something that many historic and possibly struggling communities should take note of. Wouldn’t you agree?
Do you like ghost tours? Are you a fan of the kind of paranormal history that… goes bump? Diane and Denise from The History Goes Bump podcast take us behind the scenes of their ghost tours for the theatre of the mind.
If you watch the Ghost Hunters episode, they’re quick to play up the drama of the sad and gruesome events that supposedly happened inside the building years ago. According to Troy Taylor at AltonHauntings.com, the schoolhouse was built in 1904 and served students until 1984. The local legend (because apparently there’s no actual record of the events) about the school involves a little girl who was brutally murdered and raped by a janitor in the building in the 1930s. Some time later the janitor hung himself inside the school after leaving a note with the message “I did it!” 
After reliving this memory and digging up the forgotten photos, I decided I MUST contact the owners to get inside, if for nothing else, to just walk around with a recorder and get some good photos. I was hoping it hadn’t turned into a paranormal trap or a “pay to investigate” place. After some new research, boy was I surprised to see what is going on at The Milton Schoolhouse now! How quickly things change. If I make a visit, it definitely won’t be the kind I had in mind. 
