Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast, Wisconsin
This page is still under construction. We are still reviewing evidence and will update it soon
History: When we were first contacted by the owners of Brumder Mansion, I started researching the location and found breath-taking photos of rooms that looked more like a museum than a bed and breakfast. My 7 year-old daughter, the junior ghost hunter, saw the photos and said "Oh Mommy! That place is too lovely to be haunted!" She couldn't have been more right, or more wrong. When we first entered the Brumder, it was like stepping through a time warp. We left the noisy Milwaukee streets behind and entered into a gentler, Victorian era. It was difficult to focus on the task at hand, my eyes kept wandering to the detailed woodworking and the antiques that filled each room. Somehow, the idea of bringing computers and electronic equipment into this building seemed almost sacrilege. A séance of Houdini proportions, complete with silk table cloths, candlelight, and a colorful medium with a crystal ball to entice the spirits to rap once for no, twice for yes, seemed much more appropriate than our technical investigation. But I had to put nostalgia aside and focus on what we were brought in to do- find the ghosts of the Brumder.
Brumder Mansion was built in the early 1900's by German publishing tycoon, George Brumder for his family. The mansion was later sold to Samuel Picks, a reported Chicago mobster who hosted prohibition parties in the basement speak-easy. Considering his ties to the Chicago mob, many wonder if Capone himself did not use the mansion as a retreat. After that the mansion served many purposes, it was a boarding house, then owned by a local Lutheran church who used the grounds for youth groups, home for the pastor, and offices. It was later purchased by Carol Hirschi who spent countless hours restoring the mansion and searching for the perfect antiques to fill it.
Present owners Tom & Julie Carr invited us to come and experience the building for ourselves. The mansion is warm and inviting (a welcome relief from tromping around in the cold Bowen building at Bartonville, Asylum). The first thing we noticed after we recovered from gaping at the building as a whole, was all the antiques. Furnishings, photos, dolls, and clothing. Many elegant and most likely cherished by previous owners. Because nothing in the building's history suggested any reason for a haunting, we immediately wondered if the activity could be tied to the treasures within.
Claims: Claims of activity tend to be more friendly and playful. While unnerving because they are unexpected, they are not threatening. Items being moved, sounds of footsteps, talking etc. One member of the cleaning crew has had the vacuum unplugged on several occasions, once right before his eyes. One closet, in the George room, does give Julie a sense of unease, but overall, it is a charming building.
The Investigation: A preliminary investigation was conducted by Cheri, Joe & Mike. We met with the owners and received a tour of the building. While we were speaking with Tom and Julie two EVP's were inadvertently recorded. We did notice that the basement, home of Pick's speakeasy, the former Catacombs coffee house and future home to some exciting entertainment plans courtesy of Tom & Julie, does tend to give you the 'heebie jeebies"- especially the tunnel areas that just scream out bootleg booze storage.
Antique wheelchair stored in the catacombs
On a humorous note, there is a small storage cubby in the catacomb area which is being used to store Christmas trees. They are wrapped in a covering to protect them. Almost every member of the team who encountered this closet jumped- at first glance the trees look like corpses wrapped in shrouds.
Cheri, Mike, Jeni, Mason, Chelle, Big Joe, and Allen conducted the actual live investigation. WHAT A TREAT! Not only was it an honor to be invited into the Brumder, we were treated to delicious home made cookies and coffee, we have honestly never felt more spoiled.
Julie assisted Cheri with manning the monitors, and several times throughout the evening, we felt an extreme chill. When we checked the temperature with a non-contact thermometer, we noticed something odd- the cold spot was between us & the monitors. Could some curious spirit have been joining us to watch the investigation?
Also during the investigation, Allen felt a gentle hand on his arm while he was sitting in a chair in the Blue Room. We do have his startled cry on tape, but no other evidence to support this claim.. therefore we must consider it a personal experience.
The equipment:
We brought out our entire arsenal for this investigation. We worked in teams of 3, each team using a EMF tester, digital camera, video camera, IR thermometer, and digital audio recorder. In addition 2 DVR systems with a total of 7 night vision cameras with audio, three DV cameras and 3 additional digital audio recorders. We also conducted further testing with the K2 meter, with no remarkable results. This resulted in hundreds of hours of footage, which we are still reviewing.
The Evidence:
Following is some of the audio evidence captured.