Haunted Mantorville: The spirits of one of Minnesota’s oldest cities
(ABC 6 News) – Founded in 1854, Mantorville is one of Minnesota’s oldest cities. With more than 150 years of rich history, if you believe in the paranormal – you’ll find spirits of the past still linger. ABC 6 News Reporter Sydney Zatz is sharing what paranormal investigators have found throughout the city in part two of her ‘Haunted Mantorville’ series.
Related: Haunted Mantorville: The Mantorville Opera House
Let’s start with the Restoration House. The house is preserved in the style of an upper-middle-class family living in the 1890s. It was built around the original jail cell for Dodge County.
“The people that inhabitant this space are genuinely friendly. They’re genuinely family people,” said Jane Olive, President of the Mantorville Restoration Association.
One finding from investigators and visitors is two ‘butt imprints’ on a bed upstairs facing out the window. With many events like weddings happening here, Olive says it’s not uncommon to see those imprints after an event.
“Following those events, usually you’ll find two little butt marks right on the sides of the bed.”
Dr. Hawk Horvath, Lead Investigator at After Hours Paranormal Investigations has had many encounters here.
“We one time caught a photo on the third floor. In the first picture, you can see my investigator. In the second photo, I took two seconds later, it’s ‘click, click.’ She is almost entirely blocked out by a white light and at the end of the light extends a hand.”
There are others hanging around. Especially downstairs where you can find the original jail cell for Dodge County.
“We were once trying to play cards in the jail cell in the basement of the Restoration House. We were trying to work this out with anyone that might be in that cell to make the meter flash for different cards. we were playing poker and finally, we caught an EVP that said, ‘It’s stupid,'” added Horvath.
An EVP – Electronic voice phenomenon are sounds interpreted as spirit voices. Some other EVPs Horvath’s team has captured include singing at the Log House. It used to be a cooper’s workshop.
Over on Clay Street is the Greek Revival House. It moved from its original location in 2010.
Not even Horvath knows why it’s haunted.
“It’s kind of a weird one. We don’t know why it’s haunted.”
It seems the spirit knows who Horvath is. In one EVP captured, a spirit can be heard saying ‘Hawk.’
“There’s been various inhabitants, businesses, and types of homes and whatnot. There’s just many stories to tell,” says Olive.
Meanwhile, Hawk does have a theory to why the Greek Revival House might be haunted.
“So what haunts it? We’re not sure. It could be residual energy that’s attached to the place.”
For more on Dr. Hawk’s work and spiritual consulting, you can click here.