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| The below article was published in the Union - MISSOURIAN on Wednesday, August 30, 2006. This article is Copyright © 2006 by The Missourian Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved and reprinted here with permission of the MISSOURIAN, editor Bill Miller and General Manager Bill Miller Jr. |
| "Ain't Afraid of No Ghost" These members of Missouri Paranormal Research, Tom Halstead, left, and Steven McClanahan led a small group on a tour of Tri-County Restaurant in Villa Ridge Friday, Aug. 25. This photo was taken on the upper floor, where many audio recordings and strange images have been captured. Missourian Photo. |
| Ghostly Patron Shakes, Rattles, Rolls at Tri-County Restaurant - Missouri Paranormal Group Investigates By Michelle Oyola Missourian Staff Writer Tri-County Restaurant at Villa Ridge is quickly becoming famous all over the country, but not because of its home- style meals or its location on historic Route 66. People are becoming curious about the restaurant because of one of its recent patrons — a patron of the paranormal sort. Missouri Paranormal Research (MPR), a local paranormal investigative group, is currently studying what members believe is a haunting at Tri-County Restaurant. The group was founded in 2004 by Steven LaChance of Union and includes members from all over the Greater St. Louis area. This is not MPR’s first investigation; they have studied over 50 sites in the St. Louis area. However, MPR members are excited about this haunting because the site is more active than most places they have investigated in the past, LaChance said. In addition, MPR investigator Tom Halstead of St. Ann captured a video of what MPR members can only call a “ghost” in the restaurant’s basement. The video of the hovering figure bathed in blue light is being posted on Web sites of other paranormal groups all over the country. MPR has so far conducted two all-night investigations at the restaurant: the first on Aug. 12- 13 and the second Aug. 19-20. A final investigation will be held Sept. 23-24, and two other paranormal investigative groups from the St. Louis area will attend. LaChance said Tri-County Restaurant is too large for one group to handle, and the extra equipment and people will help them explore the entire site. During an investigation, members use audio, video and photography equipment as well as their own human senses. MPR aims to collect “evidence” of hauntings by somehow recording paranormal activity. Tri-County Restaurant has produced plenty of “evidence,” LaChance said. MPR investigations resulted in many audio (called Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVP, in the paranormal investigative world) recordings of voices responding to investigators, doors slamming and pots and pans banging into each other. Members also have taken photos of misty areas in the bathroom and in the upstairs area. Videos were taken of doors locking behind investigators and light bulbs flying through the air. The blue figure was recorded during the Aug. 19 investigation. The entire basement was “locked down” when the image was captured, meaning motion detectors were placed at the entrances of the basement to ensure no one came in or out. One investigator said she saw a blue light go through the floor, and others heard rattling noises in the kitchen. LaChance then rushed to the basement to check the video. He gasped when he saw the figure glide across the camera. ‘Something’ Teases Workers at Restaurant Laurel Brown of Union owns Tri- County Restaurant. She first contacted MPR about a month ago after hearing about the group from two of the restaurant’s waitresses. “We knew something was going on,” said a waitress |
| who wished to remain anonymous. “A lot of something.” Brown, age 28, took over the business two years ago. However, she has worked at the restaurant since age 15. She heard stories about the haunting since she started working at the restaurant, but she didn’t witness it herself until age 20. Brown said unseen hands have rubbed her neck, and she has heard someone whispering her name. Other female workers have experienced affectionate touches on their shoulders and hands. Doors also will inexplicably lock the men out of certain areas, Brown said. Blenders come on with no one around, and some co-workers have witnessed creamers and coffeepots flying off the walls. It’s not just co-workers who have had an encounter with this unseen guest. One customer came up to the front desk and announced that the restaurant was haunted — the salt and pepper shakers and ketchup bottle on the table had moved around with no one touching them. Karen Brown, Laurel’s mother, said she never believed in ghosts. That changed after she attended one of MPR’s investigations at the restaurant. She and a MPR member stood at the top of the stairs and listened to pots and pans banging around in their immediate vicinity. It was pitch black, but she knew no one was there. “Then I (got) the heck outta here!” Karen Brown said. LaChance said he was excited and shocked when he got the call about Tri-County Restaurant. LaChance first formed MPR to help area people with their paranormal experiences. His goal has been to encourage people to come forward with their stories. “People need to realize we live in a hotbed of paranormal activity,” LaChance said. Tri-County Restaurant is the fourth local case MPR has investigated. LaChance said a variety of factors could have resulted in the current phenomena. Entire books have been written about hauntings along Route 66. Investigators also have heard rumors of a crime being committed in the restaurant’s upper level, which once served as sleeping rooms for travelers. They are currently trying to find documentation of the crime. LaChance also believes this entire area is susceptible to hauntings. A Tour of the Restaurant A Missourian reporter, also with Laurel Brown, two MPR investigators and an investigator’s friend all toured Tri-County Restaurant on a dreary morning Friday, Aug. 25. One of the investigators was Halstead, whose camera caught the blue figure. The other investigator, Steve McClanahan of Collinsville, Ill., is a new addition to the MPR team. Halstead brought his digital camera, while McClanahan and Halstead’s friend both used video cameras during the tour. The group first visited the upstairs area, where many EVP recordings and strange pictures have been captured. The walls which used to separate the different sleeping rooms have been knocked out. There is now a main area that can be accessed through a door, a smaller room and a narrow hall that leads to what used to be an office. Another door is located in the office. There are signs of construction on the upper floor. McClanahan said there were plans to renovate the area for a short time. Many paranormal investigators believe construction activity can “stir up” paranormal activity, he said. |
| In the smaller room, Halstead pointed to where he took a picture of a misty figure. While the group was looking around, a loud banging was heard from the main area. The sound resembled a door slamming on its hinges three times. The group all exchanged glances and hurried back to the main area. The door they had entered through had been left open, but it was now shut. While the group looked through the door’ s window to check for someone playing a prank, another slamming noise was heard all the way down the hall. A human source of the noise wasn’t found that day. The tour continued in the basement. The group had to use flashlights in the pitch black, avoiding debris and puddles. The air was moist and warm. Halstead pointed out the broken glass where the floating light bulb had apparently crashed. He also showed where his blue figure had walked. While in the basement, McClanahan explained the difference between paranormal “evidence” and common experiences at a haunted site. The noises the group heard on the upper floor that day were not evidence of a haunting, he said. Any skeptic could interpret the story as people goofing around or even their own senses playing tricks on them. Evidence must be recorded with audio and video equipment, McClanahan said. The tour concluded in a dining area, where many people have seen faces peering through the windows. Nothing else abnormal happened during the rest of the time spent at the restaurant. Busy Schedule for MPR MPR members have been busy recently as they work to bring their stories to the public. The Tri-County Restaurant haunting has resulted in a string of interview requests. LaChance appeared on Fox 2 News Tuesday, Aug. 29, during its morning show to discuss the Tri-County Restaurant case. In addition, he has appeared on radio shows broadcast by satellite in the United States, Canada, the Pacific Rim and Africa. Locally, he will be a guest on KLPW Monday, Sept. 11, at 11 p. m. and will take phone calls. LaChance also has been telling his personal story of experiences in a house in Union. He first formed MPR after he and his family lived in the home, which he believes is haunted. After he tried to seek help from a variety of paranormal groups, he decided to form his own. MPR and other paranormal groups from all over the U.S. investigated the home. Unlike the Tri-County Restaurant case, investigators now believe the Union house is occupied by something with evil intent. LaChance wrote a story about his experiences in the Union home. It will be published in “Weird Hauntings,” a book in the “Weird U.S.” series. It will be available through Barnes & Noble. In addition, “A Haunting,” a TV series on the Discovery Channel, will air an episode on the Union house as part of its third season. The episode is scheduled to air in October or November, he said. LaChance and his family and another former tenet of the home, Linda Marsh, as well as her family, were all interviewed for the episode. A psychiatrist also was interviewed on demonic possession. MPR members constantly update their Web site, posting case reports and “evidence” of hauntings. Members also sponsor live chats. Information on Tri-County Restaurant, the Union home and other cases is available at www.missouriparanormalresearch. com. |
| The below picture and clip was published in the Union - MISSOURIAN on Wednesday, October 4, 2006. This article is Copyright © 2006 by The Missourian Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved and reprinted here with permission of the MISSOURIAN, editor Bill Miller and General Manager Bill Miller Jr. |
| Investigators Seek Proof of Paranormal Patron Three paranormal groups teamed up to investigate Tri-County Restaurant in Villa Ridge Saturday, Sept. 23. Members of Missouri Paranormal Research, Midwest Paranormal Investigative Association and Spook Stalkers, as well as guests all stayed at the restaurant overnight. |
| The below article was published in the Union - MISSOURIAN on Wednesday, August 30, 2006. This article is Copyright © 2006 by The Missourian Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved and reprinted here with permission of the MISSOURIAN, editor Bill Miller and General Manager Bill Miller Jr. |
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