The Ellwood House Ghost
The Ellwood House, a Victorian mansion, is located in DeKalb, IL. The house was built in 1879 by Isaac L. Ellwood, a millionaire who gained his wealth through the invention of barbed wire. The house and grounds are now a museum that can be toured, and all the furnishings are original to the house.

This story was told to me by the local town historian, Steve Bigolin,
who volunteers his time at the Museum. One of his friends, who was also a volunteer, took a date to the Ellwood House because she had never seen it. The museum was closed on that particular day, but they came to walk the grounds, and so she could see the house upclose. During their stroll, he decided to take a short trail that loops back around to the house through a wooded path, and she wanted to continue admiring the actual house.  They seperated, and when they met up again, she asked him who the woman was in the dress. She explained further that she had seen a woman in a long dress of victorian style standing in the glass conservatory which is located off the back of the house. He told her that there was no one in the house, and that the volunteers didn't dress up when they gave tours anyway.

On a repeated visit during which they toured the inside, the girl gave out a startled, "That's her!" when shown a picture of Ann Ellwood that hung in the dining room. She stated that that was the lady she had seen standing in the conservatory looking out on the grounds. She was wearing the same or a very similar dress that she wore in the portrait.

Since this was such a reputable source, as told to me directly from the local historian whom I believe to be trustworthy and who does not give in to such stories easily, I have added the Ellwood House to the DeKalb County Ghost Society's list of "further investigation" sites.

Copywrite 2003  Lydia Daffenberg
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