Oak Park’s Pleasant Home subject of paranormal investigation

Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of the Pleasant Home.

Well, maybe not evil — officials in Oak Park claim it’s not evil anyway — but something lurks there. Maybe.

Susan Crane, a program manager for the Oak Park Park District, won’t say what’s there, but evidently it was enough to hire a team of paranormal investigators to find out exactly what’s going on.

And they’re inviting interested spectators to join them on a “thrilling journey through the dimly lit corridors and eerie rooms of this renowned estate, rumored to be a hotspot for supernatural activity,” according to materials provided by the Park District.

On Friday, anyone over 21 can see, feel or hear for themselves what all lurks in the old home during a Park District event featuring paranormal experts Old Spirit Investigations.

Crane said it will be OSI’s first investigation for the Park District, though they’ve been active in the Midwest for years. The team has been on site for preliminary inspection, however and Crane hosted another Pleasant Home ghost investigation a few years ago. But she’s keeping mum about whatever she learned.

“I’m not going to say a word,” she said. “You don’t want to put any ideas into anybody’s head. And when they came to look at the house, I didn’t say anything. I can tell you one thing — there’s nothing harmful or evil or anything like that. That’s as specific as I want to get.”

The event, listed on the Park District’s website, has been a hot ticket item, with almost all 50 spots already gone — Crane said only about eight $50 tickets remain. At the very least, visitors are guaranteed a snack, a beverage and a tour of one of the oldest and grandest addresses in Oak Park.

Crane said she wanted the event to be, above all, a fun night out for people. A chance to see friends, see history and tour a beautiful, restored local property.

“It’s an old house, it was built in 1897,” Crane said. “We manage two homes; both are over 100 years old. This is another way to make the patrons engaged and see the historic houses. The Pleasant Home is one of the earliest examples of prairie style architecture in the country, so it’s well-known to architecture buffs and the tour is another way for people to enjoy the home.”

Visitors will also get to learn a bit more about what it takes to detect the paranormal. The OSI team will divide the 50 people into two or three smaller groups and introduce attendees to their gear first — equipment to measure light, temperature, noise and more.

“There is a science behind it, it’s not just them talking about what they feel and what they may or may not see,” Crane said.

From there the tour will continue through the home, room by room, looking, listening and feeling things that just aren’t right, maybe a cold spot, a strange, sudden bump or maybe a slight glimmer in a mirror, a face in the shadow something fleeting something you’re sure you saw and you hope was caught on film.

Whatever happens, Crane is ready for it.

“I’m excited about it,” she said. “I think when we’ve done it in the past, it’s been really well received and I’m looking forward to Friday night.”

And who knows. Maybe the house is looking forward to the visit, too.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.