Paranormal tours, book will showcase McGregor history

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A series of paranormal walking tours and a book will showcase the history and ghostly activity of downtown McGregor. Content for the tours, as well as the accompanying “Mysterious McGregor” book and forthcoming episodes for the “Unscripted Paranormal” series, was developed from a multi-day investigation by psychic and author Adrian Lee and The International Paranormal Society, in partnership with the McGregor Historical Society.

The production team investigated around a dozen locations, mostly in downtown McGregor. During the tours, Lee said, “I’m going to discuss what I discovered there and share evidence on some occasions.” This includes the word “spirit” arriving on the I-Ovilus app during a visit to Alexander MacGregor’s grave. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Lee)

Here, a child reaches for cupcakes on an SLS camera in the basement of Paper Moon. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Lee)

By Audrey Posten | Times-Register

 

A series of paranormal walking tours and a guide book will showcase the history and ghostly activity of downtown McGregor.

 

Psychic and author Adrian Lee will lead the “Mysterious McGregor” tours on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26; Thursday, Oct. 31; and Saturday, Nov. 2. Content for the tours, as well as the accompanying “Mysterious McGregor” book and forthcoming six-episode feature on the “Unscripted Paranormal” series, was developed from a multi-day investigation by Lee and The International Paranormal Society, in partnership with the McGregor Historical Society.

 

The production team investigated around a dozen locations, mostly in downtown McGregor. 

 

“The investigations went remarkable. There was so much activity in every building,” Lee said. “When you investigate a town that old, there’s always going to be stuff in every building. Wherever humanity leaves its footprints, paranormal activity follows.”

 

Ninety-minute tours will leave the McGregor Historical Museum, at 256 Main St., on each of those nights at 5:30 (PG version) and 7:30 p.m. (standard). Lee will begin by talking about the history of the town and spirits who came through who are prominent at the museum, including founder Alexander MacGregor and some of the Ringling Brothers. 

 

“I’m going to dress as a Victorian gentleman and have a lantern, and then we’re going to walk up Main Street and stop at all the properties I investigated. I’m going to discuss what I discovered there and share evidence on some occasions,” Lee explained. “Then we’re going to walk to the end of Main Street, and when we’re at the dock where Big Buoys is, we’re going to talk about pirates. Then we’ll come back down again.” 

 

“It’s going to be very entertaining, very insightful, interesting, fun,” Lee added.

 

The investigations yielded multiple highlights. 

 

Lee and his team spoke to many of the aforementioned Mississippi River pirates and their leader, Doc Bell. Bell even shared directions to treasure hidden around Sny Magill.

 

“I don’t often get to go on a boat up the Mississippi looking for pirate treasure,” Lee quipped. 

 

Two of the Ringling Brothers, Otto and Gus, came through. When tours visit the site of the Ringlings’ first circus, at the corner of A and Ann streets, Lee said Otto plans to be there watching. 

 

It was also at that site where investigators captured a dark figure standing at the back of one of the nearby buildings. 

 

“With a thermal imaging camera, anything that’s dark like that is freezing cold. We’ve got a shot 10 seconds before with nothing there,” Lee detailed.

 

In the basement of Paper Moon, an SLS camera showed a child reaching for cupcakes brought in to celebrate previous business owner Harry Eichendorf’s birthday.

 

“He was 140 years old that very evening we investigated,” said Lee.

 

Additionally, Lee chatted with poet E. Leslie Spaulding, who perished in a fire at the Past 100 Years antique shop building.

 

“I chatted with Spaulding in the antique shop and at his grave. He was happy his poems were published and pleased the historical society was promoting his work,” he said. “It’s remarkable to be getting historical information from the lips of the dead that, under any other circumstances, would be impossible.”

 

Lee credited McGregor building owners who allowed the team to investigate their properties.

 

“The people who own those businesses were so enthusiastic and so positive, because they’ve had experiences themselves. They knew their buildings were haunted because they live and work there. They’d seen things,” he said. “A lot of people signed up to do this before even knowing the details, and several properties allowed me to investigate without them even being there.” 

 

This trust wasn’t surprising as the investigations continually connected with spirits who weren’t associated with a building. Instead, they lived or worked next door or were friends with a previous owner in the 1880s, 1890s or early 1900s.

 

“Couldn’t you argue that’s exactly the same as it is now. The nature of the town came through in the paranormal investigating in the fact the spirits were very transient and came through in places I wasn’t expecting them,” Lee said.

 

The “Mysterious McGregor” tours and book were able to come together so quickly thanks to help from the McGregor Historical Society, noted Lee. McGregor Deputy City Clerk and Economic Development Lead Brandi Crozier, who’s a liaison to the museum, helped set up investigations. Duane Boelman, head of the McGregor Historic Preservation Commission, offered valuable insight on building history, and McGregor Public Library Director Michelle Pettit was a wealth of research knowledge. 

 

“While I investigate and individuals come through, I know nothing of the individuals who live in this town. When Elizabeth Wood comes through in the tea shop, I have no idea who she is. It’s only when I researched that I learned she was the wife of the guy who owned the shop when it first got built—when it was a pharmacy,” Lee said. “Normally I would have to go and research this stuff, and it could take me months and years. But if I can just drop an email to Michelle and ask, ‘Who’s Elizabeth Wood?’ within a day she’s got me all the files, photographs and history.” 

 

Lee hopes McGregor will benefit from the paranormal investigations. Much of the proceeds from the tours will go to the McGregor Historical Society. The “Mysterious McGregor” book, which will be available at the tours, at shops in town and online, will also provide a guide. 

 

“You can read the history I’ve uncovered of the town. You can read the paranormal activity with all the evidence and all the photographs,” he said. “It gives you directions of where to go so you can actually use it as a guide book to walk up and down Main Street and look at the locations yourself.”

 

In homage to the pirates who feature prominently in the book, Lee has included a code in the pages. Those who work out the code will receive a prize. 

 

“It’s like a treasure hunt,” he said. 

 

Through the book and presentations, Lee will share what he’s discovered in McGregor at expos and events around the country. He’s even slated to be at the Iowa State Fair next summer.

 

“I can’t believe there won’t be people coming from all over the Midwest to visit this town. It’s already started. People are coming from all over to go on the ghost walk. Lots of my followers are buying tickets, and they’re coming from Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota,” he shared. “The evolution of this is benefitting McGregor and Iowa as a whole. I’m pleased that all the people who were enthusiastic and let me into their buildings will benefit from the exposure, will benefit from the book, all the tourism that’s being brought into town on the back of this. This is what we wanted.”

 

It’s remarkable, said Lee, that people who were prominent in McGregor over the last 150 to 160 years remain prominent in the fact they appeared in the investigations and gave him information.

 

“It gives me goosebumps,” he quipped.

 

This sentiment is reflected in the final sentences of the book, which read: “It didn’t escape my notice that the founders and early settlers of this town contributed once more to its economic development from beyond the grave. How amazing is that? I hope we made them proud.”

 

More information about Lee, his team and their work can be found at www.unscriptedparanormal.com. A link for ticket sales and more information about “Mysterious McGregor” is available on the McGregor Historical Museum Facebook page.

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