Franklin Castle

Hannes Tiedemann Episodes

Cudell & Richardson were the architects responsible for this architectural wonder. They built this castle in 1865 for a German immigrant, Hannes Tiedemann who was known to be a strict disciplinarian. He was a well known grocer and investment banker who was reputed to have a harsh temperament. Although theories about Hannes Tiedemann being authoritative and physically abusive with his family have made tasty titbits for news channels, the truth remains a mystery.

Hannes Tiedemann had a large family and many servants at the castle and it is believed that he was sexually involved with many women in the castle which included mistresses and servants. He is believed to be responsible for a number of deaths that took place in the Franklin castle and is believed to have hung, strangulated and hacked his victims. The walls of Franklin Castle shroud the number of deaths that occurred within the castle. The diabolic scent of death is perpetuated by hidden facts in the form of trapdoors and hidden doorways that lead to suspicion of foul play.

Mysterious Deaths at Franklin Castle

Although there is no conclusive evidence on the number of deaths that occurred in Franklin castle, researchers believe that there have been several murders that didn’t see the light of day. The first death to have occurred in this castle was that of Emma, Hannes Tiedemann’s daughter, who at the age of 15 was believed to have succumbed to diabetes. Soon afterwards Hannes Tiedemann lost his ageing mother Wiebka. During the next few years three more of his children died which led to the belief that the hidden truth about these mysterious deaths was lurking within the castle.

Many researchers are convinced that the birth and death of a number of babies in the castle wasn’t revealed. It is also believed that Tiedemann hanged his niece with the help of an exposed rafter in one of the secret tunnels. Legend also has it that Hannes Tiedemann strangulated a lot of women in a fit of rage when they rejected his advances or caught them cheating on him. It is believed that the bodies were hidden in secret rooms and passages. Although Luise, Hannes Tiedemann’s wife died in 1895 of liver disease, many still believe it was murder, too.

Ghosts and Haunting Franklin Castle

A common sight described by individuals is that of a lady dressed in black who is believed to be Rachel, one of the many servants or mistresses that was hacked to death by Hannes Tiedemann. Witnesses also mention the voices of little children crying and a shapeless vision of a young girls face. People who have visited the castle also mention a feeling of disgust and guilt that seems to surround them. Strange noises and objects flying in the air are commonly experienced by people visiting Franklin Castle. Whatever lurks in the depth of this magnificent castle will remain a mystery, and I know the secrets…Got to go now…Luise is waiting.

Photo Courtesy of David Ploenzke

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The terror, agony and tragedy that is inevitable and associated with such places may be responsible for not letting the spirits rest in tranquility making these places most likely for repeated sightings of ghosts and wandering apparitions.

The Civil war which took place across many battlefields ranging across the Stones River and covering areas like Antietam, Chickamauga and many others left in its wake several grisly memories of death and gruesome killings. Perhaps the most haunted among them all is the battle field of Gettysburg. Besides the battlefield, the town itself has many haunted spots and many people have experienced pretty unusual events at these places.

Gettysburg is famous for the battle that took place in 1863 and took the lives of close to 50,000 people. Ever since, a number of people have reported the sighting of strange looking apparitions suddenly coming out of nowhere and some have even had encounters with such ghostly soldiers. Some of the places like the Gettysburg College, the Little Round Top, Devil’s Den and the Farnsworth House in particular have witnessed the haunting of ghosts and other apparitions pretty regularly. Another hot spot is the Spangler’s spring and this one is famous for the regular sighting of a woman in white, who keeps walking on and on without turning back and seems to suddenly disappear and appear alternately. People who have witnessed this have been too scared to go back to that place for a repeat experience but generally the recounting of this happening has been consistent across a number of individuals. The Culp Farm is yet another place where people have reported the hearing of phantom steps. Since all this have been reported by tourists and rangers, the credibility factor is quite strong and that is why Gettysburg retains its visibility as one of the most haunted places in the US.

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This mansion has been beset with sad events and tragedy for a long time and people believe that to be the reason for its haunted state. It all started in the year 1904, when William Lemp, sad at having lost his son, took the unfortunate step of committing suicide. His daughter Elsa also committed the same tragic mistake in 1920 and that was not all. After being forced to sell off the brewery business due to rising costs and due to the Prohibition in force at that time, William Lemp Junior also committed suicide by shooting himself and in the year 1949, Charles Lemp, the second son also took his own life in the basement of the mansion by again shooting himself.

It meant that the entire Lemp family had killed themselves within the precincts of the mansion and the moot question was, though they had left this world, had they really deserted the mansion in which they spent so much time?

This mansion got sold and a nice boarding place came into being. In the year 1977, the place got renovated and it was at this time that the workers started reporting some strange happenings taking place within the place. They became so scared that some of them left the job and did not bother to come back. These events have since continued to happen and many people have often reported seeing many apparitions and hearing many sounds over the years.

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The story goes that Crenshaw had a habit of kidnapping and torturing these workers. He used to imprison them in the narrow rooms of the mansion and put them in chains. He regularly used to torture them and even bred some slaves. When these evil practices were brought to public knowledge, he gave it up and became a farmer.

However, people who started visiting the place from the year 1920, when it was thrown open to the general public, reported hearing moans of pain and whispers coming from the lofts of the mansion.

The happenings intensified when a reputed ghost hunter Hickman Whittington took the trouble of going to the attic and tried to spend some time there. He was discovered dead after a few hours though he was in perfect health at the time he visited the mansion. After that, though many people have tried to spend some time at the attic, none of them have been successful as they had to leave the place after being scared out of their wits. They reported hearing all sorts of vague noises including a lot of groaning and sobbing. One person who managed to spend the night at the loft also reported hearing such noises and he mentioned that he was really scared from the experience.

This mansion is now the property of the State of Illinois and has been declared a historic site.

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