A group of Hollenbeck Middle School students want to turn
rumors about ghosts in the Old St. Charles historic district
into more business for South Main stores and restaurants.
Last fall, students in teacher Dee Opatz's accelerated
Spectra classes were looking for a community development
project. They found that South Main merchants wanted a promotion
plan to increase customer traffic.
The merchants were particularly interested in getting more
young people to the historic district. Current traffic involves
mostly older residents and tourists.
But, the Hollenbeck kids had to make quite a leap from
stories of ghosts to a promotion plan to stimulate present-day
business sales.
Thirteen-year-old Katelyn Stoewsand said she was familiar
with old ghost stories from South Main. "I knew a lot about
the ghosts in the businesses there," the 7th grader said.
Katelyn is one of several kids working on the project
who say they believe in ghosts.
Thirteen-year-old Blane Northrop isn't believer in ghosts.
But, he said a new book of local ghost stories and a proposed
walking "ghost tour" might work to boost business.
He said, "A lot of people are interested in the paranormal.
I think the book and the walking tour idea is pretty cool."
The Hollenbeck kids' work is part of the Citizenship Education
Clearing House (CECH) program from the University of Missouri-St.
Louis' College of Education. CECH tries to find projects
that get kids involved in community projects.
Usually, a CECH project is limited to one school year.
But, the Hollenbeck project will be a two-year effort.
In this 2006-7 school year, Ms. Opatz' students did the
research, toured South Main "haunted" businesses and developed
a "Spirits of St. Charles" website at school. (You can
check out the website at www.hollenbeckspectra.com.)
Many of the kids who worked on the project this year will
be back as 8th graders.
Next year's job will be to put their information about
South Main ghost legends in book form. They'll also create
a brochure for the walking tour of South Main ghost sites.
Thirteen-year-old Kirsten Kochmann said she'd also like
to see a large billboard that lists "the haunted places
in St. Charles."
Actually, St. Charles has a pretty good collection of ghost
stories, including one about headless bodies under the current
South Main street pavement. That story involves relocation
of an old church and its adjoining cemetery.
But, the story goes that only the heads of those buried
there were relocated. The rest of the bones remain under
the street pavement.
And there's the ghost of an angry mother-in-law who haunts
what is now the Mother-in-Law House restaurant.
The building was formerly a duplex with an older couple
living on one side and their son and his wife living in
the other.
Thirteen-year-old Rebecca Harms did the research on this
story. "Apparently, the two women fought all the time,"
she said. And the mother-in-law still is haunting the place.
Rebecca said, "One time, a painter was pulling an all-nighter
to get the inside of the building repainted. But, late at
night, a paint can overturned and one of the windows opened
by itself. The painter left and didn't come back."
Rebecca said, "Now, every night when the restaurant closes,
the last person leaving says, 'We love you mother-in-law.'"
Kirsten did three of the stories that are on the school
website. One of them deals with Morgies. That small shop
is operated by Ms. Opatz' mother.
Kristen said she and two other kids went into the basement,
where the ghosts are supposed to reside. "I asked, 'Are
there any paranormal people here.' That was answered by
a very distinct 'thump,'" she added.
"Also, the basement smelled like dead people. There was
a rotten flesh smell," she said.
The kids said they got their first list of possible ghost
stories by Googling the Internet with the words: "Ghosts
of St. Charles."
Kirsten said one of the ghost stories involves the house
in which her family now lives. The home had a severe fire
years ago and a small child was burned alive.
Kirsten said, "I've tried to talk with the ghosts but they
don't answer me back."
