Not Alone in the Studio Apartment

When Heather Douglass was 21, she rented a studio apartment in Fox River Grove, Ill. She thought she was living alone, but was soon convinced otherwise. Douglass and her friends and neighbors all heard strange noises and saw and felt strange things in a small room off the kitchen.

The studio was in a block of apartments above a row of shops. The building, which still stands today, is at least 120 years old and is built on the site of an old farm where a farmer allegedly killed his family.

Douglass is unsure if that farmer’s family still haunts the place, but she said the small room, which she used for storage, was always cold, even in the punishing Illinois summer heat.

Items she stored in the room would disappear, and her dog refused to enter the chilly, haunted space. Douglass said she always felt someone watching her, and heard banging and other strange noises from the room. Neighbors would even tell her to quiet down and stop the banging when she wasn’t making any noise.

Douglass saw a ghost only once — she and a friend both saw a ghostly white man dressed in all black sitting at the kitchen table. He clearly said, “get out.” Shortly thereafter, she did get out. She gave her notice and left within two weeks, after slightly less than a year in the apartment.

The landlord asked why she was breaking her lease, and Douglass hesitated. According to Douglass, the landlord said, “I think I know why,” despite not having mentioned anything spooky about the place when she first rented it.