Star 105.5 radio hosts survive ghost challenge at Volo Auto Museum

The one thing for sure is Joe Cicero and Tina Bree from Star 105.5 in McHenry County successfully spent most of Saturday night in the “haunted” antique barn at the Volo Auto Museum.

What isn't as certain is whether they were touched by ghosts, saw a specter or two, or if the bump in the night wasn't actually a boot from one of the hosts walking across the floor.

“After experiencing what we did, there's no doubt there is something supernatural,” Cicero said. “While we didn't see an actual ghost, we felt the presence of something or someone most of the night.”

The two morning radio hosts were challenged by Brian Grams of the Volo Auto Museum to spend one night in the barn.

Officially, the plan wasn't to stay the entire night; the radio hosts were in the creaky old barn from about 10:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. — a period that crosses into the “witching hour” of 1 to 3 a.m., when supernatural activity in the barn seems to be at its highest.

The night started with a tale of Horrace Gale, the former owner of the barn and a Civil War soldier. Tales of the specter of Gale, who is buried in an old cemetery across the street from the barn, are told of his spirit sitting on the edge of beds and his satchels discovered on the floor of the barn.

The spooky story created the perfect backdrop to put everyone on edge, and as Grams left for the evening, “ghostly activity” started almost immediately.

The radio hosts walked through the barn and snapped pictures with a still camera, while two audio recording devices and a video camera tried to capture any proof of ghosts on the property.

Cicero said he was twice touched on the neck by an unseen apparition while sitting at a table on the first floor.

About 30 minutes later, tension in the room rose when Bree said she was “shoved” at the top of an old stairway by something unseen.

A picture snapped by Cicero shows what he believes is a face peering around the corner at them. Footsteps were heard 10 minutes earlier on a flight of stairs.

“It was an eerie feeling all night,” Bree said of the ghost hunt. “I was physically moved by something, which makes me believe something is there. Next time, I want the lights on.”

The 163-year-old barn, which has been converted into an antique mall by the Grams family, is creepy throughout. Every floor board creaks when stepped upon, while echoes of voices from people talking on different floors radiate throughout the facility.

Old trinkets line the walls of every hallway, casting shadows when hit by light.

The stories of the barn being haunted have grabbed national headlines and even prompted the Discovery Channel to center an episode of its television show “Ghost Lab” around it in 2010.

During Ghost Lab's two-day study, crews were able to document paranormal activity, including capturing what was later called a “shadow man” on film, Grams said.

Because of the “Ghost Lab” show, and the curiosity and questions about the hauntings, the museum owners developed a one-hour tour using a replica 1915 Victorian trolley that takes riders past the antique barn and other supernatural hot spots on 36 acres of farmland.

The eeriest part of the evening: the picture of the face shot by Cicero and the location where Bree was shoved were in the same area that “Ghost Lab” caught the shadow man on video.