| Chilling out at The Coliseum Becky Gehling, Of the Intelligencer 09/18/2002 The Coliseum. Photo by Jeremy Paschall/Intelligencer. Ghost believed to haunt the Benld landmark. Cheryl and Davey Hammond simultaneously sat straight up in bed, awakened by two hard knocks on the door of their camper. Who would be knocking at 3 a.m. in the tiny town of Benld? Their minds raced. Could it be a burglar that ran off into the woods? Perhaps it's Cheryl's brother playing a practical joke. Davey thought it could be a dog wanting to get inside. The couple stepped outside in hopes to find a clue, but only saw two dollar bills crisply folded in half on their front step. "It was her," said Cheryl as she made her way back to bed. When the Hammonds bought The Coliseum Ball Room three years ago on historic Route 66 in Benld, they didn't know they were also buying a constant reminder of the building's past. They acquired a spirit that wants to co-exist with the couple in their new antique mall. Walking into the Coliseum, it felt like a ghost's home. A life-size Farrah Faucet wax sculpture dressed and positioned like a fortune telling gypsy greets every customer walking through. This was just the first of many items that seemed to be alive, some creepy all historic. Aisles and aisles of antique collectibles maintain an old atmosphere that unintentionally recreates the good ol' days of the Coliseum. An original stage and three bars are constant reminders of the dancing days the floor once felt. Hats the women wore while jitterbugging to the big band sounds of Lawrence Welk are sporadically displayed. A Fedora and cigar box mark evidence of a gentleman's night of swinging in the '40s. Little pieces of history: shoes, scarves, jewelry seem reunited under the roof where they feel most at home. This could only be how she feels -- at home. Cheryl, the believer of the couple, said she's seen the ghost too many times to count. It appears to her in the form of a person; a woman about five feet tall with dark proper hair. Hammond has never seen her face, or noticed her dress, as the ghost always appears as one of the many customers that wander about the 15,000 square foot building. With a second glance, the ghost is gone. Cheryl is not the only one who is aware of the ghost's presence. Numerous dealers that display their antiques in the mall have also seen the ghost in different forms. Most encounters occur during regular business hours. Kathy Kuhl sees the spirit as a mist, never able to distinguish any features. Cindy Majzel, also a dealer, wants more than anything to see the ghost that many have seen, but has not. Perhaps she is trying too hard. While not everyone has seen her, many can detect a definite presence of the spirit. Hammond spoke of over a dozen instances of people experiencing the ghost. Cheryl once saw a customer turn around as if he saw something and turn back around as if something caught his eye in the opposite direction. The man confronted Cheryl asking her if the building had birds. He said he could feel gusts of wind against his face as if a bird was flying by trying to torment him. There are also stories of her presence in an old male rest room to the left of the stage. The Hammonds used it when they first purchased the building, but soon decided she didn't want anyone in that room. Toilet paper is known to unravel, the tissue holder has swayed back and forth, and one woman claimed a piece of plastic on the ceiling was flapping as though an exhaust fan was hitting it. However, there was no exhaust fan. Dishes unexplainably rattle. Chimes will sound when no one is near them. Lights flicker and dim unexpectedly. Prickles race up your neck. Swift drafts hit hard when all is still. Davey Hammond was made a believer last Monday in their home when he felt water being splashed on his face, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. Cheryl was across the room with her hands full. There was no leaks in the ceiling or surrounding pipes. The ghost was the only explanation. "I think it really scared him," said Cheryl. While Cheryl says she's used to the ghost's practical jokes, she takes precaution not to get in the her way. The owner claims that the ghost doesn't sit well with people being in the building after hours. "She spent her time in the ball room at night," said Hammond. "It is hers after hours." Cheryl's sister, Vicki Johnson and her daughter visited and stayed at the Coliseum in a back room that once served as a lounge area for musical guests. The ghost didn't like that at all. Vicki claimed that while she was sleeping someone tapped her on her shoulder. She woke up suddenly thinking maybe it was her daughter, but she was asleep. It must have been a dream. Vicki woke up again to what distinctly smelled like a foot directly in front of her face. It must have been a vivid dream. The last straw was when Vicki woke up to Davey Hammond's voice saying "get up get up," but no one was there. The ghost often imitates the voices of both humans and animals according to Cheryl."People think you're nuts," she said. "Until you have your own experience, you don't believe." So who is this unnamed, non-descript ghost? A trapped soul? Murder victim? Just a Light-hearted prankster? Cheryl is not certain who she is. One clue that could lead to an identity is the ghost's love for the building. Cheryl mentioned that the ghost almost serves as the keeper of the Coliseum. It is a place she loves and has spent a lot of time in."She really enjoys being here. She likes all the stuff and gets a kick out of playing practical jokes," she said. The ghost also was fairly wealthly in her life. According to Sue Cross, a local expert on paranormal phenomena, when the ghost left two dollar bills on the front step, it was an indication of wealth. Cross told Cheryl that many times ghosts will leave change - a few penny's or so. Many towns people have theories about the identity, but Cheryl is content not knowing. The owner does not want to invade her space, and has asked the ghost not to appear to her face to face. "I'm a chicken," Cheryl said. Cheryl did say she would like to further investigate the haunted aspect of the Coliseum at a professional level. Other sightings of a young man with dark hair and an older man with white hair indicate there may be more than one apparition. On more than one occasion Cheryl has also seen visions of people dressed in white dancing outside of the building. Whether one believes in ghosts or not, the Coliseum is a spiritual, historic place. The building that once housed big bands, big money and big action works with the antique store that took its place nearly a century later. They play off of each other creating an eerie ambiance that magnetically draws people in. Perhaps it is a spirit that is the enticer. ©Edwardsville Intelligencer 2008 |
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