John Humphrey House offers a snapshot from the late 1800s in all its clapboard glory

A spirited discussion

Ever hear the old saw “If these walls could talk…”?

Those splendid old horse hair plaster walls inside the Humphrey House won’t exactly talk the ears off a hot donkey, but they have been known to mutter and moan and murmer and sigh ever so softly.

If you catch them on the right day, that is.

And listen closely.

It also helps to be open minded.

The Humphrey House, like so many grand Victorian era homes, comes with a bit of a reputation for paranormal activity. 

When there isn't a pandemic Edward Shanahan leads private Circle of Energy Spirit Sessions in the Humphrey House for groups of six to eight  by appointment. (One might also call them seances.) Shanahan’s small groups gather in the living room where several members of the Humphrey family were waked. (Home viewings were common into the 20th Century.)

“I’m a spirit feeler,” explains Shanahan. “The term medium is also used, but I prefer spirit feeler. I seat the oldest soul on my left, and we are then open to contact. We’re searching paranormal activity. People are invited to bring recording equipment and turn it on. EVP sound records are posted on my YouTube channel for everyone to learn from.”

Shanahan joins Humphrey House board members in emphasizing the importance of the home only having one set of owners — the Humphrey family. He feels their energy. “Groups have stood outside and heard footsteps in the house,” he said, “and there are records of ‘breathing.’ The whole house seems to be breathing at points.”

And there apparently are spirits. The first Mrs. Humphrey was named Amelia. She died in a tragic fall under mysterious circumstances at the house. Several years earlier, one of the Humphrey children — Libby — died in infancy there.

Christine Brooks, a member of the board leading restoration efforts at the Humphrey House, doesn’t play up the paranormal activity angle. The Orland Park Historical Society understandably wants the Humphrey House to be appreciated in its entirety. That said, she notes that tradespeople working on the restoration project have reported taps on the shoulder and doors swinging open. “A man working on the furnace heard a voice say, `Hi John’,” she recalls, “and there was nobody there when he turned around.”