Oregon IL is home to one of the most haunted places in the state, The Road House. Come explore its mystery with Haunted Journeys.
The building was a general store around 1890. Later it became known as The Stenhouse. The purpose twisted a bit, becoming a speakeasy from 1921 until 1934. By 1948 the Stenhouse was a popular nightspot where patrons could play poker and craps in a hidden basement room.
On June 25, 1948, Mary Jane Reed and Stanley Skridla failed to return home from a Lover's Lane date the night before. Stanley was found murdered the next day and Mary Jane's body was found four days later. Although the shocking and gruesome crime got national attention nationwide, their murders were never solved. One thing was certain. The last place they were seen was at The Stenhouse.
Fifty years later, a restaurant entrepreneur, Mike Arians, moves to Oregon. He re-opens The Road House and gets elected mayor in the town. He also becomes obsessed with solving the crime of Jane and Stanley.
Today, the establishment is known as The Road House. operating as a popular restaurant and tavern... for living and the dead! The murder has still not has been solved.
What is it about renovations and restorations that stirs up the spirits? This certainly happened here. Recently, when the tavern was being renovated, a construction worker mentioned that a young woman had walked through commenting, "How nice it was going to be upon completion." But then he noticed there was absolutely no one in the building and no other vehicles was found in the parking lot.
Others have seen her apparition as well. There are other stories of seeing an unknown woman walking in the front hallway. It is said you can smell flowers and perfume, with no earthly source for it. On the more masculine side, cigar smoke can be seen and smelled throughout the building with no explanation.
Employees say that the jukebox will play by itself after midnight. What makes it a bit creepy, it will sometimes play the same song over and over again, or perhaps stopping in the middle of a song. Wouldn't you love to know what songs are on the phantoms' playlist?
Mike Arians, is self-declared "obsessed" in solving the epic murders of 1948 of Mary Jane Reed and Stanley Skridla. Mike believes the murders actually took place in the basement of his restaurant. He came up with this theory when he was doing research on this cold case.
Reports of paranormal activity prompted the owners to contact Dead Files to come and investigate.
This property, as part of our network, has been added for they may have history, validation, or folk tales of having spirited activities. Please take caution in approaching and visiting these locations, since courtesy, respect, and caution should be a top priority in every Haunted Investigator's style. Also do realize, some of these places may have permanently closed, changed ownership and/or names, or just are not available for your visits. Please respect this.
We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information provided on this listing, but offer it as a first step in finding your next haunted travel destination. Please do confirm with the property before making any plans to visit.
If you visit, tour, or investigate this property (or any of our properties), we are not responsible or held liable for any outcomes, lack of evidence, or injuries associated with your travels. This is only for entertainment purposes, and information provided is only as found in public domains (or as offered by the associated contributor (as a claimed property).
For more information, please read our TERMS OF SERVICE (linked below).
Please sect from the tags below to see more listings like this one!
We participate in several affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All of our affiliate programs are intended to provide a means for us to earn small fees by offering respected, relevant and useful products to our readers. These efforts will not be an extra cost to you and are paid directly by the advertiser as commission. Thank you for providing the opportunity to offer these products and services to you, while helping us to sustain our content delivery efforts on this website.