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 History

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. 

The Hauntings

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. 

Read about more haunts in spooky Illinois...

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