CHAD LEWIS - Whiskers Olde Tyme Inn

Whiskers Olde Tyme Inn

Location: Genoa, Vernon County, Wisconsin

Correction: Several ghost web sites erroneously refer to it as "Big River Restaurant," and confuse it with the Big River Inn.

Reputed History:

The previous owner was named "Kenny." He used to watch only CNN, and he would drink eight cups of coffee a day. He died and his ghost haunts the restaurant.

Investigation:

Kenneth Beck was the previous owner. He did watch CNN and kept the TV exclusively on that channel. We were, however, unable to verify that he drink precisely eight cups of coffee per day. He had a heart attack and died outside the building near the dumpster. Kenny died in either October or November of 1999 and was about 60 years old at the time of his death. Right after he died the furnace quit working and the haunting activity began.

"Arden," another former owner, used to live upstairs. He collapsed and later died.

Many years ago there was a roller skating rink in the upstairs of the building. At one time there was a terrible accident on the Mississippi River and the rink was used as a makeshift morgue

Reputed Phenomena:

When the current owner shuts off the lights and locks up at night, often the lights will turn back on.
People have heard footsteps on the basement stairs
Eight coffee cups (the number Kenny drank per day) are missing.
Dishes have mysteriously disappeared.
When employees leave the room and return, they find the TV has changed channels to CNN.

The Investigation:

The current owner, Patty Ziegler, reports that the lights, stereo, and television will mysteriously turn on by themselves. Often she will lock up for the night, only to return in the morning and find the TV, stereo, lights, grill, and coffee maker turned on.
She confirms that mysterious footsteps have been heard on the basement steps when nobody was there.
Neither the current owner nor any of the employees had ever heard of eight coffee cups being missing.
The owner stated that half their dinner plates and several glasses had disappeared.
Neither the owner nor any of the employees were regular viewers of CNN. They usually kept the TV tuned to ESPN, but confirmed that the TV would frequently switch channels to CNN by itself. Mary Jo, one of the employees, would become upset each time it happened.