Want to know what’s haunted in Southern Illinois? Here’s what a paranormal investigator says

Have you ever heard strange voices or footsteps in the room when no one else was there? Have you been alone, but felt like someone was watching you? Have you seen a shadow from the corner of your eye? If so, you might call a paranormal investigator.

Paranormal investigators study hauntings or unexplained occurrences. 

Seth Clark is a paranormal investigator with 618 Paranormal. 618 Paranormal has three investigators and one researcher.

“We are a team of paranormal researchers that are dedicated to finding out the truth of the paranormal world,” Clark says. “We have advanced experience ranging from residential investigations to mental asylums all the way to historic jails.”

He said one of the most haunted places they have investigated is the Old Franklin County Jail in Benton.

The historic jail in Franklin County was opened as an interpretive museum in 1996. In 1998 the front portico was replaced and upper floors were developed for additional museum space. 

Clark and his team investigated the jail for paranormal activity and people became more interested in the jail. Foot traffic to the jail doubled, which helped keep the museum open and preserved.

What 618 Paranormal does the most is help people who seek answers about some unexplained things that may be happening in their home.

“Some stuff is scarier than others (in the homes),” Clark said.

Clark recalled investigating a home in Herrin where the owner’s son killed himself, but they were never told the young man’s name. While they were investigating, a mop bucket slid about five feet. The investigators asked who was there, but they did not hear an answer. After reviewing their taped recording, they found the answer was recorded on their tape and that they just couldn’t hear it at the time.

They believe they were with a spirit named Jacob – the name they heard on the tape. 

They asked the owners of the home about it and they confirmed that Jacob was the young man who died.

While residential homes are their main area of investigation, they also investigate phenomena at local businesses.

“We usually only investigate businesses around Halloween,” Clark said.

Southern Illinois has a lot of businesses that are located in old buildings.

“Old buildings have so much history,” Clark said.

In addition to the Old Franklin County Jail, the group has investigated Chittyville School in Herrin and Blanca’s Corner and The Rose House in Du Quoin.

While they were working on the building at Blanca’s Corner, several strange things happened upstairs. The workers smelled cigar smoke and tools moved on the shelving and went crashing onto the floor.

Clark said a lot of things can be debunked, such as orbs of light that are caused by dust. But not everything can be explained. Hearing footsteps, seeing shadows and uneasy feelings are hard to debunk.

If you have unexplained occurrences that need investigated, 618 Paranormal can be contacted through their Facebook page or by calling 618-318-7312.

If you’d like to do a little investigating yourself, here are some of the most haunted places in Illinois and they just happen to be in our part of the state.

Haunted Rooms America lists these local haunts at the most haunted places in Illinois:

1. Cave-in Rock State Park
2. BPL Plasma in Carbondale
3. Devil’s Bake-Oven in Grand Tower
4. Crenshaw House (known locally as the Old Slave House) in Equality
5. Elmwood Cemetery in Centralia
6. Pulaski County Courthouse, Mound City
7. Rose Hotel in Elizabethtown
8. Original Springs Hotel in Okawville
9. Hundley House in Carbondale
10. Choate Mental Health Center in Anna