Holcombville School Investigation

Holcombville School is a tiny one-room dilapidated building held together today with steel harnesses which was built circa 1858 and was designated a landmark by the McHenry Preservation Committee in 1995.

Address: 6310 Crystal Springs Road, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Owner:  McHenry Preservative Committee

Hauntings: This petite structure is apparently haunted by students of long ago as visitors to the site have often heard a strange tapping on the windows from the inside as they peer through the dirty panes.  One local resident allegedly used an Ouija Board with a friend at the front of the building in 1990.  According the report, the planchette began moving around the board without their hands touching it, just as they began to hear some sounds reverberating from within.  A few minutes later, they fled the area when they heard the distinct sound of a bell overheard but could not locate.  They claimed to have even felt the vibrations in their ears.

The school has been closed for years and isn’t very safe to enter, even if permission were given.  Tape recorders should prove to be an interesting test of EVP, if one could gain entry to the building.

The Ghost Research Society investigated Holcombville School on August 15, 2024  and the team members included: Paul Adams, Ron Lovatt and Dale Kaczmarek.

Equipment setup: Only hand-held equipment was used such as digital recorders, cameras and camcorders and the Soul Receiver RT ghost box.

Experiments performed: One single seven minute EVP session was conducted using the Soul Receiver in short wave and other various modes.

Paranormal experiences: I or any other member of the attending team felt or experienced anything out of the ordinary during our visit and investigation.

Evidence collected: None! There were no discernable voices, words or any intelligent communication picked up during the one EVP session.

Conclusions: A great piece of McHenry history and it would have been incredible to conduct some EVP sessions within the building but no return contact via emails were received and the building is not very safe and I believe that it is for sale probably due to its dilapidated condition and possible high cost for upkeep.

Our team would return here if permission were ever given to investigate the inside of the building.