McNairs' Hardware Store Investigation

Goodland purchased the store about three and a half years ago from Fred McNair. He owned the store for about thirty years. Prior to becoming McNair’s Hardware Store, it was also another hardware store called McGill’s. That owner probably owned the store for thirty or more years. Before that, it was a hardware and furniture store.

Building is at least 120 years old. Owner has seen pictures of the store in the 1880s. Part of the upstairs was used as a doctor’s office at one time. There is some knowledge of possible experimental surgeries being performed in the building. Dr. John Taylor was the doctor in town when the owner was a young boy. It was Dr. Taylor’s father that ran the office. The original doors and cabinetry still exist.

Above the hardware store, it was a Mason’s Lodge for as long as the owner and McNair knew. They Masons moved to another building along Rt. 33 due to the condition of the upstairs.

Loads of old items and farm implements are hanging on the walls from the previous owners and even local farmers who brought in some of those pieces.

There is a basement and a really old elevator in the corner that operates on a pulley system. It still apparently still works but the current owner doesn’t use it anymore. There are a number of old stands in the corner near the elevator that are original to the store as well.

Address: 204 S. Main St., Palestine, IL 62451

Phone: 618-586-2000

Owner: Greg Goodland

Hauntings: Strange feelings and occasional noises that have been heard by the owner’s secretary when she’s working alone in the building. With all the old trigger objects from days gone by, it should make for an interesting investigation and study.

The Ghost Research Society investigated McNair's Hardware Store on August 2, 2019 and the team members included: Mike Rosario and Dale Kaczmarek, with help from Jason Snider, Donovan Hall and Courtney Breanne from Crawford County Illinois Ghost Society

Equipment setup: Some Sony Nightshot infrared camcorders with supplemental IR illumination were setup including the X-Cam SLS device, laser grid and Tri-Field Natural EM Meter along with digital recorders and cameras.

Experiments performed: EVP, Ovilus X and Phasma Box session were conducted around the main counter area and near the old elevator.

Personal experiences:

Mike Rosario: (Mike had told me that he heard the sound of little children near the back door on a few occasions.) Kaczmarek: We may have debunked that as “real children” playing nearby but can’t be 100% sure.

Dale Kaczmarek: This was a very old hardware store with lots of trigger objects that could hold onto place memories. I did not feel anything out of the ordinary while investigating here. The X-Cam SLS device did pick a lot of stick figure activity and almost on command when asking to point a pipe fitting. Whispering and a good whispering EVP was also captured here and well as another stick figure manipulating a cable on the old elevator.

There were EMF spikes picked up around the elevator around 1.8 to 2.6, which is just crazy. These were moving EM fields and nothing stationary or caused by anything electrical nearby.

Evidence collected:

Are you going to help mcnairs.MPG – while conducting an EVP session near the elevator a true EVP was picked up on Rosario's digital recorder that seems to say, “Are you going to help?”

Figure and whispering mcnairs.MPG – while using the X-Cam SLS device, a question was asked, “Can you point to the pipe fitting you want?” Almost immediately a small stick figure twice showed up on the back wall, followed by some whispering voices that cannot be made out.

I need help mcnairs.MPG – while conducting an EVP session near the elevator another true EVP was recorded, by Rosario's digital recorder, that sounds like, “I need help.”

Stick figure grabbing cable mcnairs.MPG – while using the X-Cam SLS device, a stick figure was detected holding onto the large cable on the elevator. I mentioned that out loud and Rosario went over and grabbed the cable at the same height of the figure. Some weird stick figure then grabbed the cable while Rosario was holding it but Rosario said he felt nothing.

Words spoken by the Ovilus X in dictionary mode: sand, real (1.1 on Melmeter) (FB live session) sip and building; in phonetic mode – help, beautiful, eerie and year. The Phasma Box said the word, “chocolate.”

Conclusions: I was unable to collect any evidence via the Ovilus X or Phasma Box that made any sense or answered specific questions. Rosario did pick up two interesting EVPs and I recorded some stick figures, whispering voices and a whole phrase near the old elevator. In my opinion, that was the true “hotspot” in the building that evening.

There was a little outdoor contamination coming from some nearby children playing but it was easily discernable as natural and not supernatural.

We did not venture into the upstairs former doctor’s office to the poor and very dusty condition of that floor. We also did not investigate the basement because it seemed that the main floor with all the old farm implements, cash register and such was the true focal point of any possible hauntings.

This location should be blanketed with additional equipment and a follow-up investigation is definitely something that would yield more evidence.