“Kathi Kresol, author of Haunted Rockford Illinois and founder of Haunted Rockford Paranormal Events is talking about some of the most haunted places here in Rockford. Kathi started studying and writing about the hauntings in Rockford about 19 years ago.”
Read the complete introduction and watch video: The haunted side of Rockford
At Haunted Rockford, we’re very proud of Kathi and happy to share this News with you.
“Everyday heroes are all around us. Parents, emergency responders and teachers come quickly to mind. But what about the small-business owners, conservationists, philanthropists and quiet leaders among us? It’s easy to take for granted, but it’s important to recognize the many ways these heroes inspire us to dream more, do more, be more. So, we’ve found 25 individuals who have left a mark on our regions by inspiring others through acts of courage, vision and passion.” — Northwest Quarterly, Annual Guide 2023.
Photography by Samantha Behling, Northwest Quarterly, 2023. Used with permission.
April 17, 2023 article by Jim Taylor about Kathi Kresol at Northwest Quarterly
Steve Bartel (left in photo), and Josiah Henson (right) are the owners and operators of Haunted Conover Square Ghost Tours. Steve’s day job is a Mechanical Designer at Collins Aerospace and Josiah is a Field Operations Specialist for Stryker Surgical Solutions.
Both Steve and Josiah have been interested in the paranormal since an early age. They have been on countless paranormal investigations together and both are seasoned investigators who have a passion for sharing their paranormal experiences with people new to the field.
Participants in tours with Steve and Josiah have the opportunity to ask many questions and learn different techniques practiced in modern paranormal investigating.
Steve and Josiah will be sharing updated evidence collected within the walls of Haunted Conover Square.
Visit the Haunted Conover Square Ghost Tours Website
Formed in 2011 by Chad Glovier and Travis Dahlhauser, The Greater Rockford Apparition & Ghost Group (GRAGG), is a paranormal investigation team based in Rockford, Illinois. The GRAGG team travels to some of the scariest places the nation has to offer. Their mission is to prove to everyone, including themselves, that ghosts are real.
Watch their adventures on their official YouTube channel: Mission Terror.
If you ask Travis or Chad what one place in the world is haunted, they’d answer immediately: Prairie View Rest Home. The guys have challenged the building 3 times over the years and each experience has been more intense than the last. This presentation will dive deep into their terrifying saga at Prairie View, which includes some of the craziest evidence they have ever captured, and some of the scariest stories they have told.
YouTube channel: Mission Terror
GRAGG website: https://gragg.weebly.com/
Dean Thompson is a paranormal researcher with a passion for validating historical facts, and collecting some pretty strange evidence along the way. He’s been collecting data for over 15 years, but has been spiritually connected from early childhood.
According to Dean, he will be “Keeping my left brain active, I will be sharing some out-of-the-box thinking and to keep my right brain happy, I will share some mind-bending coincidences.
Dean’s Ghost Head Soup Website
Paranormal Pickers Podcast on YouTube
Dan Norvell and Larry Eissler III partnered up as Small Town Paranormal in 2010 and the Ghosthunter Dan Norvell Project in 2012; however, Dan has been investigating the paranormal since 1996. In their time together, they have produced the investigative series Expedition Entity and the documentary Brodhead Manor: A PARAFlixx Special Investigation, both viewable on the PARAFlixx network. They have also published two books, “Afterlife Anthology” and “Ghosts of the Black Hawk War” through Haunted Road Media.
Outside of the paranormal, Dan has spent 17 years in law enforcement and is a retired firefighter and paramedic. Larry spent 10 years in the army before his medical discharge in 2015. He graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in History from Northern Illinois University, where he will also be completing his Master’s in Communication Studies in 2024. Together, Dan and Larry co-own Small Town Productions LLC and will be releasing new paranormal documentaries in 2023 and 2024.
Bringing their own perspective to the paranormal, ghost hunters Dan Norvell and Larry Eissler have been investigating together for over 10 years. They will be discussing their investigations of historical locations, local haunted sites, and more.
Visit Dan and Larry, or Expedition Entity, at:
https://paraflixx.vhx.tv/expedition-entity
https://www.facebook.com/ExpeditionEntity
https://www.small-town-productions.com/
Cindy Heinen and Randy Sunby are members of the Society for Anomalous Studies (SAS), a paranormal cooperative based out of Janesville, Wisconsin. Founded in 2011, SAS’s mission is to support the preservation of historical buildings through paranormal investigations and research that takes a deep dive into history. From these investigations and research they develop paranormal-themed presentations and events that have raised thousands of dollars for historical societies in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Aside from historical societies, SAS has investigated many of the most haunted locations in the Midwest, including asylums, abandoned hospitals, historical mansions, prisons, battleships and schools.
Cindy, co-director of SAS, (second from right in photo), started her paranormal endeavors in early 2000 when she captured the voice of a Civil War soldier on an audio recorder at Devils Den in Gettysburg. Since then she has participated in a number of EVP-based research projects, written essays and research papers and has written chapters for several paranormal-themed books. She is a founding member of the Society for Anomalous Studies.
Randy Sunby, director of the Society for Anomalous Studies, (center in photo), has a long standing interest in the paranormal and has been an active investigator for years. Randy has done investigations on aircraft carriers, the Queen Mary and other fascinating locations. With a deep respect for SAS’s historical partners, he insures their clients understand the evidence captured by connecting the dots between the spirits and the expanded history they often share. He is the “voice” of many of SAS’s videos.
Randy and Cindy will be presenting evidence and research from SAS’s investigations that demonstrates how spirits interact with them. The presentation will also show how, through historical research and other clues, their team is able to identify many of the spirits they interact with.
Society for Anomalous Studies Website
Dale Kaczmarek is President of the Ghost Research Society and director of Excursions into the Unknown, Inc., the only year-round ghost tour of haunted Chicagoland locations. Kaczmarek has been actively investigating ghosts, hauntings and poltergeist phenomena since 1975 and is active in a number of organizations including: American Association for Electronic Voice Phenomena, Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained, International Fortean Organization and the prestigious Ghost Club of England. Kaczmarek has been active for 46 years in the field and has investigated over 4,100 cases both public and private. He has accumulated what may be the largest collection of authentic spirit photograph collections in the world and has taught workshops, classes and seminars on the subject of Spirit Photography and Ghost Hunting Techniques.
His website Ghost Research Society is one of the most active of its kind anywhere in the world. His group, Ghost Research Society, uses some of the most state of the art in paranormal equipment in the field today.
Dale has appeared in numerous books, publications, newspapers and periodicals. He has been a guest on “Oprah” two times, “Encounters”, 2 episodes of “Sightings”, 3 episodes of “The Other Side”, “Rolanda”, “Mysteries Magic and Miracles”, “Exploring the Unknown”, “Paranormal Survivor,” “Travel Channel,” “Destination America” and was called on by the “Discovery Channel” to help produce and appear in two segments; “Real Ghosthunters”, “Phantom Photos”, “World’s Most Unexplained” (Coincidence or Curse & Mysteries Made in the USA.)
Dale is the author of several books, including “Windy City Ghosts,” “Windy City Ghosts II,” “A Field Guide to Spirit Photography,” and others.
Dale’s Presentation is entitled: “Fifty years of Ghost Research,” and will go into how Dale got into the field; the way equipment has changed over the years; how attitudes have been changed and some of the famous cases that he has investigated, including pictures, audio and video from those cases.
MGI is a non profit group of professional paranormal investigators founded in 2014 based out of Rockford, Illinois.
They investigate private residences, business, historical buildings, and other clients. MGI uses scientific equipment to provide proof for the client’s situation or to prove logical reasoning and to advance their understanding of the paranormal field through progressive research.
Sara and Nino will be sharing information from recent investigations
Kathi Kresol has worked at the Rockford Public Library for years and loves sharing her enthusiasm for reading in any way possible. After working for some time as a Library Branch Manager, Kathi, in 2021 was offered the position of Mobile Library Manager. Kathi loves the new and exciting challenges of bringing Rockford Public Library resources into new and different locations and neighborhoods.
A member of the Rockford Historical Society, Kathi is always digging through Rockford’s past and she gives all the credit for her research skills to local history specialists Jean Lythgoe and Jan Carter of the Rockford Public Library.
Kathi Kresol has been researching the history of Northern Illinois for twenty years. She has published two solo books: “Murder & Mystery in Rockford, Illinois,” (2015); and “Haunted Rockford, Illinois,” (2017). Kathi has also collaborated with other local authors and shared articles in three books featuring compilations of Rockford authors.
Kathi shares the stories she researches in presentations for local organizations and in events sponsored by the Rockford Public Library and her business Haunted Rockford events. The local newspaper, Rock River Times has shared Kathi’s stories for several years. He column “Voices From The Grave” has allowed Kathi to share her passion for history with a larger part of Rockford’s community. She is always honored when someone mentions reading one of her stories.
Kathi’s main goal in sharing her stories, whether they are true crime, ghost stories, or local history, is to honor the lives of the men, women and children who came before. Some of the stories reflect a tragic moment in these people’s lives; but Kathi also tries to show the courage that the survivors displayed as they move forward from what must have been the worst moment in their lives. She also hopes that these stories illuminate the compassion that the folks of Rockford have always displayed for those who are suffering.
