Living in a Haunted House 101: Eight Years of Footsteps, House Rules, and Unseen Houseguests at the Riggin-Pesold House

What happens when you buy a historic house…and discover you may not be the only ones living there?

When Michele and Frank purchased the historic Riggin-Pesold House, they expected restoration projects, old-house quirks, and two centuries of history.

A companion to The House That Learned to Hold: The Biography of the Riggin-Pesold House, this book leaves the historical record behind and steps inside the house with the family who now calls it home. Living in a Haunted House 101 can be read entirely on its own, but for readers who already know the Grand Dame’s history, this is what happened next.

They did not expect footsteps in empty rooms...

Or piano keys playing themselves, doors opening without assistance, bells ringing when no one is there, or voices from unoccupied rooms. Eventually, friends, family members, contractors, and visitors beginning to have experiences of their own.

Living in a Haunted House 101: Eight Years of Footsteps, House Rules, and Unseen Houseguests at the Riggin-Pesold House chronicles eight years of strange, funny, touching, and sometimes startling experiences inside one remarkable historic Illinois home.

This isn’t a collection of terrifying ghost stories, and it isn’t an attempt to prove what caused the unexplained events within these walls. It’s the story of what happens when the unusual gradually becomes…usual.

When footsteps overhead no longer automatically send you upstairs. When the first step after hearing a mysterious noise is determining where all the animals are. When you discover that even unseen houseguests require rules, particularly the one about no touching. It was also an important discovery when stats indicated which friend earned the statistically significant distinction of Most Paranormally Productive Guest.

Sometimes eerie, frequently funny, and told with affection for both the living and the unseen, Living in a Haunted House 101 is ultimately about sharing a home with its history - and learning that an old house doesn’t have to be frightening to hold a few mysteries.

After eight years, one thing has become clear: The Riggin-Pesold House is never really quiet.