SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Historic Firehouse No. 2 has been a staple on Commercial Street for over one hundred years. Since changing into a place for weddings and other special events, the venue has people coming and going all year round, but one “guest” has been described as the firehouse’s “poltergeist.”
History of Historic Firehouse No. 2
Historic Firehouse No. 2 was constructed in the early 1900s, four blocks to the west by the city, at the head of Boonville Avenue after the original firehouse, a wood-framed structure, burned down. The new firehouse was built by constructing a front wall and a back wall between existing buildings on the northeast and northwest corners, closing Boonville Avenue to vehicular traffic over the railroad tracks just to the north.
In 1987, another fire destroyed the building next door leaving only the west wall which was also the eastern wall of the firehouse. The condition of that wall after the fire created the need to build yet another Fire Station No. 2, the third incarnation of Fire Station No. 2 to be built, again to the west, almost to Grant Avenue where it stands to this day.
The building was then only used for storage and was left to deteriorate, until Mary Collette and Paul Parker purchased the firehouse and the vacant lot next door in 1995.
After extensive restorations of the building and the next-door lot, the Historic Firehouse became an event venue.
Is the Historic Firehouse haunted?
“We kind of think that our ‘presence’ is… maybe a poltergeist,” said Co-Owner of the Historic Firehouse Mary Collette. A poltergeist is a ghost or other supernatural being supposedly responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and objects thrown around. She has been feeling like she is never alone in the firehouse since purchasing the facility.
Multiple strange occurrences have happened in the northwest corner of the venue including the opening and closing of cabinet doors.
While standing by the beverage counter, one employee kept feeling like someone was brushing up behind her. She suspected it was one of her coworkers and told him to stop. When she turned to see who it was, there was no one there. A manager was standing in front of her while this was happening, and she confirmed that no one was behind her.
Even further northwest, near the storage room, one employee saw a shadow walking by his own shadow. When he turned to see who it was, no one was there. He told Collette that wasn’t the only time that has happened.
“We always tell everybody he’s a friendly ghost… we’ve named him Casper. We think he was probably a fireman,” said Collette. She said there is no way of knowing and has not heard of any firemen passing away at the station. She also thinks it’s possible the ghost is a child. “They’re not scary… they’re more like a prankster.”
She says none of the employees or customers have ever had a negative experience with Casper. “We all feel very comfortable and we feel… like that this… whatever this is… is happy to be here and it’s happy that we’re here… and that’s, I guess, the most you can hope for in… a situation like that.”
Collette said she is sure Casper is enjoying the events being held here and the ongoing renovations to the venue.
“We always tell people… what we’re doing here today is was what the firehouse wants to do… And we think that our… spirit or ghost… maybe has something to do with that,” said Collette.
We invited the Southwest Ghost Finders to conduct an investigation at the firehouse, watch the video above to see what we found.
More Frightly News Investigates:
The dozens of ghosts at Pythian Castle
Springfield’s haunted haunted house: The Hotel of Terror
Haunted History of the Gillioz
