Haunted Stark building to go on auction block
CANAL FULTON - The Warehouse on the Canal -- a magnet for years for ghost hunters and psychics seeking proof of the paranormal -- is up for sale.
The owners of the 19,000-square-foot, three-story brick building decided to close their Let's Mango Restaurant & Tavern about a month ago and sell because of health problems in the family. The 100-year-old structure overlooking the Ohio & Erie Canal will go to the highest bidder during a public auction Wednesday night at the site.
The winning bidder will inherit not only the building -- and possibly the furniture, kitchen equipment and liquor license -- but also the 15 to 20 spirits that believers say live there.
``I've seen things that even the most pragmatic man would have to believe,'' said Ken Roberts, who bought the building with his wife, Margarita, four years ago.
Those ``things'' include missing and moving objects, a ghost stroking a woman's hair, sounds of boots walking across the wooden floors when no one is there, and the sound of the 1930s freight elevator door closing when no one else is in the building, he said.
Don't worry, the ghosts are friendly, said psychic Anne Miller of Canton. But they -- including Lester, who once ran a mortuary in the basement; Nate, a slow fellow who's partial to blondes; and Sunshine, a girl who occasionally tugs on people's pant legs -- are a little concerned about their future, she said.
``Overall they are just confused and wondering what's going to happen,'' said Miller, who has participated in regular ``Psychic Nights'' at the building and can point out where ghosts are and what they are doing.
The Robertses also have hosted regular ghost dinners and tours.
(Check out www.ghostsofcanalfulton.com, which is still in operation, for all the eerie details.)
The Warehouse on the Canal was built in 1906 to house Finefrock Furniture, which later became C.O. Finefrock Co. It has since been home to mortuary, grocery, hardware and carpentry businesses.
The building at 239 N. Canal St. features original tin ceilings, hardwood floors and a working safe. The second floor has been divided into several office spaces and a beauty salon. The third floor is unfinished.
The market value of the property is $390,400, according to the Stark County Auditor's Office.
Joel Dutton of Dutton Auction & Realty Co., which will conduct the auction, said there is no minimum bid. He has never sold a haunted building before and said he doesn't know whether that will attract more attention or deter people from bidding.
The hottest trend in the tourism industry now is weird travels, and that may bode well for the auction, Roberts said.
He said he hopes whoever buys the property will retain the ghost tours and come to enjoy the spirits as much as he and his wife have.
It's been a privilege to connect with them, he said.
Miller, by the way, predicted that a man and woman -- possibly married -- will purchase the property at the auction. As for what the winning bid will be, she said she doesn't know.
Source: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/14624522.htm
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
