Client Stories and Claims
The store dates back to 1900-1910 according to the owners, and was previously S.S. Kresge's Five and Dime Store., but history on the building itself is vague, as are many records in Newport of buildings on Monmouth Street, aside from word of mouth and stories confirmed in newspapers and former and current residents. Kresge's was a national five and dime store chain, and Kresge was also the founder of K-Mart, and an avid prohibitionist. John Haller apparently started out working here, and he is the most recent owner of the "Green Derby Restaurant" on York St. , before it closed recently. Haller's grandparents opened the Green Derby in 1947. Haller was president of the "apparel division" of Kresge's.
While most of Monmouth, a main thoroughfare in Newport which now only runs one-way going north towards Cincinnati (complete with skyline view), at one time contained retail shops and various typical services Victorian era and post-Victorian era towns and cities contained. Starting in the 1920's, the street quickly become overrun with "dinner clubs" doubling as gambling and "break out" joints, adult theaters, and surrounded by burlesque houses and various seedy forms of crime and vice. People were murdered in cold blood on the street here over time, by Tommy Guns of Syndicate gangters. Coincidentally the Tommy Gun was invented by a man who was born in Newport's Southgate Mansion (now a hipster music venue). Police were truly on the take, got caught up in fights and mob activity, scandal, and uknown thousands came in from out of town, to take part in what was literally Las Vegas before Las Vegas ever existed. Frank Sinatra and Mariyn Monroe, and many others, performed at the nearby Beverly Hills Supper Club, and stayed at a Bed And Breakfast style motel in Newport when they visited.
For a detailed and enjoyable history on Newport Kentucky's "Sin City" days click here.
The two owners here are friends of our team psychic Jill, and asked her to bring us in to investigate their retail store, which had opened recently, and housed various antiques from around the metro area. The owners have experienced various things in the retail portion of the store, predominately, as well as the basement. Voices are heard, at one time calling out one of the owner's names, "thumb tacks" are thrown at them out of nowhere, footsteps, noises, and objects such as small pieces of furniture are left in the middle of the aisle in the backroom for no reason.
Investigation Summary and Results
This was a very successful case that completely validated the clients' stories with matching evidence, physical manipulation, and EVP's. See the evidence below for what we caught.
One of the more interesting personal experiences involved Brad and Barb, who both experienced what were boxes in the basement being dragged across the floor, they were very loud and noticeable sounds. Brad first heard it in the basement while alone, not 10 feet in front of him while the lights were still on, while setting up. He called out to make sure no one was there. "It was a very loud and attention-catching sound, as if someone dropped a big, heavy box and slid it 2-3 feet across the floor. I swore someone was down there doing that on the other side of a clothes rack where I couldn't see them, only to be incredibly surprised no one was down there with me at all the entire time." He went upstairs and started telling people about it, before the investigation began. About an hour or so later, Barb and Brad were in the basement alone, Brad was a good distance away from Barb, when she was startled a bit by the same "sliding box" sound near her, in the dark. Apparently one of our video cameras caught this on audio, and it will be added here if we can do so. In any case these were just matching stories (Barb didn't know/hear about Brad's experience with it earlier) that help validate claims of activity. Was this residual activity from long ago when no doubt goods and crates or boxes were stored down there, and were often slid into place?