Save the Haunted Walker House

Posted on June 22nd, 2010 by dvdgodwin in News

Article from Fate Magazine

by PATRICK BURNS

In the southwest corner of Wisconsin, amidst the rolling hills of the “driftless” country side that the glaciers forgot sits the quaint town of Mineral Point. This charming community, just fifty miles southwest of Madison is cited by many historians as “Where Wisconsin began.” Once you know a bit of its history, you’ll agree that Mineral Point might very well lay rightful claim to that title.

In the 1830s, Mineral Point received its name as it played host to the first ever “mineral rush” in the United States when various surface deposits were discovered in the area. Immigrants flocked to the region in hopes of getting their piece of the American dream. At one point, the population of this bustling boom town was greater than that of Chicago and Milwaukee combined.

A teamster by the name of William Walker moved his family to the area in 1847 and built a two story home on Waterstreet. His home also served as the local teamsters’ hall. In 1857, he learned the railroad would soon be coming through town and the depot would be located just a few short steps away from his home. Walker recognized and seized on this business opportunity to provide lodging for travelers, and immediately began construction to expand his home into Mineral Point’s premier hotel, The Walker House.

Indeed Walker’s vision paid off, and his hotel proved to be quite lucrative for his family. As the decades passed, the Walker House ownership changed hands several times over the years. Eventually Mineral Point’s mining operations folded as the mineral deposits were depleted, and the population began to diminish along with the ore. The train tracks which had once represented a source of income for many local proprietors became exempt and were eventually removed.

The Walker House suffered from this downturn in the local economy, as well. It functioned as the home for a number of different businesses as the town’s economy declined, but often sat vacant and neglected for years at a stretch. It sat empty for the majority of the 1990s and into the 21st century, until it finally caught the eye of Joe Dickinson and his wife in 2005. The two of them instantly fell in love with the old building and dedicated themselves to painstakingly restoring it.

Dickinson initially outlined an ambitious sixty day timeline to open the doors of the hotel and tavern. Unfortunately as is the case with many old buildings, the devil is in the details. Soon after taking possession of the property, Joe discovered many neglected elements of the old structure that were severely in need of major repair or replacement to bring them up to code, including replacing the roof and entire sections of the floor. What started as a two month timeline to open the doors turned into a three year massive rehabilitation endeavor.

Joe estimates he put over $750,000 into the building. When his initial investment and venture capital ran out, he turned to his personal retirement savings to find the money he required to finish the job – eventually exhausting those funds as well.

Then another setback – just as the Walker House was finally ready to reopen its doors, the current economic recession hit. Anyone who works in the hospitality or service industries will tell you that when a recession happens, vacations are among the very first “unnecessary expenses” that most people cut from their budget. Mineral Point’s economy is driven primarily by tourism during the summer months, so the Walker House suffered along with other businesses in the area.

Over the next several years, the Walker House was dealt a series of more setbacks. A faulty valve in the plumbing system caused a water leak that went unnoticed for the entire winter of 2008 – 2009. By the time it was discovered, it was too late – Joe received a water bill in early 2009 for over $10,000. Not having the cash on hand to pay the city’s utilities, the tavern’s liquor license was suspended. Obviously a tavern without alcohol is going to be about as popular as a restaurant without food. But Joe and his staff persevered; trying desperately to sustain the business in the face of one misfortune after another.

In the spring of 2010, the Dickinson’s found themselves at the end of their financial rope. Their lending bank begun foreclosure proceedings and the courts have given the Dickinsons until August to find a financial backer or find a new home.

All things considered, it would seem that the Dickinson’s efforts have been futile from day one. They are obviously devastated by the prospect of losing the property, but Joe says he finds somewhat of a silver lining knowing his efforts saved the building.

I’m calling on the paranormal community to help out the Dickinsons. It breaks my heart to know that these people have put every dime of their life savings into preserving this historic and allegedly haunted building, only to have the bank ready to kick them out on the street. Of course the bank will turn around and sell the property to someone else – after all the expenses of restoring it have already been absorbed by the Dickinsons. This seems horribly unfair to me.

I am organizing a fund raiser for the Walker House to take place the weekend of Friday, July 9th through Sunday, the 11th. One hundred percent of all monies generated by ticket sales will go directly to the Walker House. We’re donating our time to bring attention to this historic landmark of Wisconsin and to help insure that the Dickinsons – who are single handedly responsible for restoring and saving the property, remain its rightful owners.

We’re planning lectures during the day and plenty of investigation and ghost hunting at night. Details on the fund raising event can be found at ghostock.com

If you are interested in helping out in any capacity with the event, either as a presenter or helping out behind the scenes, please feel free to email me – by clicking here

Be a part of helping us save an essential icon of Wisconsin’s haunted history.

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Patrick Burns is the paranormal investigator for TruTV’s “Haunting Evidence.” He was introduced to the Walker House by a friend this past year and made aware of the financial plight of its owners. The numerous ghost stories from the Walker House would fill several articles alone. However, this article is a call for the paranormal community to come to the aid of a historic (and haunted) building.