THE SALLIE HOUSE
DATE(S) VISITED: OCT 31, 2022
LOCATION: ATCHISON, KS
The Sallie House is reported to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl who died there. According to the legend, a child named Sallie was brought to Dr. Finney's house by her mother for severe abdominal pain. He thought that she had appendicitis and began emergency surgery, as he believed that Sallie's appendix was about to rupture. However, he cut into her before the anesthetic took effect, killing her as a result.
Multiple former tenants have alleged paranormal activity there. It has been especially reported by male residents and visitors, some of whom have claimed to have been scratched until they bled, which has led to Sallie being dubbed The Man Hating Ghost.
In the 1990s, the house was featured on the paranormal investigations television show Sightings. On January 17, 2015, it appeared on an episode of the Travel Channel series Ghost Adventures.
Events that have been witnessed by visitors to the Sallie House include:
Video and investigative equipment that stop working
Batteries that are full immediately and completely draining
Experience moving objects
Unexplained scratches or bruising on their bodies during/after visits
Physical touches
Mysterious coldness
Trained guide dogs refusing to enter the nursery
HISTORY:
The Sallie House was built in the mid-1800s, commissioned by the Finney family and home to Dr. Charles Finney. He practiced medicine from the house, using the bottom floor for surgery and examination, and a bedroom as an office. The Finney family lived upstairs until moving out due to a lack of space.
Though the home is referred to in modern times as the Sallie House, there is no factual proof that a young girl named Sally actually lived in the house or died there.
The house was listed on the real estate website Zillow for $1 million in February 2016, dropped to $499,000 in August, and taken off market in November 2017.
CONDITION(S) OF LOCATION:
The house is structurally sound and in a good condition. Most of the rooms are carpeted apart from the kitchen and basement. Many draughts could be felt within the building, this is due to the many windows which are not very well insulated, including the doors. Also draughts could be felt through the vents. Due to the house not being occupied, and the probable lack of cleaning on a daily basis, dust particles were picked up on camera.
The building is in a quiet neighborhood with very little noise pollution from the outside, although passing cars can be heard on occasion. Due to the notoriety of this house within the community, and especially it being Halloween when we did our investigation, there were a lot of trick or treaters roaming the streets up until around 9 P.M. Also a ghost tour stopped outside causing noise and so we had to confront the guide due to interfering with our investigation.
WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR ATCHINSON, KA:
Sun Rise | Transit | Sunset | Sun Rise (Next Day) |
7:46 A.M. | 1:04 P.M. | 6:21 P.M. | 7:47 A.M. |
Moon Phase | Moon Rise | Crosses Meridian | Illumination | Moon Set |
Waxing Crescent (32.4%) | 2:33 P.M. (SE) | 7:15 P.M. (25°) | 41% | Next Day |
Minimum Temperature | 41.0 °F |
Mean Temperature | 52.8 °F |
Maximum Temperature | 66.9 °F |
Mean Sea Level Pressure | 29.92 IN |
Mean Dew Point | 38.9 °F |
Total Precipitation (Rain and/or melted snow reported during the day) | 0.00 IN |
Visibility | 9.8 MI |
Snow Depth (Last report for the day if reported more than once) | No data. |
Mean Wind Speed | 3.34 MPH |
Maximum Sustained Wind Speed | 9.21 MPH |
Maximum Wind Gust | No data. |
INVESTIGATORS & PEOPLE PRESENT AT INVESTIGATION:
Elizabeth (Team H)
Matt (Team H)
EQUIPMENT USED BY INVESTIGATORS:
Audio Recorders:
Tascam DR-08
Cameras:
Go-Pro Hero 7
Cell Phones
Digital Video Camera
FLIR TG167 (Thermal Camera)
Minolta MN35Z
SLS Camera
Trail Camera
EMF Meters:
Gauss Meter
Rem Pod x2
Other:
Dowsing Rods
Flashing Cat Toys x4
Laser Grid Pens x2
Motion Detectors x3
Ovilus (Ghost Hunting Tools)
Pendulum
Phasma Box
REPORT & FINDINGS:
On arrival we made the dining room table our set-up and base of operations area. This room was also part of the lounge and was next to the kitchen door, so we also had a pretty good scope of the whole downstairs from this location.
Before starting any investigation with electrical equipment, we did a walk through of the house with the gauss meter to detect any hotspots that may interfere with devices. The walkthrough would also allow us to get a layout of the building and rooms.
We experienced some issues with some of our electrical devices early on into our investigation. The Surface, which is used with our SLS Camera and also the Phasma Box, crashed and a reboot had to be done to get it to work again. This is the first time that we have ever had this happen.
We had heard that on other paranormal group investigations that the magic 8 ball had been pushed down the stairs when placed near the top step. We decided to try the same experiment, but also placed a REM pod near to the 8 ball. We also tried a different ball at one point also. At no point throughout our investigation did any of the balls fall down the stairs or REM pod activate.
Matt started a dowsing session in the sitting room/lounge, beginning with dowsing rods. The rods were not getting accurate readings so Matt changed to using a pendulum, a device he is more comfortable with. On asking questions about the doctor and his operations, responses started coming through, not only through the pendulum itself, but the cat ball which was placed on the display operating table in the kitchen started flashing.
Elizabeth, on using the downstairs bathroom went to flush the toilet and when she looked down there was blood in the toilet. When the toilet flushed, more appeared as it swirled down. Obviously, she wondered if it was due to mensuration, but knowing she was not due, and double checking to be sure, she knew that she wasn't. The word Blood did come up on her ovilus prior to this happening.
Before we decided to get a few hours sleep, we did a session in the basement, which was rather anticlimactic. In all the basements at the locations we have visited over the years, this one was very relaxed. We did not feel scared, threatened, or any bad vibes whatsoever. A spirit box session was done, including a REM pod and a cat ball placed in the location with us also. The spirit box gave little and no REM pod or cat ball activation was experienced.
Throughout the night our Ovilus Apps were active. We were only a short distance away from the Amelia Earhart birthplace museum and Amelia happened to come up on Matts Ovilus.
Matt's Ovilus Word List: Sallie House - Oct 31, 2022
END THOUGHTS:
Our conclusion is that there is definitely paranormal activity at 508 N 2nd St. We are skeptical regards the Sallie myth and suspect that this could be a negative energy posing as a child to gain the trust of investigators perhaps? Due to getting responses when asking questions regards the doctor, there may be some residual energy regards himself or his former patients.
SPECIAL THANKS:
Dianne Kruger at the Atchinson Historical Society for all the information she gave us on the Sallie House and the town of Atchinson.