Cooper ghosts are gonna get ya?
If you're a Girl Scout growing up in Glen Ellyn, Ill., my great-great-grandparents may be the ones scaring the heck out of you. The old Cooper home near Chicago is amazing. "Stained glass, turret and gingerbread," the realtor says. "Everything you'd expect a true Victorian to have." But do you also expect a few ghosts?
Hailing from that Glen Ellyn neighborhood, former USAT intern Gwen says she heard ghost stories about the house when she was in Scouts. "Something about a crib flying across a room on its own, maybe an exorcism? Of course there are a few old pretty Victorians on that street, but I was always under the impression that was the haunted one."
If the house is indeed haunted, the ghosts might be my relatives at work. Or not. Great-great-grandfather L.C. Cooper built "Birdwood" in 1892 for $4,750. A railroad and county attorney, L.C. was also active in local affairs. He died in 1923, but his son, my great-grandfather, kept the house until the early 1940s. My grandfather and his siblings spent several years growing up there. Last week, upon hearing the ghost reports, and learning the ravine next to the house was called Sleepy Hollow, my great-aunt — now approaching 100 and doing well, thank you — was amused and said she'd never seen any ghosts there.
So, the ghosts could've come from the 1940s buyers, the Hellers. They appeared with the house in a Better Homes and Gardens piece in 1948, and we all know that's up there with the Sports Illustrated cover curse.
But it's hard to say. Where are the Hellers now? What's their story? I don't see them investigating and blogging their concerns. I think the Coopers deserve some credit for confronting these claims head-on.
Birdwood is now for sale for $1.05 million. Rich people, if you want to buy the home but are afraid of ghosts, let's talk. I can visit and soothe any Cooper spirits with family photos and news for a 5% commission.
