Haunted House - Brumder Mansion

Address:

3046 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53208.
BrumderMansion.com * 414-342-9767 Spend a Haunted Night!

Location:

Brumder Mansionn B & B can be found  on West Wisconsin Street, a main street that runs from downtown Milwaukee, past Marquette University, and runs parallel to the 94 hwy.  Brumder Mansion is on the corner of North 31st and West Wisconsin, in a neighborhood of other old Victorians, some of which have been converted into apartments, while others remain as private homes or used for a commercial purpose, like a B & B.  While the front door faces West Wisconsin, thus giving it an address on this street, the mansion also sits on North 31st Street.

W. Wisconsin Street originally was known as Grand Avenue, a street which was lined by huge, glorious Victorian mansions. Around the turn of the century, it was commonly believed that it was healthier to live away from Lake Michigan, so areas about 20 minutes from downtown Milwaukee became the places to build luxury mansions. Though many mansions have been torn down and replaced with apartments and commercial buildings, some grand buildings and Victorians, such as the Pabst Mansion still grace this neighborhood.

DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY:

This grand, 4 story, almost 8,000 square feet, 1910 red-bricked Victorian / Gothic / English Arts and Crafts style mansion surely makes a glorious bed and breakfast. Tom and I stayed here for a night during our 2007 road trip to Wisconsin, and fell under its spell. We wound up buying it in December of 2007, after Tom learned from the owner, Carol, that she was going to sell it.  

The house has been restored to its former glory, and the decorum and furnishings make one feel that one has traveled back in time, visiting an early 20th century well-to-do family. The first floor has all the rooms deemed necessary for a 1910 upper class family, including a parlor, living room, foyer, dining room, ballroom, library, large kitchen etc. The crown jewel in the dining room is the stunning, handcrafted stained glass tile fireplace, designed by Neideken; an interior designer who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright.

The main massive Gothic oak staircase takes the visitor up to the second floor and landing, which has 3 bedrooms / suites. Another staircase found on the second floor leads up to what was the servants quarters on the third  floor which has 3 rooms and the innkeeper's apartment. There are a total of 6 guest bed rooms which are used for visitors to the Brumder Bed and Breakfast.

Many of the suites have beautifully wood-carved fireplaces, marble in the bathrooms, lovely woodwork and antiques. The Gold Suite, located on the second floor, is named for its gold and yellow decor. The suite features a Victorian parlor set of furniture, an antique Queen-sized bed, simple, yet elegant draperies and a tall oak ornamental fireplace with fluted columns.

We first stayed in one of the newer, lovely, third floor / attic room suites, Gyneth, which has a whirlpool bath tub, trimmed in marble, a private bathroom, a fireplace along with some lovely furnishings and detail from the past; wooden floors, lovely wood paneling and some handsome antique style furniture.

Instead of putting the customary 1910 Victorian ballroom on the third floor, Mr Brumder had the foresight to place the Victorian ballroom area in the large basement, which has helped to make this building an attractive property throughout the years. This basement area, which has it's own outside entrance, has been put to good use for a variety of events. It has been a 1920's-'30's party place, a billiards / recreation room, a cafe with live music, and a licensed, 75 seat theater for dramatic and comedic productions, started by former owner, Carol Hirschi.

Currently, the basement is now rented out for special events and other small group activities.  Small weddings and receptions are held in this mansion as well. In the future, theatrical film projects and musical endeavors destined to be featured on The Web Network internet sites; (such as Murdermysteries.com) will be produced and filmed here.

Business leader, George Brumder, who made his fortune publishing German language newspapers, reading material and sheet music, built this lovely, stately mansion for his son, George Jr. in 1910, his wife Henrietta and their 11 children. The Brumder family enjoyed this lovely mansion for at least 10 years, before it was put on the real estate market, sometime in the 1920's, after Henrietta died.

The Brumder family sold their mansion to a shady fellow, Sam Picks and his family/ associates. Sam Picks was said to be part of one of the Chicago gangster organizations. Sam needed a place away from "his work", to either raise his family, and/or wanted to have a northern headquarters to distribute black market liquor. The ballroom basement was the perfect place to party with the hard stuff in safety. Sam made some extra funds by having a speakeasy there. Nothing is known about his family, if any died from disease, accidents, etc.

No one knows what happened to Sam Picks, who probably is sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of Lake Michigan. I doubt the Milwaukee mobsters took too kindly to his marketing plans, or his speakeasy business.

The next owners were an English couple. The upkeep on Victorian homes is high, so it is not surprising that the Brumder Mansion was eventually put to work to earn its keep. Luckily, The Brumder Mansion wasn't divided into apartments by the English couple, but instead was turned into a upscale, boarding house, probably in the late '30's, for a nearby company's employees.

Big changes were in store for Brumder Mansion during the 1960's. It was bought by the neighboring Lutheran Church, only two doors down, to be used as a parsonage and church activities.  A psychedelic youth chapel was created on the 2nd floor, in what is now George's Suite. Other rooms were turned into offices, and the ballroom was put to good use in the downstairs ballroom.

The ballroom basement was transformed into a coffee house, complete with live music for entertainment, called The Catacombs, part of the church's outreach program.

By 1997, the upkeep, let alone the repair work, needed for this 1910 mansion became more and more of a challenge for the Lutheran Church. The straw which broke the camel's back was the complete break-down of the central heating system in the Brumder, causing this now long in the tooth, fixer-upper opportunity to be put back into the real estate market once again.

In 1997, Brumder Mansion was bought and rescued by Carol Hirschi, representing a different breed of homeowner, who is willing to move sometimes into a marginal / slightly funky neighborhood, buying a type of home which takes a huge commitment of time, money, passion and perseverance, with the goal to rehabilitate the Victorian in question to its former glory; transforming an institutionalized building into a welcoming Victorian home. Other people have also moved into this neighborhood, as well as other Milwaukee neighborhoods, fixing up the old Victorians. The neighborhood surrounding Brumder Mansion is improving nicely, becoming quite friendly as of 2008!

After replacing the central heating system, and putting in new radiators and new plumbing, Carol began the pain-staking task of transforming and restoring the Brumder Mansion back into its pristine state of being; stripping off the signs of an instutionalized building, and restoring the woodwork and floors, etc.; something she loves to do. To finance this courageous endeavor, Brumder Mansion became a Bed and Breakfast, opening in 1998. She had a lot of fun refurnishing the rooms with beautiful antiques, breathing new life into a place where the visitor is transformed into another era.

Tom and I have always loved old Victorians and are thrilled to be the new owners of this fabulous Victorian mansion, since January of 2008. We have already made contributions to the decor, floor rugs, lighting and upkeep, and yard, determined to make the Brumder Mansion even better! The Brumder Mansion to me has a welcoming, friendly aura and atmosphere about it, which one feels immediately upon entering the foyer. As paranormal activity happens, I will keep you all up to date! Recently, the joint has begun to jump!

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:

Restoration of a building to its original state, in combination with the influx of antique furniture and items, which once belonged to other folks, often greatly increases paranormal activity.  The first known paranormal experiences were reported by Carol, which are listed in detail below in the next section.  Because there are no reports of spirit activity in the Brumder before Carol Hirschi bought the mansion, one can theorize that the spirits here are probably attached to some of the antiques and items found in the mansion.  Sometimes, people are so attached to their belongings, that they don't wish to leave them to go to the other side.

(Lilly Library at Indiana University * That Steak Joint * Nevada Governor's Mansion)

Entities of three  known intelligent spirits seem to enjoy the restored Brumder Mansion, so pleased that their favorite piece of furniture or former personal belonging is in such a place.

At least 2 have been recorded recently on EVP's, courtesy of  The Northern Alliance Of Paranormal Investigators.  Their welcoming hospitality can be felt when entering the mansion, and they have been known to be rather playful with the living, especially with people they like.  As they know staff members well, they have been known to playfully tease with the staff and current owners, Tom and myself!.

http://www.naparanormal.org/brumder.htm - EVP'S recorded

The Gold Suite

MANIFESTATIONS:

Spirit People in residence:

Older female Entity - A psychic has identified this female entity as an older woman, with the nick name of Aunt Pussy, though this entity recently has admitted to a sensitive that her real name is Susan. She likes to hang out in The Gold Room, though she visits other parts of the mansion, it is thought.

Entity of what is thought to be a younger female or male - She / he is thought to like the third floor, especially Marion's Room, but visits the 2nd floor as well; Emma's Room on occasion.

Male Entity - Favorite rooms are the parlor and George's Suite, perhaps keeping an eye on the living.

Carol Hirschi Years......

2007 -When Tom and I visited the Brumder Mansion for the first time, Carol Hirschi took us and the other guests down into the basement theater and told us the following stories about her known resident entity at the time, Aunt Pussy / Susan.

Carol spent her first night in the Brumder Mansion in the Gold Suite, with her dogs in bed with her.  Uh oh! She not only felt a strong presence, but she heard a voice in her head, telling her to GET THE DOGS OUT OF THE BED!

This entity didn't like the mirror that Carol had picked for the bathroom. The bathroom mirror which was hung over the sink in the Gold Suite's bathroom, lifted itself off its nail, floated over to the bathtub and was thrown into the bathtub, breaking.

The door bell would not work for no apparent reason when guests would come to stay at Brumder Bed and Breakfast. Otherwise, it worked just fine for anyone else.

Silverware which had been laid out on the dining room table the night before, were found all turned around on the table the next morning.

Guests and patrons of the little theater in the basement began seeing the entity of a woman, dressed in attire which was popular in the early 20th century, walking around the area there.

A friend of Carol's saw a woman in a formal black dress float down the main staircase.

Guests staying in The Gold Suite sometimes have intense dreams.

If they had a dog in the room, they had a dream, featuring a woman sternly lecturing them to get their dog out of the room, threatening to hurt the dog. Waking up, they were filled with a strong desire to remove their pets.

A psychic who was in town for a convention stayed in the Gold Room and was contacted by this felmale entity, identifying herself as Aunt Pussy, who later admitted that her real name was Susan.

This psychic passed on Susan/Aunt Pussy's message to Carol. Aunt Pussy told the psychic, that at first she didn't like all the changes.  The new decor was too fancy, and there were too many people coming  in because of the bed and breakfast business and because of the theater in the basement. However, she had begun to enjoy the theatric performances, organized by Carol in the basement theatre. She would learn to exist with the fancy decorum, all the guests, but had requested that Carol keep her dogs and dogs in general out of the Gold Room and keep the room's shades up, because she liked the light coming into her room.

Recent Paranormal Activity... in 2008-2009

Entity of Susan /Aunt Pussy

* Susan/Aunt Pussy was mostly quiet in the first part of 2008, perhaps studying the new folks involved with the Brumder Mansion. It seems that this entity is still willing to be a good sport and go with the flow, as long as dogs are kept out of The Gold Suite, and light comes in through the windows. As we don't have any pets or dogs in the Brumder Mansion, she has been relatively happy, but still had some issues with the decor.

* 2008- When the curtains were taken down for a few days before the new curtains were hung, in The Gold Suite, it is thought that she was the entity who locked the deadbolt of the door from the inside, leading from the mud room into the entry way, locking out some guests, who had to call the Innkeeper to let them inside.

* After a German marriage certificate in a large frame with a sturdy wire on the back was hung on the wall by Emma's room, it mysteriously lifted itself off the wall and crashed face down onto the floor, cracking the glass a little when no one living was around. There was nothing wrong with the wire, or the nails it was hung upon.

* The staff member, in charge of breakfast, overslept one day, and just barely got ready in time to serve the gueststheir breakfast. The next morning, she dreamt of a large, old-fashioned alarm clock, ringing in her head, waking her up on time.  On another day, she heard her name being called, waking her up again.

The Male Entity/ George's Room & Parlor.

Around 4 pm in the afternoon, when the mansion is empty, one can sometimes hear a man's footsteps coming down the main staircase, from the little office off the kitchen.

George's Room

* 2008- A staff member felt a cool breeze brush past her face and hair, and then billowed the curtain, as it breezed through the room. There was no logical explanation.

* A regular guest during the winter months heard an unseen presence moving her medicine bottles around in her carry-on bag in the bathroom.

* 2009-We stayed in the George Room for a few weeks during the winter. I hung my belt up in the middle of closet. The next day, I looked and the belt was gone!!!  A few days later, it reappeared in the closet, hanging right in the middle.

* 2009- A member of our cleaning staff was vacuuming the George's Suite, when the plug was pulled out of the wall. After our staff member put the plug back in, he /she watched in amazement, as the plug was pulled out again by an unseen force. Afer saying, "In the name of Jesus, stop!" The plug stayed in, after it was again put back in the socket, so the vacuuming could begin again.

Parlor:

After their first walk-through visit, members of the Northern Alliance Of Paranormal Investigators sat with us in the parlor, tape recording what I was saying about the experiences that we have had at the Brumder.

On their initial report, Cheri of Northern Alliance of Paranormal Investigators, explained, "Julie told us a tale of a missing belt, one she knew she had hung in a closet.  She told us how she searched everywhere, questioning her own sanity and memory, only to have the belt mysteriously reappear later- in the exact closet she knew she had placed it in to begin with.  As we reviewed the recording, we were startled to hear another voice on the audio.  As Julie completed her story, a very matter-of-fact voice said 'it was us'. During that same session, we also caught a strange whistle.  While it may have a reasonable explanation, none of the investigators present remember hearing a whistle, and there was no indication that anyone heard it during the interview."

Marion's Room:

Recent activity reported by guests. Some think an entity of a young person haunts this room.

* One of our visiting friends who slept in Marion's Room, was awakened by a presence who playfully bounced the bed a little to wake her.

* Another visitng friend was in bed, watching TV, when the towel which was hanging securely on the hook, lifted itself off and fell to the floor. The gas fire place was also on very low, but suddenly roared up and then down, as if some  rascal was playing with the gas control.

* One of our staff members was cleaning the floors, when the plastic framed emergency instructions slammed itself down on the whirlpool.

* Northern Alliance  Of Paranormal investigators got another EVP in this room: "Don't leave, help me!"

The Blue Room:

* Guests report that a small light sitting on the fireplace mantel turned itself on during the wee small hours of the morning.

 * An investigator from The Northern Alliance Of Paranormal Investigators felt a friendly touch from a cold hand, while sitting down in this room.