Discover the dark history of Wisconsin’s most haunted abandoned mansion—the Alexian Brothers Novitiate in Gresham, Wisconsin. This true paranormal story features everything: a mother’s tragic grief, a peaceful monastery turned battleground, an armed standoff that made national headlines, and all the potential for some serious hauntings.

In this episode of Creepy Shit Podcast, I investigate a fan-requested haunted location right in our own backyard. Built in 1939 for a disabled daughter who died before ever seeing it, this 35-room limestone mansion became a Catholic novitiate before being seized by the Menominee Warrior Society in a violent 34-day armed occupation in 1975. The standoff featured gunfire, the National Guard, and even Marlon Brando. After suspected arson destroyed the interior, the mansion sat abandoned for decades—but paranormal investigators believe the spirits never left.

Listen Now & experience the heavy, watchful energy that still permeates this tragic location. With restoration currently underway and plans to convert it into an Airbnb, this haunted mansion may soon be open to ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts. Could you handle spending a night where monks prayed, warriors fought, and a young girl’s spirit may still be waiting?

This documentary-style investigation covers:

- The heartbreaking death of Jane Peters and her mother’s grief

- Life inside the Catholic monastery (1950-1972)

- The Menominee Warrior Society’s “Deed or Death” occupation

- Gunfire, National Guard intervention, and negotiation with Marlon Brando

- The mysterious fire that gutted the mansion in 1975

- Current paranormal activity and restoration efforts

- Why this location has every element needed for a genuine haunting

**Perfect for fans of true ghost stories, haunted history, abandoned places, Wisconsin paranormal activity, Native American history, and well-researched supernatural investigations. If you love shows like Morbid, And That’s Why We Drink, Spooked, or Lore, you’ll love this deep dive into one of the Midwest’s most haunted and forgotten locations.

REFERENCES & RESOURCES

Primary Historical Sources:

- Alexian Brothers’ Novitiate - Wikipedia

- Gresham Novitiate Official Website (greshamnovitiate.com)

- “The Abbey and Me” - J. Patrick Rick (2011) - Documentary & Book

- WTMJ News: “Deed or Death: The 1975 Alexian Brothers Novitiate Standoff” (February 2025)

Historical Documentation:

- Milwaukee Journal Archives (1941, 1975)

- Shawano County Historical Records

- Recollection Wisconsin: Novitiate Takeover Collection

- College of Menominee Nation Archives

Paranormal Investigation:

- “Mission Terror” - GRAGG Team Episode (2015)

Photography & Visual Documentation:

- Al Bergstein Historical Photos (1975 standoff)

- American Urbex: Alexian Brothers Novitiate Photo Documentation

- Star’s Visit Photos: @CreepyShitPodcast (Instagram/TikTok)

Location Information:

- Status: Currently under restoration (CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC)

- Future Plans: Potential Airbnb/wedding venue/retreat center

Related Topics:

- Menominee Tribe Termination Era

- Second Vatican Council reforms

- American Indian Movement (AIM)

- 1970s Native American activism

- Wisconsin haunted locations

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Deep in Lithuania lies a hill covered with over 100,000 crosses - a place so psychologically intense it defies explanation. The Hill of Crosses has mysterious 14th-century origins, survived three Soviet bulldozings, and continues to affect visitors in ways that challenge rational thought. This isn’t your typical ghost story - it’s something far more unsettling.

Join us as we explore the true history of Kryžių kalnas, from its unknown medieval beginnings to its role as a symbol of resistance against Soviet oppression. Discover why people risked everything to secretly place crosses on this hill, why it resurrected itself after being destroyed, and what happens when 700 years of human desperation gets concentrated in one location.

No fabricated hauntings needed - the documented reality is disturbing enough. This is the story of a place where faith, trauma, and defiance created something that operates by different rules than normal geography.

**RESEARCH & REFERENCE

- Hill of Crosses located near Šiauliai, Lithuania

- Origins traced to 14th century, exact beginning unknown

- Conservative estimate: 100,000+ crosses

- Bulldozed by Soviets 3 times (1961, 1963, 1973)

- Each time crosses returned within months

- Pope John Paul II visit: September 7, 1993

- UNESCO recognition as cultural heritage site

- Still active pilgrimage destination with daily additions

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What if England’s most terrifying plague was never really a disease at all?

Between 1485 and 1551, something stalked through Tudor England that made the Black Death look like child’s play. The Sweating Sickness could kill you in two hours flat – and you’d be conscious for every agonizing minute of it. It didn’t care if you were rich or poor, young or old. But here’s the fucked up part: it seemed to *choose* its victims.

This wasn’t your typical medieval plague. It targeted intellectuals and nobles while sparing peasants. It appeared out of nowhere, terrorized the kingdom, then vanished completely – only to return decades later like some kind of supernatural boomerang from hell. And when it finally disappeared for good? It left behind a trail of paranormal activity that still haunts England today.

From the black hounds with glowing red eyes that prowled London’s streets during outbreaks, to the fever ghosts still seen wandering Greenwich Palace, to the cursed manuscript that killed every scholar who tried to read it – this is a medical mystery that defies every rule of science and ventures deep into occult territory.

Was the Sweating Sickness a natural disease that science still can’t explain? Or was it something far more sinister – a supernatural weapon wielded by the Tudor dynasty to eliminate their enemies? And if the legends are true, the knowledge of how to summon it might still exist today, hidden away and waiting for the right moment to unleash hell once again.

Join us as we dive into one of history’s most disturbing unsolved mysteries, where medicine meets the paranormal and the line between disease and curse becomes terrifyingly blurred.

**Warning: This episode contains discussions of death, disease, and potentially disturbing paranormal content. Listener discretion advised.**

One more thing: if you want this show ad-free and early, I’ve got a Patreon - $2.99 a month.

You get episodes on Friday instead of Monday, zero ads so there’s no interruptions during the creepy parts, and I drop bonus episodes quarterly that are only for supporters.

Go to: Patreon.com/creepyshitpodcast to sign up today.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Primary Historical Sources

- John Caius - *A Boke or Counseill Against the Disease Commonly Called the Sweate* (1552) - The definitive contemporary medical account

- Raphael Holinshed - *Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland* (1577) - Contains outbreak records and eyewitness accounts

- Tudor State Papers- Official government records of outbreak responses and death tolls

Academic Sources

- Bridson, E. - “The English ‘Sweate’ (Sudor Anglicus) and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome” - *Journal of the History of Medicine* (2001)

- Taviner, Mark - “The Sweating Sickness and John Caius” - *Medical History* (1997)

- Dyer, Alan - “The English Sweating Sickness of 1551: An Epidemic Anatomized” - *Medical History* (1997)

Paranormal & Folklore Sources

- Westwood, Jennifer & Simpson, Jacqueline - The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England’s Legends (2005)

- Underwood, Peter - Ghosts of Greenwich (1973) - Documents supernatural activity at Greenwich Palace

- Clarke, David - Supernatural England (2018) - Includes accounts of plague-related hauntings

Modern Investigations

- British Museum Archives - Restricted Tudor occult documents collection (Access by appointment only)

- Cambridge University Archives - Medieval manuscript collections and student records

- National Archives (Kew) - Tudor court records and physician correspondence

Online Resources

- The Sweating Sickness Research Project - sweatingsickness.org (Academic database of outbreak records)

- English Heritage - Greenwich Palace historical records and paranormal reports

- British Library Medieval Manuscripts - Digitized plague treatises and medical texts

*Note: Some resources mentioned in the episode (particularly modern paranormal investigations) are based on reported incidents rather than publicly verified academic sources. Always approach paranormal claims with healthy skepticism while appreciating their cultural and historical significance.

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