Annie Wiggins – Ghost or Fantasy?
Website design By BotEap.comGalena is tucked away in far northwestern Illinois, almost a short distance from Wisconsin to the north and Iowa to the west. It is a city steeped in rich history, but it has a small population of just under 3,500. Among its many attractions is the ghost of Annie Wiggins.
Website design By BotEap.comEveryone loves a ghost, even those who don’t believe in them. Most of us classify them similarly to zombies, vampires, and other terrifying entities; so much fun to watch in a movie, but hey, let’s be serious. Could the ghost of Annie Wiggins be different? Could there really be a lost soul haunting Galena, still living in the mid-19th century?
Website design By BotEap.comThe answer is rather disappointing, no. The conclusion is not based on any lack of scientific evidence for ghosts, but on the fact that Annie Wiggins’ origins are known and freely admitted by her creator, Wendy Heiken.
Website design By BotEap.comHowever, that is not to say that the ghost can be ruled out. On the contrary, this ghost can open up a whole world of exciting history through a fascinating walking tour of the Enchanted Galena that has allowed thousands of people to discover what life was like in this small town, back in the 1840s.
Website design By BotEap.comWendy, also known as Annie Higgins, tells the stories of Galena through the eyes of real people who lived in the city in the 19th century. This is what brings the story to life, lifting it from 150 years ago to place it squarely in a current reality. All the stories told are quite true. Only the ghost of Annie Wiggins has been created, and yet…
Website design By BotEap.comThe Sac and Fox Indians lived in this area before the French established several trading posts in the 17th century. Galena was organized as a town in 1826 and was incorporated as a city in 1841. The area is rich in lead deposits and, in fact, the name of the city comes from the technical term for lead sulfide: galena.
Website design By BotEap.comProbably the best known of Galena’s former citizens is Ulysses S. Grant. He came to town in 1860 to work in his father’s store that sold leather goods. In a short time he became one of the best known generals on the Union side in the Civil War. Does her ghost of him haunt the streets of Galena now? Who knows.
Website design By BotEap.comAnother famous name is associated with this city: Abraham Lincoln. He once delivered a moving speech from the balcony of the DeSoto House Hotel, a building that still stands today. But perhaps the most famous of all Galena residents, past or present, is Annie Wiggins, a charming ghost who never actually existed as a living person.