"The Enduring Mysteries Of The McPike Mansion" A great hulking wreck of a red brick mansion, its windows long shattered and its woodwork rotted away, it looms in the grey autumn light, as if glowering at me out of sightless eyes. I was fascinated. A Google search turned up the usual thousands of links, topped by a website for the mansion itself, which obviously has quite a reputation! Briefly, the house was built in the town of Alton in 1869 for Henry Guest McPike, an important personage in local history, and whose ancestry can be traced back to the American Revolution, before that to Scotland. Two of his ancestors were at Valley Forge with Washington. After his death, records become murky, but the house stayed in the family for several decades, then passed to a second owner who kept it until his death around 1930. Sometime around mid-century, the place was abandoned, and gradually became the town's "haunted house," a place where teenagers would come to hang out and party. Thus the house gradually fell victim to neglect, vandalism, and the effects of time and weather. There have been countless accounts of strange encounters in the house, many from reliable witnesses and ghost researchers who have arrived as skeptics, and left, shall we say, convinced? (Read about some of them at the McPike website and make your own judgment.) Prominent among believers are Sharyn and George Luedke, who purchased the McPike Mansion at auction in 1994, and who have been slowly restoring it ever since, with the intention of making it a Bed and Breakfast inn. I sent the Luedkes a letter expressing my interest in creating a painting of the house, and soon received an enthusiastic reply from the Luedke family. Sharyn Luedke provided a wealth of historical information, pictures, and more than a few hair-raising stories about her experiences at the Mansion. My portrayal of the Mansion has been in the works for nearly a year. Research accounted for much of that time, as I wanted to pay particular attention to authenticity, and I had a wealth of old photos, sketches, and news clippings from differing periods to work with. In my painting, I have completed the "restoration" of the McPike Mansion, portraying it as it might have looked to its original owner. It's an autumn evening, and you will find secreted in and around the mansion, a host of spirit manifestations, many based upon personal experiences related to me by Sharyn Luedke herself. The Enduring Mysteries Of The McPike Mansion has been meticulously scanned from my original watercolor and digitally printed with fade-resistant inks on specially treated heavyweight watercolor paper. The medium print size is 7.5" x 9.5" within a charcoal-over-white double mat, plus rigid foam-core backing, ready for framing in any readily available 11" x 14" frame. Shipped Priority Mail. The large print size is 12" x 18" on 13" x 19" paper. After I carefully inspect and sign your print, I'll slip it into its protective clear plastic envelope and carefully roll it for mailing to you, together with a page of helpful framing hints. Shipped Priority Mail. Medium Print $59.00 Large Print $59.00 Canadian/Int'l Shipping: Click the "Add to Cart" shipping button below one time for your entire order.   Canadian/Int'l Shipping: $5.95 United States Shipping: FREE within the USA Shipping Information: Canadian/International Orders must add the above shipping charge to your order before checkout, unless purchasing only, any free shipping specials we may offer. Shipping is FREE within the United States. Shipping is by USPS Priority Mail and orders usually ship within 24 hours. IMPORTANT! Halloween is Here is not responsible for any Duties, Custom Charges, Taxes or any other additional charges that your country may randomly apply to your internationally shipped order. HIH Store Information: Canadian/International Customers: Do not combine purchases in the HIH Store with any purchase of Haunted Art or vice-versa. Although all Haunted Art Prints can be shipped worldwide, consider them different stores, as the HIH Store only ships to the United States at this time. Thank you and happy haunting! HIH PayPal Shopping Cart. Secure Online Shopping. : Return to Haunted Art Home Page : All art print graphics and text are used with permission and Copyright © Lewis Barrett Lehrman. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2001- • Halloween is Here!