You might not think of Green Bay as a hotspot for paranormal activity, but according to local paranormal investigator Meghan Hock, the city has more than its fair share of ghostly tales. From mysterious footsteps in historic buildings to stories passed down through generations, Green Bay’s haunted history runs deeper than most people realize.
This spooky season, we teamed up with Meghan—paranormal researcher, investigator, and owner of Already Here Investigates—to learn more about what makes our city such an active center for the unexplained. With decades of experience exploring the area’s haunted locations, Meghan has seen and heard it all. We spent some time chatting about Green Bay’s paranormal hotspots, the stories that have stuck with her, and what it’s really like to investigate the supernatural.
How did you become a paranormal investigator?
I have and will continue to openly blame the premiere of Ghost Hunters in 2004 for getting me involved in this field of work. Growing up, dinner conversations were 50% “how was your day?” and 50% “do you remember that time you saw your great-grandpa walk through the living room when you were little?” It wasn’t until recently that I came to the realization that that isn’t normally what people discuss on a daily basis. The paranormal and I have been BFFs for years.
What does investigating the paranormal actually look like?
Researching paranormal activity and cases of unexplained phenomena can be (and is for some) a full-time job; there’s a lot of digging around in books, webpages, sending messages to Facebook pages and other research groups to see if they have any leads or evidence to help you out. I have a history degree, so researching is more of a passion rather than an annoyance.
Investigating is the hands-on, boots-on-the-ground job. If I’m able to, I like to do an initial walk-through of the location a week or two before actually conducting the investigation. I want to make sure the activity that I’m being asked to help out with is coming from a ‘supernatural’ source rather than a natural or human source. A lot of investigating is doing debunking work: finding a logical solution for activity before declaring it unexplainable.
An investigation can take between 2-4 hours, and I spend time in each “hot spot” that the client brings up. I take a more barebones approach to the paranormal; my equipment includes a digital voice recorder, an EMF detector, a REM pod, a spirit box, and dowsing rods. You’ve got your basics, like your phone camera and a couple of flashlights, too. I enjoy using the spirit box the most, as it’s an easy communication tool between us and the spirits and it usually gives me the most information.
Post-investigation can take up to a month to comb through all the evidence, dig up historical research on the location, confirm names that may have come up, and present the information to the client.
Why is Green Bay such a hotspot for paranormal activity?
Green Bay is an old, old city, but not many people think of it that way. It’s the 11th-oldest city in America, and it’s the oldest settlement in Wisconsin, going back to 1634, so there’s been plenty of unique events and even more unique people that have come and gone over the centuries.
I’ve got two working theories as to why Green Bay is a paranormal hotspot. It goes back to how long the city has been around and the waves and waves of people from all different cultures and backgrounds coming to the area. The amount of cultural influences and the host of superstitions that came along with them found a perfect home in our neck of the woods.
My other idea is one called the Stone Tape Theory, which is a big talking point in the paranormal world. Areas with large deposits of limestone or quartz-based bedrock tend to ‘record’ events and give off energy for spirits and entities to use to interact with the living. Having the Bay, along with the Fox and East Rivers running through helps to give a boost to our “visitors,” as water sources are constantly moving forms of natural energy and excellent conductors for paranormal activity.
What made you specifically interested in the paranormal history of Green Bay?
I became interested in the paranormal history of Green Bay after I got a job at Heritage Hill State Park in 2015, and then started volunteering for the Brown County Historical Society and giving tours at Hazelwood House that same year. Part of the BCHS programming is cemetery walks, and I helped out for a few years either as a guide around the cemetery or as an actor-portrayer, and I learned so much about the key figures of Green Bay and NE Wisconsin from these walks.
What locations have the most active paranormal activity?
If I were going to list the most active locations I’ve been to in Green Bay, I’d have to rank Heritage Hill and Hazelwood House as tied for number one, Captain’s Walk Winery as number two, and the Collections area on the 3rd floor of the Neville Public Museum as number three.
Captain’s Walk Winery, St. Brendan’s Inn, and the Lorelei would also be awesome starting points, and you can hear testimonies from employees and patrons of unusual activity. To be fully “immersed” in a location, I’d suggest Heritage Hill (Cotton House, Fort Howard Hospital, and Tank Cottage would be my hot spots) and Hazelwood House. There’s something about being in the original building, standing where the people you’re learning about stood, that sets you up for paranormal opportunities.
Heritage Hill
Heritage Hill has over a dozen original buildings from Green Bay, and their occupants still wander around; I’ve encountered Mary Cotton from Cotton House down in the Fort Howard Hospital while investigating there multiple times. Hazelwood House still contains members of the Morgan L. Martin household and I became quickly acquainted with Deborah Martin and her older brother, Stephen Leonard, over my years there as well.
Captain’s Walk’s Winery
Captain’s Walk, in the library room on the second floor, had crazy activity on our equipment when I investigated there a few years ago. We heard footsteps in the hallway, shadow figures in the basement. It probably helps to amp up the activity with their unique foundational walls being made up of gravestones from the cemeteries that were dug up and moved, so there was available land for businesses way back in the day…
Collection Area of the Neville Public Museum
Before I found myself at Heritage Hill and Hazelwood, I was an intern in the Collections Department, and saw my fair share of shadowy figures walking around the storage area with the thousands of artifacts they’ve got up there. There is just one entrance with a very loud, very heavy door that would loudly slam shut if you weren’t careful, and I’d catch someone walking out of the corner of my eye and waiting for one of the curators to make an appearance… before realizing I hadn’t heard the door close for a long time.
Do you have a favorite local haunting or historical mystery?
The one mystery that sticks out to me is that of Dr. William Minahan and his missing head. His tomb can be seen on Riverside Drive, looming over the traffic from the peaceful Woodlawn Cemetery. Dr. Minahan, his wife, and his sister were passengers on the Titanic. On the night of the sinking, Minahan’s wife and sister made it safely onto a lifeboat, but Dr. Minahan became one of the 1,500 who didn’t make it to safety. In 1985, his tomb was broken into by grave robbers, and his skull was stolen. Thankfully, the police were able to locate his missing body parts, and he was reinterred. I’ve always wondered why they broke into his resting place and specifically why take his HEAD?
What are your most memorable paranormal experiences in Green Bay?
I helped out on a few paranormal tours of Heritage Hill, and I have video of us in the Fort Howard Hospital, watching as a couple of figures appear on the SLS camera (they appear like stick figures on the screen), and they look like they’re playing musical instruments. One is moving like it’s playing a snare drum, the other a violin, and another a stand-up bass. Me being the resident know-it-all on the team, realized the part of the hospital we were in was where the military base held their banquets, so it would make complete and total sense that there would be a band playing! They went on for over 5 minutes before the activity died down.
The eeriest experience I’ve had around town was at Hazelwood House. I was there with my mom and a friend, and we were up in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. I was wearing a dress and I could feel something messing around with the hemline around my calves. It felt like hands, and they were running up and down the back of my legs — just a gross, gross feeling. I’m describing what I’m feeling, and my mom tells me not to move because she can see a pair of pale white hands doing exactly what I’m talking about. I obviously look down and see nothing, but still feel where they are on me. That was one of the first times while investigating that someone could see AND validate what I was experiencing, with even more detail. We hightailed it out of there once she mentioned the hands.
Do you ever get scared, or does curiosity win out over fear?
I’m one of those weird people who laugh during scary movies because what’s going on on screen is so unbelievable. I love seeing the reactions of people when I tell them my hobby is sitting in the dark in an old building, talking to people I can’t see. I’ve gone to a few out-of-state locations where I’ve stood frozen in total fear because of what was going on, but then the adrenaline hits and the “did that JUST HAPPEN?!” emotions come bubbling right on up. What gives me the heebie-jeebies is doing evidence review, knowing I didn’t hear anything during an EVP session, and then getting a clear-as-day voice responding back over the digital recorder to a question or comment I made.
Have your beliefs about the paranormal changed over time?
I’ve learned to question a lot more over the years by doing research and then combining that with investigating. This is such an up-in-the-air field that is gaining more and more traction as time goes on, and reworking a lot of your own thought patterns is a sign of growth and experience. Not everything unexplainable is a demon! I think being a good investigator and researcher is being open to new ideas and perspectives, and not confining yourself to your own little box of beliefs.
What do you say to skeptics who don’t believe in ghosts or paranormal activity?
I ADORE the skeptics. They keep me grounded in reality! If you are a skeptic, I want to hear your side of the story! Challenge me so I can be a better researcher and investigator. I tell people that there’s always a reason behind why something is happening, whether you agree with it or not.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about Green Bay’s haunted history, paranormal activity, or your work in general?
I’m a history nerd first, paranormal enthusiast second, so I will always, always, ALWAYS push for people to get out and explore local history and take the tours! The cemeteries around Green Bay are gorgeous, so take a nice leisurely stroll around one or two and snap some pictures — you may never know what you may catch!
Can people hire you to conduct a paranormal investigation?
As a paranormal investigator, I am more than happy to answer any of those questions that just feel a bit weird to ask! Those bumps or creaks in your house? I can give you a few problem-solving ideas to try out before you need me to come in and see what’s going on. I want to help you feel comfortable and safe in your space. Helping people is the main goal; the spooky aspect is just a perk of the job.
I also offer home and business cleansings, using a holistic approach from my background as a Reiki Master and Shamanic Practitioner (Four Winds/Celtic/Nordic).
Learn more about Meghan and her work as a paranormal investigator in Green Bay
Find Meghan online at alreadyhereinvestigates.com and on socials at @alreadyhereinvestigates on Facebook and Instagram. Meghan also hosts a regular podcast called Paranormal Potpourri, uncovering the strange, the mysterious, and the downright weird. Find Paranormal Potpourri online at paranormalpotpourri.com, on YouTube and Spotify, and on socials on Facebook, Instagram.
