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History: The building located at 223 North Clark Street, Moberly, Missouri saw a number of uses until becoming the permanent home of the Randolph County Historical Society in 1992.
Starting out in 1877 as the three story Hergarty and Brothers Grocery, it would remain a grocery store until about 1915 when it would be repurposed into a furniture store. Beginning in 1911, the second floor was used as Hegarty’s Opera House. The building would lose its second and third floors during a fire in 1931. Also in 1911 the three story Sycamore Apartments was built adjacent to the back wall and given the address of 208 West Coates Avenue. The first floor would originally house the law offices of AC Gladney and would later serve as different storefronts and offices. The third floor of the Sycamore would flourish for many years as a known brothel before closing for good in 1965. Claims: Volunteers at the Historical Society report hearing what sounds like a full conversation taking place near where the entrance to the second floor was, phantom footsteps, and the sound of singing. Items are misplaced and are later found in other areas and there is an uneasy feeling on the third floor. Our Findings: We have investigated the Randolph County Historical Society three times, with the most recent investigation being in October, 2022. During our investigations, we clearly heard the first floor conversations. We captured unexplained voices, saw shadow figures and had some rempod activity on the first floor. During spirit box sessions we also seemed to make contact with several spirits on the third floor of the Sycamore building as well as capturing unexplained activity on video. Given the large collection of artifacts and the long history of the building, it’s not surprising spirits continue to make the Randolph County Historical Society home. |