Spirit Investigation Unit
Our group currently consists of 39 individuals. We are amateur investigators on a skeleton budget. During the weekend of July 14 – July 16, 2023, we had 22 in attendance at the Ruebel Hotel in Grafton, IL and during the weekend of October 25th – October 27th, 2024 we had 18 in attendance at the Ruebel Hotel including the new owners of the Ruebel Hotel, Tony and Lisa Usiak. During the weekend of October 10th – October 12th, 2025 we had 13 in attendance including the owners of the Ruebel Hotel, Tony and Lisa Usiak and the Owners of Box Mercantile, Gary and Patti Box and Patti’s mother Mary Warren.
The 2023 weekend was our first experience using dowsing rods and a spirit box with noise canceling headphones to communicate with the spirits of the Ruebel Hotel. We have been going to the Ruebel Hotel for years but 2023 was our first year since we formed the Spirit Investigation Unit. We have spent one weekend a year since 2021 at the Ruebel Hotel and we really enjoyed getting to know the new owners of the Ruebel Hotel, Tony and Lisa Usiak, during our weekend in 2024, and the owners of Box Mercantile, Gary and Patti Box during our weekend in 2025.
Spirit Investigation Unit Members:
Alex Aultman
*Gary and *Patti Box – Box Mercantile Owners
Bill and Jodie Bradney
*Ron and *Judy Brohammer
Monica Ferkin
Eileen and Jim Friestad
Delaney Graef
Marybeth Graef
Dewey and Lori Groennert
Micah Ihrig
Tim and Barb Jaeger
*Becca and *Conner McMurphy
Tom and Teresa Meyer
Tim and Susan Onori
Deb Payne
Jake Rendleman
Chuck and Brenda Shaub
Andrea Storey
Jim Storey
*Rick and *Sue Storey
*Tony and *Lisa Usiak – Ruebel Hotel Owners
*Mary Warren
*Greg and *Colleen Webb
*David Wiesehan – Patti Box’s Brother
Steve and Jean Wiyatt
*2025 Attendees
Early on
In 2018 our Fraternity from Southern Illinois University, ALPHA GAMMA RHO, spent the weekend at the Ruebel Hotel for a Summer Meeting. We just used an EMF (Electromagnetic Field) meter to check for the presence of spirits. That experience changed the lives of our current membership.
Current
2023 was our first experience using dowsing rods and a spirit box with noise canceling headphones to communicate with the spirits of the Ruebel Hotel. We formed the Spirit Investigation Unit after our weekend at the Ruebel Hotel in 2023.
In 2024 we met the new owners, Tony and Lisa Usiak, who joined us in the unfinished basement of the hotel for a spirit investigation session with resident spirit Abigail. This was our first experience using proximity sensors. We used a Trigger Bear, Trigger Wire and REM Pod.
In 2025 we met the owners of Box Mercantile, Gary and Patti Box, Patti’s mother Mary Warren and Patti’s brother David Wiesehan. We investigated inside Box Mercantile which is in the original 1913 Historic Grafton Bank building. This was our first experience using the IOS apps GhostTube and GhostTube SLS.