"Ghostly Memories At Riley Lake"

Deliver us from "goblins and ghosties and long legitty beasties and other things that go bump in the
night". It's certainly the time of year for that age-old verse, a time for thoughts of mystery and
intrigue, memories of 'haunted Halloweens', when our minds were free enough to believe, even if for only one night.

Who of us hasn't at least one favorite memory of a spooky evening, a haunted house, a ghost story
that sent chills up and down our spines? And who of us didn't enjoy it, at least a little? I mean,
come on, those of you who know me - look where I live! Spooky can occur here when we least
expect it!

Years ago I did some writing for the Southern Illinois Weekender Newspaper, submitting feature
articles a few times a month. The following was one of those features that was printed in that
newspaper. I thought, after all this time, it might be fun to do a reprint as a part of 'On The Porch...."
Here goes.....

Longtime residents of Riley Lake, located in Randolph County, along the Mississippi River, just
north of Chester, remember a ghost story, a story that has lived on, generation after generation.
The ghostly figure, in this instance, has a name, Prix Paget, and as the natives tell it.......

One of the most famous mills in the early history of the Mississippi Valley was Paget's watermill at the outlet of Riley Lake. The date of its establishment is not definitely known, though some believe it was in operation as early as 1709. Records certainly exist telling of the mill's operation between
1735 and 1763. The business, located on the east side of the Kaskaskia River, was apparently a
thriving one, as records indicate that Paget was engaged in shipping flour, at that time, by the Mississippi River as far away as Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana and to the troops at Ft. Duquesne. Much of Paget's mill work was done by slave labor.

In 1751 Paget married Marie Francoise Michel and the couple had four children, Joseph, Francoise,
Helene and Marie. Although most published sources list Mr. Paget's death as occurring in 1765, the
old French records at the Randolph County Museum and Archives show that Paget's family met to
decide the fate of his children on or before November 9, 1763. Therefore, his death must have occurred prior to that date.

Local lore, mixed with historical "fact", tells us that Paget met his death at the hands of the
Kickapoo Indians, a warlike tribe that lived to the north and northeast of Kaskaskia and raided
the area from time to time. Reportedly they attacked the mill, killing Paget by scalping and beheading him. His severed head, legend tells us, was thrown into the mill's hopper. Several of his slaves
were also killed, but it is believed that one of the slaves escaped to tell the tale and give an alarm.
Now, as tragic and horrific as that must have been, that's the stuff that Halloween is made of!!!

Although exact reports of ghostly sightings of Paget in the Riley Lake area are hard to come by, area
residents, young and old alike, attest that the story is undoubtedly true.

One Riley Lake native that I spoke to stated that he's heard the story all of his life. He can't prove
that it's accurate but he certainly enjoyed its mystery as a youngster. When asked if the story
frightened him or his friends, the gentlemen said, "When it got dark around here, we stayed inside."
And who could blame them?

In earlier days, Riley Lake was a thriving community, boasting a hotel, stores, many homes and
farms. Today there is virtually no sign that a community actually existed there. The hotel, which
was also said to have been haunted, was destroyed by fire many, many years ago. I remember
seeing it when it was just a dilapidated shell of an abandoned building. Storefront buildings have
long ago been torn down - or have fallen down - and all that remains are a few scattered houses
alongside the hillsides, which are densely covered with years of forest growth. Here and there
are the remnants of a building's stone foundation. Without streetlights, darkness falls quickly on
a Fall or Winter evening. And with the railroad tracks nearby, the ghostly whistles only add to
the haunting theory that somewhere, out there in the darkness of the forest, among the ancient
ruins of a gristmill, lurks the spirit of a former resident of Riley Lake, Prix Paget.

Well, probably none of us will be spending Halloween night at Riley Lake, so we don't have to
fear the spirit or the severed head of Mr. Paget. However, there's just something wonderfully spooky about Halloween night, don't you think? At our old tomb on the hill we love to celebrate Halloween to the max! So, if you've nothing else to do that evening, stop by and say hello. We'll be happy to see you and you never know - there could be a ghost sighting!!!