Article by Brian Greenberg
Take a stroll down the streets of Galena, Illinois, and you’re likely to run into a “ghost.” This town which is rich in early American history is also home to some spirits. The most well-known by far is the popular Annie Wiggins.
Most locals have had at least one encounter with the ghost known as Annie Wiggins. Many visitors to this popular tourist town know her too. Annie Wiggins can often be seen dressed in period black funeral garb and freely walking the streets of Galena. Few are afraid of her. In fact, hordes of tourists often follow her as she tells visitors interesting facts about the town’s past.
Of course, anyone who has seen her in person knows that Annie Wiggins isn’t really a spirit. She was, in fact, never a real person at all. Annie Wiggins is actually the creation of husband and wife owners of a popular Galena bed and breakfast.
Galena, Illinois itself dates back to the late 1600′s when the area was first settled by the French. It then languished for decades in relative obscurity until American settlers began arriving. They tweaked and perfected methods for mining and shipping galena lead, after which the town was eventually named.
It was early Native Americans who happened upon the rich deposits of this lead ore. They extracted it mainly for personal use until the French came on the scene.
The French began mining it for limited commercial use until the first Americans arrived around the early 1800′s. The first boatload of lead ore was shipped down the Mississippi river in 1816. It forever changed the face of this historical area.
Galena, Illinois was a virtual boom town afterward. It produced approximately 80 percent of all the lead in the United States at its height. A trading post was opened and businesses began springing up. River traffic was common and frequent.
However, like many mid-size early American towns, it eventually began falling on hard times. The demand for lead dropped significantly in the early to mid 1900′s. The town, whose entire economy hung on the production of lead, began to decline. The population, which was around 14,000 at its boom, dropped to under 4,000 by the 1980′s. Longstanding businesses began closing shop. The future looked grim to some.
Galena leaders began to develop plans to market the city as a tourist destination during the mid to late 1980′s. After all, it had a strong heritage and a wealth of historical facts and stories.
Serious efforts to market Galena to visitors began around 1980. Building facades were improved. Modern hotels and eclectic inns and bed and breakfasts began springing up. The town is home to dozens of historical homes and mansions. Many of these were renovated and granted heritage status. A number of them now serve as tourist attractions, businesses and inns.
This is how “Annie Wiggins” was born. She is a fictitious ghost who now spends her days guiding tours, not perpetrating hauntings. She was the brain child of a local business owner as a means for generating business. However, today there are many locals who would lay claim to her “legend” and call her Galena’s own.
Annie Wiggins leads her walking tour of the town a couple evenings of the week throughout the high tourist season. The Annie Wiggins tour is popular both with visitors as well as locals. Tour guests hear much of the town’s history, including the stories of some of Galena’s real “ghosts” of citizens past.
Today it is tourism and farming that largely sustain the Galena economy. It’s also home to several large corporations and manufacturers. It’s also a popular second and summer home location for many big-city Illinois residents.
History buff looking for a great place to visit? Try historic Galena, Illinois. Stay in comfort at one of many Galena lodging establishments or at a historic Galena hotel.