Knopf House

## Owners and Inhabitants

### 1906-1920: Philip Knopf

Born 11/18/1847 in Long Grove, Illinois.  Fought in the Civil War for the Union. Attended Bryant & Stratton College.

Worked as a teamster after the war. Served eight years as the Chief Deputy Coroner for Chicago. Served as a member of the Illinois senate from 1886 to 1894. Served as Clerk of Cook County from 1894 to 1902. Served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1896. Served as a member of the House of Representatives from Illinois from 1903 to 1909.  Committed to the Dunning Asylum / Chicago State Hospital. Suffered from paranoid-schizophrenia and the delusions.

Died 08/14/1920 and was interred in Rosehill Cemetery.

### 1933-1938: The Sanford Family

Franklin and Martha Sanford bought the Knopf House in March of 1933. Franklin Sanford was a banker. Martha Sanford was a school teacher. They had two daughters, Gertrude and Edith. They renovated the Knopf House to add a garage.

On the evening of April 28th, 1938, the Sandford’s neighbors reported hearing “quite a commotion” coming from the Sanford home. The Long Grove constabulary were called to investigate the disturbance. According to reports, it appeared as though there had been a flood. “The house was a mess – everything was a wreck,” said Constable Jack Quinn. Despite contradictory statements from their neighbors, the official report states that none of the members of the Sanford family were present in the house at the time of the “massive and catastrophic water main break” that flooded their home.

After several days, all four members of the Sanford family were classified as missing persons per the Long Grove constabulary and the investigation was given over to the Illinois State Police. There is a note in the Illinois State Police files in regards to this case. A young girl matching the rough description of Edith Sanford was found wandering, wet, cold, and barefoot by a deputy in Petersham, Massachusetts late in the evening of April 28th, 1938.  The girl, officially listed as a Jane Doe, claimed to be Edith Sanford, but was ranting and babbling and “out of her wits”. The Illinois State Police paid the claim little mind as Edith Sanford had been present in class earlier in the day on April 28th, 1938 – and there simply wasn’t any way in which she could have made it from Long Grove, Illinois to Petersham, Massachusetts in that amount of time.  Once the Sanford family defaulted on their mortgage, Chase bank repossessed the home.

### 1941-1943: The Nicholson Family

In 1941, the John and Sarah Nicholson purchased the freshly renovated Knopf House from the bank for something of a steal. John Nicholson was a scientist, working for the government at the Red Gate Woods site near Chicago. Sarah Nicholson worked at the same government facility as a welder. Sarah’s widowed mother, Elizabeth Yearly, lived with the couple. There was an article from July 4th, 1942 in the Daily Herald (the newspaper out of Arlington Heights that has served Long Grove since 1871) about local “Rosie the Riveters” and Sarah Nicholson was one of the women they interviewed.  On the evening of October 28th, 1943, the Nicholson’s neighbors reported a “strange humming noise and an odd purple glow” coming from the Nicholson’s home. The Long Grove constabulary investigated but the event had subsided by the time they arrived. Both John and Sarah Nicholson, as well as Elizabeth Yearly, were declared missing on October 31st, 1943. Having bought the house outright and having no next of kin, the Knopf House technically remained the property of John and Sarah Nicholson for the next seven years when they were officially declared dead by the state of Illinois on October 31st, 1950. Chase Bank bought the house at auction in May 1951.

### 1958-1962: The Loyola Family

Angel Loyola was a retired firefighter. Alona Loyola was a nurse. They had a grandson who lived with them, Ramiro Loyola. Angel and Alona were Basque immigrants who initially lived in Chicago, working in their respective fields long enough to earn their pensions. Their son, Mikolas and their daughter-in-law, Consuela, died in a car accident, survived by Ramiro, who came to live with his grandparents.

The house had sat empty for quite some time and was in need of a lot of work, so they got it cheap and Angel began the long task of fixing it up. Alona worked at the local clinic. Ramiro went to the Long Grove elementary school.

On the evening of May 27th, 1962, at approximately 8:20pm, multiple calls were placed to the Long Grove Fire Protection District at 1165 Old McHenry Road stating that there was smoke, fire, and noxious fumes pouring out of the Loyola home. Being less than a mile away, firefights responded in under five minutes. According to Harvey Johnston, the Long Grove Fire Chief, the Loyola home was fully involved when engines arrived. Firefighters were immediately dispatched into the Loyola home to attempt to retrieve the occupants. Two teams of three firefighters entered the Loyola home – one via the front door and one via the back door. Gary Tatum, one of the firefighters who entered the Loyola home, described it as “hellish” and “the worst fire I’d ever seen… it was like flames were just rolling up out of the walls.” Of the six firefighters who entered the Loyola home, only five made it out – but they did have young Ramiro Loyola with them. Albert Bosnick, a ten year veteran of the Long Grove Fire Protection District, was separated from his team as they searched the Loyola home for Angel and Alona.  Albert Bosnick, Angel Loyola, and Alona Loyola were all listed as presumed dead in the blaze, though no bodies were found in the coming days as teams sifted through the wreckage of the old Knopf House. The fire was eventually ruled an accident, caused by faulty wiring in the walls.

Bosnick and both elder members of the Loyola family were declared deceased.  The story garnered even wider attention when Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert J. Quinn brought a team of arson investigators to “verify” the local fire department’s theory as to how the fire started. Quinn and Loyola had served together in the CFD for nearly twenty years and it was Quinn’s belief that there was no way Loyola wouldn’t have checked his family’s new home for potential fire hazards – especially given the scope of remodeling he was doing. While it was never directly said, it was heavily implied that Quinn was suspicious that foul play may have been involved – given the very white community of Long Grove and the very brown color of his friend’s skin. Illinois State Police were called in when the arson investigators found what they noted as “copious traces of coal dust” in the remnants of the Loyola home, despite the fact that there were no coal burning appliances present. The Illinois State Police opened an investigation and questioned several of the Loyola’s neighbors, but didn’t find anything substantial enough to pursue.

Ramiro Loyola was remanded to the care of Robert Quinn. Chase Bank filed a fire damage claim for the property.

### 1976-1984: Ronald Jeffries / American Heritage Construction

The burned husk of the Knopf house sat empty for fourteen years until it was purchased at auction by Ronald Jefferies, an architect and contractor, for less than the land was valued at. Many of the older residents of Long Grove assumed the new owner would finally demolish what was left of the Knopf House and build something new - and hopefully less wicked - on that cursed spot. Much to their dismay, Jefferies instead opted to bring the Knopf House back to its original form – though he did opt to rebuild the added garage as well. When interviewed about it by the Daily Herald, Jefferies noted that despite the tragic turn his life took, there was no denying the genius of the original architect, Asa Daribondi – and that letting his brilliance be lost would be a crime against future generations.

Jefferies company, American Heritage Construction, began work on restoring the Knopf House in the Spring of 1976. In the Spring of 1977 a concerned citizens group petitioned the city council to block the construction on the Knopf House, citing Long Grove’s strict building ordinances with an eye towards preserving the pristine, rural charm of the community. Karen Lankhorn, the head of the group argued that she could think of nothing less charming that resurrecting that terrible edifice of death and sorrow, built by a madman and a killer. The Long Grove city council initially sided with the citizens group, agreeing that the Knopf House no longer fit the image the village so carefully cultivated. In response, Jefferies took the village of Long Grove to court. Jefferies’ attorneys argued that the draconian manner in which the Long Grove city ordinances were written and the capricious nature in which they were enforced were nothing more than an extension of the racist and illegal home owner’s covenants of the past.

The legal battle worked its way through the court system for the better part of a year, but by early 1978 it was clear that Jefferies had no intention of relenting and had more than enough resources to financially ruin the village unless they capitulated. So, by summer 1978 a somewhat acrimonious settlement was reached and restoration on the Knopf House continued for the next four years. Everything was exactly as it had been – perfect, almost obsessively so, right down to the last detail. And then, to make certain that his work was preserved – and perhaps as a final sub to Long Grove – Jeffries petitioned the state to have the Knopf House declared a historical landmark and part of its preservation program. Given its depth of history and the impeccable condition, it was only a matter of time and jumping through the appropriate hoops. On May 27th, 1984, the Knopf House was declared a historic landmark by the Illinois Historic Preservation Division.

On June 27th, 1984, Ronald Jefferies gave the first official tour of the restored Knopf House. The tour began at 8pm and included Jefferies, Mayor Thomas Goodman, the members of the Long Grove city council, including Karen Lankhorn, members of the Long Grove Historical Society, and Catherine Myers, a reporter from the Daily Herald. The group was scheduled for drinks at 9pm at The Village Tavern. Gail Whitaker, the manager of the Village Tavern commented to John Grant, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy who had stopped in for a bite that it was odd they’d missed their reservation. Deputy Grant drove by the Knopf House and saw all the vehicles were still present. Deputy Grant made his way inside and found numerous unconscious bodies scattered around the interior. Fearing a gas leak, Grant grabbed the nearest person, carried them outside, and immediately radioed in for emergency assistance. Deputy Grant then reentered the Knopf House, opened as many windows and doors as he could, and began carrying people outside. Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, Firefighters, and other first responders began arriving within minutes.

After initial onsite examination, it was determined the unconscious people were suffering from decreased blood oxygen level – leading to fears of some form of gas leak or build-up in the Knopf House (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or even natural gas). Once the house was cleared, it was discovered that there were three members of the tour group still missing: Ronald Jeffries, Mayor Thomas Goodman, and Councilwoman Karen Lankhorn. Members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department searched the Knopf House from top to bottom, but found no sign of the three missing people. Search teams, including scent dogs, from the Illinois State Police were brought in early the next day, but again, turned up nothing. Jeffries, Goodman, and Lankhorn were all declared missing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was brought in to assist in the missing persons investigation at the request of the Lankhorn family.  The Lankhorn family also offered a $500,000 reward for any information leading to Karen’s safe return. No credible leads were ever forthcoming. All three were officially declared dead on June 27th, 1991 by the state.

The other attendees were brought to the Grove Medical Center for treatment and observation. In each case, it was found they were suffering from both acute carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning, as well as all having toxic levels of heavy metals in their systems, especially copper, lead, and zinc. Oxygen and Chelation therapies were begun immediately. Doctor Jules Kitridge noted that their symptoms reminded him of miners, not socialites. A thorough inspection was done of the Knopf House by American Heritage Construction in conjunction with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency out of Springfield to try to determine the cause for the incident, but the Knopf House was given a clean bill of health.

## **Other Events**

### Phenomenon-X (2009)

According to details online, which seem to be a little sketchy, there is an ongoing investigation by the Illinois State Police and it may or may not be being assisted by the FBI. Either way, it seems that Stephen Wilson, Grant Bain, and Shari Bruni were “investigating” a supposedly haunted location in Long Grove, Illinois – the semi-infamous Knopf house. According to what was released publicly, last year on September 1st (09/01/09), the four set out for Long Grove in one of the show’s vans.  A gas station attendant in Arlington Heights was the last witness to see them – and has a selfie with them to prove it. Their vehicle has was recovered at the Knopf House location, but there has since been no sign of any of the missing members of Phenomenon X. Authorities have gone through the motions standard to a missing persons case, but have had no substantial leads. It has essentially been classified as a cold-case at this point, at least among the authorities. However, it seems to still be very much alive and well among the fringe paranatural community online, with rumors, theories, and speculations cropping up on a steady basis.

### Project Echo (2010)

We really should see if there is anything public about what happened the weekend we were there.

### Project Temple

In the Ε - dimension the Knopf House is known as the Daniels Estate, and is owned by one Lawrence Daniels. The Agents are sent here by Amarna to investigate what seems to be an explosion of some sort caused by a ritual gone awry.

## Related Phenomena

* The painting "Devoured by Shadows" by Allegra Kany is connected to the Knopf House. This painting is tied to Yog-Sothoth.