Lewis delivers chilling tales at the Portage County Public Library
By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer
STEVENS POINT – Chilling tales of ghost trains, serial killers and UFOs echoed throughout the Portage County Public Library in downtown Stevens Point on Wednesday night. Acclaimed paranormal writer Chad Lewis visited the library to give a presentation on all things otherworldly, drawing in over 60 guests for an evening of paranormal intrigue.
“I think it’s the unknown, not knowing what happens when we die or if we are alone in the universe,” Lewis said in an exclusive interview with the Gazette. “That’s what keeps me going, I don’t know if these things are real or not, but I love the adventure.”
Stevens Point is just one of many stops on Lewis’s speaking tour across the Midwest. The paranormal writer noted that he is slated for well over 200 presentations this year alone. Lewis has worked on major network shows like Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting” and ABC’s “Scariest Places on Earth.”
It all started when Lewis was 18, he grew up in Eau Claire and heard stories of UFO sightings in Elmwood. He was a UW-Stout student studying psychology and later decided to do his master’s thesis on belief systems, and why some people believed in ghosts and legends and others didn’t.
“I was wondering why some people believe in all of this and others do not,” Lewis said about the paranormal world. “A lot of believing is in personal experience. If you see a ghost, you are much more likely to believe they are real.”
Lewis discussed all things ghoulish in Wisconsin during his presentation. His stories ranged from Ed Gein hauntings to local Stevens Point legends like the “Bloody Bride Bridge” – lore that involves a wedding night accident – and “Boy Scout Lane” – a story that involves a group of boy scouts that died during a camping trip. Both are dark tales told for generations in the Portage County area.
“In a time when a lot of cities are starting to look the same, with the same restaurants, hotels, and gas stations, these legends set them apart,” Lewis said. “’Bloody Bride Bridge’ is only here in Stevens Point. I think a lot of towns take pride in that, even if they don’t believe in the legends.”
Lewis also has a new book in the works featuring lumberjack lore in Wisconsin, but it is still in the developmental phase.
“My next Wisconsin [book] might be lumberjack lore,” he said. “Legends of the old lumberjacks, tellings of creatures from the Hodag to the Hoop Snake. Fictional creatures, but a lot of legends and lore.”
To learn more about Chad Lewis and his paranormal work visit: www.chadlewisresearch.com.
Contact Taylor J. Hale at [email protected] with Portage County news and information.