Stones Throw

A historic downtown Eau Claire building where, according to the Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations, a man hanged himself inside in the early 1900s.

The Stones Throw occupies part of the historic Barnes Block, a massive Richardsonian Romanesque structure designed by architect Henry Laycock and erected in 1893 at the corner of South Barstow and Eau Claire streets. Built with stone and brick across three stories plus basement and attic, the building was originally home to the Chippewa Valley Bank. It later housed Samuelson's Department Store from the 1930s through the 1970s before stained-glass artist Frank Stone converted it into an upscale restaurant in 1979, utilizing three of its four levels for dining and cooking. In 1981, Stone brought in blues musician James Solberg to manage live entertainment, and by 1986 Solberg had taken over the lease entirely, launching what many called the venue's heyday of big-name music acts. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 22, 1982.

According to The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations by paranormal researchers Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk, a man took his own life by hanging himself in the building sometime during the early 1900s. A second legend holds that another man was murdered and dragged to the basement. Lewis and Fisk were unable to verify either incident through historical records, but generations of owners, bartenders, and loyal patrons have reported experiencing something strange within its walls nonetheless.

The most dramatic account comes from a bartender working after closing time who witnessed a fully solid ghost of a man sitting at a bar table. The figure stood up, shook out his coat, walked toward the exit, and melted into thin air. The bartender had believed he was looking at a real person until the figure dissolved. Long-time bartender Matthew Gehler described an incident during a heated argument between patrons when a glass bottle flew off the shelf into a wall with no one near it, stating that whatever inhabits the building wants to make its presence known. Employees have reported beer bottles thrown across the bar or shattered on their own, objects disappearing and reappearing in unusual places, doors opening and slamming shut independently, chairs rearranging themselves, and jackets flying off hooks. Footsteps are heard on the empty upper-floor balcony and in the basement kitchen hallways, and voices carry through deserted corridors and bathrooms. People have reported seeing a ghost's reflection in the large mirror situated behind the bar. After closing, lights have turned on by themselves, leading owners to believe the spirit is most active when the building is otherwise empty.

In 2008, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire students Natalie Saeger and Frank Pellegrino documented their investigation for the campus newspaper The Spectator. Armed with a Ouija board and accompanied by a bartender as their guide, they toured all levels of the establishment after closing. During the session, doors slammed, bells chimed, and locks engaged on their own, though the entity allegedly refused to communicate through the board. By the end of the night, both investigators were convinced something was happening that they couldn't explain. Devon Bell further documented the haunting in her book Haunted Chippewa Valley, part of the Haunted America series, drawing on employee testimonies and the building's long oral history. Staff who have worked late shifts note that the entity seems drawn to the live music environment, with activity often increasing around performances. The Stones Throw, now one of the oldest standing structures in downtown Eau Claire, continues to host weekly live music while its unseen resident continues to make its presence known.