Pickman Family Experiences

 

About the Pickmans and the House

Tony and Debra were a young couple who had recently been married and were expecting their first child in June 1993. In their search for a home to start their family, they found the quaint little rental house located at 508 North 2nd Street. The house seemed perfect for them, three bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, a large yard, spacious kitchen and completely carpeted. They moved in on December 31, 1992.

Tony had lived all his life in the city of Atchison and had come from a large family with a devout Catholic background. Debra who had also been brought up with a Catholic background, was born in Buffalo, New York and had been in the area for about two years before they were married.

From the outside, the house seems small and unassuming, but once inside it had seemed spacious compared to the previous house they had rented. At the front door there is a small foyer with a coat closet, to the left a staircase leading to the 2nd floor. As you ascended the stairs, the first room to the left was what would become the baby's nursery. Next to that was the full bath, and in the farthest corner, was the 2nd bedroom. To the right if the staircase was an open banister and beyond that was the front bedroom.

Back at the front door and to the right, was the living room with tall slender windows. Off the living room and towards the back of the house was the dining room; there was an open floor plan between the two rooms. At the back of the house and to the left of the dining room, was the large kitchen complete with a small pantry, the ½ bath, the basement door tall cupboards, and the back door, which was flanked on either side by small slender windows.

The basement was small only one unfinished room. The forced air furnace, duct work and water heater were the only things there. Behind the furnace however, was a gaping hole to another room about the same size. A tarp had lain across the opening of this hole and the large stones that had created the walls between the two rooms. Beyond that you could see large dirt mounds, and near the ceiling was the plumbing and electrical work for the upper floors.

When the Pickmans moved in, there were no known stories about the house, no warning signs and nothing seemingly out of the ordinary.

To the right you will find a timeline of specific events and/or dates. Clicking on any of them will take you to a more detailed examination of that topic. Many of them will contain a photo page as well.