EXCLUSIVE I bought an old Victorian five-bedroom home for $305K... but I soon discovered its dark history

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A woman who bought an old Victorian five-bedroom home for $305,000 was left shocked after she discovered a dark twist about the abode.
Ashley Berken, 39, from Wisconsin, and her wife, Beth, were in the midst of looking for a new house for themselves and their four children last year, when they came across a listing that seemed too good to be true.
The stunning, 4,500-square-foot house was the perfect size for the family-of-six and was in their budget.
But when Ashley went to go and view the home, she noticed something a little strange about the estate that led to her making a surprising discovery about its past.
It turns out, it was a former funeral home, which meant hoards of dead bodies had come through it.
'It actually wasn't on the listing,' Ashley explained to the Daily Mail during a recent chat.
'We grew suspicious during the tour when we saw ramps in the garage that went both upstairs and down to the basement.
'We figured those might have been used to move bodies. Afterwards, I dug around on a local historical Facebook page, found old photos and stories, and that confirmed it for me.'
It turns out, it was a former funeral home, which meant hoards of dead bodies had come through it
While some might have been put off by the idea of the abode being a former funeral home, it was the opposite for Ashley.
In fact, the mother-of-four explained that she's a big fan of the film My Girl, so it drew her to the house even more.
My Girl is a 1991 flick that follows a young girl who lives in a funeral home with her single dad.
'Honestly, it made me want it even more - it gave me all the My Girl vibes and really fit my spooky-loving heart,' she confessed. 'It sealed the deal.'
They ultimately purchased the home in October 2024 for just over $300,000.
While she was 'worried' about telling her kids, aged nine to 13, about the home's former use, she said they 'truly couldn't have cared less.'
'They were just thrilled that we quadrupled our living space,' she explained.
And she insisted that knowing that dead bodies were worked on in the home doesn't make her uncomfortable in the slightest.
'What matters more to me is knowing how much love has been shared here over the years, how many bonds were made and lives intertwined. That's the best feeling,' she added.
As for whether or not anything 'creepy' has occurred in the house since moving in, she joked, 'Our house is always such a whirlwind of chaos that I probably wouldn't notice.
'Though, now that you ask, we have had a giant wooden mancala board disappear since Christmas, and I'm beginning to think it actually vanished into thin air.'
While the property doesn't act as a funeral home anymore, it still has traces of its ominous past.
It has a casket showroom and an embalming room, the latter of which still has the original slop sink.
'There's also this stunning 10-foot built-in pier mirror that some people swear is a portal to the spirit world,' Ashley dished. 'I just think it's a one-of-a-kind piece.
'The grand foyer has brass light fixture statues, and there are around half a dozen unique hardwood floor patterns throughout the house, with intricate parquet designs you just don't see anymore. It's like every room has its own story.'
She explained that she plans to turn the embalming room into a space for 'potting plants and growing life.'
But she added that she 'doesn't want to change too much' because she feels what makes the home truly special is its past.
'I don't want to change too much - more just updates, deep cleans, and giving it some love,' she dished.
'I feel like spending Zen time honoring the space with new life is, quite honestly, the best way to clean up the space.'
Ashley has been sharing videos of what it's like to live in a funeral home to TikTok, where they have gone viral.
She never expected so many people to be intrigued by the home, but she's honored by all the interest.
'I quickly realized there are so many millennials who also dreamed of living in a funeral home,' she said.
'It's been amazing to celebrate this kind of weird little win with people who never thought it could happen either.'