The house is widely considered bizarre due to its design, which was based, in part, on George and Sylvia Stickney's belief in Spiritualism.

In the years since the house left the hands of the Stickney family, owners have reported supernatural occurrences.

During the Civil War, the house also served as quarters for Federal soldiers and was home to the first piano in McHenry County.

It has also been suggested that the Stickneys believed that corners attracted the attention of evil spirits as well, a common belief in Spiritualist circles of the time.

Not true, Richard confirmed that the house was searched and documented and there was no 90 degree angles found at the time of George's death.

In 2005 Bull Valley Police Chief Norbert Sauers described his experiences with possible paranormal events in the Stickney Mansion.

He described hearing footsteps in the second floor ballroom, a room that today is used only as storage for village records but was used for seances when the Stickneys owned the mansion.