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Ghost StoriesCollection of stories about ghosts, urban legends, mythology, haunted places and other paranormal phenomena. Saturday, November 21, 2009Part I and Part II Story Continues below: Governor revokes parole of convicted child killer Monday, August 18, 2008 By Staff Reporter After being imprisoned for 26 years, convicted child killer Gina Sargent had her parole date reversed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week. In November 1980, Sargent, then 22, pushed her 5-year-old stepdaughter Ilana down a flight of stairs in Pioneer, causing injuries that ultimately killed her. Initially, Sargent claimed Ilana had fallen, but after investigations and an autopsy, it was discovered that Ilana had been a victim of sustained child abuse. Sargent was arrested in 1981 and convicted of second degree murder and endangering the life of a child. Her sentence was 15 years to life. According to the Indeterminate Sentence Parole Release Review, Sargent acquired her GED and took college courses while in prison, along with vocational training courses. She has also retained close ties with family and friends and made arrangements to live at a transitional facility in Los Angeles . Despite the positive factors, Schwarzenegger said in the ISPRR his decision was swayed by Sargent's crime being "especially atrocious." He said her "release from prison would pose an unreasonable risk of danger to society at this time." One factor was a statement from the emergency room physician who treated Ilana and said he believed she could have been saved had Sargent contacted authorities immediately instead of waiting more than three hours after the fall. Sargent now admits to abusing Ilana daily over a six-month period that the child lived with her, even though members of the family attempted to intervene. A state parole board recommended release in 2007, which the Amador County District Attorney's Office protested. In his letter, Schwarzenegger said that was another factor that went into his decision. "At age 50 now, after being incarcerated for approximately 26 years, Gina Sargent made some credible gains in prison," Schwarzenegger's letter said. "But given the current record before me, and after carefully considering the same factors the board must consider, I find the gravity of the murder committed, along with previous record of violence by Sargent, presently outweigh the positive factors." Labels: Saturday Guest Post  Friday, November 20, 2009The Stranahan House is the oldest surviving building in Broward County, Florida. Built in 1901, Frank Stranahan was the first settler along the New River. He made the trip to Fort Lauderdale in 1893 due to health reasons. Frank decided to use the site to run his Barge Ferry as part of the new road between Lantana and North Miami. Stranahan was also Forth Lauderdale’s first postmaster as well as a banker and businessman. This trading post for settlers and Seminole Indians soon became a community center and town hall for the area. Frank married Ivy Julia Cromartie, one of the area’s first schoolteacher. The upper floors hosted community festivals and dances until 1906 when it became the Stranahans permanent residence. The house came with modern plumbing, electric wiring, wide porches, running water, interior stairways, and bay windows. Throughout the years, it was remodeled and expanded to represent the original 1913-1915 look. The original furnishings were either sold or given away over the years. Stranahan House has since been restored to its original interior and exterior. Frank Stranahan committed suicide by drowning himself during the Great Depression. His bank failed, leaving him unable to repay the many friends he owed. At the hour of his death, his wife stopped all the clocks in the house as it was a custom in the 1900s. After his death, Ivy lived on the upper floors while renting the first floor to outsiders for use as a restaurant. In 1971, Ivy passed on as well. The restaurant closed eight years later when the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society took over ownership. Today, it operates as a museum owned and managed by Stranahan House Inc. While Stranahan House does not have a bloody history, it still has had numerous paranormal occurrences. Days after the house became a museum, the clock in the parlor began to tick on its own. The ticking originally was stopped after Frank’s death. Burglar alarms have a tendency to go off where no intruders can be found. The mysterious smell of a woman’s perfume often makes its presence known. Some say Frank and Ivy have never left their Fort Lauderdale home. If you speak to them during a visit, they may make an appearance in one of your photos.
Labels: Haunted Locations Thursday, November 19, 2009First of all, I want to apologize for how short this entry is but I only found limited information about this guy. I felt his unusual grave site was worth mentioning here. Something out of a Stephen King novel unusual. Timothy Clark Smith was a world traveler. It was because of his world travels that he requested an unusual grave site. He had a fear of being buried alive. He ended up dieing on Halloween in Middlebury, VT in 1893. He had pre-arranged how he would be buried in a special made grave. His head was positioned under a 6ft cement tube. The tube ends at a 14x14in piece of thick glass. A bell was also placed in his hand. The reason for this is: Smith's face is gazing up through the glass. So that if he was buried alive, he could ring the bell (not that anyone would be able to hear it) and they would be able to see him through the glass. Even if he was buried alive, Smith would probably die from of lack of oxygen before anyone would have able to dig him out. But oh well. I thought this worthy sharing with everyone. To see pics of the gravesite go here: http://www.vermonter.com/evergreen.asp Labels: Haunted Locations Wednesday, November 18, 2009Following such fraternal orders as the Freemasons and Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias was founded during the Civil War. It’s considered the oldest secret male fraternal organization in North America. Its first official meeting took place in Washington D.C. on February 19, 1864. By 1895, there were 269 Knights of Pythias lodges and 21,000 members in Missouri alone. In 1913, the Knights of Pythias built the Pythian Home of Missouri as an orphanage and senior citizens homes for its members and families as well as a meeting place for the order in Springfield. Its exterior was designed to appear like a castle befitting royalty. The building is constructed of “Carthage Stone”, a hard variety of limestone quarried in the Ozarks. A common theory in the paranormal world is limestone stimulates paranormal activity. The original main floor featured a grand foyer, meeting room, ballroom, dining hall, and sitting parlors. Dual staircases leads to the second story dormitory areas for children and adults. The upper floor also contains a theater, used also for Sunday services, with original ticket booth, seats, upper projection, changing rooms backstage and lighting room. The building also contained a full basement used as gymnasium and basketball court by the orphans. A power house, once located behind the main building, housed the boiler and the institutions laundry facilities. The United States Military commandeered the facility in 1942 during World War II. In conjunction with adjacent O’Reilly General Hospital, Pythian Home was renamed The Enlisted Men's Service Club and was used to entertain and rehabilitate injured U.S. soldiers. The facility featured a movie theater, ballroom, bowling alley, pool hall, library, and arts and crafts area. Some of the most famous movie stars, comedians, and entertainers of the era performed in the theater while the ballroom was host to big bands playing for USO dances. German and Italian prisoners-of-war were held in the dungeon areas and helped maintain the grounds and roadways. After the war ended, the military continued to use it as a reserve center until they sold it in 1993 as “surplus”. Now the castle is owned by Tamara Finocchiaro who also resides on the property. With over 90 years of history, some would think it not uncommon to be classified as haunted. Many mysterious noises have been heard throughout the building such as male or female voices, doors shutting or boxes being moved when no one is around. Temperature changes, orbs, voices and ghostly images have all been documented at Pythian Castle. Tamara says her ghostly roommates are for the most part friendly. Pythian Castle has seen it’s share of notoriety especially in the Booth Brothers documentary Children of the Grave. However, Tamara has recently seen her share of problems. The City of Springfield shut down business on November 16, 2007 due to zoning and safety issues. There have been some “conspiracy theories” attempting to explain their actions, but Pythian Castle has been recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hopefully, all problems will resolve and business will resume soon.
Labels: Haunted Locations, TV/Movies/Books Tuesday, November 17, 2009How does a house earn such a name as The Devil House? Perhaps being associated with such people as the KKK is enough to acquire such a name. There once stood a house made from concrete in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It use to be located three miles down a gravel road and ten miles from any sign of civilization. The KKK allegedly owned the property. Considering what they are known for, there’s no telling what all may or may not have taken place in or outside house. The structure has since been torn down but the reports of unexplained activity still continue. When the house was still standing, people reported freezing cold spot even in the middle of Summer. Signs of bonfires have been seen one minute and mysteriously disappear the next. A car has been seen fifteen miles from the demolished remains. They say this car drives insanely fast around the curve at night. Then, disappears in to a nearby wife fence out in to a cornfield. Even stranger, no tire tracks of this alleged phantom car have ever been found.
Labels: Haunted Locations Monday, November 16, 2009Today is Ghost Stories 5th Anniversary! No question this week. Labels: GS Question of the Week Sunday, November 15, 2009When I was a senior in high school, we did this little experiment in English class. Each person on the far left of the room was given a sheet of paper with a few sentences on it. Those people were instructed to whisper the sentences in to the ear of the person sitting to the right of them. Then, that person was to whisper the same words to the person on the right of them. And so on and so on until it reaches the other end of the room. The last person to hear the sentences was told to write down what they hear and then read it aloud when called on. The story the person on the far right heard was much different than the original. If you don’t remember something, you tend to make something up to fill in the blanks. Ghost Stories are unfortunate victims of this. The story of Marvin at the Widows Tavern and Grille in Stockertown may never be proven true. Back in the stagecoach days, Widow’s was a brothel. It was during this time Marvin met his demise. How he died is uncertain. Story goes he was the innkeeper who fell in love with one of the “house ladies”. One version states he was jilted, killed the girl and then himself. Another states he was asked to leave, refused to and killed himself or was murdered. Either way Marvin died and now supposedly haunts Widow’s. During its heyday, the Widows Tavern was known as the Widow Browns. John Nyari and his father owned it a period of time. A white shadow has been seen descending the stairs. Three waitresses working on a Valentine night reported mysterious blood splotches on their uniforms. One employee witnessed a basement door handle turn on its own. A cleaning lady reported seeing an old man in tattered clothes sitting at the bar drinking beer from a stein after hours when all doors were locked. She assumed the manager let him in but after questioning him about the man, she realized who she had seen. Lights go on and off by themselves and doors swing. All believed to be the handiwork of Marvin the ghost.
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