Ghost Stories

During her lifetime, Amelia Earhart achieved such records as “First person to fly Atlantic twice” and “First woman to fly non-stop, coast to coast across the US”. In 1937, along with Fred Noonan, made an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe which ended in tragedy. Earhart disappeared somewhere near Howland Island. Her and Noonan’s disappearance has led to one of America’s biggest mysteries. Many theories have emerged concerning their fate. Some believed, and a movie further fueled this myth, Earhart was acquired by Franklin Roosevelt to spy on the Japanese. However, lack of evidence has dismissed this one. One hypothesis stated Earhart survived the world flight, moved to New Jersey and changed her named. Irene Bolam was claimed to be Earhart based on research by Major Joseph Gervais. This research was turned in to a book by Joe Klaas, but after a lawsuit filed by Bolam, the book was pulled from the market. A thorough background check on Bolam eliminated any possib

Do you think a house could be built for the soul purpose of cursing it and any one who lives in it?

If you’re a resident of Kemnay, you may have heard of the legend of Maggie Duffton. She once owned the Burnett Arms Hotel, a quaint hotel dating back to the 1800s. Maggie died in 1931. Her wishes was to have three coffins made. One was to be buried in a family grave in the Kemnay Cemetery. The other two, one containing her body and the other her money, was to be walled up in a vault in the hotel cellar. Seventy-eight years later, Malcolm Edwards, current hotel boss, is determined to prove the legend’s validity once and for all. Along with local stonemason Karl Bisset, the plan is to open up a solid cellar wall. A probe camera was pushed through a tiny wall to reveal a framed photograph and box. The demolition date was set for July 11th. Villagers were even invited to watch the unveiling on a large screen in the bar above. I could not find any word of what happened. Maybe there was nothing to tell. Even though Edwards doesn’t believe in ghosts, he says there is an unknown presence i

Today’s solar eclipse has many afraid of what it may bring. Will an evil force attack the world? Will a birth on this day cause defects for the infant? Will food become contaminated? We now have science to ease our fears…at least for those who choose to believe in it. Science or no science, people from all over the world still give power to the superstitions passed from one generation to another from so long ago. What did those before us believe solar eclipses were or how they effected their world? The Chinese have ancient eclipse records dating over 4,000 years old. They believed dragons devoured the sun. Ancient Chinese astronomers recorded solar eclipses in chronicles and on “oracle” bones made from animal bones and tortoise shells. These bones were most likely used divination but the records were incomplete and the dating of the bone was unreliable. A tradition in ancient China was to bang drums and pots to make loud noise to frighten the dragon away. The Incas also tried to fr

Would you buy a house/business knowing someone is buried on the property in a cemetery or otherwise?

Nadya Suleman a.k.a. Octomom burst in to the spotlight with news of her octuplets, a birth so rare there is only one other documented case of a full set born alive. These eight babies are an addition to the six other children she has also through in-vitro fertilization. Since the news broke, Nadya’s every move and decision has been scrutinized by the public. One of her latest claims have been rather…paranormal. The house in which her father bought for her with donated funds may have already had a resident inhabiting it. Nadya claims there is a new child living in her home, of the ghost variety. She says she has heard a child whispering “Mommy” on occasions. States one of her friends has been touched by this entity. Felt someone pull on her leg. Supposedly, there is one room, the nannies room, that remains cold the majority of the time. One of her nannies have heard noises and saw a child run in to an upstairs bedroom. Upon inspection, the room was empty. To be honest, if it were an

If a gateway to Hell existed, where would it be located? What or who would guard it? Legend states Houska Castle in the Czech Republic was that place. Built by Ottokar II of Bohemia during his reign (1253-1278), it sits surrounded by sandstone mountains where there was no source of water, protection or land view and away from trade paths. It’s defense mechanism was turned to the inside. No stairs led to the first floor. Many windows seen from the outside have no rooms behind them. It remained in the hands of the aristocracy until 1924. It was turned from a Gothic castle into a Renaissance chateau in the 16th Century. During WWII, Nazis took over the castle and made it their headquarters until the end of the war. The chapel was built over a hole or bottomless well. This well was believed to be the gateway to Hell. Locals wanted to fill it with stones to keep the evil spirits at bay but was unsuccessful. They were forced to cover it with stone plates and build the chapel. Its walls r

Gaither Plantation was once a cotton plantation ran by Cecilia and William Hubert Gaither in the 1850s. The property extended several thousand acres but now consists of only a few hundred, including the original home, several outbuildings and a relocated historic church built in 1822. Cecilia and W. H. had several children. W.H. died in 1890 after the house was deeded to Cecilia. Their daughter Clara died at the age of 9. Her and her father are both buried in a family cemetery on the grounds. Cecilia was forced to sell the plantation in 1921 when she was unable to pay the $28 in taxes she owed. During the Civil War, it’s rumored that Cecilia hid Confederate soldiers at the plantation up a secret stairway so the Yankees wouldn't burn her house. Thankfully, they didn't discover the soldiers, but did take some livestock she had hidden away. Several spirits are said to roam the property. A female is often seen. Sensitives state her name to be “Ceely”. One paranormal group disco

Do you think the giant Palouse earthworm in Idaho will ever be found?

It seems the latest paranormal TV trend is targeting the younger demographic. The latest show is The Othersiders on the Cartoon Network. It’s formatted similar to Ghost Hunters with teenagers. Their latest investigation took place at the Morey Mansion. Morey Mansion was built by David and Sarah Morey in 1890. The house was financed from the profits of Sarah’s citrus tree nursery. Being a former ship builder, David put his carpentry skills to use, constructing many of the mansion Victorian features. Over the years, the mansion fluctuated between being a private residence to it’s current status as a bed and breakfast. There are several apparitions that have been spotted here including a young girl, a former caretaker and a young boy. The Othersiders investigation ended with a possible orb, a thermal hotspot on a portion of a railing and mirror, and the initials “S.M.” appearing on a mirror. They concluded with a majority vote that the Morey Mansion is haunted. I find this a Catch-22

What could possibly scare a big bad baseball player? Ghosts. Whenever the Minnesota Twins play in Milwaukee, they stay in the Pfister Hotel. They weren’t prepared for what the hotel had to offer. Matter of fact, on a previous stay, bizarre events had Outfielder Carlos Gomez dashing to the lobby minus pants and shoes. What is it about the Pfister Hotel that has them shaking in their cleats? Guido Pfister and his son Charles opened the Pfister Hotel on May 1, 1893 as a “Grand Hotel of the West”. Costing over $1 million, it contained such features a fireproofing, electricity throughout the hotel and thermostats in every room. Over the years, the hotel’s overall condition slightly deteriorated until 1962. Ben Morgan purchased the Pfister vowing to restore it to its former beauty. Such renovations were indeed completed including a new 23-story guest room tower and an extensive art collection. The one spirit most often seen at The Pfister is Charles Pfister himself. He is spotted surveyi

Welcome to the July 2009 edition of Ghost Stories Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to gather articles about the paranormal from around the blog-o-sphere. If you would like to submit an article for the next Ghost Stories Carnival, please read the guidelines . So, without further ado, sit back and start clicking away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Kuna presents INTO the LIMBO posted at What a madhouse! - or the mental hospital in one post communist country . Ghost Stories presents Linda Heights Hospital posted at Ghost Stories . floslib presents Ethics of Magic (And Some Possible Side Effects) posted at Spirited Script . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This concludes the July 2009 edition of the Ghost Stories Carnival. THANK YOU for submitting your links! If you would like to see your work showcased in the August 2009 edition, please submit your links here . If you submitted your link and don’t see it here, that probably means I received

What do you think the Beast of Bray Road is?

People all over the world hang lights and ornaments on their tree every Christmas. But who do you think Christmas balls have to thank for their origins? According to an ancient tale, Christmas ornament balls are descendents from the witch ball. These ornaments were placed on the tree to dispel a visitor’s envy at the presents underneath it. What exactly are witch balls? They are made from glass (sometimes wood, grass or twigs), five to seven inches in diameter. Traditionally but not limited to, green or blue in color with enameled swirls or brilliant stripes. A string ran through the center of some. Others were placed on velvet pillows or on top of stands. Today, many people have a silver “gazing ball” in their gardens. Witch balls date back to a time where witches were considered a blessing. They would enchant these balls to ward off evil. How this was accomplished depends on the tale you hear. Some say the bright colors of the ball would lure the evil presence in and the strand i

There are many theories concerning crop circles. Some think aliens are responsible. Others believe most are human made. However, crop circles in Tasmania, Australia are supposedly the product of stoned wallabies. You read that correctly. Stoned wallabies. Australia supplies around 50% of the world’s legally-grown opium used for morphine and other painkillers. One pest they are concerned with are wallabies eating the opium poppies. The attorney general for the island state the wallabies get high off the poppies and make crop circles. Other animals such as sheep and cows have reported displaying the same behavior after eating poppies. Honestly, I don’t think I could make this up. A lot of things have been blamed for crop circles but animals high on opium is a new one for me. I did an extensive internet search for photos of their handiwork but found none. Crop circles are known to have elaborate designs. I don’t think stoned wallabies are capable of being in the same league. So, I don’t s