Ghost Stories

What do you think the Lake Worth muck monster is?

Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio has its share of ghost stories. One tells of an adventurous man who fell in love with a windy, steep-sided hollow. In the 1790s, William Conkle traveled the lands in the spirit of exploration. He traded with Shawnee and Wyandot Indians. He witnessed animals such as bears, elk, bison and bobcats. When he came upon that wondrous hollow in Hocking Hills, he carved his name and the year, 1797, in to stone for future travelers. It's unclear how he died but it's believed he roams that gorge, keeping a watchful eye over his treasure. And he has company. After his death, life molded in to a much harsher nature. The population among the wilderness grew. Native Americans found the situation cramped. While paddling down the Ohio River to their new home, a group of three Shawnee raided settlers, stealing silver and other treasures. In the spirit of thievery, a posses of settlers followed the natives in hopes of taking what they had stolen. The natives wer

Tomorrow is the last day to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival June edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central. Pick your best post between August 4th and August 31st and submit it. No registration required.

When a child is born, most often their parents are imagining all the possible things they could grow up to be. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Mudgett didn't have serial killer on that list for their baby boy Herman. Born on May 16, 1860, Herman Mudgett a.k.a Dr. Henry Howard Holmes grew up to be America's most deadliest serial killer. It's believed the body count mounted in to the hundreds but only twenty-seven were confirmed. How does a person kill hundreds of people without drawing unwanted attention? Mix a big city with a large fair and you have the perfect disguise. In 1889, Holmes arrived in Chicago taking up residence in what is now know as the Englewood neighborhood. He began working for Dr. and Mrs. Holden as a pharmacist. His charming demeanor masked the divorces, frauds and indiscretions performed during medical school, leading the couple to believe they had the perfect assistant. When Dr. Holden succumbed to cancer, Mrs. Holden mysteriously disappeared. Holmes expla

Jesse James along with his brother Frank was considered a notorious outlaw in the late 1800s. His criminals ways have long since ended but could his spirit still be with us? Some believe so, specifically in the St. James Hotel. In 1837, an antebellum riverfront building erected and was called the Brantly Hotel, as it was known at the time, in Selma, Alabama. For 160 years, it was THE place for businessmen, plantation owner, soldiers, etc. During the Civil War, the Union Army, who took up residence at the hotel, kept it from burning along with the rest of Selma. After the war, Benjamin S. Tower, the first African-American Congressman, owned the property and rented out the rooms on a long-term basis. It was during this time the James Brothers made the Brantly Hotel their headquarters for a while, staying in Room 301. In 1892, the hotel ran in to financial difficulties and was forced to shut down. For over a century, the building laid dormant before going through a $6 million restoratio

Which do you think investigates the subject best? Destination Truth or MonsterQuest? Why?

Built in 1828, John Pray constructed a house to serve as a trading post, tavern and hostel located in Waterville, OH. It became the centerpiece of the village. The place where locals and travelers alike escaped from the harsh Summers and Winters. Constructed from black walnut beams, it quickly transformed in to a third-story structure containing a prison cell (for transit prisoners), a dressmaker's shop and doctor. Like many historic buildings, this one switched hands many times over the years, becoming a restaurant between 1943 and 1993. Despite its grandeur, many townsfolk lobbied for its destruction, believing evil lurked within. It was this evil that lured the house's most famous guest, Henry Ford in 1927, to host his Halloween party there. Legends ooze out of its ever orifice. One tale describes a sheepherder who in the 1840s checked in to the Columbian House for the night and vanished. It wasn't until 30 years later the truth was revealed. On his deathbed, a farmer

You have 9 days to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival September edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central. Pick your best post between August 4th and August 31st. and submit it. No registration required. Your submissions must be paranormal related.

Ghost Hunters are back with the remaining episodes of season five. One Wednesday, they battled against an alleged spirit demon poser and was puzzled by a figure that appeared to be imprinted on the thermal imagining camera. What will they find next week at the infamous Samuel Mudd House? Dr. Samuel Mudd was born on December 20, 1833 in Charles County, Maryland. He was the fourth of ten children of Sarah and Henry Mudd. He married his childhood sweetheart Sarah Frances Dyer in 1857, a year after graduation from medical school and had nine kids. As a wedding present, his father gave him 218 acres of farmland known as St. Catherine's. While he built his medical reputation, he grew tobacco and owned slaves, five in total, like his father. However, it was a chance encounter which pushed him in to the spotlight. Dr. Mudd was a Southern supporter. Therefore, was against freeing slaves. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery and left a lot of farmers short hand

This location is not to be confused with McPike Mansion. Located on Belvin St. in San Marcos, Texas, Pike House started out as part of The Cornwell Institute, a Methodist school, in 1903. The school closed sometime time later and became Old Soldier and Sailors Memorial Hospital. When a new hospital opened down the road in 1956, the house converted in to a dormitory for the San Marcos Baptist Academy. It received it's now famous name when it was acquired by Pi Kappa Alpha in 1968 and turned in to a fraternity house for 40 years. In 1998, it was bought by developer Terry Gilmore with the intentions of being converted in to a private residence. Unfortunately, Pike House will never serve a purpose anymore. In 2007, Nicholas Ryan (25) and a 15-year-old male for undisclosed reasons committed an act of arson, burning the house to ruins. What was left of Pike house was later demolished. Where a grand mansion once stood now occupies an empty lot. This one act may add to the other legends wh

On a scale of 1 to 10, one being "not in a million years" and ten being "I'm totally for it", how willing are you to test an urban legend?

In Hawaii, a band of apparition warriors who move to the beat of a primitive drum. They are known as the Night Marchers or Hukai-po. Many stories are relayed about the Kukai-po. Some believe they are warriors marching to or from battles. Others speak of a high-ranking alii (rulers) spirits guided to new important locations or welcoming new warriors in to battle. Maybe they are only searching for a way in to the next world. No one knows for sure. They roam during the night between seashore and mountains on certain nights designated by the moon. They have been known to march during the day if they are accompanying a dying relative to the spirit world. They are recognized by their raised torches and repetitions of olis or chants. Night Marchers are reported to float a few inches off the ground but manage to leave footprints in their paths. Other characteristics are heavy winds, game playing or revelry, mist or fog, and accompanying heavy rain or high surf. Some alleged marching sites in

The cafe proper, bar/restaurant, sits on the first floor of the three-floor wooden frame building and is one of the oldest food and drinking establishments in New York. The Bridge Cafe was named for its location, under the Brooklyn Bridge. The building was erected in 1794. It began as a porter house in 1847 before turning in to a tavern. In the 19th Century, like many places on the same street, the third story housed a brothel. Today, the rooms are used for storage. A former owner was a mariner and once attracted river pirates. It’s most famous employee and ghost is that of Gallus Mag. She worked as a bouncer in tavern. An Englishwoman standing at more than six feet tall, she had no problem tossing out rowdy drunks from the establishment. She was known for dragging them by the ear with her teeth and on occasion, depending on her mood, would bite off the ear, saving them in a jar. Mike Tyson would be proud. Activity known for this cafe are moving shadows, footsteps from an above fl

Do you think having a well-known haunted building in your town is beneficial or a nuisance?

You have 22 days to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival September edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central. Pick your best post between August 5th and August 31st and submit it. No registration required. Your submissions must be paranormal related.

The Stronsay Beast was first spotted on September 25, 1808 by a fisherman named John Peace lying on the rocks southeast of Stronsay Island in Scotland. He and another man named George Sherar directed their boat towards it for a better look. Unfortunately, it’s position was inaccessible and couldn’t be examined further until ten days later when it washed ashore. This animal could not be identified and believed to be a new species, possibly a sea serpent. It was described as being 55 ft in length (though some dismissed this measurement), 4ft wide and a circumference of about 10 ft. It was initially measured by a carpenter and two farmers. It had a head like a sheep. Skin grey and rough to touch except when if stroked from head down to the back. It possessed six “limbs” and a bristly mane of hair from the shoulders down to its tail which may or may not have glowed in the dark. Drawings of the beast depict it similar in appearance to that of a Plesiosaur. The Natural History Society in E

I think of all the places I have read and/or researched about none made me wonder why someone would name an inn after a body part. In this case, I’m sure I’m not the only one. However, anyone who thinks the Ear Inn was named after a person’s ear would be wrong. It was actually named after a magazine, but lets start at the beginning. The Ear Inn started out as a home for James Brown (no, not the singer). James Brown was a black man who assisted George Washington during the American Revolution and possibly was pictured in the Cass Gilbert painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River. After the war was over, he settled in New York and became successful in the tobacco trade. He later moved to Greenwich and built a Federal townhouse in 1817. Today, it’s one of the few Federal townhouses left in NY. During the 19th Century, Thomas Cooke brewed beer and sold crocks of corn, whiskey to sailors. It became a speakeasy during Prohibition. It’s also been a boarding house, smuggler

Which tool do you think is the most useful during a paranormal investigation?

I know my posting has been sporadic as of late. In the middle of download hell. I have the research done for next week's line up. So, that will put me back on schedule. There will be no Ghost Stories Carnival for August because of lack of submissions. September's carnival will be posted on the 1st. Submissions must be in by Aug. 31st. Check the left sidebar for guidelines and submission link.