Ghost Stories

Welcome to the 2009 Halloween 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ S. Krishna presents S. Krishna's Books: Bad Girls Don't Die - Katie Alender posted at S. Krishna's Books . Article Patrick Bernauw presents Lady Wonder, or: The Psychic Detective Was a Horse! | Socyberty posted at Socyberty . Patrick Bernauw presents The Island of the Living Dead Dolls posted at The Lost Dutchman . Jennifer Gaines presents My Amityville Moment... posted at Why I believe... . Ghost Stories presents Robert the Doll posted at Ghost Stories . Katie Sorene presents 11 Places to Raise the Dead posted at Travel Blog - Tripbase . Essay Ron presents rons psychic ability story posted

The Fourth Kind is an upcoming science fiction/thriller/horror film directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi starring Mila Jovovich, Will Patton and Elias Koteas. The film is supposedly a documentary reenactment set in Nome, Alaska, dealing with alien abductions. The title was derived from J. Allen Hynek's classification of close encounters with aliens, in which the fourth kind represents an alien abduction. Milla Jovovich plays Dr. Abigail Tyler, the Nome, Alaska, psychiatrist who stumbles upon the 'alien abduction' link between her patients, during clinical hypnotherapy sessions. However, there has been some speculation as to whether or not the "fact" is really nothing but fiction. At the beginning of the movie trailer, it states "Based on actual case studies". But which case studies? The truth is the FBI did investigate the mysterious deaths and disappearances of twenty-four people in Nome, Alaska. The investigation took place between the 1960s and 2004. I

In New Orleans, graveyards makes a perfect back drop for a haunted attraction. However, The Haunted Mortuary is a bit more special than most. This attraction is set up in an actual haunted mansion. The massive three-story building was constructed in 1872 by Mary Slattery. Her intentions was to build a home for generations of her family. Mary and her husband John had six children. Family friends Mr. and Mrs. John Kane also lived with the Slatterys. In October 1905, the house was sold to Mrs. Marie Lafontear and William Klein who maintained it until May 15, 1923. Then, it was purchased on behalf of PJ McMahon in 1928 as the future site of a grand funeral home called PJ McMahon and Sons. In 1959, an ambitious building project was launched adding a specially designed elevator, a rear garage for the discrete delivery of the dead, additional viewing rooms and offices. At its height, the building featured amenities found in only the nicest of mansions such as smoking parlors for the men,

What is your favorite Halloween related urban legend?

A finalist in the Ghost Hunters “Great American Ghost Hunt” contest, will Briarhurst Manor live up to its reputation as one of America’s most haunted locations? Dr. William Bell was born in to a life luxury in 1840. His father was a physician to the Royals and thus provided the education for his son to follow in his footsteps. In 1867, Bell left London for St. Louis to attend lectures on the medical principles of homeopathy. This trip would change his life forever. He fell in love with chaotic “Gateway to the West” and decided to stay in America for awhile. He applied with the Kansas and Pacific Railroad for a survey and mapping expedition only to learn the position of doctor was filled but not photographer. With the purchase of equipment and a crash course in photography, he was hired by the railroad. The expedition led him to form a life-long bond with the leader of the survey General William Palmer. Together they shared a vision of building a corporate empire and business partners

You have 6 days to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival October edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central on October 30th. Pick your best post between September 2nd and October 30th. and submit it. No registration required. Your submissions must be paranormal or Halloween related.

I would like to share some good news with you all. Every quarter, BlogBurst , a RSS-based Blog Syndication Network site, rewards its members whose blogs are on their Top 100 Leaderboard per quarter. I was told today Ghost Stories was #11 on their list for the third quarter! What this means is mine was the 11th highest in headline impressions. That is quite a bit exposure for Ghost Stories. Along with this ranking is a little cash reward. I started this blog for the exposure not the money. The purpose was to share in a subject I'm interested in as well as display my writing abilities. But I have to say it feels good to be paid for my hard work. I know none of this would have been possible without you all. I thank you. Whether you are a loyal reader or first time visitor, thank you so much. I don't think there would've been a better way to celebrate five years of Ghost Stories.

I have to admit. I was going to watch and review the show, but I’m feeling a bit burned out on paranormal TV at the moment. So, I opted for CSI: Miami instead. This won’t be me giving you a thumbs up or down because it wouldn’t be fair. However, I did switch back during commercials and see pieces of Extreme Paranormal. They conducted two investigations. The first was at New Mexico State Penitentiary. This was the site of one of the most horrible prison riots in history. Thirty-three prisoners died from either being hacked to death, burned alive and/or tortured. After this tragedy, the prison closed. The second investigation took place at Bonito Lake. Bonito City use to stand where the lake is now. A murderer named Martin Nelson killed seven people before being gunned down by a posse. The city was eventually abandoned and then it flooded creating Bonito Lake. It’s believed Martin Nelson haunts the lake now. From the little I saw, I think this one may get pulled from the air some poi

What is your explanation for phantom cars/trucks? If some have no drivers then why do they exist? REMINDER: Extreme Paranormal premieres tonight on A&E at 9pm Central/10 Pm Eastern. It seems their motto is much similar to Ghost Adventures: provoke. So far, I'm not impressed.

Has the elusive vampiric "goat sucker" been found? Last week an unusual animal made its first appearance at the Lost World Museum in Phoenix, New York. The stuffed creature is believed to be the mysterious chupacabra. This particular animal was found thousands of miles away in Blanco, Texas in August. The local man who discovered it took the dead beast to taxidermist Jerry Ayer claiming it was none other than the chupacabra. It had been attacking chickens a few days earlier, and met its demise by poison left as bait. A less common description reported by eyewitnesses describes it as a strange breed of wild dog. It's mostly hairless and has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws. This description resembles the beast displayed at the museum. It weighed about 80 lbs and resembled a coyote or dog except the front legs were a few inches longer than most coyotes. The beast's body was mostly hairless other than around the feet and a

You have 14 days to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival October edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central on October 30th. Pick your best post between September 2nd and October 30th. and submit it. No registration required. Your submissions must be paranormal or Halloween related.

Sleepiness definitely clouded my judgment on this one. A show premieres unlike most of the others and I’m thinking, “Okay something different. Might be worth the viewing.” Totally wrong. I don’t watch Ghost Adventures because they are overly aggressive. To me it looks like a bunch of lunatics running around an alleged haunted place. To others it’s entertainment. I think I was willing to give Ghost Lab a chance with the hopes it would get better but it just got worse. It ranks right up there with Ghost Adventures just with fancier equipment. It was like letting a bunch of wrestlers loose at Tombstone but at least they weren’t as narcissistic as a certain someone else who guest starred on a certain other paranormal TV show. Frankly, I’m not wasting my time with this show anymore. In other TV news, previews of the latest installment in the Ghost Hunters franchise has begun to air. When the word got out about a college version of GH, I guess I was expecting something a little like Para

Crater Lake in Southern Oregon is the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world. It was formed of the eruption of Mount Mazama over seven thousand years ago. The blast was believed to be 42 times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. It expelled so much magma that the summit of the mountain collapsed and formed a giant crater. Over time, the caldera sealed itself off and allowed rain and melted snow to fill the crater. Cinder cones was formed due to earlier eruptions. Only one managed to breach the surface of the water. In 1885, a man named Will G. Steele dubbed it Wizard Island because it resembled a wizard’s hat. Native Americans were known to inhabit the area long before it even erupted. They believed it to be a sacred place. Some believed if you looked upon the lake you would die instantaneously. Crater Lake went undiscovered for so long due to local tribes steering away any visitors. They would deny its very existence. There are so many

Would you buy an object if you knew it was made from human skin?

There are more questions than answers in my true story. Before this experience I did not question if there were demons. To put it bluntly I thought demons were made up fictional creatures like the boogieman. My experiences with ghosts for the last twenty five years have been positive and comforting. The few times I have been truly frightened by a ghost I later realized my fear was a misinterpretation of the situation, not a threat. Twenty five years ago back when I was a "babe" it wasn’t unusual for me to draw attention from the opposite sex. Sorry to say with age and time all good things end. My story begins with something every driver dreads, going to the division of motor vehicles office. It was a sunny day in Florida and I was wearing a trendy, vulgar looking outfit that I mistook for good taste. As I entered the building I saw an odd looking man ushering people into a line. My first impression was that he looked like a troll in a fairytale. He was bald on top, had

Last night, after enjoying a double dose of NCIS, I began channel surfing. As I was flipping through the educational block of our channel listing, I came upon the premiere of a new series. It's to the point I groan every time I hear a new paranormal reality series being added to the growing list, but I sat and watched, giving the Discovery Channel's Ghost Lab a chance to wow me. I have to admit maybe....just maybe....Ghost Hunters has some real competition. Every paranormal series has their own charm but when it comes to a skeptical point of view, Ghost Hunters has been the reigning champ despite alleged reports of falsifying evidence. Ghost Lab is a show which follows the investigation skills of Everyday Paranormal . The Klinge Brothers, Brad and Barry, formed their group in 2007. Unlike Jason and Grant, they have taken on paranormal research full time. The actual Ghost Lab is a 24-foot car hauler decked out with the world's most sophisticated equipment including flat scre

What do you think is the best haunted attraction in the United States?

Much like the prisons here, gaols/jails in Canada were built to last and many are still standing. However, those dated back to the 1800s are being shut down for new and improved facilities. Cornwall Jail in Ontario housed its last "official" prisoner in 2002. During the war of 1812, the original courthouse was used as barracks and courts were held in St. John Church and local taverns. Fourteen years, it burned down and another move took place until new plans were drawn up. The new jailhouse was completed in 1834 and saw its share of well known prisoners such as Roger Caron, one of the boxing Hilton Brothers and a few Hell's Angels. Cornwall was meant to only house 50-60 prisoners at a time but known to sometimes contain more than 100. Only three guards were on duty at a time which meant activities such as exercise in the courtyard happen because the inmates could not be controlled. This may or may not have led to some of the suicides in Cornwall. Ten inmates were hung