Ghost Stories

Cemeteries are places most likely to be haunted. Do you think it is ethical for paranormal groups to do investigations in them?

Tomorrow is the last day to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival December edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central. Pick your best post between November 1st and November 30th and submit it. No registration required.

I have received a few inquiries concerning the status of Snowball Mansion. Information had suddenly fallen silent…that is until now. Mike and Nancy Stevens bought the house a few weeks ago. About three years ago, the mansion was involved in a little real estate scam. The Fuhrings who ran the establishment as a bed and breakfast put it on the market for $1.9 million, initially. The expected buyer put down $1 million on the Snowball Mansion and financed the remainder with two loans. She never made a payment on those loans nor moved in. It turned out the buyer was part of a multimillion-dollar real estate fraud scheme, and the house was tied up in an F.B.I investigation. Those involved were arrested and charged. Finally, earlier this year the mansion was returned to the lender and placed on the market. So for three long years it sat vacant, waiting for new life. Vandals broke windows and doors. The copper wiring and air conditioning unit was also taken. Graffiti covered the wal

OLEN B. KITCHENS' UFO SIGHTING: Good Afternoon, I spoke with Debbie on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 regarding an unusual event which I observed the previous Wednesday. At or about 2010, while observing thunderheads east-northeast of highway 95 from my home in downtown Fallon , Nevada . (The weather was mostly cloudy with high winds from the west as a series of thunder cells were moving through the area) I observed what appeared to be a black circle viewed face on, approximately 2 meters in diameter, silhouetted against the horizon at approximately 3 degrees and ten to fifteen miles distant as judged by surrounding terrain. The object had no observable features, but had an unusual quality of darkness which seemed to "avoid light". As I continued to observe, the object made slow progress toward the southwest appearing to move against prevailing winds. As the object approach my viewing area, I noted that the object appeared to be growing in size but demonstrated no change in

I have read and wrote about some of the worst of humanity. The history attached to Jimmy’s Restaurant in Morristown, New Jersey certainly falls in that category. The original building was constructed in 1749 by John Sayre. Generations of his family lived in this house without incident. It has seen its good days including Alexander Hamilton proposing to his beloved Elizabeth in the room later known as the Tap Room. However, the sweet would turn to sour. After about a century of peace, Samuel, his wife Sara and their maid Phoebe were the latest Sayres to inhabit the home in 1833. Samuel hired Antoine Le Blanc, an immigrant sailor from the West Indies, to help around the farm in the house. A simple misunderstand turned to murder. Le Blanc thought he would be supervising a large operation. He spoke very little English, contributing to his mounting frustration. He decided to cut his loses and run away with the money he believed the Sayres were hiding in their home. On May 11, 183

Alexander Campbell was a hotel owner and a liquor distributor. He was said to be an Irishman who made good on his word. Prosecutors suspected that Campbell was the backbone of the murder plot. He proclaimed his innocence throughout his entire trial. Alexander Campbell was falsely accused of killing a local mine boss during a bid by the Irish miners to organize labor unions. In 1877, Campbell was convicted first degree murder in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. He was sentenced to death. When it came time to take him to the gallows where he would be hanged, he struggled to get free long enough to place his hand on the wall and declare it would remain there forever as a reminder of the injustice that took his life. For years, sheriffs in Carbon County have painted the wall numerous times but the hand print ALWAYS reappears. On one occasion the entire wall was replaced but yet again the hand print reappeared in cell #17. Sheriff Charles Neast tried to cover over it thirty years later with green

The Goatman is believed to be the spirit of a man named Oscar Washburn, a black goat farmer. About fifty years after the Alton Bridge was constructed in 1888, he brought his family to North Texas and moved them in to a house nearby. He soon came to be known as a dependable, honest businessman, earning the nickname “Goatman”. Unfortunately, successful black men were still not welcomed in the 1930s. Klansman in the local government became outraged when he displayed a sign on the bridge: “this way to the Goatman”.   One night in August 1938, Klansman turned their headlights off and crossed the Alton Bridge. They burst in to his home and drug the Goatman away from his family to the bridge. Standing him on the side, they fitted a noose over his head and pushed him over. The Klansman peered in to the water to examine their handiwork when panic set in. The rope was still there but the Goatman’s body disappeared. The Klansman rushed back to the house and slaughtered his family. Oscar

Tampa Theatre is the city’s only non-profit theater. Operating costs are mostly covered by its membership program, various corporate sponsors as well as ticket sales. It features a wide variety of independent, foreign and documentary films and has been used as a backdrop for movies, MTV videos and local programming. The theatre was built in 1926 and officially opened on October 15 the same year. John Eberson designed it to reflect Florida Mediterranean including touches of Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Spanish, Mediterranean, Greek Revival, Baroque, and English Tudor and seats 1,446. Inside, audiences are transported to a lavish, romantic Mediterranean courtyard complete with old world statuary, flowers, and gargoyles. Above them is a nighttime sky with twinkling stars and floating clouds. For decades, the Tampa remained a centerpiece in the city’s culture. People were treated like royalty uniformed ushers and attendants, sole kisses in the balcony and followed the weekly newsreels

Do you think Data loggers are an effective tool in paranormal investigations?

You have 9 days to submit to the Ghost Stories Carnival December edition. Your submission must be in by 11 pm Central. Pick your best post between November 1st and 30th and submit it. No registration required.

It seems a little battle has been brewing in Cambridge, United Kingdom between a Catholic Church and a self appointed “King of all Witches”. Magus Lynius Shadee owns occult shops in France and Normandy. His next branch is to be located in Cambridge, supposedly opening on December 24th. Church leaders fear he may prey on the vulnerable or the distressed. While they aren’t believes, a concern rose in the possibility of Shadee using manipulation of people’s fears which may result in mental problems. Shadee has yet to reveal the location of his shop other than it will be in the city centre. The shop and "surgery" will be open to the public and will offer exorcisms, physical research, paranormal phenomena, direct voice communication, manifestation of "ghosts" and witchcraft. He has offered to prove his abilities to anyone interested. However, it seems he has already begun the demonstrations without any inquiries. On a visit to the city, he claims to have performed an

Part 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 li

The 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

First 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

Following 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 child

How 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

Today is Ghost Stories 5th Anniversary! No question this week.

When 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

Part I Equipment used during this investigation: K2 Readers, EMF Readers, temperature gauges, digital audio recorders, digital video cameras, pendulum, dowsing rods. Tammy picked up on three EVPs inside the home. Questions asked: “Can we help you?” “Are you here?” “Do you like it here?” A male’s voice all three times answers “yes”. Cold spot located in the garage via a temperature gauge. Kathy feels her right arm pinched and later raked by fingernails. Robert feels a slight brush against the hairs of his arm. Tammy sees a flash of light around Renee’s legs while they sit in the living room. We conducted a total of 2 investigative sessions that lasted two hours, with Yana and Donna Jackson falling into the role of lead investigators. We analyzed all collected evidence in front of Devon the occupant and the news crews. We ended the investigation with a séance using Donna Jackson’s spirit box. Spirit Box/Séance Results: Spirit Box says my name. It also says Devon ’s name as cl

What elements does a road need to be labeled genuinely creepy? Isolated area? Thick forest on both sides? A dark history? Clinton Road in West Milford, New Jersey certainly would qualify. This ten mile stretch of curves and dips makes you feel like you’re millions of miles from civilization. Clinton Road along with the reservoir and brook received its name from the settlement Clinton, once located where it crosses the brook. The KKK and Satanists have all been known to worship in places near it. The woods next to Clinton Road was also the site of serial killer dumping ground. Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski was a mob hitman who claimed to have murdered over hundreds of people but the one found near Clinton Road led to his 1986 arrest. The legends attached to the road attracts and terrifies all those who attempt to drive on it. In 1905, a writer warned travelers to avoid the road due to reports of banditry and witchcraft. This was one of the earlier reports but certainly not th

For those of you who think you've never been or even seen Ohio State Prison, you may have and didn't even know it. It was used as the setting for the movie Shawshank Redemption. It's even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. 154,000 inmates passed through it's gates during the entire 94 years that it was a working prison. Some never left. There are 215 numbered marked grave sites of prisoners who died from disease, influenza, tuberculosis, and others from violence. The worst occurred in a lonely place, deep in the prison ground known as solitary by some but by everyone else it was called the hole. Near total isolation could crack the toughest cons. One inmate hung himself, another set himself on fire, once two men were left too long in a tomb like cell and only one walked out, leaving his cellmate's body behind stuffed underneath a bunk. The bloodiest incident that occurred at the prison happened outside it's walls in July 1948. The Reformatory's

The Delta Queen is an American sternwheel steamboat turned U.S. National Historic Landmark. It is 285 feet long, 58 feet wide, and draws 11.5 feet. The boat weighs 1,650 tons, with a capacity of 176 passengers. Its cross-compounded steam engines generate 2,000 indicated horsepower powering a stern-mounted paddlewheel. The hull, first two decks and steam engines were ordered in 1924. The Delta Queen and her sister boat Delta King were shipped in pieces to Stockton, California two years later. There the California Transportation Company assembled the two vessels for regular service between San Francisco and Sacramento, and excursions to Stockton, on the San Joaquin River. At the time, they were the most lavish and expensive sternwheel passenger boats ever made. However, they were decommissioned after a highway was built connecting Sacramento and San Francisco in 1940. Then, they were purchased by Isbrandtsen Steamship Lines for service out of New Orleans. During World War II, the

Ghostly Thirteen was inspired by the Thursday Thirteen meme. You list thirteen paranormal-related things for example your top 13 posts (if you have a paranormal blog), mythical creatures, gods, haunted houses, etc... My Theme – Haunted Roads Worldwide 1. Tuen Mun Road – road in Hong Kong. It has seen its fair share of accidents some due to ghosts popping up out of nowhere causing drivers to lose control of their cars. Legends go back hundreds of years. 2. Bloodspoint Road – there are several intersecting roads in Boone County, Illinois including Wheeler, Flora Church, Pearl, Poole, Sweeney, Cherry Valley, Stone Quarry, Fairdale, Irene and, of course, Bloodspoint. These roads have seen murders, suicide, a rape, hangings, a train derailing, children who died as a result of a bus going off a bridge and stories of witch. There are even stories of a phantom farmhouse where hangings allegedly took place, a black phantom truck and demonic dog. 3. Kelly Road – there is a one-mile sec

Do you think Michael Jackson is haunting Neverland Ranch?

What can be more frustrating than having a rowdy spirit in your business establishment? How about one giving away drinks for free? An UK pub called Apsley House in Southsea, Hampshire is precisely having that problem. The pub was once a Victorian girls school. Then, later, used as offices by the city council. The building was then turned in to a pub in the 1960s. The resident poltergeist was nicknamed “Reedy” after the legendary actor and drinker Oliver Reed. Janice and Patrick McCormack took ownership of the pub a decade ago but the free refills problem didn’t begin until the beginning of this year. Whenever a customer visits the restroom or puts their drink down for a second, they turn to find an extra inch of beer. The owners are happy their little bar is attracting new customers. Not so much that its people hoping to get the free beer. Even more so because it is costing them money. Their frustrations have pushed them to hold a séance and attempt to exorcise the ghost from Apsle

This investigation story was sent in by Haunted and Paranormal Investigations International Paul Dale Roberts General Manager/Ghostwriter/Fortean Investigator. Since it is of great length, I was forced to break it up in to four parts. Return every Saturday for another installment. "Supernatural Reality: A Look at Garage Man of Marysville. By Paul Dale Roberts, HPI General Manager/Ghostwriter/Fortean Investigator Date: July 10, 2009 Friday. Time: 1900 Hours. I didn’t realize so many things were going to happen on this Marysville case, but it did. But before I get into this story, watch "2012 The Real Truth" by Shannon McCabe & Paul Dale Roberts. A behind the scenes documentary of the Penn & Teller "Bull****" Show. "The Apocalypse" is airing on Penn & Teller's "Bull****"- Showtime Television July 16th, 2009, now see the videos at this link:  http://www.ShannonMcCabe.com Let’s get a roll call. Present on this case are H

Stone Balls have been discovered all over the world. The ones located in Costa Rica are the subject of many books and some of the authors misrepresented themselves as the ones who discovered them. However, they were actually found in 1940 during agricultural activities by the United Fruit Company. They were clearing land Diquis Delta to be used for banana plantations. An archaeological investigation was underway shortly afterward along with the first scholarly publication about them appearing in 1943. Hundreds of these balls have been documented all over the country of Costa Rica. Although some have been destroyed, dynamited by treasure hunters or cracked and broken by agricultural activities. Only six are believed to be in their original locations. They range from a few centimeters to over two meters in diameter. Almost all of them are made of granodiorite, a hard, volcanic stone, possibly taken from a Talamanca mountain range about 50 miles from their location. Unlike the stone bal

I'm sure some of you have even heard of Bunnyman Bridge from the show "Scariest Places on Earth." It is located in Fairfax, Virginia on Colchester Road. Now there are various stories about the Bunnyman but most conclude that he loved bunnies, of course, and also children. Some say he was a lunatic that escaped from a nearby asylum and nourished himself mainly on rabbits, leaving their dead carcasses to be found. Others say that he always dressed up as a rabbit when he killed his victims always with an axe and left them hanging near the bridge. The most common story that I have found is this: In 1904, there was an insane asylum near a small town in Virginia. The townspeople didn't like it so close to them so they took a vote and decided to move the asylum somewhere else. While transporting the occupants, the bus broke down near the bridge and they all escape. They were all found and captured except for one. All the police found were dead rabbits which they concluded

In Maysville, Kentucky, a four-story brick building stands tall on Market Street. Its charm still shines in remembrance of the lives it help saved and the ones who were lost. A set of steep steps lead up to the structure. Three Greek columns still stand on the front of the building between floors two and three. Marble once placed at the top of the columns are missing along with some windows. A fence guards the past but this building is not the original hospital. In the 1800s, the Wilson family and friends built a medical facility known as the Wilson Infirmary. This facility was run by May Pearl Wilson until her death in 1908. The hospital was demolished to make room for the new and improve. Hayswood Seminary was constructed in 1915. Eight years later the name officially changed to Hayswood Hospital to reflect a full service facility. Two additions were added on in 1925 and 1971. There eighty-seven beds to accommodate the needs of a small community. However, it didn’t meet the nee

Does a human-goat hybrid really exist? According to legend, the Pope Lick Monster resides beneath a Norfolk Southern Railway trestle over Pope Lick Creek in Louisville, Kentucky. It has been described as having powerful fur-covered goat legs, an alabaster-skinned face with an aquiline nose and wide set eyes, short sharp horns protruding from its head and long greasy hair the same color as the fur on its legs. Sights of this creature began in the 1940s and 50s. There are several theories on the origins of this creature and how it claims its victims. Some believe it uses hypnosis or voice mimicry using the panicked cries of a loved one to lure trespassers on to the trestle as an oncoming train sends them to their deaths. Others claim it jumps down from the trestle on to passing cars. It attacks with a blood stained rusty axe or the very sight of it sends people flying off the trestle, committing suicide. However, the monster prefers to terrorize people by pelting them with stones and/o

What are your thoughts on the Parallel Universe Theory?

In Edmonton, Saxony opened its doors in 1966 displaying its fashionable Spanish style to welcomed guests. But like so many businesses, its grandeur began to crumble and the ownership transfer began. In the 1980s, the inn converted in to a strip club. Then, later, stripping was traded in for bingo. On December 21, 1990, a 46-year-old masseuse named Lorraine Wray was found in the bathroom of her massage studio (situated in a strip mall next to the inn) strangled to death. Now, the Saxony has returned to its inn roots operating as a Howard Johnson Hotel. Staff members have had problems with guests of the ghostly nature. One in particular has presented himself as the resident trickster. Lights have been known to flicker, footsteps heard in the empty stairwell, and knocks on doors have all been attributed to a spirit named Bob. TVs, microwaves and toasters also sporadically become unplugged. Does Bob have company? The scent of rose perfume has been smelled in the former Saxony. Spend th