Ghost Stories

Last year, Sean Robinson shared a story about a haunted painting called "The Anguished Man" . Below is an update on paranormal activity surrounding the object. Thanks Sean! I thought you might be interested in the latest Anguished Man news. I have recently temporarily moved in with my parents and obviously took the painting with me. It was only in the house for a few days when the noises started, the same noises I had previously experienced. Then on the third night my father fell down the stairs, the same as my son did at the other house. Thankfully he was unhurt but I have now moved the painting back into storage. I have been working closely with John Blackburn and Ian Lawman for the Mysteria Paranormal group. Taking the painting to some of the allegedly most haunted locations in the UK, including 35 Stonegate at York and Chillingham Castle in Northumberland. It was on the evening of 18th May 2013 at Chillingham Castle that a group of people experienced events that were

In 2004, I didn't expect a simple interest in researching the paranormal would turn in to a 9 year project. It started with the Bunnyman . Then, expanded with stories from across the world. Although my writing has taken my time away from here more than I like, I hope to continue this for as long as possible.  A special thanks goes out to all of you. Without your support and spooky stories, Ghost Stories would have closed up shop a long time ago. You all are the best!!!

Kidnapping. Murder. Loss. Suffering. Yellow Fever. Suicide. Possession. Exorcisms. Seance. Parapsychologists. Poltergeist. Demonologist. All words associated with one Savannah home, the Hampton-Lillibridge. Over 50 years ago, before ghost tours or real tourism in Savannah, Jim Williams — one of Savannah’s preservation visionaries and the main character in the “non-fiction novel” Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil — “rescued” a home that some believe might have been better off being allowed to die. Beautiful and austere-looking today, and arguably on Savannah’s nicest colonial-era street, the home became the wellspring of all things haunted lore and ghost economy in Savannah. Some say it’s haunted by its past as a hospital during an epidemic in 1820, the family found dead in the home, believed to be poisoned by their slaves. Or perhaps later when a German sailor set himself on fire in the upper floor where so much poltergeist activity has been experienced. Others have offered the

Opera House Fire Leaves Ghosts Behind? Men, women and children crowded into the third floor of the Weyant Opera House on a brisk spring evening on May 17, 1886. The local Westerville residents were excited to see the traveling theatrical performance of “ Uncle Tom’s Cabin .”  The play had been a national sensation since P.T. Barnum staged it in 1853 in New York City. The church-going folks of the town were not in the same frame of mind about theatrical performances.  They considered them sinful and warned of dire consequences for those in attendance. That warning came true on that cool evening. A four-foot stage sat along the western wall of the opera house’s large top floor.  Theatre goers ascended a long set of stairs and entered through a narrow doorway in the rear of the room. Coal-fired oil lamps lit the stage to the delight of the children who lined the front row.   The buzz in the room was audible.   Traveling actors who performed world-renowned plays rare

St. Augustine’s Paranormal Places: What’s Locked Up in the Old Jail? The Old Jail in St. Augustine, Florida is listed on the Florida and National Register of Haunted Places. The Old Jail’s paranormal past has been featured on The Today Show, the Syfy Channel and the Travel Channel. These supernatural occurrences include loud banging noises, light orbs, sudden chills and even sightings of moving shadows and apparitions. The history of the jail is sordid and scary, so many tourists and locals flock to the site to experience the haunted tales firsthand. Henry Flagler, a key industrialist in Florida, built the structure in 1891. The same construction company would later go on to build the infamous Alcatraz prison. During its time as a jail, conditions for prisoners were notoriously inhumane, with poor diets and sanitation. The maximum security area housed the most dangerous criminals, and a total of 8 men were hung from the jail’s gallows. All of the violence and death led to many a

In 1877, the original house was built in Reading, Pennsylvania. Charles W. Hendel, a financier and owner of the Charles W. Hendel hat manufacturing company, enlarged the Victorian mansion. He hired the  Muhlenburg Brothers Architects of Reading to turn the structure in to a spacious Queen Anne style family home, popular during that time period. Adelaide K. Hendel was the last of the Hendel family to live in the house. It was transformed in to a Lutheran church from 1949 to 1999. In 2000, a Marjorie Hendel-Perject "donated" the house to the Historical Society of Berks County in an effort to preserve the structure in honor of her grandfather Charles Hendel. It has since been used as office space, meetings, a space for events and storage. Hendel House is also believed to be haunted. A male spirit known as "Mr. Whitman" has been seen throughout the home and he may not be alone. Witnesses have also encountered a little girl and various other entities.  You have a c

Graphic by Destination America Has Destination America found its hit paranormal series with Mountain Monsters? An order for a second season says possibly. A group of hardcore hunters and trappers called The Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings (AIMS) based out of West Virginia use their expertise in attempt to catch elusive supernatural beasts. Will they be successful where others have failed? Unlikely, but viewers will tune in to watch them try. When I first switched Mountain Monsters on, m initial reaction was "Oh, no. Not another Deep South Paranormal disaster". I was surprised to find it wasn't a total waste of time. They talk to witnesses, view evidence, use a combination of cameras, homemade traps and years of hunting/trapping knowledge to track their supernatural prey. White it's not completely terrible, Mountain Monsters isn't going to revolutionize the paranormal world. Allegations of fabrications have already began to make the

Earlier today, Lemon Press Publishing released crime novelist Mitchell Nevin's latest novel that touches on matters of law and justice, psychic phenomena, criminal investigations, and personal redemption. In Psychic Reprieve: Deception & Reality, a handful of colorful characters -- a well-liked college baseball prankster, a disgraced Chicago police sergeant, and a folksy Twin Cities identify thief -- devise a plan to market a member of the trio's clairvoyant abilities. During this venture, the lines between deception and reality blur as the motivation for monetary gain clashes with conscience and personal responsibility. Purported psychics use their talents to provide a service and earn an income. In this particular line of work, scammers abound like thieves in the night. To realists, a psychic reading is a pricey form of entertainment. To those in search of inner peace, however, the hopes of bringing a loved one's killer to justice or communicating with a relativ

From the personal blog ( http://www.jeannicolerivers.com ) of JeanNicole Rivers: Recently, I visited my hometown of Centralia, IL. While visiting gravesites of relatives with my grandma Bunny and great grandma Joyce I got to meet Harriet. Annie Marshall. Annie was the daughter of the town doctor; she died in 1890 at the age of 11. Her mother and father were so crushed by her death that they memorialized her with a grand tombstone featuring a life-sized sculpture of Annie holding her beloved violin. As we cruised through the cemetery on the rocky paths my grandma pointed Annie out and told a haunting tale. “Every evening just as the sun sinks below the horizon leaving Centralia in the dusty shadows of twilight H. Annie Marshall begins to play her violin for exactly one hour in order to soothe the souls of the dead and the damned, keeping them from raging up out of their rotted coffins in the night and taking to the narrow streets of the time-forgotten town. Before her death, A

My name is Andrew Mahaney and this is a real haunting story. In Colonial Beach, VA in a moderate sized two-story row house, within a small very old beach community on the Potomac River, my wife and I bought this house that had been on the market for many years. As a newly married couple we bought the 60 year old house and immediately started to fix it up, adding new flooring, and a kitchen. From the moment of this buy and change everything went down-hill: 1) Even during the first night we noticed the back room to house was extremely cold, in the dead of summer with no A/C this room should have been cold. My children complained of this. 2) My wife in this room would shut closet doors only to have them open and this would go on several times a day. 3) Electrical disturbances would also happen in this same room, with lights turning on and off for no reason scaring my two sons at all hours of the night, to the point they had to move to the upstairs bedrooms. 4) One n

via Judy Kapral on Pinterest Named for the original owners seven daughters, the Seven Sisters Inn are two beautiful Queen Anne and Gothic style Victorian houses in Ocala, Florida. They offer candlelit dinners, gourmet breakfasts, accommodate weddings and even have murder mystery events. A perfect bed and breakfast to get away. You can stay in one of it's 13 themed rooms. One snag though. The inn has permanent guests who will keep you on your toes. Seven Sisters International House (purple) was built in 1892 and was the family home for entrepreneur and influential Ocala citizen Charles Rheinauer and his wife Emma. The couple moved in to the house in 1895 and remained there until they each died 30 or 40 years later. It is believed the house was possibly built on the very spot of a triage nearby Fort King. Her sister, The Scott House (pink) may or may not be on the site where a battle between soldiers and Seminole Indians took place. The original house was built in 1888 but burn

South Dakota lacks an abundance of ghost stories and legends. However, a small community known as Little Eagle has resident ghost who made one of their roads his home. Witnesses have seen a 6 ft tall male spirit with red eyes along Little Oak Road. Who is he? It's uncertain. And if tall and red eyes weren't creepy enough, he is often spotted dancing and jumping high in the air. If you get close to it, the spirit looks at you and then vanishes. His spirit may not be alone. There are reports of a variety of other spirits haunting Little Oak. Who are they? There is a story a section of the road was built over a cemetery. This could certainly explain the multiple haunting. However, others dismiss the claim. Another thoroughfare called "Cemetery Road" could be the reason for the confusion. Neither pieces of information have been really verified as of yet. If you find yourself in south central South Dakota and come across Little Oak Road, be on the lookout for a spiri

Image by TheMorlock via Deviantart Many years ago Josh Gates from Destination Truth visited Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea in search of an alleged extinct dinosaur. The locals refer to it as a Ropen a.k.a. "demon flyer", but it was believe to be a   Rhamphorhynchoid  pterosaur. It is said to have a wing-span of about 20 ft with two leathery, featherless wings like a bat, gray in color, a long tail with a flange or diamond shape on the end, a beak filled with teeth, razor-sharp claws and exhibits a bioluminescent glow. The Ropen supposedly lives on fish but there are reports of the creature having a taste for decaying human flesh and has even harassed native funeral gatherings and robbed graves. One of the first reports of this flying creature was made by Duane Hodgkinson who was stationed northwest of Lae, near Finschaven, PNG as part of the Army cavalry in 1944. About noon one day in August he was walking down a trail through a clearing in the forest when he was start

There are a good bit of people that don't remember much about their childhood. Me, I remember a very scary part of my childhood that started when I was 7 years old. I haven't told too many people in fear that I would be considered crazy, but then shows like " Celebrity Ghost Stories " on cable.tv came out and showed me I was not alone. Everyone has heard stories of seeing a shadow or shadow man. I saw one when I was ten. I am an identical twin and my brother and I shared a room in our childhood home. The first time I remember seeing this shadowy figure was floating over my brother’s bed. At ten years old you start to fear the boogeyman a little more. I remember being scared to not go asleep at night. My brother never stirred. It just consistently floated back and forth over his bed and eventually disappeared through the wall. I remember it like it was yesterday. The room was so dark, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things and I wasn’t. As the ye

Image from weirdus.com The Dark Watchers sounds like the title of some spirit-fueled horror movie. In reality, they are shadowy spirits seen on the Santa Lucia Mountains in California. Their exact origins are unknown. According to legend, the Chumash Indians were among the first to witness their presence and supposedly carried them in their legends and drew them on cave walls (all of which is up for debate). However, in 1937, John Steinbeck described them in his short story "Flight" and poet Robinson Jeffers mentioned the Dark Watchers in his poem "Such Counsels You Gave to Me". It's uncertain if either had a personal encounter with the phantom shadows or only heard about the tale. Their legend has been circulating for years but what are they? These spirits are described as being large in size, but human in shape. Some have reported seeing them in robes and hats and as their name suggest, they are pitch-black in color. Some believe they are only a form o

This review will be short and sweet. It took all of ten minutes to develop a complete viewer evaluation. To sum it up, Deep South Paranormal is Duck Dynasty meets paranormal investigation. I don't think I need to elaborate any further on the subject.  As much as I am a proud Southerner, I was hoping from a new Southern paranormal show a little more science and logic and a little less "frog's breath wards off evil spirits". Maybe someday....

Truly Bizarre: Haunting at Minnesota State University By: Marlon Heimerl from HalloweenCostumes.com It’s not unheard of for college dorms and campuses to sometimes gain auspicious reputations for paranormal happenings. As so many young minds and imaginations filter through the same halls over decades, it’s reasonable to assume that each class may twist local tales to create deeply seeded urban legends. After all, who doesn't love a good ghost story – especially one that’s possibly fabricated to bamboozle genuinely curious investigators? At the crux of such cases, one must ask: How can we tell the difference between an urban legend and a true story? What lies at the root(s)? In the case of Minnesota State University (MNSU) in Mankato, MN, one ghostly legend has long-persisted to catch the attention of local media, ghost investigators and students alike. Could it be more than a tall tale, some ask? Only some digging might reveal the truth. McElroy Hall’s Most Unconventio

In the mid to late 1800s, Waverly, Ohio's way of life was heavily influenced by one man named James E. Emmitt. He was the town's main entrepreneur and self described first millionaire, earning his wealthy from hauling grain, operating a mill, making whiskey and "Emmitt's Discovery". He "discovered" his snake oil cure-all after a mule kicked a can of fuel in to a vat of spirits. Why he would want to drink it much less sell it is beyond anyone's understand. Using his influence, the county seat moved from Piketon to Waverly. The Ohio and Erie Canal route was changed as well. If he didn't already have his hands full, Emmitt decided to build a restaurant/hotel on the site of a former hotel owned by one of his former business partners. The original wooden hotel was built in 1850.  A fire killed 3 people and destroyed much of the structure. In 1861, Emmitt rebuilt the hotel using bricks, hiring a man named Madison Hemings to do the construction. Hemin

via Pinterest This Jesse Lee Home for Children is the second of three locations with the same name. The first move was from Unalaska to Seward, Alaska for several reasons including, the Spanish Flu, overflowing and the building was in des perate need of repairs. In 1925, the Methodist Episcopal Church opened the second Jesse Lee orphanage/school which averaged 50 to 100 children (possibly more) and 10 employees. The Jesse Lee Home was not a victim of child neglect or abuse. As a matter of fact, one of the students Benny Benson won a contest to design the Alaskan state flag in 1927. However, it didn't escape a natural disaster. In 1964, it was hit by an unexpected earthquake, one of the worst in Alaska history. The home and school were hit hard. More than a dozen children were killed. Goode Hall, the largest Jesse Lee building, was heavily damaged and later demolished. With most of the buildings damaged beyond repair, the orphanage was moved again to Anchorage.

via Pinterest Beauregard Parish Jail also known as the Gothic Jail or Hanging Jail in DeRidder, Louisiana. The Beauregard Parish Police Jury purchased land for a new courthouse and jail. Stevens-Nelson designed the buildings while Falls City Construction Company was awarded the contract to build them in September 1913. Both were completed in 1915. The building did not only have an unique design but it also contains a toilet, shower, lavatory, window in each cell and a spiral staircase. The jail could hold over 50 prisoners at a time. There was a jailers' quarters on the bottom floor with a kitchen and a tunnel leading from the courthouse to the jail to transport prisoners for trial. The jail received it's nickname after a double execution by hanging in 1928. Joe Genna and Molton Brasseaux murdered a taxi cab driver named J. J. Brevelle while he was taking them to the John Miller place on August 28, 1926. They wanted money and had planned to hi-jack Brevelle. Genna

I haven't written a TV review in a while but after watching the debut of Syfy's Stranded, perhaps I should have waited a little longer. It appears finding life on Mars may be an easier task to accomplish than finding a decent paranormal show with an original concept these days. Stranded promised to make even the most veteran ghost enthusiasts terrified. It didn't deliver. Some potential viewers, including myself, were hoping for something to rival that of Scariest Places on Earth and MTV's Fear. They may have been overly dramatic and possibly containing fake elements but at least they were entertaining. What makes Stranded different from other paranormal shows on TV? Nothing. It's amateurs wandering a possibly haunted location with cameras and the power of suggestion leading the way. I expected more from a project involving Josh Gates. If this show doesn't improve in episodes to come, I don't see it making a return trip to Syfy's lineup.

via Pinterest Nathan Hale Homestead in Conventry, Connecticut. During the American Revolution, Nathan Hale graduated from Yale and was a teacher for two years. He volunteered to be a spy for the Continental Army on September 8, 1776. He was captured by the British and hanged on September 22. His famous last wo rds were supposedly “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.“ Although, some believe they weren't his exact last words but part of a longer speech. His body was not returned or ever found. He was 21 yrs old. The house named after him is not the original house Hale grew up in. His father, Reverend Deacon Richard Hale, a prosperous livestock farmer, razed their home to build a bigger structure the same year he received word Nathan had died. Six of his eight sons served in the patriot army. Three died from wounds obtained in the war, leaving Richard to care for their widows and children. The family needed a larger living space to accommodate

photo via Pinterest The Mathias Ham House was built in 1837 by Mathias Ham in Dubuque, Iowa. The house was a small two-story, five room structure for his wife and five children. More rooms were added on after the death of Ham's wife, going from five rooms to t wenty-three. Mathias made his fortune in the mining, lumber, agriculture and shipping vessel. He would sit in the very top room of his house, keeping an eye on his ships. One day he spotted pirates on the river and alerted the authorities. As they were being arrested, the pirates vowed vengeance on him. However, when the day came, it wasn't Mathias they found. It was the end of the eighteen-hundreds. Every member of the Ham family had passed on except for one, Sarah Ham. She was one of Mathias' daughters and the only one living in the house at the time. While she was reading in bed one night, she head someone moving around on the floor below her. She slowly made her way downstairs to investigate

Ghost Hunters is back with a whole new season. Their first investigation will be at the Sowden House where Elizabeth Short, aka “The Black Dahlia,” was allegedly murdered in 1947. Dr. George Hodel owned the house at the time and was a suspect in her murder. His son Steve believes his father murdered Elizabeth in the house, providing evidence to back up his theories. However, it has not been proven Hodel was the one who murdered her. The house was designed by Lloyd Wright for his friend John Sowden in 1927.  Next, TAPS heads to Madame Tussauds Hollywood Wax Museum. As if being alone in the dark with hundreds of life-sized wax figures wasn’t creepy enough, the team learns that museum staffers have experienced unexplained phenomena – shadows, footsteps, the eerie feeling of being watched – which may have ties back to actor Victor Kilian’s nearby 1979 murder. Tune in Wednesday at 9/8c to see what they uncover. In the remote woods of Oregon lies one of the richest gold mines

The below story comes to you from Jules:  After what I have learned to call The Lennox Haunting, a haunted house that I lived in terror in for thirty eight days total, we vacated the property and moved to a different home on the outskirts of Lennox. I thought the hell was over, but I was dead wrong. Sometimes hell does not leave, it just lays dormant, waiting and watching for that exact slice in time when you’re vulnerable. That’s the moment it comes again and lets you know that you are human, and it is not. Here is part of my story. I had walked upstairs to retrieve something from my bedroom, when I heard a commotion in the bathroom. It was impossible, I was home alone. I had left the bathroom door open with the light out, but the door was now closed and I could see light filtering out from beneath it. I slowly approached it. I laid my hand on the door knob, not being sure if I had the guts to actually open it. My heart was beating so hard by then I could hear it echoing i

Battery Park Hotel - 1880s The original Battery Park Hotel was built in 1886 by Colonel Frank Coxe in Ashville, NC. Named after Confederate soldiers using it as a site for batteries of artillery, it was the first hotel in the South with an electric elevator and lighting. Many visited for the clean Mountain air to combat illnesses like Tuberculosis and enjoyed its beautiful views. Famous families visited the hotel including Rockefeller and Lorillard. George Vanderbilt also stayed at Battery Park, viewing the land where he would soon build Biltmore Estate. The old building was torn down and a new was built in its place in 1924 tha nks to Edwin W. Grove It remained in operation until 1972. In the 1980s, it was converted in to apartments for senior citizens and today, businesses operate on the first floor. Battery Park Hotel is believed to be haunted by Helen Clevenger. She was in Ashville visiting her uncle W. L. Clevenger. On July 17, 1936, she was found brutally murdered in