A Ghost Writers Album – New Orleans, LA

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, LA, 2010

One of our favorite cities is New Orleans. The ambiance of this city is perfect for a team of paranormal investigators because there is a palatable feeling of sharing a space with those who can no longer be seen. As if generations of past New Orleanians loved their city so much that they could not bear to leave it, in life or death.

For your consideration, we bring to you an album of photographs of the extraordinarily and eerily beautiful St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Founded in 1789, it was the first of New Orleans’ famous cities of the dead. There are several interesting photos in the album. The photo of the pyramid is Nicholas Cages’ nine foot high crypt, which is at his disposal when needed. The white tomb you will see (there are two photos) is of the famous Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s final resting place. Her tomb is marked with a series of three X’s from individuals who have come to her tomb to beseech her for help. There is an old tomb, also marked with a series of X’s. Is this the final resting place of another, though less well known, Voodoo priest or priestess? Just click on “View Slideshow” below the collage of photos to be transported to New Orleans’ first above ground city of the dead.

 

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A Ghost Writers Album VAPR-Con 10.3-4.10

Old South Pittsburg Hospital, South Pittsburg, TN: October 3-4, 2009.

The Ghost Writers took part in a weekend long investigation of the Old South Pittsburg Hospital, Tennessee, October 3-4, 2009.

In 1959 the doors opened to a hospital situated on 2.3 acres in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. This 68,000 square foot medical facility, founded by four doctors, was known as the South Pittsburg Municipal Hospital (SPMH). Additions to the hospital were built prior to 1980. This bastion of healing would serve the community for almost 40 years before closing its doors for the last time in 1998. Check out the report of that investigation, as well as the rest of the history of the hospital can be on our website at www.theghost-writers.com. Click through to our Investigations and Travels page.

Check out the some of the photos by clicking on the link below.

 

South Pittsburg Hospital VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

UFO Hunting with MUFON

By Pat Bussard

Photo courtesy of NASA.

If you have seen something in the sky that you could not identify, you are not alone. Some ufologists are reporting that a document surfaced from the United Nations, which estimates that since 1947, 150 million individuals worldwide have seen an unidentified flying object.

The government has repeatedly told the American public that there are no UFOs of interplanetary design. However, this reassurance has not put the public’s mind to rest. A Roper poll reported that 70% of the U.S. population believes that the government is not forthcoming in what they know about the UFO phenomena.

The public’s distrust is understandable when you have credible people coming forward to tell of their experiences. People like NASA Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper who said, “While flying with several other USAF pilots over Germany in 1957, we sighted numerous radiant flying discs above us. We couldn’t tell how high they were. We couldn’t get anywhere near their altitude.” Or, former President Jimmy Carter who was quoted as saying, “It was the darndest thing I’ve ever seen. It was big, it was very bright, it changed colors and it was about the size of the Moon. We watched it for ten minutes, but none of us could figure out what it was. One thing’s for sure, I’ll never make fun of people who say they’ve seen unidentified objects in the sky.”

There are several organizations that are accumulating research data on UFOs and extraterrestrials. One such body is MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, which is made up of over 3,000 field investigators from across the globe. All of these individuals have a common interest in unidentified flying objects. These investigators adhere to scientific methodology while engaging in research, letting the evidence speak for itself. The slogan for MUFON, “The Scientific Study of the UFO Phenomena for the Benefit of Humanity,” gives a synopsis of the purpose of the organization.

One member, however, sees a need to go beyond the purely scientific gathering and breaking down of evidence for analysis. Her approach to the research also encompasses evaluating the emotional impact that an alleged encounter with an extraterrestrial being or even their technology could have on an individual.

Cynda Schneider, a MUFON field investigator, is currently in Thailand teaching English before beginning a full-time career in humanitarian aid. She recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She brings a unique perspective to the field. “I felt a desire to help others and MUFON appeared to be the best way to assist these individuals through their anomalous experiences,” said Schneider. She continued, “MUFON takes a scientific approach, attempting to debunk UFO sightings, before drawing an ‘unknown’ conclusion. Our field investigators prioritize the client’s needs by upholding confidentiality and by not pressuring the witness for information,” she said. According to Schneider, when an individual sees a UFO or other unusual sighting, they can report it to MUFON’s online database (www.mufon.com).

Encounters with UFOs or extraterrestrials are categorized as Close Encounters of the: 1st kind, which involve a sighting of one or more UFOs of unknown origin; 2nd kind, involve observing a UFO and the physical effects left behind at the site; 3rd kind, the observation of beings associated with a UFO sighting; 4th kind, is abduction by a UFO or extraterrestrials; 5th kind, conscious, cooperative communication with extraterrestrials.

After the incident is reported, the case is then distributed to field investigators, based on proximity and their current caseload. “As a field investigator, I am expected to promptly contact the individual making the report and gather additional information, such as how many witnesses there were, if the local airport or military base was running any tests that day, how animals reacted to the event, and any other pertinent information,” said Schneider.

Individuals may describe the unidentified aircraft in a number of ways. Over the years, many shapes and colors have been reported, although colors reported are usually black, white, or metallic silver. Many shapes have been reported by eyewitnesses over the years, including descriptions of: disks, cylindrical, round, triangles, diamond and star shapes. Sometimes a report will describe a single UFO, while other witnesses see multiple spacecraft. The craft can appear to be flying erratically or in harmonious sequence with nearby UFOs.

Although Schneider has never had a UFO experience, she feels that others’ experiences adequately substantiate her belief in the phenomenon. “I have had some cases that we have had to mark as ‘unknown,’ after interviewing the witnesses and going to the field site where the event occurred. I also had two witnesses who had reported textbook post-abduction symptoms, but the witnesses were not interested in further investigating their symptoms, so the case was closed on their behalf.”

She stresses that she and other investigators with MUFON, which is the largest UFO research organization in the U.S., maintain a professional demeanor throughout the course of the investigation. They treat anyone who makes a report with respect and will do everything they can to develop a thorough, unbiased report.

In addition to taking part in work that is of interest to them, another benefit that MUFON investigators have is the opportunity to network with other individuals who have the same interests.

If you would like to find out more about the Mutual UFO Network, or would like to become a field investigator for the organization, log onto their website at www.mufon.com.

Contact The Ghost Writers at: www.theghost-writers.com.

Echoes from the Past

Rock formation, Appalachian Caverns, Blountville, TN.

By Pat Bussard

Caves echo our primitive past. The walls of these subterranean chambers were used to record the daily lives and special moments of early mankind. In a distant time, humans gave the entrance points to this shadowy realm spiritual significance as gateways to an underworld where the dead dwelt. Some cultures built temples over these underground chambers in a demonstration of humankind’s early conception of these dark passages as hallways connecting our world to the next.

Appalachian Caverns in Blountville, Tennessee, have preserved the region’s history to the extent that for some, those voices that echoed in these underground chambers so long ago remain. The caverns, which have the reputation of being haunted, sit beneath a site which boasts a log cabin dated to 1777. Archeological evidence proves that soldiers during the American Revolution and later the Civil War used the cave as a refuge. The caverns are said to have been used as a makeshift hospital to treat the battle wounded and dying. With at least 78 vents that nature has strategically placed throughout the caverns, the series of underground rooms and hallways have proven very adaptable for the use of the men and women who had need of its shelter.

The timeline of the caverns is filled with incidents of its relationship to man. During the harsh winter months pioneers crossing the country westward would seek a warm welcome from the harsh winters within the folds of Mother Earth. During the summers, the cool cavern chambers allowed settlers to store supplies. Later, moonshiners used the underground location to shelter the production of their illicit “brew.”

The Appalachian Caverns also provided an early economic stimulus to the region through the most unlikely product – bat guano. The bat dung provided a key ingredient in the making of gunpowder. Gunpowder, as we know, was the essence that kicked the British from the country and then went on to win the west. In addition, there were iron works, as well as saltpeter nearby. This coupled with craftsmen trained in metal works and equipped to manufacture guns, made the region around Appalachian Caverns an early economic powerhouse.

Tennessee has more than 8,400 documented caves. According to some sources, the state may have another 7,000 undiscovered caves making it number one in terms of a cavernous parallel world of darkness. A world that is rich in its collection of animals, insects, and history.

During a visit to the caverns in 2004 Roger Hartley, who is one eighth Yuchi Indian, was so moved by his spiritual connection to this underworld, that he bought the site. The Yuchi were native to eastern Tennessee prior to the 17th century. The tribe then moved to Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina and then to the Indian Territory in the 1830s. The Yuchi, whose name for themselves translates into “children of the sun,” are today found primarily in the northeastern portion of Oklahoma.

Hartley credits his Native American heritage with his ability to create a strong spiritual bond with the caverns, specifically the absolute quite that being underground provides. “You just cannot find this kind of silence in our technologically heavy world,” said Hartley.

My interview with Hartley was conducted in the cave, under the faint lights that flicker golden on pathways that could dip any moment into absolute darkness. Getting into the cave is an interesting sidebar. I went through the gift shop towards the back and through a door that led down a dark corridor to a double door. This door opens to the cave entrance. I looked up when I stepped through the second door and noticed that a roof had been built over the entrance from the door to the actual opening in the earth.

The temperature in the cave was pleasant, cool and the slow, steady dripping of water from the ceiling made a hypnotically rhythmic pattern. “Just around the corner, is a place I go to think,” said Hartley. This place is away from nature’s aquatic noise and is a location that he visits often.

“I bought the land and buildings from the Appalachian Caverns Foundation in May of 2004. We opened for business in August and by October of that same year, we featured our first haunted experience,” Hartley said. The inaugural haunted caverns event that year was religiously themed. Hartley has featured a haunted Halloween theme event every year since, although after the first year, the event ceased its religious focus.
“Last year the theme of the Halloween event was ‘Carnevil,’” said Hartley. This year’s event has yet to be announced, but plans are already in the works. “We will have professional actors on staff for the caverns’ Halloween season,” said Hartley. He is in the process of booking thespians from the ‘Horn in the West,’ outdoor drama in Boone, North Carolina.

The cost for a night of scares and screams is $10 per person. “We prefer that participants be over the age of ten,” said Hartley. The Halloween activities will take place every weekend this October on Friday and Saturday nights from 7:00 p.m. until midnight.

But, underneath the fake frights of the Halloween season lie reports of true horror and haunting in the Appalachian Caverns that span not only the Celtic Festival of the Dead, but the entire calendar year. “Six different paranormal groups have investigated the caverns,” said Hartley, a self-professed skeptic of anything paranormal, “and although only one EVP (electronic voice phenomena) has been recorded, there have been many reports of people feeling oddly uncomfortable at locations throughout the cave.”

There have been two Native Americans and one member of the Maori Tribe of New Zealand who, while on independent visits to the caverns, were able to pinpoint the exact location where a murder was alleged to have occurred. In addition, an individual who was on an Appalachian Ghost Walks tour through the cave also expressed her insight to the tour guide on the loss of life on the very spot identified by the three tribal shamans. However, no visual proof of ghostly activity at the caverns has been photographed to date.

“With 82% humidity in the cave, orbs are impossible to photograph with any accuracy,” said Hartley. Orbs are identified by some ghost hunters as balls of energy that are souls or the essence of the dearly departed, which can be photographed by a digital or 35 mm camera. Many in the field point to photographs of orbs as evidence of spectral activity.

There may be a lack of visual evidence from the caverns of a haunting, but don’t tell Kevin Green. According to Hartley, Green rented one of the apartments above the gift shop for a year. As an employee, he had access to the shop and would often go down into the business after hours. He reported to Hartley and to others that on several different occasions while taking a late night walk through the shop, he saw a woman in white. The woman was diaphanous in appearance and not of this world, or at least of this time.

How many spirits are reported to wander the underground and grounds of Appalachian Caverns? Some reports are as high as 30. However, whether there is one spirit or 30 that inhabit this dark netherworld, if you have an opportunity to journey deep into this underground land, listen carefully. The voices you hear may be echoes from the past.

Is your home haunted? I would like to hear your story! Contact me at Constantine@theghost-writers.com

8th Annual Mothman Festival, September 19, 2009, Point Pleasant, WV

By Chris Constantine

Mothman: The Legend

The tale is told in different languages and remembered in different lands by people of many generations. A bird-like creature that appears shortly before a catastrophic event; effectively serving as a harbinger of doom.

This flying cryptid is reported to have made a stop in the Point Pleasant and Charleston areas of West Virginia from November 12, 1966 to December 1967. In this case, the cryptid now known as “Mothman” may have portended the collapse of the Silver Bridge, which then spanned the Ohio River from Point Pleasant to Kanauga, Ohio. The Silver Bridge, having earned its moniker because it was the country’s first aluminum painted bridge, collapsed on Friday, December 15, 1967, around 5:00 p.m., during rush hour traffic. The collapse of the bridge killed 46 and injured nine. Horrifically, only five people were able to escape from the cold and murky water overtaking their vehicles, many were trapped or crushed underwater in their cars when the 2,235 foot superstructure fell.

The Silver Bridge was built in 1928 and the investigation of the wreckage after the collapse pointed to the failure of a single eye-bar in a suspension chain. The structural failure was due to a manufacturing flaw. Because the bridge was built using an eye-bar suspension system the demise of the bridge, along with most of those who were on it that day, was swift and certain. The eye-bars were linked together in pairs like a chain; when a crucial joint was compromised to the point that one gave way, the rest followed in quick succession. At the time of the collapse, 37 automobiles carrying 67 people were crossing the span. Thirty-one of them fell into the 43 degree water of the mighty Ohio River.

The question as to whether the emergence of Mothman is linked directly to the collapse of the Silver Bridge remains unanswered.

The first sighting of the creature occurred in Clendenin, WV, almost 90 miles from what would become the epicenter of the Mothman’s activities in Point Pleasant. During preparation for a burial at a local cemetery, five men saw what they described as a “brown human being.” They noticed the large creature as it flew from some nearby trees on a course that took it over their heads.

The creature, whose misnomer “Mothman” was developed by a local reporter with a penchant for the then highly popular Batman series, was eventually seen by over 100 people.

The first sighting of the Mothman near Point Pleasant came on November 15, 1966. Married couples David and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallete were out near the West Virginia Ordinance Works about seven miles north of Point Pleasant.

They were driving along, enjoying each other’s company when something caught their attention . . . two large glowing, red eyes attached to something that was larger than a man, but with wings folded against its’ back. They saw the creature move out of the doorway of the old TNT plant, spread its wings and rise into the air.

The legend of Mothman was born.

The Journey

This enduring tale of an unidentified creature that stalked the region back in the swinging sixties is what drew The Ghost Writers to the Festival named in its honor. The eighth annual Mothman Festival had it all, music, food, concessions, good people, fun, and a great setting. What sets it apart from so many other events is that it is founded on a bit of paranormal history, perfect for a group of individuals with a penchant for research into the unknown.

It would take an intense dedication to chronicling our paranormal journeys in order to budge Steph, the youngest member of our team, into waking up in time to catch the 7:30 a.m. train (ok, car) to Point Pleasant. In addition to Steph and myself, the rest of the team signing on for this trip were: Corey, investigator-in-training and videographer; and Pam investigator-in-training and one of the photographers. Each member of the team schlepped some kind of photography equipment around at the festival, always looking for the perfect picture!

Before leaving on our latest journey we launched our Twitter presence and I announced that we would tweet while on location. Be careful what you promise. Right on cue, the ol’ Blackberry decided to completely die with no forewarning whatsoever. Ah, well, now I’m going through Blackberry withdrawal until I receive the replacement.

The drive from our location in southwest Virginia to Point Pleasant takes about four hours and 15 minutes. Our plan was to drive down for the day and then return that evening. We arrived about 11:45 a.m. After quickly checking out the festival action, we decided to grab some lunch.

The last time I had been to Point Pleasant was for an investigation of Emma’s restaurant. The diner is located on Main Street. The food at this wonderful establishment is amazing and the cleanliness first rate. Our research results that night concerning paranormal activity were inconclusive.

During the festival we dined at the restaurant and were told by one of the employees, who was also a participant in the hunt, that no activity had occurred since our investigation.

After a delicious lunch we took off down the street to fully explore the festival. As we neared the center of the action close to where the statue of the Festival’s namesake resides, we immediately noted that a larger number of people were attending this year’s event. We had attended in 2008. It was a pleasure to know that the festival was a resounding success and would be back again next year.

While at the vendor tents we exchanged cards with representatives of the The Prodigy Paranormal Group, TheProdigyGroup.org and The Ghosts of Ohio, GhostsofOhio.org, other groups who are interested in uncovering secrets long hidden from the mundane world.

After leaving the vendor area, we began our photography quest. We took several photographs (again) of the Silver Bridge memorial. They actually have two, one which is a large marble column with a brass plate on top, near the river on the site where the bridge once stood. The second is on the other side of the flood wall, across from the Iron Gate restaurant. This one is located on or near the former site of the bridge’s ramp.

After completing our photo run we piled in the car and headed for the bunkers. We met one of the tour groups leaving the area, led by Ashley Wamsley-Watts. She is the proud daughter of Jeff Wamsley, author, Mothman expert, and the driving force behind the Mothman Festival. Ashley, who has a degree in video production, is responsible for the amazing Mothman Bus Tours production which can be seen on Youtube.

After our self tour of the bunker area, we set out again for Point Pleasant’s town center. We decided to eat at another great local restaurant, the Iron Gate. We ordered steaks and sat in the gazebo area, which is situated directly to the side and outside of the restaurant.

While we were enjoying our food someone came up and started asking questions about ghosts. He seemed in earnest, so we had a short discussion during which he mentioned a friend who had some experience with the paranormal. Our shirts, walking billboards for The Ghost Writers, had attracted his attention.

It always amazes me how many people, when they know that you’re open minded (keep in mind the shirt billboards), will open up to you about their or someone else’s experience with the unknown.

After dinner and the completion of downloading all of our visual media to two different sources, we started the long journey home. We pulled in the driveway around 1:30 p.m.

The day was well worth the journey. The Festival, dedicated to a cryptozoologist’s dream, is certainly interesting enough to engage the most skeptical of humans.

We have already put this event on our calendar for next year. See you there!

Update: After posting our video to YouTube about our trip to “Mothman ’09,” which is found on our homepage and on our Youtube channel, Ashley Wamsley-Watts emailed requesting the use of some of our photos that she had seen in the production. She indicated that the photos are to be used for the Mothman Lives website, MothmanLives.com. Of course, we immediately agreed!

References

For detailed information on Mothman and the Silver Bridge, check out these resources, which were used for our Travel Log on the 8th Annual Mothman Festival:

Disinformation: Link
L.A. Marzulli’s Blog: Link
Mothmen.US: Link
Silver Bridge Collapse- The Long Day: Link
Troy Taylor: Link
Unknown Explorers: Link
Wikipedia: Link

The continuing adventures of the Ghost Writers: Indian Creek, Organ Cave (Ronceverte), Lewisburg, WV

By Chris Constantine

September 18, 2009

The GW decided to take off for a day trip of fun, or at least fun as defined by a small bunch of individuals interested in things most unusual. We had set a schedule and the day was to start at 9:00 a.m.

Fat chance.

Let’s just say that an addiction to a morning cup of java and the need for a toasted bagel slowed the progress of preparing for our latest adventure. Oh, that and packing a delicious home lunch of barbeque chicken, baked beans and potato salad. After loading the food and drinks needed for an enjoyable day of magic and mayhem, Steph and I started down the road.

Steph, snoozed most of the trip. She was soundly and happily asleep as we drove to Bluefield, then over to Rich Creek, taking the scenic route to Lewisburg, WV, on U.S. Route 219.

When we reached the old Indian Creek covered bridge, I exited the car with camera in tow to capture the quiet beauty of this wayside treat. Steph continued to snooze. As I snapped a photo, she drowsily informed me that if I took any more photos of her while sleeping that my health would be in danger.

Leaving the vicious sleeping beauty to her repose, I once again began transferring the beauty of the old bridge to my SD card. We had a few minutes to peacefully absorb the historic atmosphere of this small piece of the past before a gaggle of tourists began parking their cars and disturbing the tranquil moment. I’ve stopped at this waypoint many times and this was the first time that so many fellow travelers converged on this little known place. At least we were able to fully enjoy the quite and our picnic before our transient friends decided to visit.

So. . .we gathered our empty picnic utensils, packed the car and began driving to Organ Cave, located near Ronceverte, WV. On the way, a prince must have flown by for a quick kiss, because sleeping beauty arose, hungry and howling for us to stop at a service station. We stopped at Pickaway, a very small crossroads on the earth, featuring the much-needed rest stop.

After everyone had refreshed themselves, Grumpy, I mean sleeping beauty, sat on a bench in front of the store and enjoyed her picnic lunch. At this juncture I noticed a barn surrounded by farm equipment, an incredible photo opportunity that could not be ignored.

Having enjoyed the sensory perception that photography affords, we again set off on the thrill trail. We arrived at Organ Cave about 1:30 p.m. and set out to check in for the tour. The grounds of the family-owned tourist destination were immaculate, the grass looking like a well-manicured golf course, while trees provided a roof of lush foliage, dappled in sunshine.

The check-in point is in a cabin on the property, which also features some of the items that have been found in the old cave. Other items are those expected in a tourist focused store, Organ Cave stamped on the front of various things for sale.

Fourteen dollars each, plus tax, is the price of an adult admission to the cave, which has its opening just a few hundred yards from the cabin. We were told that a guide was expected between then and 2:00 p.m.

We were waiting patiently when we noticed a group coming up the trail from the cavern opening. Steph bet we’d have an old, grizzled guide to lead our small expedition. I told them, “I hope we do, someone that would have a passion for the history of the place.” What was really a hoot is that our guide turned out to be a high school student, whom I thought was part of the tour group that just returned.

The young man, whose name escapes me, was an excellent guide. He took us on the 2.2 mile underground trail with all of the attention to detail of a weathered veteran. The cave has 45 miles of mapped passageways, more than enough for every level of adventurer. As he led us through the cavern’s rooms, he paid attention to the need of avid photographers to have ample time to dial settings on cameras to capture just the right image in the perfect light (or lack thereof).

The camera I use is a Canon 450D, also known and a Canon Rebel XSI. I was extremely impressed by the photographs I was able to capture with my attached Canon 28 – 135 lens. I have great respect for this lens and use it as my primary walk around lens.

With my trusty Canon hanging around my neck, we began the descent into darkness, interspersed only by what first appears as fireflies, and on second glance are electric lights, designed to look like the old glass lamps of yore.

When standing on the bottom of the stairs surrounded by darkness and looking up, it is striking to note the separation between the world of light and that of darkness. After taking yet more photos, we turned away from the light and continued our descent into the abyss.

The formation for which the cave is named is called the organ. This is an impressive creation of nature, which at one time could be “hit” at different places on its form to create a cacophony of sounds.

We also passed several different nocturnal creatures including bats and the infamous “cave crickets.” These critters, we were told, if they bit could put us in the hospital because of the bacteria they carried. I have to admit that I thought about the well-known “snipe hunting” expeditions that cousins would take unsuspecting city dwellers on, back in West Virginia. Snipe being fictitious and were sometimes described as horrific creatures. In the same breath as the warning about the cave crickets was the admonishment not to touch the walls as the oil and bacteria on our hands might kill the naturally growing algae.

The last stop on this tour of the underworld before returning to the surface, was a stop at the site of original Civil War Hoppers. These hoppers were used to mine saltpetre, used for munitions and is known as the southern Confederacy’s largest source of the mineral. Diorama’s showing mannequins dressed as Confederate soldiers engaged in the process of mining this valuable munitions resource.

We then began retracing our steps to the light-filled opening through which we would remerge to once again walk among mortals (or muggles, thanks J.K.!). Taking a look at the steep steps and being the person in front, I realized that I would have to keep a steady pace and show no weakness until we arrived at our designation. One of the prices you pay for being the oldest in the group!

After our second adventure of the day, we loaded the group into the car and followed the yellow brick road (ok, U.S. Rt. 219) to Lewisburg. This small town has gentrified since the College of Osteopathic Medicine founded in 1972. Main street is now full of antique and bookstores. In addition, a number of gourmet restaurants and unique art stores also line the historic streets of this Norman Rockwell type small town.

Because the time was now close to 4:30 p.m., we went directly to Robert’s Antiques, an incredible shop that is combination wine cellar, antique store and, well. . .just unusual. We blew by the hand carved wine bar walking quickly further into the part of the store that features antiques, in particular old medical equipment. In the very back, in two separate rooms the owner has setup several dioramas. In the room to the right is the actual electric chair in which the Lindberg baby murderer Bruno Hauptmann was executed on April 3, 1936, at 8:44 p.m., at the New Jersey State Prison. Next to the electric chair, which is behind glass, is a framed copy of the story of the crime and subsequent execution of Hauptmann. To the left a guillotine, whose history I do not know. We traveled through the back of the store, fascinated by the old medical bottles, equipment and more. This stop, as they say, “was worth the price of admission.”

Leaving the store, we spotted an Irish Pub, so off we went for some food and drink. The pub served up some delicious grub. We truly enjoyed the Celtic music playing in the background. The shepherd’s pie was excellent and our time spent immersed in the Irish ambiance was refreshing. What a wonderful ending to a great day. . .well, except for the three hour drive back home. But, in the words of my sister “it’s all good!”

Abingdon’s Haunted Mane Street

http://theghost-writers.com/

Is the upstairs haunted at the Mane Street Salon?

The Mane Street Day Spa and Salon in Abingdon, VA, offers a variety of specialized services such as hair and lash extensions, European facials, ‘spa manicures,’ and detox foot massages.  As you enter the salon, you will notice the soothing colors on the walls (shades of taupe and lavender), the beautiful purses everywhere, and the lovely light fixtures hanging from the tall ceiling.  The building front is glass, allowing a suffusion of sunlight to brighten the spa’s interior space.  The owner, Hope Thacker, not only bought and renovated this unique old building, she might just have gotten a ghost thrown into the bargain.

After the GW contacted Hope because of the rumor of a haunting, Hope was gracious enough to agree to an interview.  I did a follow-up interview a few weeks later.  Some of what Hope told me follows:

¨       History: The original 1901 building was a furniture store, and then it burned.  Another building was erected on the remaining masonry. 

¨       3 mediums have visited the building and all agree there is at least one entity (and maybe two); one of the mediums claimed the main entity is a boy but could not get any specifics on him other than that he is (was?) 5-6 years old.

¨       The heat pump in the building has many inexplicable issues, so much so that one of the major reasons that the Baja Café (the former tenant) vacated the building was the unexplained heat pump problems. After Hope bought the building, the breaker for the heat pump was identified with a piece of masking tape in the electrical box.  Later, Hope also started having heat pump issues and the piece of masking tape would reappear in the electrical box (even months later) though no one at the salon presumably put it there.

¨       Hope and her employees and friends believe the entity does not like parties and whenever Hope hosts an after-hours party at her spa, something tears up, falls down, or otherwise is messed up the next day.  Curiously, the structure was a speakeasy during Prohibition, and gambling and drinking parties occurred on a regular basis in the upstairs area.  If the entity dates from this era, that might explain its supposed issues with revelry in the building.

¨       Since Hope has occupied the building, other than the heat pump and masking tape situation, she and her employees have often heard light footsteps going up the stairs, have heard noises that sound like a child talking in different parts of the building (usually downstairs), have heard laughter, and have found glass shelves that have fallen unbroken out of wall niches beside of the staircase.  One day a set of 7 month-old twin girls were placed in their carriers on the main floor of the salon.  Hope and the other adults there noticed the girls smiling and giggling while their eyes followed in unison something going on upstairs (the middle of the upstairs floor was removed and it is now open to the ceiling on the second floor with railings running around the perimeter of this open space).  The adults felt very uneasy about it all; it was as though the babies were mesmerized by something walking around and around above their heads.  One day someone brought her small dog into the salon and, like the twins, it too had its eyes transfixed on some seeming show going on above its head.  It sent shivers up Hope’s spine.  The women have also left a toy out on multiple occasions as they are leaving the salon for the evening and when they get back the next morning, the toy sometimes has been in a different area of the building.  Hope and company have tried communicating with the ghost, and have asked its name.  One morning, after some renovation had been done at the salon, someone had painted the word “Jack” on the wall.  Hope accused her cousin Jeff O’Quinn of doing this to spook her, but he denied the incident.  Jeff was at the salon the night I interviewed Hope and he again emphatically denied having anything to do with any of the occurrences.

Is Mane Street haunted?  Is a child’s spirit trapped in the building, never growing older, never finding its way to the next plane of existence?  No one can claim beyond a doubt to know the answers to these questions, but certainly something paranormal could be happening at the salon.  If it is an entity, it appears to be completely benign and Hope is coming to terms with possibly sharing the space with something from beyond, what Hamlet refers to as the “undiscover’d country.” 

Coffee, Tea, or Ghosts?

http://theghost-writers.com

Camella’s Remember When on Main Street in Abingdon, Va.

One of my favorite places in Abingdon is Camella’s Remember When on Main Street.  The business owners, Carrie and Melissa Golliher (a mother and daughter team), have created a wonderful English-style tea parlor with Victorian furnishings, flowers, an antique wedding gown displayed in the stairwell, and a shimmering crystal chandelier in the main parlor.  The tables are set with elegant china place settings and small golden utensils, each table having its own unique floral pattern.  Cinnamon and bayberry scents fill the air and the smell of freshly-baked scones drifts from the kitchen.  Carrie and Melissa make each guest feel welcome and comfortable and Carrie will explain the history behind the taking of tea if it is your first visit.  Next she will give you a list of their high-quality teas (over 40 varieties in all) and prepare two pots for the table while you browse the elegant little gift shop.  The menu changes with the seasons and you might get blueberry scones with lemon curd or apple-walnut scones with maple Devonshire cream, butternut squash soup served in a small crystal pedestal bowl, spinach and parmesan canapés, cucumber sandwiches and lavender sorbet or a petit award-winning pumpkin cheesecake. 

With so much anguish in the building and surrounding area, no wonder that stories of spirits and spectral soldiers are associated with the place.  The basement supposedly has a very uncomfortable feel to it, and people who did not know the history of the place have complained about the “feel” of it and refuse to go down the steps.  Several years ago a business named Timeless TV occupied the building.  The story goes that the owners’ grandchildren were playing upstairs and after looking out the windows,  ran downstairs to ask their grandparents why men in old uniforms were marching in the backyard.  Carrie G. has noticed that when things have gotten tense in the house that things fly off of the walls and shelves.  Her young son (Jarrod) loves to study and play in the tea room and upstairs, but feels often that someone is watching or standing right behind him.  Yet when he turns to look, no one is there.  He told me that he feels “weird” there lots of times, but is never afraid.  Indeed, the Gollihers all say if spirits do inhabit the living spaces of the building, they are overall peaceful entities.  None of the family is fearful of staying the night and all are quite relaxed in their surroundings.  (They avoid the basement however.)   

Victorian furnishings and gracious hosts make a visit to Camella’s a delightful experience.

If you are really lucky, and If Carrie has time, she might sit with you and tell you the history of the building as well, including the paranormal stories that have been passed down.  Built in 1792 by Andrew Russell (Circuit Court Clerk of Washington County), the building is the third oldest extant building in Abingdon and is currently owned by Emmet Yeary whose law office is next door.  Residents over the years have included a surgeon, the aunt of a former governor of the commonwealth, the Samuel Honaker family with ten children (it was during this time that another wing was added onto the home), and Margaret Davis, local historian.  Miss Davis, who lived in the dwelling for over 40 years, enjoyed entertaining guests with pound cake and boiled custard while telling stories of her home and the town itself.   Abingdon has much Civil War history and this building especially was an active place during the war.  It was a “neutral” house, meaning both sides used it as a drop off site for wounded soldiers.  Because of this, the home was spared while the house next to it was partially burned by Union forces.  Dying soldiers were moved to the basement, and there are marks on the brick walls supposedly left by the scraping of the soldiers’ cots.  One military man was so upset, legend has it, that he angrily whacked at the stair banisters and chopped one of the balusters out completely (it has never been replaced).   Generals from the Confederacy and the Union met in the house during the war as well. 

If you visit Abingdon, please stop by Camella’s and enjoy a lovely cup of tea, some delicious dishes, and a great conversation with the Gollihers.  As a tribute to Miss Davis, whose picture sits in the gift shop across the hall from the tea room, Carrie and Melissa serve boiled custard and pound cake with afternoon tea during the winter months.  Come see what makes the place so special and don’t forget to look out the window into the backyard just in case a ghostly militia is passing by.

Camella’s is located at 165 E. Main Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm.