The Curse of the Bronze Lady

 

Photo from Find-a-Grave
Submitted by Jan Franco

Deep in the heart of Headless Horseman territory and located within the same cemetery where author Washington Irving lies, is an often-overlooked legend. It is the Curse of the Bronze Lady of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

When General Samuel R. Thomas, a wealthy coal and railroad baron and Civil War veteran, passed away from heart disease suddenly on January 11, 1903, he left behind three children and a widow. Samuel married Ann Porter in 1872 and was obviously deeply grieved over losing her beloved husband. She initially had him buried in a private mausoleum/crypt but felt that a man of such wealth and stature deserved a more fitting memorial. 

She hired sculptor Andrew O'Connor who created the bronze statue of a woman, seated in mourning. He named the statue appropriately 'Grief.' Unfortunately, Ann was appalled by the work. She believed the face was too melancholy and dismal; she wanted a happy countenance overlooking her husband's final resting place. (Theresa's side note: No one really knows why Ann was so persistent about having a 'happy faced' statue, but I'm kind of wondering if the mourning widow wasn't as unhappy as she wanted people to believe. After all, she had actually been left out of Samuel's newspaper obituary altogether! Or perhaps this was just a way to get out of paying the princely sum of money it would have cost her to commission such a piece.) Either way, Ann was displeased, and demanded O'Connor try again.

O'Connor obliged and created a second head for the statue, one with a more cheerful look. Ann approved of the new design, but it never made its way onto the statue. Instead, O'Connor hurled the head to the ground, where it smashed to pieces at Ann's feet (very Headless Horseman coded). He basically told her that his first design was perfect, and how dare she question his art. 

Photo from Find-a-Grave
Submitted by David M. Habben

And so, the Bronze Lady retained her original face. Ann would pass in 1944. Her body was cremated, and her ashes were interred in the mausoleum alongside her husband's body. Shortly after, the legends of the Bronze Lady curse would arise. 

Gaining popularity throughout the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's, especially with local teenagers, the legends of the curse are quite varied, depending on who is telling the story. There are those who state that anyone foolish enough to insult the statue or slap its face is instantly cursed. A simple touch of the cheek is enough to warrant a long run of bad luck. But it's when one chooses to sit in the statue's lap that things get REALLY weird. 

Some say that simply sitting in the lap at all is curse-worthy. Others say if you sit on her lap, jump down, and spin around three times, you'll be cursed. In another variant, those same actions are believed to BREAK the curse, should it be acquired through some other means. I especially like the variant where if you sit on the statue's lap and then go look into the keyhole of the mausoleum, you'll see a ghost!

Yeah, sometimes the Bronze Lady doesn't want to 'curse' you.... she just wants to be spooky. She may give you the ability to see ghosts through the keyhole, or she might simply be seen walking around the cemetery on dark, moonless nights. If she isn't seen, she may be heard; the mournful cries of the Bronze lady will get louder the closer you get to the burial site. In yet another variant on the lap-sitting, legend says that if someone sits in her lap, she'll cry tears of blood. And, back to the mausoleum itself, if you're not brave enough to look through the keyhole for ghosts, perhaps you'll be brave enough to knock on the door. You won't see ghosts, necessarily, but you'll be plagued with bad dreams. 

If you ever find yourself in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, visiting the grave of Washington Irving, or one of the many, many other famous authors and others to be buried within this hallowed ground, don't forget to stop by and pay your respects to the Bronze Lady. At the very least, DON'T INSULT HER!

Sources and Further Reading:

Find-a-Grave Entry for Samuel R. Thomas

The Bronze Lady of Sleepy Hollow: NY Ghosts Blog. 13 May 2025

The Bronze Lady: The Other Spooky Legend of Sleepy Hollow that You've Never Heard Of. The Lineup. Article by Jessica Ferri. Published 24 October 2017

Times Union (Brooklyn, NY)
12 January 1903

Gypsy Curse Sends Woman to Weston Asylum

Female Patients on Ward B
Weston State Hospital 1924
Source: WV History on View

A few years ago, a compiled list of outlandish reasons why patients were sent for treatment at the Weston State Hospital (Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum) in the 1800s was making its rounds on social media. Many were shocked to see reasons such as 'novel reading,' asthma, and laziness being enough to have someone locked away.  Among the causes of insanity listed was 'superstition,' and just recently, I ran across a story that seems to illustrate this example.

In the autumn of 1897, Mary Susan Callahan was at her home on the Charles Miller farm, just outside of Shepherdstown. Nearby, a group of 'gypsies' had set up camp. One day, a gypsy woman approached the Callahan home, asking to come in and tell fortunes. Mrs. Callahan met her at the door and told her to go away. The gypsy woman obliged, but as she was walking away, she suddenly turned around and matter-of-factly told Mrs. Callahan that her husband would be dead within two months.

It's unclear whether this statement was intended to be a curse, a warning, or simply a prediction of future events. Either way, those words uttered by that unknown gypsy woman in 1897 would have dire consequences for Mrs. Callahan, and...depending on what you believe, Mr. Callahan as well. Because, you see...the prediction came true.

About a month later, Thomas Callahan, Jr. would be stricken ill. For over three weeks, he languished with what various news articles reporting on his condition would label as typhoid-pneumonia, pneumonia, or inflammatory bowels. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to recover from his illness(es) and he passed away on Sunday, December 5, 1897 at the age of 47. The obituary listed his cause of death as pneumonia, although for whatever reason, the vital statistics registry has him dying of 'heart disease.' 

Thomas was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery with members of the Cliff City Lodge Shield of Honor in attendance. In addition to Mary, Thomas was survived by several siblings, both of his parents, and two sons. But, just as Thomas was unable to recover from his illness, Mary was never able to recover from both the shock of losing her husband and the persistent idea that she was responsible for his death for refusing the gypsy woman entry into the home. 

This idea that Thomas' death could have been prevented if only she hadn't turned the woman away ate away at Mary over the next year. She quickly descended into insanity and even became violent and uncontrollable. Things deteriorated to the point where finally, in May of 1899, Mary was sentenced by Justice Moorehead Miller to be admitted to the Weston Asylum. 

Whether WE believe that gypsy curses are real and that this one caused the death of a man is a moot point. What's important is that MARY held onto that belief to the point where it drove her mad. It's a horribly sad case and I hope that in her lifetime, Mary was able to realize that Thomas' death was not her fault. 

*Did you enjoy this story? If so, you might be interested in my blog, 'Bewitched Man Adjudged Insane.' It seems like Mary wasn't the only person who was committed to a state institution here in West Virginia for holding on to a superstitious belief!*

Also, check out my collection of stories from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum!

TALA Tales

Shepherdstown Register
25 May 1899

Book Review for Cursed Objects

Title: Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items

Author: J.W. Ocker

Published: 2020 by Quirk Books, Philadelphia, PA

Amazon Purchase Info

I just have to say, this book is physically stunning! The chunky hardback packs in 271 thick pages and has a beautiful cover featuring some eerie little illustrations in a sort of shiny, shimmery, metallic silver and blue combination. Honestly, that's what initially drew me to the book---but its content is pretty awesome as well! 

I've always had a fascination for cursed and haunted objects, the weirder the item the better! Ocker packs in quite a few of these items, each with a well-written, factual background on the item's known history and it's alleged 'cursed' activity. Each entry is only a few pages long, and there are plenty of illustrations to keep even my ADHD mind focused and moving through the book.

As someone who is a fan of all things strange and unusual, I've heard of quite a few of the objects mentioned in this book.  Some of the more famous cursed items include The Hope Diamond, King Tut's Tomb, the Dybbuk Box, The Crying Boy paintings, and of course, Annabelle the Doll.  However, I was delighted to see entries for objects that I either knew little about, or had never heard of, including Little Mannie and the Prague Orloj. 

These objects are discussed with just the right bit of humor mixed with legend mixed with fact to make for a really interesting read, and I love that the author also included a chapter on the museums that make a business out of collecting and showcasing the types of items found within this book. There isn't a whole lot of scholarly analysis as to the phenomenon of cursed objects as a whole, but there are few little extras throughout the book to help give a better understanding of why an object may be cursed. There's also a bibliography AND an index, which as a researcher, I'm thrilled to see included. Overall, this is a neat book for both the hardcore paranormal enthusiast and for someone who just likes a good, interesting read about spooky, unsolved mysteries. 

Want MORE from J.W. Ocker?  Ocker has a podcast called Odd Things I've Seen, about well...odd things and where to find them! 

See what else Theresa is reading at my Book Reviews page! 

Book Review for Haunted Rock and Roll

Title: Haunted Rock and Roll---Ghostly Tales of Musical Legends
Author: Matthew L. Swayne
Published: 2014 by Llewellyn Publications
Amazon Purchase Information

If you're looking for a really fun, fast-paced, spooky summer read, pick up a copy of Haunted Rock and Roll, by Matthew L. Swayne. It's a wonderful collection of all the legends, curses, and hauntings that permeate the rock and roll industry. The book begins where it all started---the strange tale of the Grandfather of Rock and Roll, Robert Johnson, and his mysterious trip to the crossroads. Other tales of interest include the 27 Club (of which you do NOT want to be a member), the Buddy Holly Curse, and Ricky Nelson's haunted house.

The book is divided into four sections: 1. Rock Star Ghosts, 2. Haunted Studios and Concert Venues, 3. Premonitions, Signs and Omens of Rock and Roll, and 4. Rock and Roll's Most Famous Curses and Mysteries. Each section is filled with chapters providing the best examples of each category.

As I said, this is a fun read, and I definitely recommend it for light reading into the subject of ghosts and rock and roll. For the most part, it was well-written and informative without being boring. However, there were some issues with the formatting that bugged me. It seemed like some of the information overlapped pretty hard---sometimes information would be repeated in various places in the book. Sometimes, a story would be broken up over different sections, with references back and forth between the chapters. I personally prefer books of this nature to be a little more clear-cut and wrap up nicely within a chapter. Still, it was a nice way to kill some time and learn about a few things I wasn't familiar with. Of course, most people interested in ghost lore will have heard of many of the spooky things discussed in the book, such as the 27 Club, Led Zeppelin's occult dealings, etc., but there are a few more obscure references (like the Fohn/Foehn Winds) that make the book worthwhile. Give it a read for yourself and let me know what YOU think!

*Want More Book Reviews?*

The Curse of the Foehn Winds

Arabella High Rise, Munich Germany (Source)

Does weather really have the ability to affect our psyche? Can it lead to suicide....or even murder?

A few days ago, I finished reading a really fun book called Haunted Rock and Roll by Matthew L. Swayne. The book briefly mentions the Musicland Studio in Munich Germany. The studio was a popular one throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Rolling Stones recording their hits within its dark walls.

But, there was something strange about studio. Many of the artists who spent time there reported feeling extremely uncomfortable. They claimed that there was an evil sense of foreboding that permeated the space, and sensations such as depression and isolation were common. A few even believed that their careers took a downward turn after time spent there. Some began whispering that the studio might even be cursed.  But, why would the studio be cursed?

Musicland was established in the late 1960s by Giorgio Moroder, an Italian record producer. The studios were located in the basement of Munich's Arabella High-Rise Building. The Arabella is a 23-storey skyscraper, built between 1966 and 1969. Over the years, rumors began circulating among the bands that recorded at Musicland that the Arabella was a popular place for suicide victims, the preferred method being to jump off the roof.

A theory has emerged as to why this particular building attracted such a high number of suicides and why so many who used the basement studios felt a curse was attached to the property: the Arabella Hotel is in the line of a weather phenomenon called the Foen (or Fohn, in Germany) Winds. The term 'Foen Winds' originally was used to describe the mass of warm winds that would quickly blow south, down over the Alps, melting the snows and significantly raising temperatures. Today, the term is used to describe the same phenomenon occurring at any mountain.

These strong, hot winds didn't just bring higher temperatures, they also brought weird behaviors. Over the years, studies have shown that those in the path of these winds are likely to suffer higher rates of migraines, suicides, homicides, and delusions. Munich University did a study that seemed to show at least a 10% increase in suicides during Foehn Winds. But HOW does a wind cause so much turmoil in people?

In the 1950s, an Israeli team studied the effects of a similar weather pattern and concluded that the culprit was the concentration of ions in the air. According to an article by Joe Kloc, "When the wind blows, it accumulates positive ions. This causes a rise in serotonin production, which in turn leads to nausea, vomiting, migraines, and a number of potential other side effects." 

For over a hundred years, the Foehn Winds have been great source material for legends and superstitions, and have been mentioned in literature over and over for their strange ways of affecting people. Now, science is finally helping explain WHY. Fortunately for recording artists, the Musicland Studios no longer occupy the basement area of the Arabella. In the early 1990s, a new subway route nearby began to affect the quality of the recordings, so the studios were shut down. 

Sources/Further Reading

Musicland Studios-Wikipedia

Arabella High-Rise Building-Wikipedia

The Foehn Effect

Winds of Change, by Joe Kloc

The Japanese Suicide Girl Painting

Welcome to Day 2 of Haunted/Cursed Paintings Week!  The next 'painting'  has been floating around the internet for years and has recently made a comeback.  According to popular legend, it was a self-portrait painted by a young Japanese girl named Sonee, who then scanned the image and uploaded onto the web.  She then committed suicide.

After it was posted to a Korean forum, many members of the site claimed that the picture had eerie powers.  Some said that if you stared into the piercing blue eyes of the subject for more than five minutes, you too would go mad and commit suicide.  Others believed that if you stared at it long enough, the girl's ghost would appear and sometimes kill you, making it look like a suicide.  In another version of the tall tale, it is stated that the portrait changes as you gaze at it.  The melancholy young girl's mouth turns to an evil smirk, her brows furrow, and her eyes darken.  A dark mist then envelopes her petite frame.

Pretty cool urban legend, right?  And that's all that it is--an urban legend.

This artwork is actually by a Thai artist named Robert Chang and is of his original character creation, Princess Ruu, created for a screenplay he was working on called Tellurian Sky.  According to Chang, Princess Ruu is the only heir to the throne and is forced into a position of power at an early age, doomed never to have the chance of being with her true love.  This portrait, which was actually created using a computer program called Corel Painter, is supposed to be her last casual portrait before taking power.

Robert Chang's website

Urban Legends Online

*For another spooky Japanese Urban Legend, check out my blog on the Cursed Kleenex Commercial!*

Japanese Kleenex Commercial Curse

This is the creepiest commercial you've seen in a long time, right?  Hitting the airways around 1986, millions of Japanese viewers agreed...and it was quickly pulled from Kleenex's advertising campaign, which featured this ad, and two similar.  But, why is this commercial so darn creepy?  And just what the heck is going on with that kid?!

According to internet sources, this popular Japanese urban legend got its start when viewers noted that the jingle for this song, which is actually an English-lyric version of "It's a Fine Day" by Jane and Barton, sounded an awful lot like a German curse-- "Die, die, everyone is cursed and will be killed."

After it was pulled, the rumors began to pour in.  First it was said that the ad wasn't just pulled due to complaints of it being creepy, but that it was banned because people who watched it either died of mysterious circumstances or felt the overwhelming urge to commit suicide.  Secondly, it was widely believed that the cursed commercial had led to the deaths of the entire cast and crew, and that not one person who worked on the commercial was alive at the time it aired.

One cameraman was rumored to have been burned to death in a freak mechanical failure with his sauna.  The little boy had a whole list of things allegedly happen to him.  Some milder accounts place him as the victim of horrific nightmares lasting for days after filming.  In other versions of the legend, he isn't so lucky, either dying of organ failure from the toxicity of the paint used on his body, or decapitation resulting from being hit by a car.

The actress in the commercial may have had it worst of all.  Legend states that she went insane after the filming, and either hung herself or is still rotting away in a catatonic state in a mental institution.  Or, in my preferred telling, she became pregnant with the devil's child, and went insane.  It's actually the actress who gives us the biggest piece of evidence that this story is nothing more than an urban legend.  Her name is Keiko Matsuzaka, and if she DID go insane after giving birth to a devil baby, she recovered well, still working on film and television projects as late as 2007.

So, as rational people, we can be reasonably sure that the entire curse is simply an urban legend...but that leaves the question of what is going on in this commercial?  Well, as many sites that discuss this legend state, the child IS an ogre.  More specifically, he is a type of being called an oni, which is a demon, devil, ogre, troll mash-up, basically.  More specifically than THAT, he is an example of an Akaoni, or Red Demon.

The Akaoni is a pretty popular creature from Japanese folklore, and tends to show up in children's literature as a red critter, with green, moppish hair, a horn or two, and wearing tiger striped pants.  The Akaoni makes a prominent appearance in the 1933 children's book by Kousuku Hamada, called Naita Akaoni, or, the Red Demon who cried.

It was also the basis for a character named Ten in the popular anime of the time period, Ursei Yatsura!  In fact, it is widely speculated that the characters of Ten and Sakura, as seen below, were the inspiration for this commercial, as Kleenex tried to capitalize off a widely known television show airing in 1985-6.  So, yeah, its a little creepy as far as commercials go, but its definitely not the creepiest thing I've seen come out of Japan!

Ten, from Urusei Yatsura

It's a Fine Day Lyrics
The Horror Tree

Sakura, from Urusei Yatsura

Broken Heart Syndrome

In today's Medical Monday blog, I'll be discussing the Takotsubo Syndrome.  Also known as the Broken Heart Syndrome, this disease shows that dying from a broken heart (or a "curse" or severe fright) isn't just a folkloric motif to enhance a good ghost story...its real!

It's been ten days, but I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day just the same!  While many paranormal blogs written on that day brought you touching tales of love from beyond the grave or some of the crazy cool and often morbid origins of the holiday, I wanted to do something a TAD different to celebrate.  One of my interests in the paranormal field is researching strange and bizarre medical conditions that can be mistaken for having supernatural origins.  So, to combine the holiday with that theme, I give you...

Takotsubo Syndrome

Takotsubo Syndrome goes by many names, but is often referred to as the Broken Heart Syndrome.  Paranormal folklore is filled with tales of (mostly) young women dying of a broken heart, either from a love interest who failed to come back to her because of death or another woman, or one whom she was forbidden to be with, thanks to an unreasonable father who felt the young man in question was not good enough for his daughter.  The daughter then comes back to haunt the homestead or place of death, waiting for her loved one to claim her.

When historical records are accessed, however, most of the time the cause of death for the young woman is listed as something completely different, leading many to believe that the idea of dying of a broken heart is just a romanticized notion...a perfect ingredient for a ghost tale.

But, in a rare instance, science has lent a helping hand to folklore, and it can be shown that dying from a broken heart is a very real possibility. Since the onset of the syndrome isn't limited to a broken heart, the label of stress-induced cardiomy is often used as well.

Whatever you choose to call it, this is a REAL phenomenon that covers a variety of scenarios.  The grief from losing a loved one, a severe fright, or even the prolonged anxiety associated with believing one has had a "curse" placed upon them can lead to Takotsubo Syndrome, which leaves some pretty recognizable biological earmarks.  This handy infographic from the New Englad Journal of Medicine does a nice job summing up what happens to you.

Luckily, the affects from the Broken Heart Syndrome don't always have to be fatal, and in fact, with modern medicine, only about 20% of cases result in death, with the majority clearing up completely in less than 2 months.  According to Harvard Medical School, the syndrome causes a weakening of the left ventricle, brought about my a shock of stress hormones (ie, adrenaline) "stunning" the heart and preventing it from contracting correctly.  Symptoms include shortness of breath and chest pains, just like a heart attack, but show up on EKGs as a ballooning in the lower part of the left ventricle.  In fact, its that ballooning affect that gives the disorder its Takotsubo name--- the ballooning ventricle looks just like a tako-tsubo, a pot used by Japanese fisherman to trap octopuses.  It is believed that 90% of all cases of this disorder affect women.

The Poltergeist Trilogy Curse

They're Heeeeree...

It's been 31 years since the first Poltergeist movie hit the big screen and the iconic horror film trilogy has been scaring the pants off people ever since!  Even if you haven't seen any of the movies, the very image of young Carol Anne kneeling in front of a static-y television uttering those two, horrifying words in that innocent sing-song voice is enough to invoke an innate sense of fear.

But why is it so scary?  We KNOW its just a movie, right?  Of course, but like any good horror movie classic, the very circumstances surrounding the film itself are wrought with legends and alleged "true" paranormal activity!  Let's take a quick look at some of the eerie coincidences that are often cited as evidence of the Poltergeist curse:

Deaths of Cast Members:
Years ago, it was rumored that everyone who worked on the film met an untimely end.  Obviously, that isn't true, but there were at least four notable deaths of cast members that occurred during or slightly after the six year run between the release of the first and last Poltergeist movie.  Two of these deaths were not highly unusual.  Julian Beck, who played Kane in the second film, died after an 18 month battle with stomach cancer.  Will Sampson, who played the shaman died from complications after a heart/lung transplant.  Both actors were older, not in good health, and had been battling terminal issues for some time before their respective deaths.

The deaths of Sampson and Beck are still tragic, but not necessarily evidence of a curse.  Instead, most people point to the very untimely deaths of two other stars:  Dominique Dunne, who played the oldest daughter Dana, and Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne throughout all three movies.

On October 30, 1982, Dunne, who was 22 years old, was confronted at her home by her ex-boyfriend, John Sweeney.  Sweeney had come to reconcile, but when Dunne refused, he attacked her, choking her for an estimated 4-6 minutes.  Dunne passed out and lapsed into a coma.  She died on November 4.  Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, and served less than six years in prison.

Heather O'Rourke was just 12 years old when she passed away in February of 1988.  Believed to have been suffering from the flu since January of that year, Heather continued to get worse until fainting at breakfast one morning.  On the way to the hospital, she went into cardiac arrest.  It was later discovered that she had an intestinal blockage, a condition brought on by her previously diagnosed Crohn's Disease, and was experiencing sepsis.  She underwent surgery to remove the blockage, but the toxins coursing through her blood stream were too strong and she died on the operating table on February 1st, shortly before the release of the third film.  Because she died prior to the release of the film, it is debated as to whether or not she had actually completed filming all her scenes.  Her parents claim that all scenes were completed the previous June, but producers claimed that subtle changes had to be made to the script to accommodate her passing.

Other Creepy Stuff:
There were some other interesting things that happened on set or to actors during the filming of the movies, again, most notably the first.  During the first movie, Oliver Robins, who played Robbie, nearly died when one of the mechanical clowns malfunctioned and began choking him.  At first, it was thought that he was a really good actor, but when he actually started turning blue, it was realized that he was in serious trouble.

JoBeth Williams, who played the mom in the first movie, had her own supernatural experiences OFF set.  She claimed that when she'd go home in the evening, all the framed photos on the walls of her home would be askew.  She'd fix them back, but find that the next evening, they'd again be out of place.

So...the above points are the "evidence" that is often presented when the curse is discussed, but WHY would this movie be cursed?  Many people believe that there is a very simple reason for this...simple, but very, very creepy!

Remember the pool scene in the first movie...the part where all the human skeletons pop up, confirming that the subdivision was built atop a cemetery where the headstones were moved but not the bodies?  Those were REAL human skeletons.  Seriously.  At the time, it was much cheaper to purchase human skeletons than ones made of plastic.  In fact, when I was in high school, we still had a skeleton in our science department who was 99% real human remains.  Those same skeletons were used again in certain scenes in the second film.

Obviously, the cast wasn't too thrilled with this revelation.  A film about the dangers of treating the bodies of the dead with disrespect using real human remains as props is rather ironic and even prompted Will Sampson, who was a medicine man in real life, to conduct an exorcism on set.

Whether or not the souls of those whose bodies were used in the filming of this series came back to wreak vengeance...or whether or not you believe there is ANY type of curse associated with this trilogy...its still interesting to think about all the coincidences and spooky things that keep popping up with not just THIS movie, but so many other horror movies out there.  In any event, with Halloween barreling its way towards us, the Poltergeist trilogy will inevitably hitting the small screen on at least a few different channels.  If you choose to watch, just remember that the pool scene has a couple of un-credited extra actors involved!

*Check out this REAL Poltergeist story from Texas!*