Book Review for One Last Thing!

Title: One Last Thing! Strange, Curious and Humorous Conversations with the Other Side

Author: John E.L. Tenney

Published 2011 by John E.L. Tenney

Amazon Purchase Information

I've been a fan of John E. L. Tenney's work in the paranormal field since I saw him in the short-lived paranormal investigation show, Ghost Stalkers.  I had heard of him before that, but I think that was the first time I really got to see how he operated as a paranormal investigator...and I was impressed! I also follow John on Twitter, and he always comes across as a smart and witty kinda guy. Therefore, I was thrilled to open my presents Christmas morning and find that I had been given his book, One Last Thing!

I was also kind of surprised, because this book had been on my wish list quite awhile! After all the presents were open, I sat down by the fireplace and started reading. I was done before breakfast was served, lol.

One Last Thing! is a super short read, coming in at under 60 pages, but it was a book that took John 20+ years to make. It is not your simple run-of-the-mill investigation memoir or handbook. Rather, its a fascinating compilation of real life EVP transcripts from John's work in the paranormal investigation field. 

My generation of ghost hunters basically grew up using digital voice recorders and being told that you'd be lucky if you got more than one short word at a time during an EVP session. John shakes things up by using an old school reel to reel, spending HOURS on each EVP session, and capturing some wonderfully interactive conversations with spirits. Some of these conversations are poignant, while others are downright hilarious! It seems that even bodily death cannot destroy someone's sarcasm or snark. I think one of my favorite conversations recorded in the book is a spirit who takes the command to repeat a series of knocks and turns it into a knock-knock joke--seriously.

Reading through the pages, not only was I entertained to the point of chuckling aloud a few times, but I also found myself nodding my head in agreement. John notes that quite a few spirits seem to use the same language, most notably referring to wherever they are as the "Forever" or the "Always." I personally have heard these terms used a few times in my own EVP research, as well as another incident where the entity refers to itself AS A GHOST. It is recommended that to establish a rapport with the other side, some of this language should be incorporated by investigators, and I certainly plan on using what I've learned in the book in my next investigation.

John also notes that sometimes a question would be answered before it was even asked, sparking the debate as to whether ghosts/spirits can be telepathic. Again, I've had similar occurrences in my own investigation work, to the point where we experimented with whether or not WE the investigators were actually imprinting thoughts on tape. 

Overall, this was a really fun book. I wish it had gone more into John's philosophy and method of EVP work. I would love to have researched that more, because the introduction and closing pages, while scarce in number, were packed with useful tidbits of information. But, for what it is---a humorous collection of conversations with the other side--I'm happy. It's a quick read and a perfect palate cleansers for the investigator who needs something easy and fun to read, yet still educational. Obviously, a book of this nature isn't for everyone, but I'm proud to have One Last Thing! in my personal paranormal library!

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Start Small

 

Happy Friday!  January is the time of year when most people are focused on setting goals and resolutions...and after the whole fiasco that was 2020, I know I'll be personally trying to go full-steam to make up for everything I didn't accomplish last year.  But, whatever your goals, plans, resolutions, or dreams are, don't forget to take it one step at a time.  Start small and work your way up for a better chance at success!

This cute lil' ghost from Feel Afraid reminds us of just that---start small! Have a safe and spooky weekend, everyone. 

The Ghostly Clarinetist of Centennial Hall

 

Source: Cherry County Tourism Board

I'm fascinated with the hauntings of Centennial Hall, located in Valentine, Nebraska. Unfortunately, the internet hasn't provided the casual reader with too much information on this spooky location. So, today's blog will just be a little short Fright Bite! Here's what we do know:

Today, Centennial Hall houses a 12 room museum, each with a different theme. You can see military antiques, the Hallock Bell collection of over 1700 bells, and if you listen closely, you might even experience a ghost.

The building dates back to 1897 when it was built as a high school for the area. Tragedy stuck, however in 1947 when a young female student was murdered. It is believed that the girl's friend poisoned the girl's clarinet reed. When she went into the music room to practice, she came in contact with the poison reed, and passed away.

The hauntings began shortly after, while the building was still used as a school. Teachers would see the apparition of a small girl, which came with an accompanying feeling of dread. After the building converted into a museum, all the instruments were removed from the former music room, but visitors and staff alike still have reported hearing eerie clarinet music being played. A rocking chair has also been spotted rocking on its own. 

Centennial Hall seems like a fascinating museum to visit, with lots to see, an on-site thrift shop to browse, and the ghost of a murdered student to provide some background music for your stay. 

More Info:

This Former School is Haunted by the Ghost of a Clarinetist, by Jenny Maclay. 20 October 20202

Ghost Research at Fairmont's Dixie Theater

If you've been on social media in the last ten years or so, you've more than likely seen those memes asking something along the lines of "Would you stay in this haunted house overnight for X amount of money?" Or, "Would you work the overnight shift at this haunted graveyard?"  Everyone has their price, and most people would actually jump at the chance to stay in a haunted location overnight, money or not. But...these are always hypothetical situations.

If you lived in Fairmont, WV in 1920, however, you could actually prove how brave you really were!  

I found the newspaper clipping above in the April 3rd, 1920 edition of The West Virginian. It was right there, under the WANTED ads. Depending on your gender and race, you could earn anywhere from $25 to $75 for spending the night alone in a local cemetery.  You had to stay there all night, absolutely alone, but you could bring a gun with you, just in case.  Oh, and you also had to spend the entire night CHAINED TO A BED.  Granted, it was guaranteed that the bed would be warm and comfortable, and it was all in the interest of science. 

Wait, WHAT? There's a lot to unpack in this short lil' Help Wanted ad. Why would being a woman of color net you $50 more than being a white dude? Were they actually just going to dump a BED in the middle of a cemetery, and then CHAIN YOU TO IT? What was this experiment setting out to accomplish?  And why the hell should interested parties contact the manager of the Dixie Theater?

Obviously, this sent me on a frustrating search for more information---a search that I'm still working on.  What I found, however, was that the Dixie Theater in Fairmont was located at 240 Main Street. Around the time of this article, it appears that the manager was a man named Russell Linn or Reno Fleming.  And...this little Wanted Ad  wasn't the only connection to spiritualism associated with the theater.

In December of 1918, the Dixie Theater hosted a lecture by Evangelist H.B. Wescott on the topic of spiritualism. Apparently, spirit photographs were shown on the theater's screen, and Wescott lectured on a biblical explanation of spiritualism. It's noted in the article, found in the December 28, 1918 edition of The West Virginian, that he had spoken previously on the subject, and there was such an interest that he was asked to come back. Is it possible that the experiment in 1920 was connected to another lecture or event on spiritualism hosted by the theater?  

The topic of Spiritualism in West Virginia has recently become an interest of mine, and there are a couple of more blogs in the works about various mediums and spiritualist groups from around the Mountain State. If you can't wait, here's another interesting newspaper article to tide you over.  It's about a Hungarian widow from Thurmond, WV who traveled to Huntington to seek clues in her husband's death from the famed spiritualist medium, Elizabeth Blake!

HUNGARIAN WOMAN SOUGHT MURDER CLUE FROM SPIRITS

The Unquiet Grave of Mary Nasson

Close up of Mary Nasson's tombstone

In trying to complete my challenge of finishing out Volume 2 of Haunted America here on the blog, I stumbled across an interesting cemetery legend from York, Maine. It seems that in the historic Old York Burying Ground, there lies a unique tombstone, said to mark the final resting spot of a witch!

When Mary Nasson passed away on August 18th, 1774 at the age of 29, her husband Samuel had her grave marked with tombstone bearing a carving of Mary herself. From my experience, its rare to see portraits carved on tombstones of this time period, especially portraits that do somewhat evoke an image of fictional witch, Winifred Sanderson. But, even more damning in terms of legends and lore, Samuel covered the top of her grave with a granite slab. 

No one knows for sure just when the rumors of Mary being a witch began, but they date back to at least the late 1800's. George Alexander Emery's 1894 book, Ancient City of Georgeana and Modern Town of York (Maine) from it's Earliest Settlement: Also its Beaches and Summer Resorts, mentions Mary's grave in the Old York Burial Ground, noting that the granite slab was added as a means of keeping the witch in her grave. Since then, the legends of Mary Nasson being a witch have only grown and evolved with each telling. 

Protective Granite Slab

Some believe that Mary was actually hanged, or otherwise executed, for being a witch. However, there is no proof of that.  Others believe she was simply a woman who knew a lot about the medicinal properties of herbs...too much, in fact...and that's how she gained a reputation as a witch. Crows that hang out in the cemetery during the summer are often attributed to being her familiars.  And, others just believe that the best explanation for a granite slab (sometimes said to emit its own heat) is that it must be there to keep something sinister at bay. 

More than likely, the granite slab was put over the grave to keep cattle, pigs, and other roaming animals away from the body. In fact, it was a pretty common practice, and there's a good chance that even though Mary's grave is the only one that STILL has its slab in place, at one time, quite a few burials implemented the system. 

But, granite slab or not---witch or not---if you believe local legend, the slab hasn't succeeded in keeping Mary's spirit still. According to Joseph Cito's book, Weird New England, Mary's ghost enjoys interacting with children. Her apparition has been seen giving them wildflowers and pushing them on swing sets. 

Sources:

Atlas Obscura

Find-a-Grave

New England Folklore

The Ghost Cat Butt of Parkersburg

Susan Sheppard-Haunted Parkersburg

Many years ago, my mom and I went on our first of several walking tours with Haunted Parkersburg's Ghost Tours, owned and operated by renowned researcher, Susan Sheppard. It was a really fun experience, and I learned a lot about the haunted history of Parkersburg, WV. But among the stories of the Silver Run Tunnel, the the Marrtown Banshee, the East End Ghoul, the ghosts of the Riverview Cemetery, and so many others, one tiny story stuck out most to me...

...the apparition of a black cat's hindquarters.

Ghostly cats are nothing too out of the ordinary. I know several people, myself included, who have experienced their beloved feline sticking around long after their bodily death. In fact, Parkersburg itself has several locations haunted by ghost cats, most notably the old Trans-Allegheny Bookstore is said to be home to up to three phantom felines. But, those cats appear...whole.

There's a story from one of the historic residential areas in Parkersburg where a black cat's apparition is seen. The head and front paws are never seen, however.  Only the tail and hindquarters has ever been seen. But why would only the cat's BUTT appear to witnesses?

Source

The house where the half-cat is spotted was built around 1900, and is located right near where the old streetcar system, which operated through the 1940's ran. It's theorized that the poor cat was a pet of the family who lived in the home and that it met an untimely end on the tracks of the streetcar. To me, however, that doesn't fully explain why only the cat's back half is observed.  Even if the poor creature was cut clean in half by a passing streetcar, why would only the back half be left? Where's the front half?  Perhaps it was too badly mangled in the fatal accident...or perhaps there's another house nearby where people are seeing only the head and front paws of what they think is a completely different cat. 

I was pleased to see this lil' tidbit was included in the first edition (2004) of Sheppard's book, Cry of the Banshee.  In the same chapter, its noted that (presumed) living cats seemed drawn to the tours, and whenever a ghost tour was being led around town, numerous black cats would pop up along the route. That struck a chord with me, because when I was a tour guide for Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours, that was a running joke with us, as well. We ALWAYS had cats, not always black, though, follow our tour through the village, and occasionally, sit and LISTEN to our stories. On more than one occasion, a tour patron went home with an obvious stray. 

An old folklore belief states that cats protect their humans from harmful spirits---could our little tour assistants have simply been keeping us safe from the ghosts that prowled around town? Or were they themselves, the ghosts? 

*Want more spooky cat stories?  Here's my experiences with Ambrosis, The Ghost Cat*

New Mexico's Haunted Herzstein Memorial Museum

Herzstein Memorial Museum. Source: Clayton-Union County Chamber of Commerce

In October 2018, the New Mexico Department of Tourism proclaimed the town of Clayton to be the most haunted city in the entire state. Along with Union County Courthouse and the Hotel Eklund, the Herzstein Memorial Museum is listed as a spooky example of why Clayton is New Mexico's Most Haunted City.

The Herzstein Memorial Museum is housed in a beautiful old building, dating back to 1919. It began its life as a Methodist Church, but also served as skating rink, a bowling alley and a library. The Museum gets its name from Albert Herzstein, whose foundation paid for extensive renovations and restoration of the building in 1987. Albert was the son of pioneers; his parents built the first cinema in Clayton, New Mexico in addition to operating a successful mercantile business. 

To honor the Herzstein family, one whole exhibit in the museum is dedicated to all the interesting treasures and artifacts they collected from their travels around the world. Other exhibits deal with the Santa Fe Trail, Native Americans, the Dust Bowl, and other aspects of New Mexico history.

With so many different artifacts and with a building used for so many different purposes, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly who or what is causing the hauntings. However, museum staff feel that the main ghost to call the Herzstein home is 'a sassy older lady.' 

In 2015, a ghost hunting group claims to have caught the apparition of a woman in white on video. Executive Director of the museum, Victoria Baker, has also noted that the sound of disembodied high-heeled footsteps have heard in the kitchen area. 

Subsequent paranormal investigations have produced an EVP of a little boy's voice in a back bedroom area, poltergeist activity, and strange noises throughout the museum, including a rattling noise on or near the staircase. Quite a few videos exist on YouTube from various ghost hunting groups sharing their Hertzstein evidence, but you can view the 2015 apparition photo right from the local Chamber of Commerce's website! 

Clayton, New Mexico is embracing its haunted history and living up to its reputation as New Mexico's most haunted city.  If you're in the area, make sure to include a stop at the Herzstein Memorial Museum. You'll learn about the early history of New Mexico, and you might even catch a glimpse of a sassy older lady from the early 20th century!

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