Weekend Plans: A Friday Funny

We've finally made it to the weekend!  For me, September is the official start of the Halloween season, which means my weekends for the next two months are going to be SUPER BUSY!  Do you have anything ghostly coming up this weekend, such as tours, investigations, festivals, etc.? Planning on staying in and watching ghost hunting shows or spooky movies?  Lemme know what you've got planned...and if you're looking for something fun to do and are in the Beckley, WV area, check out Haunted Beckley's Wildwood Cemetery Tour, this Saturday (August 31st)! 

Vintage Mine Ghost of Pennsylvania

This story is from the March 10, 1913 edition of the Pittsburgh Daily Post and it reads almost like an episode of Scooby Doo!  What was this horrific half-man, half-beast that was seen in the mines and why was it so intent on getting the miners to leave?  Was it a warning of a potential mine accident...or just someone playing a prank?  I absolutely love mine folklore and ghost stories and will be delving more into that area in the next few months, so make sure you keep checking back here and on Facebook at Theresa's Haunted History. 

KITTANNING, Pa., March9,--Tales of a ghost having been seen in the Chickasaw coal mines were rife a few days ago.  Scoffs at first greeted the story when it was told in the little mining town on the Pittsburgh & Shawmut railroad in Madison township.  Later men rushed from the mines with terrifying stories of an apparition, half-man, half-beast, carrying a luminous dinner pail and going from room to room, ordering them to quit work.  The men did not need a second warning, but are reported to have dropped tools and fled.  It is said the wraith took possession of the motor, ordered its driver to depart and then took the trip of loaded cars to the pit mouth.  On arriving outside, however, the trip was discovered by the tipple crew to be without its motorman, and it was taken in charge by the crew.  The miners refused to work for several nights but tomorrow all are expected to return. 

*Article found on Ghost Hunt and Paranormal Research

Paranormal Vision: Cat Vs. Ghost

Tomorrow (August 17th) is Black Cat Appreciation Day, so I thought this would be perfect for today's post! This adorable lil' comic is by Cody Stone Stowe at WEFLAPSCOMICS and it reminds me so much of my own black kitty girl, Ichabod.  I've seen her 'fight' something that I certainly couldn't see and now it makes me wonder if she was taking down ghosts, lol.  Do you have a kitty that does weird things or seemingly sees things that aren't there? Let me know about it in the comments below, or head on over to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page! 

Baby Ghost, Do-Do-Do-Do

Is it just me, or does this thing look like a newly discovered Pokemon?  Anyway, if you'd like to learn more about pyrosomes, Wikipedia has you covered!  Have a spooky weekend, everyone! 

Fabric on Fleek: A Friday Funny

Chalk this up to one of those things that I laughed at harder than I should have...and had to share with you all so you could laugh, too!  While visually goofy, I really like the idea that a soul reaper, Death, or whatever you want to label this creepy creature can be distracted from his job by a beautiful and expensive garment!  Happy Friday, everyone...hope your weekend is on fleek!

Remembering Rosemary

On Monday, July 22, 2019 I woke up, and decided to peruse Facebook.  I was startled to see several posts sharing a terrible bit of news to the paranormal community:  Author and researcher, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, had passed away.

As of this writing, the family has not released a cause of death, but from my understanding, Rosemary had been suffering from illness recently, and passed away on July 18th.  She had just celebrated her 69th birthday on July 8th.

This is a major blow to the paranormal research community, especially to those of us here in West Virginia and throughout the tri-state.  To call Rosemary a PROLIFIC author and researcher would be an understatement. She wrote over 65 books on a huge variety of paranormal topics, was a regular in FATE Magazine, on Coast to Coast AM, and an almost yearly guest at the annual Mothman Festival!

It was at the Mothman Festival where I first got the opportunity to really talk with Rosemary.  Like many in this field, I was already quite familiar with her work, and my personal paranormal library contains quite a few of her titles.  Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive when I approached her table. I bought a ton of back issues of FATE Magazine from her (actually, I did that for a couple of years, lol) and chatted with her a bit.  To be such a big name in the paranormal field, she was so sweet and down to earth.  She was really easy to talk to and was such a knowledgeable individual on such a broad spectrum of topics.  In addition to having a table at the Mothman Festival, she would usually speak at the historic State Theater as well.  As a moving tribute, at this year's Mothman Festival, the 2 pm time slot on Saturday (in which Rosemary usually spoke) will be dedicated to a tribute to her life and work.

Oddly enough, even though the Mothman Festival was my first opportunity to chat with Rosemary, I had met her briefly years before.  Years and years ago, a friend I had met through a paranormal message board had started a group and invited me to join them in an investigation at Ohio's haunted Prospect Place.  Rosemary was also invited, and while I got to MEET her, I didn't get the chance to actually investigate with her.  I really regret that now.  I regret that my shyness has stopped me from making the effort to really get to know so many people at a deeper level and now, in the case of Rosemary, it's too late.

Anyway, her spirit will live on in the many lives she did touch, as well as her huge contributions to the paranormal field.  Among her many written works are the Monsters of West Virginia and The Big Book of West Virginia Ghost Stories, which I was thrilled to see my blog mentioned in!   You can learn more about Rosemary Ellen Guiley  and her huge body of work at her website, Visionary Living.  May you rest in peace, Rosemary. 

The Daemon: A Friday Funny

The concept of a daemon, or daimon, has always fascinated me. According to Wikipedia, the ancient Greeks viewed daemons as lesser deities, or intermediaries between man and the divine.  However, this entity can also be interpreted as more of a spirit guide, or speaking strictly psychologically, a part of one's own conscience.  In Plato's Apology of Socrates, Socrates claimed to have a daimonion (literally, a "divine something") that frequently warned him—in the form of a "voice"—against mistakes but never told him what to do. 

So tell me...do you have a daimon, a little voice that guides you and gives you advice?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!