Book Review for Life with the Afterlife

Title: Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned About Ghosts

Author: Amy Bruni, with Julie Tremaine

Published: 2020 by Grand Central Publishing

Amazon Purchase Information

Life with the Afterlife was published last October, but as usual I'm late to the party, having only picked up and read this book in June of 2021. It is a memoir of sorts, chronicling the paranormal experiences and ghost hunting career of Amy Bruni. Amy Bruni, co-star of the show Kindred Spirits, got her television ghost hunting start on the original Ghost Hunters, joining the TAPS team as they investigate a multitude of haunted and historic properties, businesses, and even private residences. 

Over the course of thirteen chapters, we learn about how Amy got interested in the paranormal, how she became involved with the TAPS family, what led her to becoming a reality TV ghost hunter, and ultimately, what she has learned from the whole experience. 

I really like reading books written by other investigators. It's enlightening to see how others in this field got their start, and interesting to see how their philosophies and methods compare to my own. As long as I've been an investigator, I still realize that I can always keep learning and keep growing. One way to do so obviously is to learn from the experiences and expertise of well respected figures in the field of paranormal investigation. Amy Bruni has a lot of experience on her own, but throughout the book quotes plenty of other well-known researchers in the field, pulling in their expertise as well.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I actually learned much from this book. That's not to say that there isn't good information in the book---there is---but I think for me it's a combination of things. I've been in this field a LONG time, so most of the '13 truths' just seem kind of common sense to me. Secondly, I hadn't realized it before since I'm not a huge watcher of television shows, but Amy and I have quite similar ideas and beliefs when it comes to paranormal investigation. I especially appreciate her thoughts on the idea of offering assistance and a voice to those left behind here without necessarily 'crossing them over.' I've always been leery of those in this field whose sole mission is to cross spirits over to the other side. We don't know what awaits them over there---how do we know we're not sending them to a fate worse than death? 

Anyway, if you're a fan of the shows Ghost Hunters or Kindred Spirits, or otherwise follow Amy's work, you'll definitely want to read Life With the Afterlife. It is an interesting glimpse into the life of an interesting person, and there's definitely plenty of practical information included for those interested in the field of paranormal investigation. At 257 pages, written in a large font, it's a quick and easy read, perfect for getting in a little chill during those summer days by the pool!

If you've read Life With the Afterlife, let me know what YOU thought about it!  Feel free to comment below, or join me over on Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State's Facebook page. Stay spooky, ya'll. 

Horror of the Woods: A Braxton County Monster Prequel

 

 Back in May of this year, I dedicated a whopping SEVEN blog entries covering information concerning what local newspapers dubbed the 'Braxton County Monster.' These sightings, most of which happened in the early to mid 1960's throughout West Virginia, were all inexplicably tied to the 1952 Flatwoods Monster incident.  The beasts being seen clearly were more of a Bigfoot type creature than the spade-headed, skirt-wearing metallic monster that terrorized the small town of Flatwoods, yet they all got lumped together.

One of the sightings in particular I covered was from October of 1960. On a stretch of road near the Williams River in Pocahontas County, W.C. Priestly had quite a unique experience. This furry creature allegedly caused Priestly's car to stall through some unexplained power. The creature's hair stood on end, rendering Priestly's vehicle motionless until another vehicle came by and the creature's hair dropped, and it ran off. 

That's pretty weird, right? But what's weirder is that this wasn't the first hairy ape-like creature to be seen in this area of Pocahontas County near the Williams River!  The newspaper clipping over on the left is from the Shepherdstown Register, dated 28 October 1920---a whole 40 years before Priestly's encounter.

The article, which can be accessed for free at the Chronicling America website, states that for several months an 'ape, baboon, gorilla, wild man, or terror' has been reported in different areas from Pittsburg, PA to throughout the state of West Virginia. A hunter in the area claimed to spot the creature enjoying a berry patch on Black Mountain. He even claimed to have found the creature's nest, which was apparently filled with collected railroad spikes. A woman claims that SHE was pursued by the creature, which many believe was just a half-tame gorilla, and ran into her house to escape. She called her two dogs to chase it off, but the creature ended up choking both dogs to death. 

That's pretty horrific. But, was this creature actually some type of Bigfoot or was it really a 'half-tame gorilla?' Let's play skeptic and say that this was obviously a gorilla.  You may be wondering to yourself, 'what is a gorilla doing running loose in Pocahontas County in 1920?' The answer to this puzzle actually came from my own blog, lol. As I was looking over some older entries on Theresa's Haunted History, I came across another vintage newspaper article I had posted back in April of 2020. I had kinda forgotten about it, but as I re-read that blog, I realized that the article actually mentions this story!

Williams River.  Source

In my blog titled The Flat Mountain Beast, I share a newspaper article from the Greenbrier Independent, dated 26 November 1920. Greenbrier County lies just southwest of Pocahontas County, and it seems that locals there were seeing what they described as a gorilla with a broken chain around its neck. They surmise that this is the same creature that had been seen the month before in Pocahontas County. Fortunately, there are a few more details in this article. The beast is described as being about 350 pounds and standing 6 feet tall with reddish/blackish fur. The article also goes on to state that the animal is believed to have been the gorilla which escaped from a traveling circus near Wheeling, WV three months prior. 

So, the two beasts described in the two newspaper articles from 1920 are probably the same, and it IS probably a gorilla and not a Bigfoot.  But, could that same gorilla STILL be living in the same general vicinity 40 years later? It doesn't seem likely. Gorillas typically have a lifespan of about 35 to 40 years, although there are examples of gorillas living longer. I guess it's POSSIBLE that a gorilla could have led a long and healthy life in the abundant mountains of southeastern West Virginia, but I don't think it could have developed an adaptation that included causing cars to stall with its hair, lol. 

In any event, its a fun story and its interesting to ponder the possibilities. It's also a quick lesson in synchronicity! Just when I thought I was completely done with the Braxton County Monster Bigfoot series, I come across the Horror of the Woods article, posted by researcher Les O'Dell on his WV CASE Facebook page. As soon as I read it, I instantly thought of the Priestly case. I didn't have any plans on featuring it on a blog any time soon, but when I came across my entry about the Flat Mountain Beast and realized it was probably the same creature, I decided that I had to include it, sooner than later, in the annals of West Virginia's weird and wonderful history.

Theresa's Travels: Sistersville, West Virginia

On Saturday, June 12, 2021 myself and several other members of Spectral Research and Investigation headed north to Tyler County, West Virginia. We had been called in to assist a family in Sistersville who was experiencing some potential paranormal activity. As this was largely a daytime investigation and it was a 2.5 hour drive up there for me, there wasn't a ton of free time to explore the historic and spooky little town of Sistersville.  However, I wasn't about to let the opportunity to at least LOOK at some of the area's haunted hot spots pass me by!

My first stop of the afternoon was the historic and haunted Wells Inn. The Wells Inn opened in January of 1895 to cater to those connected with the recent oil boom in the area. It was built by Ephraim Wells, and he is believed to be the main ghost of the hotel. He is blamed for moving objects around, locking maids out of certain rooms, playing with the elevator, and the sounds of writing coming from his former office. Phantom footsteps have been heard in the halls and doors have been known to slam on their own. 

I had briefly entertained the idea of actually staying the night at the Wells Inn following our investigation, but since money's tight and time was short, I decided to skip the formal stay and wait until I had the time and money to really make the most out of my stay there. So, I had to be content to stop and take a few photos!  Unfortunately, there was a big sign on the front door saying that the lobby was open to guests of the hotel ONLY. I'm not sure if this was simply a COVID-19 restriction, or this is a permanent policy put in place for the safety and comfort of paying guests.  Either way, I was a little bummed (but I completely understood) that I couldn't go inside. 

I left the Wells Inn with the intent of heading up to Oakwood Cemetery and getting some good daytime photos of a very eerie monument known as the Stocking Lady. I'm not sure HOW I missed it, but my directions to Oakwood Cemetery did not work out, lol. I did, however, find myself in another local cemetery---Greenwood. I think Greenwood and Oakwood sometimes get confused, but I have heard some stories of Greenwood being haunted as well. In one report submitted to WVGhosts, a witness claims that a group of friends visited Greenwood and after touching one tombstone that felt hot, several girls in the group felt like they were being stabbed. White, moaning things were seen, and even approached their car! I can't vouch for these tales, obviously, but I think there was a reason why I ended up at this particular cemetery.  As I was driving around, looking at the tombstones, I actually stumbled upon the graves of more than one previous owner of the property we were about to investigate!

By the time I checked out Greenwood pretty thoroughly, it was time to meet up with the rest of the team. I was super bummed that I hadn't found Oakwood, as I REALLY wanted to see the Stocking Lady for myself, but I knew that we had a job to do, so I focused all my attention on getting ready for the night's investigation. 

The Spectral Research and Investigation team, accompanied by Zach Schwartz of Countere Magazine, met up at The Fort Pizza and Restaurant for lunch and to plan out how we were going to approach this particular investigation. I had a HUGE chicken wrap and fries. The food was good and the staff was friendly---it was a really nice little local place to gather our thoughts and decide what we needed to do to give our clients the best investigation we could. 

As this was a private residence case, I won't be going over details of our actual investigation, but I will say that it was a hard one for me, emotionally. It was a case unlike any other residential I've done over the years and although we plan on staying in contact with the family and continuing to work with them, I just personally feel like we were all stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to really solving their problems for them. So, that was disappointing, but the evening definitely ended on a happy note!  The family actually lived pretty close to Oakwood Cemetery...and offered to take us up there!

I first learned about Oakwood Cemetery and the Stocking Lady back in October of 2019 when I saw storyteller Granny Sue at the WV Book Festival. The Stocking Lady is a beautiful, yet damaged tombstone statue that overlooks the graves of the family of Philo and Nancy Stocking. Local legend states that those who have been bold enough to vandalize the statue of a woman in a flowing garment have suffered terrible fates. The person who broke off the statue's arms lost his own arm in an accident. The person who gouged out the eye area went blind himself. There are lots of stories of people simply touching the Stocking Lady, resulting in a run of bad luck, illness, and injury. 

Oakwood Cemetery didn't disappoint and I was thrilled to finally see the Stocking Lady for myself. I didn't get too close, though...just in case. 

Overall, the trip to Sistersville was a positive experience for me. I had driven through the area before on my way to Moundsville, but never stopped to really look around. The drive along the Ohio River between Huntington and Sistersville is a beautiful drive that takes you through so many little historic towns, each with their own legends and ghost stories. This trip to Sistersville may have been my first, but it certainly won't be my last.

So let me know...have YOU been to Sistersville? Have you stayed at the haunted Wells Inn or visited the Stocking Lady?  Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below, or join me over on Facebook at Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State to share your story! Stay spooky, ya'll. 

Sistersville Phantom Airship 1897

Happy World UFO Day! 

To celebrate World UFO Day 2021, I thought it'd be fun to share with you this story of perhaps West Virginia's FIRST UFO?

Beginning in late 1896 and lasting through 1897, the United States was plagued with a very unusual unidentified aerial phenomenon. Starting in California and steadily moving eastward across the country, sightings of strange lights in the sky attached to what many believed was a dirigible were reported by everyday citizens. On April 19th, 1897, the mysterious airship had made its way to the small town of Sistersville, West Virginia! 

The following newspaper article comes from the Philadelphia Inquirer, dated 20 April 1897. A series of red, white, and green flashing lights were observed heading into town from the northwest. When looked at through 'strong glasses,' a cone-shaped craft, 180 feet long, with large fins on either side, could be seen. It was observed for about 20 minutes. So sure that they didn't see just a mere star, the citizens of Sistersville who witnessed the strange phenomena passed around and signed an affidavit declaring what they saw. 

Interestingly, earlier that day, reports of a phantom airship crash in Aurora, Texas made headlines across the country. The airship had crashed into windmill/sump pump on Judge Proctor's farm, killing the lone pilot. The strange little body was given a Christian burial in a local cemetery. To this day, permission to exhume the body has been denied, cementing the tale's place in Fortean society forever. 

Were the citizens of Sistersville simply influenced by the strange events in Texas, and thus turned their own unexplained experience into something similar...or was there really a barrage of phantom airships traveling across the continental United States in 1897? Who were piloting these strange craft---beings from another planet, or simply men from our own planet, operating under a secret mission to advance air travel? We may never know, but to the people who witnessed the events of April 19th, 1897, there's no doubt in their minds that they had witnessed something extraordinary.

TALA Tales: The Tragic Case of Ivan Hoover

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, formerly known as Weston State Hospital, is one of West Virginia's most haunted locations. Each year, hundreds of people ascend upon the massive stone Kirkbride building in hopes of experiencing one of the many ghosts believed to still walk the hospital halls. Every once in awhile, I like to bring in a human element by spotlighting the story of an actual patient committed to the institution. With a history dating back before the Civil War, there are plenty of souls with stories to tell. Although not everyone featured in TALA Tales has a known ghost story associated with them, I still feel like it is important to share their background. Not only does doing so give investigators and students of history a clearer look at everyday life in the hospital, but you never know when an EVP or other response will reveal a name not previously well-known to the building's ghost lore. So, without further ado, here is Ivan's story.

Ivan Hoover was born in Parkersburg on September 14, 1927. Once described as a brilliant, A-student, all that would change thanks to an injury suffered while Ivan was playing high school football. At first, it was thought that Ivan had just fractured his jaw; however, as his mental state deteriorated and his parents took him to a number of doctors, it was discovered that he had actually suffered a fractured skull, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Even worse...it was too late to do anything. The former brilliant student was now classified as mentally retarded and would spend the next 12 years in different mental institutions, namely Spencer State Hospital. 

Ivan was considered to be a shy, tender-hearted boy, and his parents remained devoted to his care. Eventually, he was released from the hospital into their care, and went to live with them at their Ritchie County farm. For two to three years, Ivan and his parents---Lester and Clara---lived on and worked the farm. Then, in late September of 1957, Ivan came down with a case of wanderlust.

According to his brother, Basil, Ivan decided that he was tired of staying home and wanted to head south to get a job. He was afraid that his aging parents wouldn't be able to get along without him, so he did what HE thought best for them----and sent them to Heaven. 

When a neighbor noticed that Lester and Clara hadn't picked up their mail in several days, the authorities were notified and sent out to the farm. There, they found the body of Clara on the dining room floor, with an army blanket over her body. Lester was found in an outside cellar, underneath a summerhouse. Both had been struck in the head with what would be determined to be a mattock. Ivan, however, was nowhere to be found. The sheriff, telling the local press that Ivan was known to be violent with a short temper, almost immediately was blamed, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. 

Members of law enforcement AND civilian volunteers were involved in the manhunt for the 'dangerous' Ivan, who was described as having a full, brown beard and most likely barefoot, wearing cut-off denim pants. A pond on the Hoover farm was drained, with the belief that Ivan may have taken his own life by drowning after killing his parents. Ivan's body wasn't found in the pond, but apparently a mattock (determined to be the murder weapon) and a pair of pants belonging to Ivan were recovered. 

Ivan was eventually found a couple of weeks later. He was taken in by the Jackson County sheriff's department. He had walked 50 miles, sticking to wooded areas and living off apples and dried corn. He was found with $11.55 in his pocket, which he admitted he took from his father's pocket after the murder. Although he didn't realize people were looking for him, he surrendered without incident and freely admitted to killing his parents with a mattock. He requested to be shown their grave---a request which he was granted---and showed true grief at the loss of his parents. 

Find-a-Grave photo by LCR

Awaiting trial, Ivan was housed at the Weston State Hospital. At trial, he WAS found guilty of murder, but instead of being given the death penalty, he was sent back to Weston for treatment in February of 1958. It wouldn't take long before wanderlust overtook Ivan again and while out taking his exercise in May of that year, he jumped a fence and headed for the woods. He was captured five days later without incident. 

Ivan continued to live at Weston, and apparently was making progress with his mental health. He was not considered a danger to himself or others when he escaped AGAIN in June of 1966, again by jumping over a fence and heading to the woods. He was picked up on July 18 in Cox Mills, again without incident. 

Although he spent much of his life in mental institutions, especially at Weston State Hospital, Ivan did not pass away there. He died on September 1, 1982 at the age of 54 in Baker County Florida. His body was returned to West Virginia where he was buried alongside his devoted parents in the Cairo IOOF Cemetery in Ritchie County.  But what was he doing in Florida?

This is just pure speculation on my part, but I found some records of Ivan's brother, Basil, living in Florida. It's possible that Ivan was deemed safe enough to leave the state hospital, and perhaps was released into the care of his brother and they ended up in Florida. Ivan did say he wanted to head south to find a job, so hopefully he was able to spend his remaining years free of institution life and doing something that made him feel like a productive member of society before finally spending his eternity buried beside his beloved parents. 

Want MORE Trans-Allegheny Stories? 

The Story of Lily

Madness and Mistaken Identity

1950 UFO Flap Continues

 

Last night, I posted a new blog on Theresa's Haunted History about three strange, unidentified objects seen flying over Fairmont, West Virginia. The objects were seen about 300 feet up in the air on March 14, 1950. There wasn't a whole lot of information provided in the Hinton Daily News article about the sighting, so I thought that it was somewhat of an isolated incident...until I found ANOTHER article from the same paper, dated just a day after the original article was published.

In the March 18, 1950 edition, the above-seen story was published. This time, the unidentified objects have moved significantly south, as three witnesses in Bluefield, WV came forward to say they had seen something flying through the sky. Although it is mentioned that there was a slight buzzing sound, and that the objects left vapor trails, the article doesn't mention exactly WHAT was seen. Was it the same glass balls filled with light as seen in Fairmont a few days earlier?  Was it some sort of saucer shaped craft? What exactly did they see? 

As alluded to in this article, it does seem that there was a UFO flap of sorts happening in the area, and possibly throughout the state. Another UFO flap would hit West Virginia in 1952, and again in 1967 and in 1973. Over the years, West Virginia would become a hotbed of UFO, paranormal, and cryptozoological activity. These short little newspaper blurbs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to uncovering the strange and unusual history of the Mountain State. 

Stay Spooky. 

1950 Fairmont UFO

 

This brief newspaper clipping comes from The Hinton Daily News, and is dated March 17th, 1950. It retells a report from a man known only as 'Watson' that ran a day before in a local Fairmont, WV newspaper. Watson claims that on Tuesday, March 14, 1950, he was coming home when he saw THREE big balls in the sky, which appeared to have a very bright light in them. They were moving at a great speed, and were directly above him, about 300 feet up. The witness insists that he is not a drinking man. 

Describing the objects as 'big balls of glass with a very bright light in them,' is quite interesting to me as I've never heard that description used before when describing UFOs, especially during this period. Through the 1950's it was much more common for people to describe actual saucer-shaped flying craft...not balls of glass. I wish there was more information, such as where exactly these three objects were sighted, what time they were sighted, and if there were any follow-ups. Still, I wanted to share it here as part of West Virginia's rich, UFO history!