Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Witchy Wednesday: Blue Moon Edition

Today is a special day for lunar lovers! It is a rare Blue Moon AND Blood Moon/Total Lunar Eclipse rolled into one! And, since its Wednesday, I wanted to share this stunning picture. It's been shared around the internet so much that I cannot find its original source in order to give credit. If you know who created this beautiful representation of a full moon, let me know!

The next Blue Moon (second full moon within a calendar month) will occur on March 31, 2018. If you're interested in reading more about Blue Moons, check out this awesome article from EarthSky


Friday, January 26, 2018

Pt. Pleasant's Unlucky 13th Street

This local fright-bite comes from a March 13, 1895 edition of the Pt. Pleasant Weekly Register. The archived article can be found through the Chronicling America website, and tells quite a tale of a very extravagantly accessorized ghost, roaming around 13th Street, in the Third Ward area of Pt. Pleasant, WV. As an added side note to spooky history: Two of the original Mothman witnesses, Roger and Linda Scarberry, lived on 13th Street during the Mothman flap. About a month after seeing the creature in the TNT area, Linda reports that she saw it again on the roof of her home.

From Mothman Wikipedia

A man up in the Third Ward has seen a ghost, and no ordinary ghost either.  It was a woman, of course, and wore silk raiment and razzle-dazzle jewelry. Some time in the morning before dawn during last week an up-town citizen was passing through an alley ostensibly for a near-cut.  When he came near the crossing over Thirteenth Street he saw just a short distance ahead of him, an elegantly dressed woman, her clothing bedecked with silver bangles set with dazzling brilliants.  The apparition would not allow a near approach, as it faded out of sight before he got to it.  


Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Fake News: A Weird Wednesday Collection

Fake News---This term has become quite the buzz word over the past year or so, almost to the point where you can't read the comment section of any news article without seeing it shouted at least once or twice. But, 'fake news' isn't...new. I once read, many years ago, that newspapers would often publish completely fictitious news, under the guise of REAL news, to help drum up readership. I'm sure that most readers at the time had a pretty good understanding of what was real and what wasn't, just as contemporary readers can usually discern between actual news and the sensational stuff found in grocery store tabloids. They knew the difference between entertainment and what was actually going on in their community.  However, as modern readers go back and look at these vintage archives, it can be a tad confusing. WAS this actual news? Did the people of the time BELIEVE it to be real?  Just what the heck was going on?!?

I love looking through old newspaper archives, and many times, I find some really strange little gems! And while newspaper articles featuring fantastical stories can be found year round, even in our local publications, I recently noticed that quite a few were published in the month of January. January of 1914 was an especially weird month for some reason. 

I won't come out and say that any of these news stories are actually 'fake news,' but I will venture to assume that January has, historically, been a slow month for reporters here in the tri-state!

1. The Mountain Octopus:  The story of the Mountain Octopus appeared in local papers on January 11, 1946. A group of students in Thomas, WV, discovered several of the creatures in a local stream, and brought two back to school with them to show to staff/students. No one was ever quite sure how and why an ocean creature got (and survived) in our cold, freshwater streams of West Virginia.

2. Hungarian Woman Sought Murder Clue from Spirits: This strange story appeared in a Huntington, WV newspaper on January 23, 1914. A widow from Thurmond, WV made a stop in Huntington after traveling to Ohio to seek the services of a well-known medium. The woman was seeking information from the spirits concerning her husband's recent murder.

3. Meteor, or Bad Omen Over Huntington?:  Here's another weird story from Huntington, WV that appeared in the local paper on January 13, 1914. Around that time, a meteor was seen streaking over the skies of Huntington. However, a group of kids playing near the old C&O Hospital claimed that they saw the meteor then spell out a name in fire, and then morph into the image of a woman's face in the sky! 

4. Women in Hysterics as Ghost Runs Down Street: Although the account was published in a local paper on January 8, 1914, this tale actually comes from New York and is a humorous telling of how a prisoner on the loose with a sheet flung over his head terrorized some church ladies leaving a service. 


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Another FREE Online Parapsychology Course!

Once again, I am taking advantage of the awesome FREE online parapsychology courses offered in conjunction with the AZIRE Academy and the Parapsychology Foundation. This year's course, which is available through the WizIQ platform, is titled: Parapsychology: Research and Investigation (ParaMOOC2018).

The live class sessions started on January 22nd and opened with a wonderful overview of the program and how to use the WizIQ platform and additional resources. This live presentation, complete with a very active live chat, was presented by Dr. Nancy Zingrone and Dr. Carlos Alvarado.

Today, another live presentation was given by Robert McLuhan concerning a wonderful resource---The Psi Encyclopedia. The Psi Encyclopedia began in 2014 as an accurate and non-biased collection of articles and data concerning psychic research/parapsychology. It is maintained by the Society for Psychical Research and now boasts over 200 articles. There's even some information on poltergeists, ghosts, and hauntings that will be of interest to most readers here!

The next live lecture isn't until Thursday, and if you're interested in taking part, there is plenty of time to still join! All the live lectures are recorded, and the recordings are usually available within a few hours of the end of the live session. The organizers of this course also provide downloadable Powerpoint presentations to accompany the lectures, as well as additional readings and resources.  Recorded talks from previous courses are also available to watch at any time.

Needless to say, I am once again stoked to have this information available for free! There's a wonderful lineup of guest presenters and topics coming up within the next several weeks and I'll try to share as much information as I can, both here and over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook. I'm also supplementing my studies with some reading from my personal library AND plenty of YouTube videos/lectures. I'll try to share some of those as well, too. Stay spooky ya'll...and come join me on this journey of learning!

Monday, January 22, 2018

Theresa and Bree Take on the Grave City Haunted Relic Expo!

I make it a New Year's Resolution every year to keep improving my knowledge and experience of the paranormal. To make that work, I try to read as much as I can, take classes--both online and in person, watch interesting documentaries, and my favorite: attend lectures, conferences, and other public events!  January has started off great, with a wonderful opportunity to network with other people in this field, get my website's name out there a little more, and to hear some wonderful speakers share their expertise. 

That opportunity came in the form of the Grave City Haunted Relic Expo!

The first annual Grave City Haunted Relic Expo was a three-hour event held on Saturday, January 20th, 2018 at the Sanford Center in Moundsville, WV. The expo was put on by Steve Hummel. Steve is a paranormal investigator, a member of Paranormal Quest, and the owner/curator of the Archive of the Afterlife Museum. You might remember that this past summer, Luke, Aaron, and I took a mini-vacation to Moundsville and visited the museum (located on the 2nd floor of the Sanford Center) for the first time. It was a really cool place, filled to the brim with haunted/possessed/cursed objects, funerary antiques, and much more. Read about our experience HERE

Anyway, I decided that it would be a great start to 2018 to attend this expo. I then took it a step further and signed up as a vendor! My main goal was simply to promote Theresa's Haunted History, but I made a few stationary sets, coasters, and other goodies to sell in hopes of breaking even on my table fee.
Dave Spinks

Luckily, my friend Bree was able to make the 3+ hour drive up to Moundsville with me, and was even nice enough to craft some beautiful hand-made dowsing rods to sell at our table. We left around lunchtime on Saturday and made the long trek up north. Once we got past Parkersburg, we had to leave the interstate and travel the rest of the way on two-lane roads. However, it was a beautiful drive, and we passed through a ton of quaint little historic towns.

Since we arrived before set-up time, we wanted to explore the city a little. We knew that the prison was closed for the season, so unfortunately we couldn't take a guided tour, but we did drive around it a few times. I love visiting the penitentiary and I love investigating the penitentiary even more. We have plans on returning in the near future for another investigation of this wonderful location. But, since we couldn't actually get in, we decided to drive out to the prison cemetery.

Doug Waller
The cemetery was surprisingly easy to find, but we were disappointed that we couldn't actually get to it! Last week, West Virginia got hit hard with winter weather and despite this weekend warming up considerably, the parking area for the cemetery was completely covered in a thick layer of snow, and the path to it across the stream was fully washed out. I just have a little Nissan Sentra, so there was no way I was going to attempt to park and wade across the ice cold water, lol.  But, at least when we come back next time, we'll know exactly where to go. 

But back to the expo itself!  The weather had thwarted our plans of exploration, so we got to the Sanford Center a little earlier than expected and went ahead in. We first went upstairs to take a peek around the Archive of the Afterlife Museum, which had undergone a few display changes since I had been there last. We then got the go-ahead to start setting up downstairs in the gym for the event. There were plenty of other paranormal teams/investigators and even lots of tables selling non-paranormal related merchandise to browse through. After getting set up and waiting for the speakers to start, we got in a few excellent minutes to talk with some of the other vendors/presenters/guests. 

The guest speaker line-up started right on time, at 6pm, kicking off with a talk by investigator Dave Spinks. Dave was followed by Doug Waller, a Bigfoot researcher with the Southeastern Ohio Society for Bigfoot Investigation. Following Doug was Bill Baker of Mountain State Paranormal. A young man known only as The Mothman Historian then gave a talk on the history of Mothman and recent sightings before we broke for a brief intermission.
Bill Baker

During intermission, we had another chance to talk with so many wonderful people who were able to share their stories and experiences with us, learn a little about Theresa's Haunted History, and luckily, buy a little of our merch! Since this was a Haunted Relic expo, I brought two of my own haunted items for display, a Bible from 1816 and a locket of hair, sold to me as a memento mori. My mom is convinced the locket is haunted, and shortly after purchasing the Bible, we had a rash of unexplained occurrences in my home. No one picked up anything from the Bible, but several people who examined the locket were a little unnerved about its energy. 

The evening wrapped up with one last presentation. Steve and another member of his team gave a talk about their paranormal investigation experiences...but then also gave a really fascinating presentation on some of the museum's recent haunted acquisitions. By the time their talk had ended, it was 9pm and time to start packing up!

Overall, this was a great experience for me and a great way to start off a new year of paranormal fun. I enjoyed the speakers and their wide range of topics. I appreciated the fact that everything was right there in the same room---the vendors were set up around the perimeter of the gym, with chairs for guests in the middle, and a small stage upfront for speakers. One of the things I dislike about the Mothman Festival, is that if I'm there at my table, I cannot easily go down and watch the presentations. With this set-up, I could watch my booth AND watch the presentations. 
The Mothman Historian

Unfortunately, that did have a downside as well....you couldn't really hear the speakers if the vendors were trying to talk. And, with only 3 hours of expo time, most of which was filled with back-to-back speakers, we vendors really didn't get a lot of free time to interact with visitors to the expo. For the next event, I would love to see a little more downtime between presentations, or even a little more time before or after the event, but other than that, it went surprisingly well, especially for a first-year event. Everyone was very nice and professional. I love talking to other paranormal enthusiasts about my favorite topic, and was thrilled that some people there were familiar already with my work. I was even more thrilled that we sold enough to pay for our table fee AND gas money to the event!

I would definitely recommend checking out any further events hosted by Steve, and hopefully, I'll be able to attend additional events as well. To keep up-to-date on future events, or if you want more information on the museum, which is open year round, you can follow the Archive of the Afterlife on Facebook.   

Stay Spooky, ya'll...and I'll catch ya again real soon.

Paranormal Quest

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Mingo Man is WV Penitentiary's First Prisoner of 1910

Photo from Find-a-Grave contributor,
Brenda Hatfield
Today marks the 108th anniversary of the day Tilden Browning was taken to the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. Tilden Browning, a man from Mingo County, WV, has the distinction of being the first new prisoner brought to the penitentiary in 1910. Here is his story, as found in the January 19th, 1910 edition of the Point Pleasant Register, available on the Chronicling America website:

Tilden Browning, a one year man from Mingo county, arrived at the Moundsville penitentiary yesterday morning. Browning has the distinction of being the first convict to arrive at the prison in 1910. The sheriff of Mingo county accompanied the prisoner to the prison where he was at once placed in the hospital.

Browning was to have been brought to the pen during the latter part of 1909 but was given a respite by Gov. Glasscock. When his sentence was finally decided upon, he had contracted a serious illness, and as the penitentiary officials are not accustomed to send guards to such remote counties for one convict, Warden Matthews negotiated with the sheriff, resulting that latter accompanying the man to the prison. Mingo county officials have no accommodation for sick prisoners, and it was deemed necessary to save his life that he be brought to prison hospital. -Wheeling Telegraph.

Tilden Browning's life was indeed saved. After his release from the penitentiary, he went home to Verner, WV. He passed away on October 22, 1953 from what was believed to be gastric complications. He is buried in the Browning Cemetery. 


I will be returning to the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville later this year, and am busy compiling additional research on one of my favorite historic locations in the Mountain State! Some articles will be strictly historic, while others will definitely highlight the paranormal aspects of this super haunted prison! Keep an eye out for future blogs and a future page set aside solely for Moundsville research! 

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

The Haunted History of Maryland's Landon House: Guest Blog #3

From Wikipedia
Theresa's Note: Today is another absolutely fascinating guest blog! I met the author, Jen, several years ago at a local festival and I'm thrilled she has decided to share these ghost stories with us! These stories are from the historic Landon/Stancioff House, located in Urbana, MD. The home has a looong history. Among other historical facts of note, at various times the house was used as a silk mill, a private residence, several educational institutions, and a field hospital during the Civil War. After reading this collection of experiences from Jen's husband and mother-in-law, I'm inclined to believe that this location may be Maryland's most haunted location! As always, please enjoy this wonderful guest submission. A huge THANK YOU goes to Jen and her family for sharing these wonderful tales with us!

Jen writes:

These stories come from my husband, Dave, and his mom and pertain to the Landon House in Urbana, MD circa the early 1980's. Dave remembers hearing about a few of these right after they happened, but most of the stories were told to him later in life by my mother-in-law. He says he doesn’t remember anything that happened to him directly, outside of the last story. The women of the family were the focus for most of the hauntings as the men were usually at work when they happened.

Dave's biological father was the caretaker of the Landon House for half a year in 1982 when Dave was 5 years old. Dave, his parents, and his siblings lived in the updated left side of the house. The right side was kept original to the time period of the mansion’s heyday, with most of the original furnishings, or historic replicas, decorating it. The incidents didn’t start out small and escalate like you hear from a lot of hauntings. They started strong and stayed that way until the family left six months later.

Cherry Tobacco
Every once in a while, there was a strong smell of cherry tobacco. No one in the family smoked a pipe. The owners said that the previous owner had smoked cherry tobacco and had died in the house.

The Attic
Dave’s aunt and uncle had been living with the family prior, so naturally moved to the sprawling Landon House with them. They originally chose to stay in the attic, but soon moved to the basement as they were hearing inexplicable cannon fire from their attic room.

The Man in the Basement
The basement seemed to be worse than the attic. One day, his mom heard his aunt screaming for her from the basement. When she opened the door, the aunt ran past her, white as a ghost. She said that she couldn’t get out of the basement because there was a man blocking the door.

Footsteps on Tape
Dave’s mom wanted to see if she could record some of the noises they were hearing, so she put a blank tape into a tape player to start recording while she and the aunt took the kids to the mall. When they got back, they checked the tape. About midway through, there was the sound of walking throughout the hallway. No one had been home during that time.

Confederate Sighting
This one’s a bit short, but apparently Dave’s uncle saw a Confederate soldier run across the front yard.

They’re Heeeeeere
The kids were outside trying to climb the rope to the treehouse. Their mom went to the basement to talk to their aunt. She was down there for maybe three minutes and came back to the kitchen to find all of the cabinets open. The kids were still outside and no one else was in the house besides the two ladies.

The Dresses
There was a costume party being held in the house and Dave’s mom and aunt found a couple of dresses in a trunk in the basement. After the party, neither woman returned their dresses. Dave’s aunt kept hearing a voice telling her to put the dress back. His mom had put her dress in a box with one of the kid’s basketballs, and the basketball started bouncing on its own. They both put their dresses back into the basement trunk. His aunt and uncle were done and moved out of the house shortly afterwards.

Kick in the Butt
One of the family’s guests was laughing at an old portrait on the wall because he thought the man’s hair looked ridiculous. As he said so out loud, he felt someone kick him in the behind. He ran out of the house and never came back.

The Lady
Incidentally, living in that house is what made my husband interested in the paranormal. He says he doesn’t remember this, but his mom claims she heard him talking to someone when he was in his room playing by himself. Take that with a grain of salt, though. Kids at that age tend to talk to themselves when they’re playing. However, Dave’s mom also tells a story about Dave coming downstairs and telling his parents that there was a lady in his room. Maybe this is who he was talking to?

Soap Moving
There was an old claw foot bathtub in the upstairs bathroom. Dave’s mom was taking a bath and closed her eyes for a moment. She heard a “skreeeeech” and when she opened her eyes, the metal soap dish was on the other side of the bathtub. She was understandably upset and very sternly told whoever moved it that she was going to close her eyes, and that thing had better be back where it belonged when she opened them. She closed her eyes again, and heard the “skreeeeech”. When she peeked, the soap dish was back on the other side. No word on whether she took quick showers after that. But she did tell the ghost off for peeking at her in the bath.

Exorcism
After all of this, the family had a priest come and exorcise the house. For some reason, he had a psychic with him. In the basement, the psychic said “something bad happened down here”. Dave’s mom pointed to the shackles on the wall like they hadn’t already figured that out. Dave’s parents owned a used toy store at the time, so they took the kids there to stay overnight while the exorcism was taking place at Landon. On their way back home early the next morning, the family stopped at the local convenience store across the street from the house and two of the employees joked that they weren’t invited to the party. Apparently, after the priest and his assistant had left the night before, there were the unmistakable sounds of a party, complete with loud music and all of the lights in the house turning on and off. Dave’s aunt and uncle had already moved out by this point. Unless the priest had an impromptu dance party, there was no one in the house. Dave’s family moved out soon after this incident.
---------------------------------



As both Dave and his mom have pointed out, the experiences of the family sound like a classic 1980's horror movie and can be a little hard to swallow. I asked about the cherry tobacco and he said that there was something about the former owners in one of the Frederick County ghost books. Not only did I possibly find some answers as to what they experienced, but I’m a little creeped out that several of the hauntings they claim to have gone through have also happened to other tenants.

There is a book called “Ghosts and Legends of Frederick County” that talks about the previous owners. The book was written in 1979 by Timothy L. Cannon and Nancy F. Whitmore. I pulled out my copy to check for Landon House stories and I got chills when I read this excerpt on page 17"

“In 1862, Landon served briefly as the headquarters of General J.E.B. Stuart, until overtaken by northern troops.  During this time, Stuart was accompanied by a Colonel Luke Tiernan Brien, his chief of staff. Brien, a native of Frederick County, liked the area so much that almost 20 years after the war he and his wife purchased 180 acres of rich farm land surrounding Landon, calling their estate Tyrone.

Since the deaths of the Briens in the early 1900’s, there are those who say that Landon is haunted. Porch rockers move for no explainable reason, and on occasion an old man has been seen walking in the basement.

Recently, while in the basement, the grown son of the present owner and a friend were frightened by the appearance of the upper torso and head of an old man floating about.

The old man is believed to be the ghost of Colonel Brien.

However, Mrs. Brien is usually the more visible of the two. Children are often tucked into bed and when questioned, they insist that an old woman wearing a shawl was in their room.”

-------------------------------------

Does this mean that Dave’s lady friend was the ghostly Mrs. Brien and Mr. Brien was angry that Dave’s aunt had taken over the basement?

There was also an article in our local paper that tells the same story of the ghostly woman tucking the kids in. Katherine Marks of the Frederick News-Post wrote in a 1998 article that a woman in white was known for tucking in the children and/or bringing them milk. 

That's a whole lotta activity! Since Dave and his family's time in the house, it has changed owners several times. It became a popular wedding venue and for a time, even offered ghost tours to the public! The house has been written about in numerous books and articles, and may even be home to some additional sightings not experienced by Dave's family! Jen writes that one of the more popular contemporary tales involves ghost dogs. While in residence at the home, Dave and his mother noted that there was a living hound named Ollie on site, but no ghostly ones! Once again, thank you so much Jen!

Further Resources:

Monday, January 15, 2018

Photo Fright Bite: Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthplace

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Today is a day to reflect on the words of Dr. King, and a day to remember how his message of peace and equality is still being fought for today. However, I'd like to take a brief moment from the serious tone of the day to share a fun photo!

The photo on the left was submitted to the Angels and Ghosts website by a contributor named Miya and became that site's Ghost Photo of the Month for February 2006.

It depicts the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and seems to show a strange, unexplained light anomaly in front of the home where King spent the first 12 years of his life.

The home, located 501 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta Georgia, was originally built in 1895. In 1909, the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church bought the property and moved his family in. Rev. Adam Daniel Williams, along with his wife, Jennie Celeste, raised their young daughter, Alberta Christine, in the home.

On November 25, 1926, Alberta Christine married Michael Luther King. She and her new husband continued to live in the family home, raising three children there, including Martin Luther King, Jr., originally named Michael Luther King, who was born in 1929. The family stayed in the home until the deaths of both Williams and his wife.

Today, the home is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Guided tours are available of the home, free of charge, and from what I can tell there are no ghost stories or paranormal activity associated with the home itself, despite several documented deaths occurring in the house. At least, there are no published reports of a haunting.  So, what could this anomaly be? Is it simply a camera malfunction? A reflection? Or did the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. reach out to a visiting family?

Theresa's Note: I personally don't think this photo is indicative of paranormal activity. There are a number of natural explanations that could account for the light anomaly, including the photo being taken through glass, such as car window, or it being a reflection from taking a photo of the original photo. There's also a noticeable finger or other object that creeped in front of the lens; the rest of the light anomaly may also be something physical that got too close to the lens, such as fiber or plant fluff. Either way, its a fun picture of an important subject matter...I just don't think it's paranormal. But, if you disagree, let me know why in the comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Spooky YouTube Subscriptions, Volume 3

Volume One
Volume Two

It's a new year and time for a new installment of YouTube recommendations! And although I've said it in the previous two volumes, I seriously cannot get enough of YouTube.  With many sites, especially ones made up of content submitted by such a variety of people, you're going to have to sift through the garbage and find the gems---but there are plenty of gems to be found. YouTube is a great resource for paranormal investigators, researchers, and enthusiasts. It is a huge repository of lectures, documentaries, investigation footage, how-to videos and so much more. My goal is to help you find some of those gems without getting too deep into the muck.

1. Ancestry---This is the YouTube channel for the popular Ancestry.com. There are lots of FREE videos offering tips on using the site and genealogy research in general. Genealogy is an important part of paranormal research and can provide vital historic clues to support or debunk an alleged haunting.

2. Mysterious WV---Well researched mini-documentaries covering West Virginia's unsolved murders.

3. WV Archives and History---If you cannot make it to one of the awesome, live lectures offered by the WV State Archives, you can find it here! There is a wide array of topics covering all aspects of West Virginia history and genealogy research. There are even a few lectures devoted to paranormal topics!

4. Peter Cardwell---Do you remember the History Channel's Haunted History of... series? That is one of my all-time favorite shows, and this YouTube user has uploaded quite a few full episodes.

5. Mothership Productions---A channel featuring tons of full-length lectures from various UFO conferences.

6. ParanormalZoneTV---Web series about all things spooky and paranormal.

7. ProfParanormal---This is the official channel of parapsychologist, Lloyd Auerbach.

8. Real Ghost Stories Online---This is pretty self-explanatory!

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Hugh Bragg's Execution at the Moundsville Penitentiary

Prior to 1899, any prisoner charged with the death penalty in West Virginia was put to death, typically by hanging, by the county in which the crime occurred. It was the responsibility of the sheriff's department in each county to maintain the gallows and perform the executions. 

However, that all changed with the media spectacle that was the John Morgan hanging in Ripley, WV. On December 16, 1897, John Morgan was hanged for murdering three members of the Pfost-Greene Family. It is estimated that over 6000 men, women, and even children were present at the hanging. That's a LOT of people...and a lot of people were outraged at the fact that so many citizens chose to make a spectacle out of seeing the death of a fellow human being.  Legislation was soon passed that would make any execution open only to a few select individuals. More importantly, it took the responsibility from the individual counties and placed it with the state. Beginning in 1899, all state executions would be performed at the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville.

Between 1899 and 1959, 94 prisoners were executed at the WV State Penitentiary. In August of 1899, Shep Caldwell, convicted of murdering his mistress, was the first to hang. In 1959, Elmer Bruner was the last to die, being electrocuted in the state's electric chair. And sometime in between, there was Hugh Bragg.  The following is from the May 1st, 1920 edition of the Wheeling Intelligencer

FOUR BROTHERS OF THE VICTIM SEE EXECUTION
HUGH BRAGG PAYS PENALTY OF LAW FOR MURDER OF SHERIFF JOHN MORTON
Story of the Crime Shows That There Was No Excuse and No Object

Four tall, clean-cut men stood in the throng in the death chamber at the state penitentiary at Moundsville at 5:30 o'clock Friday afternoon and saw Hugh Bragg, a legless cripple, pay the full penalty for the wanton murder of Sheriff John Dennis Morton, of Webster County, West Virginia, which took place on January 12, 1920. 

Grim and determined were these men in appearance and there were in their eyes expressions that seemed in holding with the 'eye for an eye' injunction.

They were the four brothers of the murdered sheriff, namely W.E. Morton, sheriff of Nicolas County, and George R. Martin, Pearl P. Morton, and Kennedy H. Morton.

They came to see the law of the civilized world claim for its own one who had violated it grossly and who had been sentenced to die for his crime.

Story of the Crime
Hugh Bragg paid the full penalty for killing Sheriff Morton at exactly 5:30 o'clock. The execution was successful in the fact that Bragg's neck was dislocated by the drop. He lived twelve minutes and 55 seconds after the fall through the aperture in the gallows.

Sheriff W.E. Morton, in speaking of the murder of his brother, John Dennis Morton, said: "I cannot feel the least pity for Bragg.  My brother was a kind and considerate man. Bragg had bought an auto with a forged check.  My brother caught him on the street at Cowan and told him to come along.

"Bragg accompanied my brother for a few steps and then asked to be allowed to send to his sister's house for some clothes."

Shot in the Back
"Dennis turned around to send a small boy to get the clothes and like a flash Bragg shot him in the back.  There was no motive, as Bragg was crippled and wore two artificial limbs and could not get away.  And my brother was trying to do him a favor at the time.

"The crippled man then stumped up to the second story of his home, keeping people away with his revolver.  There he secured a Winchester rifle and took up his station at an open window.

"Uncle Ed. Bobbet, a relative of the dead man, slipped up the stairs behind Bragg and the latter turned with his Winchester.  The cartridge jammed and Bobbet floored him.  As it was, Bobbet took an awful chance.

Gloried in His Crime
"Bragg then asked, 'Did I kill Dennis.' When told that he had, he exclaimed, 'Well, I am ____________ glad I did. That's just what I aimed to do.'"

Bragg was tried and sentenced to die on March 30th, last, but received a reprieve of thirty days.  Of late he has occupied himself operating a typewriting machine in his cell.  He has professed repentance and sorrow for his crime and claimed that reading the "Lives of the James Boys" had fostered in him a desire to emulate these murderous thieves of history, whom dime novel authors have thrown a halo around.

At 5 o'clock Friday afternoon the waiting room at the penitentiary was filled with a small throng awaiting the execution.

From Scene of Crime
Riley Cox, D.T. Callahan and Emery Rose, all relatives of the murdered man were present, with the four brothers, together with Dr. R. A. Ashworth and Dr. O.P. Wilson.  Several newspaper men were also present.

Supper was being served to the inmates of the prison and, as is usual, the penitentiary bad was rendering music.

Suddenly, the strains of "Nearer, My God, to Thee," swelled in the air.  What the thoughts of the condemned man were, at that time, as the grand old hymn rose out in full volume, is not known, but each one in the waiting room looked nervously at someone else.

Suddenly Warden J.Z. Terrell appeared in the door and said: 'Gentlemen, you will please form in line and any one that has fire arms on his person will leave them in the office."

Morton's Tombstone from Find-a-Grave contributor,
Sharon Bowers Curry

Took Off Their Guns
Two herculean deputies who were at the prison on business, plunged their hands under their coats and four heavy calibered revolvers were placed on the desk.

Slowly the crowd went through the circular entrance cage and when the last one had entered the steel bound courtyard, the procession was formed.  Guards looked down from their stations high on the walls and though everyone in that little moving throng knew that hundreds of eyes were looking on from the cell houses, not a sound came from these places.

Bragg had been taken from his death cell and removed to a small apartment adjoining the platform of the scaffold. Two of his brothers, Ike and Jim Bragg, had visited him earlier in the day but did not wait for the execution.

Ministers Present
Rev. H.G. Gaunt, the chaplain of the prison, was with him just before his removal from the cell, as were Rev. C. G. Slater and Arch-Deacon B.M. Spurr.  

When called to accompany the guards Bragg had just finished two letters, one to Mrs. Nellie Payne, an aunt, and the other to Miss Hazel Payne, a niece.  They were neatly typewritten and were left lying on the bed in the death cell.

It was stated by Warden Terrell that the young man exhibited the greatest composure while being taken from his cell and being bound, preparatory to his execution.

He made no offer to make any statement on the scaffold and as he did not, was not asked to, as it was decided by the officials, not to prolong the horror of the affair any longer than was necessary.

Grewsome [sic] Scene
The crowd, upon being ushered into the death chamber, stood before a raised platform, which was shrouded with a black, baize curtain.  An electric light globe could be seen through the cloth and the sound of men shuffling about and murmuring was heard.

It reminded one of a horrible movie show.

Suddenly the curtain was whisked aside. 

On the trap with its head shrouded in a black cap, arms and legs tightly strapped, stood a figure, the knot in the rope about its neck twisting its head awry.

The ministers, several guards and the warden stood near the figure.

The warden stepped to the front and said:

"Gentlemen, this is Huge Bragg, to be executed for the murder of Sheriff John Morton Dennis, of Webster County!"

Dr. Spurr then offered a brief prayer.  The warden then reached out and pressed a button.  There was an interval of about two seconds and the doomed man took a long breath, as a drowning man clutches at a straw, and the flimsy cap was drawn in against his mouth.

J.D. Morton 
Was Sudden Shock
The spectators had steeled themselves but the sudden drop of the platform and the fall of the body startled all.

There were no twitchings of the limbs, merely several convulsive movements of the chest.  The physicians applied stethoscopes to Bragg's heard and in 11 minutes and 55 seconds he was pronounced dead.

The body was then taken down and removed in an ambulance for burial.

Bragg lost his two lower limbs some years ago while working as a brakeman on the B. & O. railroad.  It is stated that he got drunk, failed to apply brakes on the train and the cars ran away down a hill.

In the ensuring wreck he sustained injuries that necessitated amputation of his lower limbs. 


Edited July 2022: I was just going through Facebook, when I noticed that one of my favorite pages, Historian of the Strange, posted a newspaper article about this case. The article, dated 28 April 1920, is from the New Castle Herald, a paper based in Pennsylvania. It really drives home the fact that Hugh Bragg had no legs! Go check out Historian of the Strange, and see below for a copy of the newspaper article!



Saturday, January 13, 2018

The Infamous Its a Small World Photo

Sorry for the weird sizing of the image below, but I wanted to make sure it was big enough for you to not only read the text, but to SEE the image of the 'hanging.' 

As you can see, this is the infamous ghost photo taken from Disneyland's It's a Small World ride. Now, to many people, this ride was already super creepy. According to Undercover Tourist, the version found at Disneyland dates back to 1964 when it premiered at the World's Fair under the name Children of the World. It contains at least 240 animatronics and a soundtrack that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. 

That many weird, moving dolls would be a nightmare to all you pediophobic people out there---those with a fear of dolls. But, it gets even scarier. I've heard that the ride legitimately malfunctions quite often, resulting in riders having to be evacuated. That doesn't surprise me given the age of the ride and amount of trips it takes daily. 

However, some aspects of the It's a Small World mythology are less believable.  Apparently there are a LOT of conspiracy theories out there about the dolls coming to life, riders and staff members going missing, and general creepiness experienced by visitors to the attraction. No doubt most of these are pure fiction, just like this photo below.

The photo and accompanying story were uploaded in August of 2012 to the IMGUR site. However, the poster states that the photo is from a 1999 trip to the park.  During what appeared to be a normal malfunction, the poster and her family were escorted off the ride. Her mother decided to take the opportunity to use up the last of the roll of film in her camera. Upon exiting the attraction, the family noticed that there was an ambulance and police cruiser parked outside.

It is theorized that the photo captured from the ride shows either a suicide or accidental death by hanging. Some say the victim is one of the Disney cast members, and others believe it to be the body of a child. 

Based on the size of the 'body,' I would automatically rule out the possibility of it being a cast member. And, honestly, as creepy as a story it makes, I don't think its a real person at all. I think it is one of the animatronic dolls. It is about the same size, for one thing, but another clue is its position. When one hangs himself, either on purpose or by accident, the arms and legs generally don't assume that position. The toes don't appear to be pointing down, as gravity would cause a real person's feet to react. Gravity would also not allow the arms to be slightly raised like that, either.

So is the original poster lying? Is the photo a fake? Did an unrelated accident occur that day to cause them to have to evacuate the ride? I cannot answer those questions, but I can confidently say that I don't believe this photo is either paranormal OR evidence of a deceased person. But, I'm curious to know what YOU think! Read the story below and then hop on over to Facebook and let me know what YOU think!

Stay Spooky.



Friday, January 12, 2018

Boo! A Bonus Friday Funny

Today is a double dose of funny! I saw this posted over on the Scioto County Paranormal Facebook page, and thought it was too cute to wait a week. So, here's your second Friday Funny. Enjoy!



Dead Languages: Friday Funny



I stole this from my girl Bree's Facebook news feed! I thought it was a hilarious continuation of the failed Demonic December posts...and a totally plausible explanation! 

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Past Life Regression Workshop

On Wednesday, January 10th, my mother and I took part in a past life regression workshop at the Crystal Lotus Shoppe, located in St. Albans, WV!  And, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, but apparently I was a patient in an insane asylum sometime during the 1940s. But, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself...

The workshop of about 9-10 students was led by Arken Skywalker. Arken works at the Crystal Lotus doing massages, readings, and offering various other services and handmade products. While the participants passed around a bay leaf, giving over any negativity we carried to it, Arken prepared the room with a smudging. The bay leaf, containing any unwanted thoughts and baggage of the room, was then burned. We were ready to start the process.

We got comfortable in our chairs. The room was lit only with a single candle and the sounds of binaural beats provided the background noise. Arken then verbally led us through a 45-minute guided meditation, deep into our subconscious, where we would hopefully be able to catch a glimpse of a former life. After the exercise, we wrote down everything we remembered and then had a brief discussion about what we experienced and past-life regression in general.

I don't want to give too much information about what I experienced, because it is somewhat personal. However, I DID experience something. We were led through the meditation to walk down a hallway and to choose a door to enter. My door was a large, heavy wooden door with a Victorian flair and a rounded top. However, as soon as I reached to open it, that door literally fizzled away and in its place was a fairly modern metal hospital door.

As I stepped through that door, I stepped through time and found myself as a 16 year old girl. I was barefoot, standing on dirty, dingy, yellowish tiles. I was wearing a hospital gown. My nails were bitten down to the point where they were bloody. My long brown hair was disheveled, and I kept hearing someone in authority telling me to do something, but I either couldn't hear them or didn't care. I felt both anxiety and an overwhelming sense of sadness, to the point where my physical body actually teared up a bit.

I was released about a year later, and I remember getting on a train with a man who was slightly older than me. I was wearing a burgundy skirt suit and matching hat. My once-disheveled hair was pinned up in a classic 1940s style, and I was carrying a small brown suitcase. We were then taken further into the future, and I saw myself as in my 30s, looking at a photograph of a man in an army uniform, as I sat in front of the fire. I had three children, a boy and two girls, yet I felt something was missing from my life. I was not happy. As we progressed further, I saw myself in my 40s, lying in a hospital bed, dying.


From what I could gather of my visions, I was someone suffering from severe depression. I was first hospitalized at what I think may have been Weston State Hospital (better known as Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum) while in my teens. Over the years, I would go be admitted several more times, and received electro-shock therapy at least once.

I don't think that life was productive to my soul's spiritual journey---as we were led out of the room we had entered and back into the hallway, I saw my reiki guide standing there. There was a man, who I couldn't really see, but understood to be more powerful and 'higher up' spiritually than my reiki guide, there as well. My reiki guide looked at my sympathetically and patted me gently saying "We'll try again next time." We were then led back out of the meditation and invited to start writing our impressions.

I filled a whole page and was still writing long after everyone else seemed to have stopped, lol.

During the discussion following the guided meditation, I learned that what they show in the movies isn't necessarily true---when you go through a past life regression, you don't automatically start at the life previous to your current incarnation. You can end up anywhere, especially if there is something going on in your current life that could benefit from the wisdom gleaned from a past life experience.  I also learned that the actual meditation may not be the end to this particular experience, and that dreams and 'flashbacks' sparked by the regression could occur following. As of this writing, I haven't fallen asleep yet, so I can't vouch for the dreams...but almost immediately I started to have flashes of more information.  What's even weirder is that I think the universe (or at least, my guides) were preparing me for the information to come. I weirdly had a few things happen today that make a LOT of sense now, such as a phantom smell I experienced, an odd pain that popped up out of nowhere, and some other things that are personal.

I am so glad I took this workshop. Before we were guided out of the meditation, we made a plea to leave behind any hang-ups from that life that are affecting our current one. I am hoping that the path I'm taking now (which is eerily mimicking the one I saw during the meditation) will be changed for the better. It was a really interesting experience, and I would recommend it to anyone, at least once!  If you're close to the St. Albans area, make sure you follow the Crystal Lotus Shoppe on Facebook for updates. There will be another past life regression workshop later in the year, but the shop offers plenty of classes, workshops, and other events in addition to their regular services, such as massage, reiki, yoga, and psychic readings.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

The Creature of Kilgore Creek

Kilgore School 
While doing some unrelated research, I came across the following excerpt from the West Virginian, a Fairmont-based newspaper. The article comes from the December 4th, 1916 edition and quotes The Hurricane Breeze, a local newspaper with a long history in Putnam County.

What could these people possibly have come across? Was it some sort of cryptozoological creature, or a misidentified local species? I wish the article would have contained an actual visual description of what was seen, but the speculation that it was the devil or an escaped circus beast is still pretty entertaining.

"The Breeze, published at Hurricane, Putnam County, in a recent issue contained the following:  "One night last week after a debate at Killgore's [sic] Creek School House three miles above Milton, Cabell County, a boy and a young man returned to the school house to lock the door, and on their way as they were nearing the school house, they were attacked by a ferocious wild animal.  After much shooting and loud screams from the people the animal was driven away and the two boys finally escaped unharmed.  The next day people from the surrounding neighborhood, well armed, and with several dogs, made a search and found the creature about a mile away, asleep on the hillside. It seemed as though the dogs had never seen anything like him before and decided to go home, departing in all directions for their several places of abode.  Several shots were fired at the animal, none seeming to take effect, and the animal finally walked around the hill, into a forest and nothing more has been seen of him.  Whether it was the devil or an animal escaped from some show, the people of the community do not seem to understand. ""

Even today, the area around Kilgore Creek could be considered 'rural,' and I am confident that these mountain citizens could have easily identified a bear, a wolf, or a native big cat.  So what DID they see? Let me know your theories over at Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State Facebook page! And if you cannot get enough weirdness, please check out my Weird History Page. Stay spooky...and stay weird!

LINK to original article, courtesy of Chronicling America

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Theresa Travels to the Nitro World War One Museum

This weekend, my family and I made an impromptu stop at the nearby Nitro World War 1 Museum, located in downtown Nitro at 2003 20th Street.  While this isn't a location that is haunted (to my knowledge) I wanted to include it in Theresa's Travels as a local historical resource!

With an interest in local history and a rudimentary knowledge of Nitro's important role in the First World War, we knew we would probably enjoy this museum---but nothing could prepare us for how awesome it really turned out to be!

We were warmly greeted by the lady behind the desk, who made sure to load my son up with plenty of FREE goodies, including small plastic soldiers, pencils, stickers, candy and historic literature. Okay, that last one was for me....but speaking of FREE, there was no charge for admission, only donations.

Our time was short, but we were able to spend a good hour browsing the outstanding collection of Nitro history. The main focus of the museum was Nitro's World War 1 years, when the whole town served as the location for a plant making nitrocellulose, the main ingredient in gunpowder. However, the museum, which was much bigger than I could have imagined, also included plenty of displays on Nitro's general history,  general military history, and even a section devoted to what life was like around the outbreak of the War to End All Wars.

In addition to the exhibits, there was a HUGE section of archival documents and research materials. I was in Heaven! One could easily spend hours browsing through all the historical artifacts, photographs, and hands-on (YES! Hands-on!) exhibits, but I could spend years looking through the old books, video clips, and newspaper archives. Even though we had somewhere to be, I couldn't tear myself away from the bound copies of The Kanawha Valley Leader newspaper, spanning several decades.

I thought my 8-year-old son would be kind of bored with a local history museum, but he seemed to have a great time. He was genuinely interested in many of the exhibits, and asked intelligent questions about what he was seeing. And of course, he LOVED the hands-on aspect. I think he and Aaron could have spent all day listening to the old record player set up in the section devoted to WW1 era home life or talking about what conditions were like in a WW1 trench.

I will obviously be returning to this little gem...multiple times...in the future. It makes for a great afternoon adventure, and is extremely family-friendly. However, I will be leaving the boy and the boyfriend at home next time, and camping out in the archive section! If there are any local paranormal investigators/researchers in this area and you are working a case in Nitro or the surrounding area, I HIGHLY recommend that you stop in here.  The staff is knowledgeable and passionate about history, and there are just so many great resources right at your fingertips. Of course, even if you aren't a paranormal researcher and just love history or want to know more about Nitro and its pivotal role in the war, definitely come check this place out! We are so lucky to have such an outstanding, well-organized museum such as this so close to home.

Nitro History Resources
Museum Website
Museum Facebook Page

Monday, January 8, 2018

Aunt Kate and the Booger: Guest Blog #2

Nolan, WV
Theresa's Note: Today's blog post is another wonderful Guest Blogger submission, this time from local paranormal researcher, Chris May. Chris has shared this awesome story, passed down to him from his Grandmother, about a suspected witch living in the small coal town of Nolan, WV. Enjoy this fascinating tale of what happens when you don't give a witch what she wants...and make sure to share this post with anyone you'd think would also appreciate a little spookiness from West Virginia's southern coalfields! A HUGE THANK YOU goes to Chris for sharing this story; I personally love hearing these old tales passed down from generation to generation, and I'm a sucker for anything related to our state's coal history. 

My Grandmother told this story to me. According to her when she was a child, an old woman lived next door to her and her family in the small coal town of Nolan. My Grandmother stated that many strange things happened in and around the old woman’s home. On one occasion my Grandmother, who was scared to death of old Aunt Kate, witnessed the old woman stick her hand back into a coal burning stove and pull out hot coals and wiggle them in her hands without being burned. 

Grandmother also stated that Aunt Kate would openly admit to witchcraft and on one occasion claimed to have fought with the Devil himself, ripping his leg off and throwing it behind a bed. 

The most disturbing story about Aunt Kate pertained to the old woman not getting something that she wanted....

My Great Grandfather had produced a garden several miles from his home every year. This particular year was very dry; water had to be carried to the crops as well as extra care needed to be taken with ensuring the crops survival. My Grandmother helped her father throughout the growing season and when time came to harvest the crops my Grandmother worked with him to bring the crops the long distance back to the old home place. As my Grandmother and Great Grandfather were wheeling the crops past Aunt Kate’s, she stopped them and stated, “Harrison, give me some of them beans.” 

Now, my Great Grandfather was a very generous man, but felt that due to the hard work that they had put in, the family should get first choice on the crops. He replied, “Old woman we’ve worked hard for those beans and your not gonna get any”. Aunt Kate was very angry at this reply and stated, “Ok Harrison, you’ll be sorry”, and were they ever. 

That night after the family went to bed my Grandmother stated that she heard something walking in the house. According to her the “thing” walked into her room and stood at the head of where she was sleeping and then it would turn and walk out of the room. My Grandmother said she had never been so scared. Because of this walking, she did not sleep all night. The next morning my Grandmother came in for breakfast and was confronted by my Great Grandfather about the “thing” that walked the night before. My Grandmother stated that she and my Great Grandfather were the only two in a house of twelve to hear it walk. My Grandmother stated that her father took old Aunt Kate the beans without haste and as he gave them to her, he told her to “take your booger back!” She replied in an evil tone, “it won't bother you no more” and it didn’t.

Chris May is a 42 year old married father of two. He resides in Barboursville. He holds a master’s degree in leadership studies and a master’s degree in counseling. Chris has worked in the law enforcement field for nearly 13 years as a probation officer. When he is not reading or researching the paranormal and history, he enjoys bass fishing with his 10 year old.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

January 2018 Updates!

We're only a week into 2018, and I already feel the need to do a quick update blog! There is so much going on this month

1. Grave City Haunted Relic Expo---On January 20th, my friend and I will be traveling to Moundsville, WV to set up a table for the Grave City Haunted Relic Expo, hosted by Steve Hummel of the Archive of the Afterlife Museum! There is a great lineup of speakers, live music, and some excellent vendors. I'll be promoting Theresa's Haunted History, as well as selling some small, spooky trinkets. If you're in the area, PLEASE stop by! Admission is only $5 and it looks like its going to be a really fun event.

2. Patreon---After much deliberation, I have been convinced to join Patreon. Patreon is a website where people can easily and safely donate money to the content creators of their choice. Those pledging $1 or more a month to Theresa's Haunted History will receive a personalized postcard from my haunted travels. Those pledging $3 or more a month will receive a goody bag with various ghost-related items. Please do not feel obligated to make a donation---no matter what, I still plan on improving both the quantity and quality of content on this blog and on Facebook, but I hope the added incentive will assist me in the development of a YouTube channel. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to throw a few bucks my way, though!

3. Guest Bloggers---On January 1st, I made a call for guest bloggers to share their stories, expertise, and perspectives on all things paranormal. To my surprise, there was an amazing response! The first of what I hope will be a LONG line of submissions was posted already, with a new post coming tomorrow. Keep an eye on the blog for all the great guest blogs coming your way. If you're interested in becoming a guest blogger, please let me know!

4. Halloween Blog---After another hiatus, I've revived my Halloween blog, and have been doing a pretty good job in keeping it, as well as thing one, updated! If you crave Halloween content all year round, please come check it out and share it with your friends.

5. YouTube Channel and Book---These are my two BIG projects of 2018, and preparations are already well underway. Check back for updates!

6. Re-writes and Updates---A lot of posts on this blog are outdated, some being originally posted at my old website as early as 2006. When I first started compiling these entries, they weren't designed for the public to see; they were a way to keep track of potential locations to look into for investigations and further research. Therefore, many entries are not well-written, they aren't complete, or information has just simply changed (or become available). I've also grown a LOT as a researcher. I have more access to additional resources, and more experience. I need to go back and just improve on some of the earliest entries. I've already started, and it is a monumental task, lol. And quite honestly...I've been a little lazy with it. If there is a location that I KNOW I am never going to investigate, I won't go super in-depth with its history. One of these days, I'm going to make a video and show all the documents I collect and all the work I put into the research behind an actual investigation location so people won't think I'm just an idiot who doesn't know what she's doing, lol. The best place to keep current with these updates will be on my Facebook page.

Well, that's what's going on with me so far in 2018! How has your new year been going? What goals and plans do you have coming up? Hop on over to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook and let me know! Stay Spooky, ya'll. 








Saturday, January 6, 2018

Child Ghosts of Tennessee: Guest Blog #1

Theresa's Note: My call for Guest Bloggers has gotten a much bigger response than I ever could have imagined! I want to personally thank each and every one of my readers who have taken (and are planning to take) the time to submit such wonderful stories for us all to read. Throughout 2018, I'd like to make it a top priority of Theresa's Haunted History to showcase more personal experiences, more varied viewpoints, and of course, more of what YOU want to see! 

Our first Guest Blogger of the year is Kevin G. from Tennessee. Kevin has been gracious enough to share several strange and unusual experiences he and his family encountered at their private residence: 

My story begins in 2000. I had been living in a house with my ex-wife and young son for about six months when we started having strange events happen. One night on my way home from working second shift, I saw my wife driving up our road. Upon seeing me she slammed the brakes and said something's there. When I got her to calm down, she said she was in the basement of our tri-level house when she heard someone kick the door next to her from the outside. She fled. 

At the time I didn't believe her because she was fond of hyperbole. However, a month later I was waiting for my son to awaken from his nap when I heard what I thought were his footsteps coming distinctly down the stairs. I didn't see him peep around the corner so I went looking for him, only to find that he was fast asleep. 

These initial encounters were to become routine after a while. 

The highlights include the time when my oldest was standing in the hallway at 2:30 in the morning talking to someone. When I asked him who he was talking to he replied "these people keep calling my name." His first cousin told me that someone kept pulling the blanket down to her feet. Another time, I felt someone poke me in the side and sit down next to me on the bed. Then I felt them get up and I heard what sounded like someone standing on a loose floorboard in front of me. 

We finally asked the neighbors if anything strange happens at their house. He said no, but the look on his face said there was more to the story. "You are not going to want to hear this, but three children died in your house from smoke inhalation ten years ago." I will say that explained quite a bit. The occurrences were shocking at first, but we never felt anything evil or malevolent. It was more like someone wanting attention. 

My mom didn't believe me when I was telling her about it in my house. Suddenly she got a strange look on her face and said someone just put their hand on her shoulder and breathed on her neck. My response was, "told you"! 

I always felt like the ghosts liked the fact that my house was full of kids at all times. I was the last one in the house the day we moved and I felt a heaviness in the air. Like an incredible sadness.

Awesome story, Kevin! Thank you again for sharing it with us. I'm always looking for new contributions, so if anyone is interested, please see my blog, Looking for Guest Bloggers, for more information.