The Headless Skeleton of Deer Island

Aaarrrghh!  Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and here on Theresa's Haunted History, I'll be celebrating the best way I know how---with a pirate ghost story!  Today's addition to my Haunted America page is an eerie one from a small island just off the coast of Biloxi, Mississippi, known as Deer Island.

It was the early 1800s and two fishermen had just set up camp on the sandy shore of Deer Island.  As they sat around the fire, preparing their evening meal, they began to hear rustling coming from palmetto bushes nearby.  At first, they assumed that an animal must be causing the racket, as the wind was too calm to produce such activity.  But then, the rustling intensified to the point that the fishermen turned around...only to find themselves face to face...uh, well maybe not face to FACE...with a HEADLESS SKELETON! 

Understandably, the two fishermen began backing up from the eerie bone man, and when they realized it was following them, they took off towards their boat at top speed.  The men left the island and all their belongings there overnight.  The next morning brought sunlight and bravado, and the men returned to collect their things.  There was no sign of their skeletal guest, but it is noted that later on, some money was found near the campsite.

The idea that money was found near the site sparked rumors that the headless skeleton must surely be the ghost of a deceased pirate.  A tale was told that many years before the fishermen made camp on Deer Island that fateful night, a pirate ship had landed on that same shore.  After the booty had been buried, the captain asked if any of his men wanted to volunteer to guard the treasure.  A naive, young man responded that he would do it, not knowing that it was customary for the designated security for buried pirate treasure was to be...supernatural.  The captain took out his cutlass, lopped off the man's head, and threw the body in the palmetto bushes.  The young pirate was true to his word, and his spirit, in the form of a creepy, headless skeleton, watched over the treasure for many years.  It seems as though he has finally retired, as no 21st century encounters with the skeleton have been recorded.

This fascinating bit of local lore was first recorded in a Mississippi newspaper column titled "Back With Father Time in the Early Days of the Mississippi Coast."  The article,"Headless Ghost Haunted Deer Island In Olden Times," appeared on May 20, 1922 and was written by local historian, Anthony Ragusin, aka Mr. Tony.

Mr. Tony was introduced to the story of the Deer Island skeleton by 78 year old local, Eugene Tiblier Sr.  The Tiblier family had been in the Biloxi area since the French Colonial times and were respected citizens with a deep knowledge of the area's history.  

*Information for today's blog came largely from a SunHerald article dated 17 October 2015:

Coast Chronicles: Stories of ghosts on Deer Island

Gasparilla's Headless Princess

Jose Gaspar

Arrgh! September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! My accent is a little off and my wench dress is at the cleaners...so I think I'll just celebrate with some pirate ghost stories! The legends and lore of America's pirates are steeped with superstition and supernatural elements, and many of our most well-known bearded bullies of the sea are said to still be hanging around in spirit form. Whether they are still guarding their buried treasure, seeking to exact revenge on those who did them wrong, or simply being punished for a life of misdeeds, these pirate ghosts and the ghosts of their hapless victims make up a huge chunk of our country's ghost lore.

While pirate ghosts can be found in many coastal areas, (and apparently in Ohio, as well!), this particular tale comes from Gasparilla Island in Florida, part of a chain of Gulf Coast barrier islands. For almost 200 years, visitors to the island, which for over a century has been home to the Boca Grande Lighthouse, have claimed to see what appears to be a headless woman roaming the beaches.

Like most pirate ghost tales, this story also seems to be steeped more in folklore than in history, with no real historical evidence to back up the claims or even prove that the main characters even existed. So then who is this strange, headless apparition? As the legends go, the famed Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar, better known as Gasparilla, used the island as his home base of operations throughout the late 18th century and into the early 19th century. He is even said to have buried treasure somewhere on the island near where the lighthouse now stands. Unfortunately, material treasure wasn't the only thing Gaspar sought to make his own---he also had a thing for collecting beautiful women, which he held on a nearby island now known as Captiva Island.

One of the women he captured was allegedly a Spanish princess known as Josefa. Josefa was a great beauty, and Gasparilla wanted nothing more than to make her his own. However, the more he attempted to win her over, the harder she spurned him, until finally one day, she spat in his face. In a fit of rage, Gasparilla grabbed his sword from his side and Josefa's head off. Distraught over killing his beloved Josefa, Gasparilla took her body to his own island to bury it.  However, legend states that he only buried her BODY. He apparently kept her head with him until his own death in the 1820s.

Since then, the headless body of the Spanish princess has been spotted on the beaches of Gasparilla Island, looking for her missing head. Some say Gasparilla himself has also been witnessed wandering the beaches. Is he looking for that treasure he buried---or is he looking for his lost love, Josefa, who continues to spurn him even in death?

If you visit the island, don't be too discouraged if you don't see the poor Spanish princess or the love-sick pirate. Just make sure you check out the old lighthouse, which has plenty of ghost stories of its own!

Source: Lighthouse Ghosts, by Norma Elizabeth and Bruce Roberts

The Pirate's Mansion of Ohio

Photo from Touring Ohio

Argh, matey!  T'day be Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Obviously, tales of pirate treasure and ghost sightings often go hand and hand and states all along the eastern coast of the United States are filled with colorful tales of those denizens of the sea still protecting their booty.  However, one does NOT often associate these pirate legends and their resulting ghost stories with the mid-western state of Ohio!

Yep, that's right.  Our very own Ohio, right here in the tri-state, is home to one of the strangest pirate legends I've read in a long time.  Keep in mind however, that the emphasis is heavy on the "legend" part--to date, there's not a lot of really strong historical evidence to back this tale up.  But, enjoy it for what it is and a special thank-you to The Ghosts of Ohio for providing the information for today's blog!

Around 1825, a group of trappers arrived in Delaware County, Ohio apparently coming from the north, via Lake Erie.  One of the men, who went by the name of John Robinson, stood out from the rest.  Although most of the trappers were carrying light loads, Robinson was loaded down with heavy parcels.  And...it wouldn't be long until Robinson distanced himself from the rest of the trappers to explore the area on his own.

Shortly after his arrival, Robinson acquired a piece of land overlooking the Scioto River in what is today near Concord Twp in the southern part of the county.  Quickly, Robinson built a castle-like mansion on his bluff and filled it with expensive European furnishings. All of it was paid for with gold coins.

The townspeople were anxious to be invited to this opulent new residence, but Robinson was somewhat of a recluse, and did not welcome visitors to his massive estate, which included its own mausoleum.  The only news of what went on inside the mansion came from the few select craftsmen who were allowed in to do repairs and other work to the home.  The gossip brought forth from this visits did not disappoint!

Tales of the beautiful and expensive furnishings took second stage to the tales of the impressive paintings that decorated the home and of which Robinson claimed to have painted himself.  The one that stuck out most in the minds of the few visitors was a rather large painting of a pirate ship filled with pirates.  Visitors all made the connection that the ship's captain, displayed prominently aboard, bore more than a passing resemblance to Robinson!  Thus, the townspeople put two and two together, and became convinced that Robinson had been a pirate. It wouldn't be long before that rumor expanded to include the idea that he had hidden even more gold coins somewhere on the property.

But...if that weren't strange enough, the weirdness surrounding John Robinson didn't stop there.  Shortly after the completion of his home, another strange personage came to town.  A beautiful woman, with an olive complexion, decked out in brightly colored ruffled gowns was seen sitting outside the mansion with Robinson.  She was also seen rather frequently walking slowly along the banks of the Scioto River.

Over time, she was seen less and less, and finally she wasn't seen at all.  Was she one of Robinson's models for his paintings?  Was she a relative?  Some believed her to be a member of the Spanish royalty.  Whoever she was, the townspeople would never find out.  Sightings of her walking along the river were replaced by the sounds of screaming coming from the area of the mansion and surrounding woods.

The men of the town finally got together to investigate, but when they arrived at the mansion, they found that it was empty...and had been for quite some time.  A small, bloodied hand print and signs of a struggle suggested foul play, but it would be the painting that would forever scar the men and secure The Pirate's Mansion's place in haunted history.

Above the bloodied hand print hung a portrait of the mysterious woman, and as the men gazed at its beauty, the lips began to move.  Before it could say anything, the men ran out, and the home quickly gained a reputation for being haunted.

Pirate's Mansion is long gone now, but its still a favorite story with treasure hunters even in the modern age, some of who still believe that Robinson's gold is still waiting to be found.  It's also a favorite tale in ghost lore as not even the modern buildings that have sprung up in the area have dissuaded the young woman from continuing to take her evening strolls along the banks of the Scioto River.