Luke, The Ghost Whisperer

My son Luke will be turning three next month and as his verbal skills are improving daily, he's been saying some really WEIRD stuff...stuff that makes me think he might actually be experiencing some paranormal activity in our home.

These "sightings" started happening months ago when Luke told us that there was something in our laundry room.  Our laundry room, which is located right off from the kitchen, has a long history of weird things happening in it.  We've often seen movement coming from there, looking like shadowy human forms.  During a 2006 investigation of my home, we did catch some interesting video that looked like a piece of clothing pick up and fall down, followed by a ball of light which came out of the laundry room, into the kitchen, and was then accompanied by a horrific sound as if some old man was clearing his throat.

Anyway, it started with Luke going in the laundry room and saying there was an animal in there...he called it an "anmal," lol.  I thought he had seen a mouse or something so I was concerned, lol.  These sightings of an animal continued, but they morphed into what he was calling a monster.  It even became a game...he would knock on the side of the dryer and then run away from the "monster" that lived in there.

I thought it was a simple game, until he started saying that there was a man and a little boy in there.  He didn't give us any details, but luckily doesn't seem afraid or bothered by these things.

The next sightings were of a man sitting in our family room, but again, he wasn't interested in giving us any details other than the fact that he was a "mean man."  In another incident, he saw a man in a nearby hallway and we were able to get a few more details out of him.  Luke described THIS man as being tall, thin, and with dark hair.  Things really culminated just recently when in two separate incidents he again saw a man in our living room.

Our living room does have some interesting history attached to it, lol.  Several independent visitors to our house who have claimed to have had psychic abilities believe that there is a "vortex" of sorts on the wall behind our couch, and over the years of living here, we have had quite a few sightings in that room.  Just recently, however, we bought a new set of furniture.  We got the couch, love seat, a chair, a table, and several pillows from my boyfriend's uncle who had gotten them for a mere $200 from a nursing home in Kanawha City.  The reason he was given for this excellent price was that the set was in the nursing home's TV room, and since no one ever went in there, he didnt' need the set any longer.

Of course, I immediately started teasing my mom that someone had probably died on the chair (which was her favorite piece) and that was the reason why no one would go into the TV room at the facility.  Lo and behold, within days of making that statement, we all started seeing the misty apparition of an old man sitting in the chair, getting up.  The way he was positioned, we couldn't make out his face, but that he was a bald man who was laboriously getting up out of the chair.

Then, several days ago, I was sitting in the "haunted chair" while Luke played with his cars on the ottoman.  He stopped what he was doing, looked up and over my right shoulder and pointed.  He said "man."  He kept pointing and saying man.  He then patted his own head and started saying "boo-boo."  I was concerned that he had a boo-boo, but when I asked him about it he was adamant that it was the MAN who had the boo-boo on his head, and that it was red.

Luke has also recently shown possible photo-scrying abilities.  He was looking at an old photo that I had in my Whipple Company Store file, and he was busy pointing out the things he saw in the photo, including cars, some trees....and a ghost, lol.  Right between the building and the railroad tracks, where many of the ghost sightings and verifiable deaths have occurred, Luke pointed with his tiny little finger and said "ghost there!"

I always wondered if I would have to deal with something like this when Luke got older, as he comes from rather ghostly beginnings anyway.  He was conceived at the haunted Lowe Hotel, and was born in the Haunted Thomas Memorial hospital, where I had plenty of interesting things happen all throughout my pregnancy.  A ghost may have also been responsible for his being born premature...but that's another story, lol.

Luke comes from a long line of women in my family who have exhibited a greater than average sense of intuition, and everyone who meets him says despite his aspects of immaturity, it feels like he's an old soul.  He truly is empathic to those he's around, and I've often wondered, even if albeit facetiously, if he could read my mind, as he always knows exactly what I'm thinking, where I'm at, or what I'm about to do.  I guess we'll see where things go from here...but I've got Chip Coffey on speed dial just in case!

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Top Ten YouTube Picks for August

I'm a paranormal researcher and investigator.  In other words, I'm broke, lol.  This is an expensive lifestyle, and one that doesn't really pay off monetarily.  I can appreciate a good freebie, so that's why I enjoy sharing with YOU some totally FREE resources whenever I can.  Several months ago, I posted a list of free Kindle downloads on a variety of paranormal nonfiction topics.  This month, I'd like to shake things up a bit with some totally free documentaries that can be found in their entirety on YouTube.  Enjoy!



Vampires

1. Vampire Secrets--This History Channel special looks at the legends surrounding the vampire mythos, and even discusses the modern vampire subculture.  If your only exposure to Michelle Belanger has been through Paranormal State, you're in for a shock, lol.

2. In Search of History: The Real Dracula--there are a few similarities to the Vampire Secrets documentary, but this one concentrates more on the historical basis for Bram Stoker's most famous character.

Aliens & UFOs

3. Fastwalkers--Fastwalkers is the NORAD code word for what we know as UFOs.  This documentary on UFOs opens with a monologue from Stan Friedman, so you know its gotta have at least a "little" credibility, lol.  I admittedly haven't watched the entire documentary, but if you can overlook some cheesy formatting and CGI, there does appear to be a good solid base of UFOlogy history.

4. Decoding the Past:  UFOs in the Bible--This History Channel documentary talks about well known events as found in the Bible...but explores the possibility that aliens/UFOs actually played a part in these events.

BigFoot

5. To the Ends of the Earth--This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, lmao.  A dude sits out in the snowy forest, playing his drum set.  In between "sets" he shares his own stories and well known BigFoot facts.

6. American Paranormal:  BigFoot--This is a National Geographic documentary on the Sasquatch phenomenon.

Ghosts  (My Favorite!)

7. Ghost Adventures--This is the SyFy special that sparked the popular Travel Show, Ghost Adventures. If by chance you missed it, here it is in its entirety.

8. Ghosts on the Underground--London's subway system is haunted; very, very haunted, lol.

9. World's Scariest Ghosts Caught on Tape--this is a Halloween staple.  Its been around for awhile, but is still a really fun look at paranormal "evidence."

10. The Best Ghost Cases Ever Caught on Tape--definitely some interesting cases, although I know of several just off the top of my head that have been "debunked," lol.

Batman...in Guyandotte?!

It's Batman!  Or is it Mothman?  Or maybe a demon, a soldier, someone on a ladder, or even Bastet, the Egyptian Cat Goddess?  To the skeptics...is this a forgery, or perhaps a simple case of pareidolia/matrixing?  Whatever you see lurking in the shadows of this historic home, and however you believe it GOT there, most can agree that it certainly is an interesting image! 

This photo was submitted to HPIR's Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours from a tour patron who visited one of our first ever Full Moon Hauntings tours this past spring!   While fairly comical in appearance, many people feel like the shadowy being closely resembles some type of demonic entity.

 Huntington Paranormal is on its fourth tour season, featuring a variety of haunted history tours in historic downtown Guyandotte.  This photo is just one of the many submissions we receive from tour guests and volunteers.  We haven't had a season yet where someone hasn't had some type of experience they couldn't explain.  You, too, can have an opportunity to experience the unexplained, and get a chance to GO INSIDE some of Guyandotte's most haunted and historic locations!

Our next round of tours will be held on Friday, August 24th and Saturday, August 25th.  These are our annual cemetery tours, but this year, we're expanding beyond the iron gates and into several historic (and haunted) properties!  We've also got a few surprises planned for our tour guests, making this year's tour one not to miss.  Can't make it?  Don't fret!  If you're unable to join us in August, or if you'd prefer the full downtown house tours, we have our annual Halloween tours AND our ever popular Guyandotte Civil War Days tours, chock full of history and haunts.

As always, tours are completely FREE and open to the public, but tour slots fill up quickly.  Tours are led by knowledgeable tour guides who have a deep appreciation for the history of the area love to share it with YOU.  The cemetery tour in August will leave from behind the Madie Carroll House.  Early ticket distribution starts at 6pm with the first tour leaving at 7pm.  Please see our website below for full details on this tour, and dates for upcoming events.  We hope to see you there!

Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours

Disclaimer:  HPIR and Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours are not promoting this picture as proof of the paranormal.  Rather, we'd like to share this image that was so graciously shared with us, and allow viewers to come to their own conclusions. 

Theresa's Note:  This may sound a little weird, but I think the image most closely resembles a 19th century mystery creature known as Spring-Heeled Jack.  Spring-Heeled Jack is mostly known for popping up in the UK, but there have been a handful of American sightings.  This mysterious creature's attire was reported by witnesses as being a tight, oil-skinned garment with a fitted, devil-horned mask.  Below is a picture for reference!

Ghost FAQs: Certification

The topic of becoming a certified ghost hunter or paranormal investigator has always been a fiercely debated topic among those in the paranormal community.  Although a vast majority of serious investigators stand by the claim that certifications are not worth the paper they're printed on, more and more groups are toting among their credentials the title of Certified Ghost Hunter.  Once again, I take an unpopular stance on this debate--right in the middle.  To understand my viewpoint, we'll start with a simple definition of what certification really is.

Although there are slightly different interpretations, the Business Dictionary defines certification from a business standpoint as:

"Formal procedure by which an accredited or authorized person or agency assesses and verifies (and attests in writing by issuing a certificate) the attributes, characteristics, quality, qualification, or status of individuals or organizations, goods or services, procedures or processes, or events or situations, in accordance with established requirements."

Because there is no accredited governing body concerning paranormal investigation protocol, a certificate simply IS a piece of paper.  It is a piece of paper confirming only that the "certified" has completed whatever requirements are issued by the certifying institution, arguably some being much better than others.  Certification of this type should never be confused with licensing, but merely as a symbol that one person has satisfactorily met the requirements of education set forth by another.

And this is where the problem lies.  Since there is no accredited governing body over the paranormal field, how can anyone lay out what they should or should not do?  Who is to say what method of investigation is the best and try to standardize a field where there are no absolutes? 

It is my personal opinion that certification can be a GOOD thing, but as with anything, moderation and common sense are key elements.  Many basic certification courses are offered through established institutions with a long, respectable reputation in the paranormal community.  Many of these certification courses offer a good solid base, featuring the most widely accepted theories and procedures.  However, as many opponents to certification point out, the information "taught" through these certification programs is found in abundance and for free in a variety of books, articles, and online publications.  Further, this knowledge, while essential, is not a replacement for good old fashioned hands-on field work.

To date, I am a certified ghost hunter through several institutions including, but not limited to, Hollow Hill, Flamel College, GhostVillage U. and UniversalClass.  For me personally, certification is simply a way to tangibly show a commitment to higher education in this field.  It shows a mastery of the basics and a willingness to accept and explore the ideas of others in the field.  The classes I have taken have always been free or affordable, so I consider it money well spent.  I also saw it largely as an entertainment endeavor, as I'm such a nerd that I do this for fun, lol.  However, these certifications are only a VERY small part of what I consider my investigation resume.

For anyone who asks me about whether or not they should get certified, I encourage them to first educate themselves through the many resources already out there, but if they truly want to spend some money, get certified in something that holds a little more weight, in and out of this circle. Examples of such would be to take college-level courses in the sciences, or even classes in photography, digital audio, etc.  Only then, and following an in-depth review of the company offering the certification and its own credentials, should any money be spent specifically for a ghost hunting certificate.

Ethically, if one chooses to share the fact of their certification with prospective clients and peers in the community, I believe full disclosure is essential.  I believe that having these credentials listed does show a prospective client that the investigator is serious about his/her work, but full details as to where the certification was obtained, and the coursework involved gives the client and others a better understanding as to what is involved.  More importantly, however, I think it needs to be made clear that there IS no accredited governing body, and thus, any certifications are to be taken at face value.  Anything else, in my opinion, is misleading those who need our help the most.

If you would like to try a free ghost hunting certification program, I suggest the coursework of Hollow Hill.  With anything in life, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it, so take the assignments seriously and complete them to the best of your ability!



      

Jamais vu to you, too!

Anyone that follows Theresa's Haunted History on FaceBook may have seen my post several weeks back about an eerie feeling I had driving home one evening.  To those who missed it, basically what had happened was that I was driving home, on a road that I have traveled probably at least 4 times a week (and in some cases, up to 4 times a DAY) since I was 18.  I have traveled this particular stretch of road between Winfield and Teays Valley so often and in so many different types of conditions, that a trip down it in either direction usually results in a form of highway hypnosis.  I can literally just drive down the road, not even thinking about what I'm doing.

It was perhaps this ability to "hypnotize" myself or induce almost a state of hypnagogia while driving that led to one of the freakiest things I have ever experienced on the road.  Things were normal as I was driving down the road sometime between 10pm and 11pm when all of a sudden, I experienced what felt like the beginnings of an anxiety/panic attack.  Without warning, EVERYTHING around me felt different.  I didn't recognize where I was and felt like I was driving down a road I had never been on.  The trees, the houses, the fences...no discernible landmark produced even a remote feeling of familiarity.  I drove about a mile, in a panic, searching for some clue as to where I was, not finding so much as a road sign to let me know I was on the right road.  Finally, the feelings subsided as I noticed an indiscriminate fence and knew shortly after  where I was.

Being a fancier of horror fiction as well as paranormal nonfiction, my mind immediately began applying different scenarios that I've read about over the years.  Alien abduction, time travel, and inter-dimensional shift were all things that admittedly crossed my mind, lol.  Then I started getting even more scared as the thought of it being a medical condition set in.  My mother has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor that while non-cancerous is actually a type that is hereditary.  Further, in the past I have exhibited warning signs of temporal lobe epilepsy.  Not wanting to think about those types of things, I put it out of mind as a weird experience and forgot about it...until today.

I was going through some old papers, trying to get everything filed away and stumbled upon some notes I had taken from a book that I failed to cite.  In the notes was the term "jamais vu" and its definition.  I knew instantly what I had experienced on the road weeks ago.

Jamais vu is a French term that translates to the phrase "never seen."  In psychology and in everyday usage, jamais vu is simply known as the opposite of the more well known phenomenon of deja vu.  Not much is known as to WHY the brain reacts the way it does, but a well-known trigger of jamais vu is brain fatigue.  A study done by Chris Moulin found that when volunteers were asked to write the word "door" thirty times, a staggering 68% showed signs of jamais vu by the end of the experiment.  It is quite possible that my simple familiarity with the road and constantly being bombarded with its accompanying stimuli was actually the CAUSE of the feelings of NOT knowing.

So, unfortunately this was not a case we can attribute to paranormal means, but taught a valuable lesson in a little-understood phenomenon known as jamais vu.

Wikipedia Article

*Photo is NOT of the road in question


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Hurricane's Haunted House Lives On

Those in the Hurricane/Teays Valley area may be old enough to remember a creepy old house which sat across the street from the entrance to Cow Creek Rd, right on Teays Valley Road. Known in more recent times as the Umberger House, this pre-Civil War mansion was a brick masterpiece full of legends and lore.  Although its been gone for many years, the legacy of the mansion continues to live on in local ghost-lore.

The mansion was originally known as the McCallister mansion, and was built by slave labor for John McCallister and his wife, Matilda (Tillie).  It was built around 1847 when the McCallisters were already well into life--around 53 years old to be precise.  Some say it was the first brick home built in Teays Valley and it was a showpiece of the McCallister family's wealth.  John was a wealthy landowner and farmer, and Tillie is said to have been independently wealthy herself, owning two chests filled with gold coins.  In addition, the McCallister's operated a brickyard and tannery, located approximately where the A&L Hardware building sits--across from the Hurricane City Park.

John McCallister died in 1865 at the age of 70 years old, and Tillie lasted until 1871, when she died at the age of 76.  The McCallisters had no living heirs and since Tillie died without having left a will, the house was put up for a commissioner's sale, where it was bought by Dr. George L. Nye in 1872.  Oddly, the 1870 census has Dr. George Nye and his wife living with Tillie in the home a year before she passed.  In September of 2012, I found out a little more about this arrangement.  The Nye's came to Teays Valley from Wytheville, VA in the 1860s and Dr. Nye opened up his own practice, boarding with Tillie.  When Tillie died, Dr. Nye was actually the one to sign her death certificate, but inexplicably left the Teays Valley area.  He didn't stay away long...When hearing that the house would be put up for auction, he came back and bought it.

In any event, the Nyes were also considered a very prominent family in the area.  Unfortunately, while living at the home, the Nyes lost at least two children, a ten-month old, and an infant that only survived two days after birth.  But, several children did survive into adulthood, including a son named (Norman) Luther.  Luther's daughter Lois Nye would go on to become one of the home's most well-known residents.

Lois Nye was born in Virginia, and at the age of thirty, married into the Umberger family.  Previously, Lois had been involved with a man by the name of Homewood, and bore a son in the early 1920s named Max.  She married William Isaac Umberger in the early 1930s.  She was William's third wife, and would eventually bear him two additional sons, Henry and William, Jr.

After William's death, Lois Nye Umberger continued to live in her grandfather's home and continued a career in teaching.  Locals remember Mrs. Umberger being a wonderfully classy southern lady who rode her horse side-saddle down Cow Creek Road to the Oakdale School where she taught.  Electricity didn't reach the mansion until the 1950s.  Lois died in 1964; she was 65 years old.

William Umberger was the last owner of the old homestead and the last in the family line to have actually lived in the old brick mansion.  The property was sold in the mid-1980s and the house was razed sometime between 1986 and 1994.  The land would later be the site of the Southbrooke Subdivision.  William Umberger is now deceased.

Shortly after Lois' death, the house quickly became a local legend and was known colloquially as the old haunted house; many of Hurricane's youth got their first taste of ghost hunting/legend tripping over the next twenty years by daring each other to go up to the door and knock.  Stories abounded of an accidental hanging on the property which led to such hauntings, but details of such an event would not be uncovered for many years.  According to a 1994 History of Hurricane publication, the ghostly activity at the house included anything from strange noises, faint lights moving about the home at night, and shadows passing by the windows.  It is even reported in a volume of WV paranormal literature (which, due to its high rate of inconsistency, shall remain nameless here) that Henry Umberger's trailer on the property was also haunted in the 1970s, causing him to flee and move away.

The legends of the haunting, however, were so pronounced that when a local paper, the Hurricane Breeze, ran a story on the mansion's history complete with accompanying photograph shortly before it was torn down, at least three independent readers called in to the paper to report seeing a ghostly figure in the photo. 

The property was also a favorite spot for treasure hunters, as another local legend sprung up concerning gold being buried on the property.  These rumors, which probably stemmed from stories of Mrs. McCallister's chests of gold coins led to plenty of folks perusing the property with metal detectors shortly after the mansion was torn down.  The gold coins were of no secret to anyone living in the community, as it is rumored that Tillie allowed her nephews to play with the coins, and even local people would come over on Saturday evenings and use the coins as checkers.  However, they could not be found upon her death...is it possible they are the reason Dr. Nye temporarily LEFT the Teays Valley area?

In the early years of the 1990s, the Southbrooke Subdivision sprung up on the old McCallister/Nye/Umberger property thanks to developer Roger Gibson and as Teays Valley was being flooded with new blood, many forgot about the old mansion and its ghostly legends.  However, the legends of the old house refused to die.  People living in the Southbrooke Subdivision started reporting that their brand new homes shockingly had paranormal activity...and shockingly, different homes were reporting basically the same thing.  At least four families came forward in 2005 with tales of a seeing a little girl in a white dress.  This little girl was spotted by one lady in her front entrance, putting on her shoes.  Others have seen her wandering the subdivision, late at night.

It is believed that this little girl is somehow tied to the old mansion, but details are sketchy as to her correct identity.  In researching this case, I didn't find much of substance concerning any children dying on the property, or really, much of any female children even living there.  The McCallisters had no children of their own while staying on the property, but they did have at least one slave die there...a 2 month old baby girl named Sarah who died in 1854.  As stated previously, the Nye's did have two male children die in infancy, but I was unable to uncover any little girls who died there at this point.  Over different census years, the Nye's had several female servants and various boarders, including extended family, living with them, so its possible that any one of these may have resulted in a little girl living on the property.

And while we don't know WHO the little girl is, Mrs. Umberger may have provided a clue as to WHY the little girl is still there.  A former resident of the Hurricane area wrote in to a local newspaper about a story Mrs. Umberger had told her in the late 1930s/early 1940s.  This lady, whose aunt was a friend of Mrs. Umberger, went to visit Mrs. Umberger in her home and commented on the beautiful old chandelier in the foyer.  Mrs. Umberger went on to tell her that years before, a young girl who lived in the home loved to play on the bannister, sliding down it from the second floor to the first.  Somehow, an accident occurred, and the little girl fell off the landing at the second floor.  She hit the chandelier, and her neck became caught up in the mechanism used to lower it, resulting in her accidental hanging.

Today, the people of Southbrooke are still reporting the occasional creepy experience, but interest in the former McCallister Mansion is quickly waning, as the older generation is dying off, only to be replaced with a new generation too young to have remembered the creepy old haunted house on Teays Valley Road.

Photos were scanned from a June 1989 edition of Hurricane High School's Warrior newspaper.  They were taken by Rod Farley.

Theresa's Note:  I have compiled a wealth of resources on this location, so please feel free to contact me for additional details about the family and the property that I have left out for the sake of brevity, including a history of the property BEFORE the McCallisters and a favorite way of "punishing" lazy slaves.  Also, I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has any other stories about the alleged hauntings of either the McCallister mansion or the Southbrooke subdivision.  I'm especially interested in tracking down a copy of the Hurricane Breeze featuring the alleged ghost photo.  I can be reached by email at theresarhps@yahoo.com.   Thanks!

Update December 2012:  Please check out this personal experience I found, concering someone who did live in the trailer on the property!  http://www.ufofreeparanormal.com/stories/viewstory.php?sid=470

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Book Review for 101 Ways to Find a Ghost

Title:  101 Ways to Find a Ghost:  Essential Tools, Tips, and Techniques to Undercover Paranormal Activity
Author:  Melissa Martin Ellis
Published by Adams Media (2011)

101 Ways to Find a Ghost is the latest acquisition to my paranormal literature collection, and I'm quite pleased with it overall.  If you're actually looking for 101 ways to find a ghost, you'll probably be disappointed, but if you're looking for solid, tried and true methods of investigating the paranormal, this is the book for you.

The book is arranged quite cleverly, with 101 "subjects" including everything from paranormal definitions, the history of paranormal investigation, and of course, how to effectively begin the investigative process.  It is a great resource for those looking to get into paranormal investigations, and a must-read for anyone wishing to actually start their own ghost hunting team.  It is well-written, and written in a language that even a novice can understand and learn from.

I personally enjoyed the majority of this book simply because it fell in line with many of my own beliefs, and coincided with the same information/advice that I have personally been sharing during my time as an investigator.  There are a few subjects that I would have liked to seen developed a little further, but overall, this was a great introduction into a subject is far too vast to be adequately covered in only one tome.

This is not a collection of ghost stories, and therefore, may read a little dry to those who are either not interested in the idea of paranormal investigations, or to those who have been in this field for quite some time.  Overall, a commendable addition to my personal library!

Buy from Amazon

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