Baby Ghost, Do-Do-Do-Do

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

Fabric on Fleek: A Friday Funny

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

Remembering Rosemary

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Daemon: A Friday Funny

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

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

Ghost in the Closet: A Friday Night Funny

There is something absolutely unsettling about the idea of a child ghost...as this hilarious cartoon from Channelate, by Ryan Hudson, illustrates! I love how the classic trope of a child being afraid of something in their closet is given a Twilight Zone twist!  If you're loving the weekly dose of paranormal humor, check back each Friday at Theresa's Haunted History for more spooky fun! Happy Haunting, y'all! 

The Martinsburg Beast

WILD BEAST SCARES PEOPLE
Martinsburg, W.Va., April 9.

---The vicinity of Hodgesville has been terrorized by a strange animal, which has chased many residents to their homes.  The fierce beast has been described as a wolf, panther, wildcat, hyena, and bear.

John Richard, mayor of Hodgesville, has measured the animal's tracks, which are 7 inches long and wolf-like in shape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Throwback Thursday vintage newspaper article comes from the April 9th, 1914 edition of the Fairmont West Virginian newspaper, and tells of an interesting beast, sighted in the state's eastern panhandle. I assume that the 'Hodgesville' mentioned is actually Hedgesville, WV, which is located about 15 miles from Martinsburg.  

The description of the beast is interesting to me.  Different people described it quite differently, although all descriptions, save for the hyena, are of natural animals that any West Virginian would be familiar with.  It is also interesting to note the size of the animal's tracks.  They are described as being wolf-like in shape, but quite a bit larger than a normal adult wolf's paw.  What do YOU think the people of Hedgesville were seeing that spring, over 100 years ago?  Do you believe it was a shape-shifting beast, a series of different animals, or was the whole thing a hoax to sell newspapers?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 

Monster Monday: Gator Edition

It's Monster Monday!

Okay, so I'm taking some liberties with the 'monster' part of this post, but I love this photo and wanted to share it here on my blog in honor of the July Ultimate Blog Challenge! You may have already seen me post it on Theresa's Haunted History Facebook, but I thought it was cool enough to deserve a more permanent tribute.

The couple in the photo is Harvey and Narcissus Trail who lived in the Raleigh/Summers County, West Virginia area. The photo shows the couple on vacation in Jacksonville, Florida around the turn of the last century, posing with some stuffed gators. Narcissus doesn't seem all too pleased with the choice of photo props, but I think its a wonderful souvenir! The photo can be found on the WV History on View website.