A Ghost a Day
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SEPTEMBER 13, 2008 NICHOLAS CAGE'S HAUNTED HOME
SEPTEMBER 14, 1658 DUNGEON ROCK
SEPTEMBER 15, 1907 CULP'S GHOST
SEPTEMBER 16, 1865 THE OLD COOT
SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 PATRICK SWAYZE
SEPTEMBER 18, 1692 GILES COREY
SEPTEMBER 19, 1936 THE BROWN LADY OF RAYNHAM HALL
SEPTEMBER 20, 1857 THE PHANTOM FUNERAL PROCESSION OF RED FORT
SEPTEMBER 21, 1348 THE COOK FROM HELL
SEPTEMBER 22, 1913 BOGGO ROAD GAOL MUSEUM
SEPTEMBER 23, 1919 THE LAMPLIGHT HOTEL
SEPTEMBER 24, 1975 ANDREW IRVINE
SEPTEMBER 25, 1978 HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
SEPTEMBER 26, 1901 LINCOLN'S TOMB
SEPTEMBER 27, 1934 THE GHOST BUS OF LADB ROKE GROVE
SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 BOOKSTORE SPECTER
SEPTEMBER 29, A.D. 350 BINDON HILL
SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 THE MILLIONAIRE'S GHOST
OCTOBER 1, 1995 THE BLACK FOREST HAUNTING
OCTOBER 2, 1942 THE GHOSTS OF CURACOA
OCTOBER 3, 2009 DAVID CARRADINE
OCTOBER 4, 1869 SAXBY'S GALE
OCTOBER 5, 2007 THE HAUNTED POLICE STATION
OCTOBER 6, 1859 THE RINGING BELLS
OCTOBER 7, 1849 THE GHOST OF POE
OCTOBER 8, 1993 FILMING AT LITTLE ROUND TOP
OCTOBER 9, 1960 MACKINAC ISLAND
OCTOBER 10, 2007 DAUGHTERS OF UTAH PIONEERS MUSEUM
OCTOBER 11, 1780 RINGWOOD MANOR
OCTOBER 12, 1898 LARNACH CASTLE
OCTOBER 13, 1812 THE OLDE ANGEL INN
OCTOBER 14, 2009 THE SORORITY HOUSE SPIRITS
OCTOBER 15, 1999 THE GREY LIBRARY GHOST
OCTOBER 16, 1859 JOHN WILKES BOOTH HOUSE
OCTOBER 17, 1926 WAVERLY HILLS SANITARIUM
OCTOBER 18, 1871 THE HAUNTED MAUSOLEUM
OCTOBER 19, 1923 LENIN'S GHOST
OCTOBER 20, 2008 COUNTRY HOUSE RESTAURANT
OCTOBER 21, 1805 THE GHOST OF LORD HORATIO NELSON
OCTOBER 22, 2003 TIGG ER'S RETURN
OCTOBER 23, 1642 THE SPECTRAL BATTLE OF EDGEHILL
OCTOBER 24, 1980 TOYS “R” US
OCTOBER 25, 1829 EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY
OCTOBER 26, 2007 THE HAUNTED SWING
OCTOBER 27, 2006 PORSGRUNN NURSING HOME
OCTOBER 28, 2004 THE CANMORE OPERA HOUSE
OCTOBER 29, 1867 RMS RHONE
OCTOBER 30, 2001 PHANTOM LIGHTS
OCTOBER 31, 1936 HOUDINI'S GHOST
NOVEMBER 1, 2006 THE HAUNTED HIGHWAY
NOVEMBER 2, 2009 LAKE COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE
NOVEMBER 3, 1948 THE OVEREXPOSED
NOVEMBER 4, 1953 THE BOATHOUSE
NOVEMBER 5, 1883 RAM ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 THE BONES IN THE WALL
NOVEMBER 7, 2008 FULL MOON
NOVEMBER 8, 1848 STREEPERS TAVERN
NOVEMBER 9, 1929 THE BAKER HOTEL
NOVEMBER 10, 1836 THE WALKER HOUSE
NOVEMBER 11, 1920 TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR
NOVEMBER 12, 1912 THE HAUNTING OF CROOKED CREEK
NOVEMBER 13, 1974 AMITYVILLE HOUSE
NOVEMBER 14, 2007 BLUE MIST
NOVEMBER 15, 1910 HARRY'S ROAD HOUSE
NOVEMBER 16, 1919 SUICIDE BRIDGE
NOVEMBER 17, 1896 OHIO STATE REFORMATORY
NOVEMBER 18, 1926 HAUNTED ROUTE 66
NOVEMBER 19, 1797 HICKORY HILL
NOVEMBER 20, 1734 AMERICA'S STONEHENGE
NOVEMBER 21, 2001 WINDHAM RESTAURANT
NOVEMBER 22, 1904 THE FOX SISTERS
NOVEMBER 23, 1924 SANTORIO CARLOS DURAN
NOVEMBER 24, 1854 SACHS BRIDGE
NOVEMBER 25, 1758 POINT STATE PARK
NOVEMBER 26, 1983 HUMMEL PARK
NOVEMBER 27, 1944 11:11
NOVEMBER 28, 1700 FIVE-TO-FOUR FRED
NOVEMBER 29, 1892 HOTEL DEL CORONADO
NOVEMBER 30, 2003 NAM KOO TERRACE
DECEMBER 1, 2009 THE SCREAMING WOMAN
DECEMBER 2, 1931 THE GURDON LIGHT
DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE DISNEY WORLD GHOST
DECEMBER 4, 1924 FACES IN THE WAVES
DECEMBER 5, 1851 CAPTAIN TONY'S SALOON
DECEMBER 6, 1889 HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY
DECEMBER 7, 2004 SELLING GRANDPA'S GHOST
DECEMBER 8, 1980 THE DAKOTA
DECEMBER 9, 1913 FORT GARRY HOTEL
DECEMBER 10, 1997 THE SILVERPILEN
DECEMBER 11, 1849 ST. ANDREWS ON THE RED CHURCH
DECEMBER 12, 1986 THE WHITNEY RESTAURANT
DECEMBER 13, 1870 THE LOST VIKING SHIP
DECEMBER 14, 1799 GEORGE WASHINGTON
DECEMBER 15, A.D. 37 SANTA MARIA DEL POPOLO CHURCH
DECEMBER 16, 1820 THE BELL WITCH
DECEMBER 17, 1886 THE DRISKILL HOTEL
DECEMBER 18, 2008 FAMILY PLAGUED BY SPIRITS
DECEMBER 19, 2003 HENRY THE VIII'S GHOST CAUGHT ON CCTV
DECEMBER 20, 2009 THE ENFIELD DEMON
DECEMBER 21, 1843 SPRAGUE MANSION
DECEMBER 22, 1973 THE STAGECOACH TAVERN
DECEMBER 23, 1843 THE DEER PARK TAVERN
DECEMBER 24, 1548 WAWEL CASTLE
DECEMBER 25, 1727 MISTLETOE BOUGH GHOST
DECEMBER 26, 2004 GHOSTLY TOURISTS
DECEMBER 27, 1972 LORD CALVERT'S MANSION
DECEMBER 28, 1879 THE DIVER
DECEMBER 29, 1972 FLIGHT 401
DECEMBER 30, 2006 SADDAM'S GHOST
DECEMBER 31, 1890 JOESEFA'S HEAD
Resources
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Any book dealing with such a wide variety and number of entries requires a lot of support. To mention a few, we would like to thank Jeff Belanger of Ghostvillage.com and Jeremy D'Entremont and Richard Felix of Most Haunted for their inspiration and guidance.
In gathering supernatural accounts for this book, we would like to thank Bety Comerford, Rick Hines, Leigh Ross, Michele Nixon, and Ryan Dube for sharing their personal stories.
And, of course, we would like to thank our agent Deidre Knight, of the Knight Agency, for her unending faith and constant support.
We especially would like to thank Andrea Norville and Adams Media for providing us the opportunity to make this book a reality.
Last but certainly not least, we would like to thank our children, Ron Kolek Jr. and Sabrina and Joshua Wood for their belief in us and their encouragement to persevere.
FOREWORD: Three Hundred and Sixty Five Ghosts
No matter how technologically advanced we become, ghost stories will always be a part of human existence. The Italian writer Italo Calvino said it well: “The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.” Everyone loves a good ghost story, and even the most hardened skeptic is likely to get a shiver or two from many of the tales in this book.
Ghost stories are compelling because they awaken a part of our brain that's usually dormant in our sunlit everyday lives. They suggest possibilities. Obviously, they suggest that there is life after death, something we all want to believe in, but more generally, ghost stories are a bridge from the world we understand to a world we can't fully know. They're a spark for the imagination.
There's a smorgasbord of hauntings here, from haunted houses to ships to airplanes to lighthouses — even a haunted cane that was sold on eBay. Many of the entries fall under the heading of folklore. Tales of that category should never be confused with factual history, but they do serve an important role as reflections of our cultural identity. Folklore, as a wise man once said, is history as it is remembered by the people.
Other stories contained here aren't so easy to explain away as folklore or tall tales. Some are firmly rooted in factual history. Those are the ones that may get deep under your skin.
I've had some interesting nights in my life, but I've had few as deeply affecting as the ones I've spent with Ron Kolek and Maureen Wood during paranormal investigations. I first met them in the su
mmer of 2005, when the New England Ghost Project became the first organization to conduct a paranormal investigation at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle, New Hampshire. I quickly learned that Ron and Maureen's approach to their work was careful and professional, but I also learned that they maintain a healthy sense of humor about it all. That seems to me to be a very human and healthy response to the strangeness they deal with on a regular basis.
Since then, I've come to know Ron and Maureen as friends, and as sincere explorers of an uncharted realm. They're the perfect guides for this year's worth of spooky tales. Enjoy!
—Jeremy D'Entremont, author of Great Shipwrecks of the Maine Coast and The Lighthouse Handbook: New England
INTRODUCTION
Within the pages of this book, we have captured numerous occurrences throughout history, dating back to the first recorded ghost hunter, Athenodoros Cananites, who encountered a ghostly apparition that guided him to its skeletal remains, to American troops encountering a ghostly child while fighting in Afghanistan.
Without even leaving the comfort of your chair, you'll journey across the globe, from the top of Mount Everest to a sunken wreck at the coldest depths of the ocean. You'll find that ghosts show up in innocent places, such as the school where a lost soul returns for a yearbook picture or the lonely lighthouse where a keeper continues his thankless duties, as well as in more terrifying locations, like the creepy cemetery where the dead have come back to taunt the living.
Although many of these stories are based on legend, others are eyewitness accounts. As you read this book, you'll find it's hard to separate the truth from the legends. Yet history tells us that even legends are based on fact. And truth is stranger than fiction!
JANUARY 1, 1745 THE BONES OF GENERAL “MAD ANTHONY” WAYNE
Route 322, United States
General Anthony Wayne was one of George Washington's most brilliant commanders. Nicknamed “Mad Anthony” by his troops, he was at times quick tempered, but fearless and a brilliant tactician who was personally responsible for several key American victories. After the war, he retired to Pennsylvania and served in the state legislature. He later moved to Georgia and served in the U.S. Congress.
During the Northwest Indian war, he was recalled to duty. After a successful campaign, he grew ill on the way home from Detroit, and on December 15, 1796, he died from complications of gout. General Wayne was then buried beneath the flag in front of the blockhouse at Fort Presque Isle.
Thirteen years later his son, Isaac, returned to Fort Presque Isle to retrieve his father's body for burial in the family's plot. When they opened the coffin, they found that the body was in better shape than expected. Lacking adequate space in the surrey to transport the general's remains, they decided to bring just his bones home. With the help of a doctor, the flesh was removed by boiling the corpse in a big pot.
The flesh and water was then reburied at Fort Presque Isle and the bones were packed in a trunk. It has been rumored that on the way home some of the bones fell from the surrey and were lost. Today, if you drive along Route 322 on New Year's Day, Wayne's birthday, you might be lucky enough to spy the General's ghost wandering the road looking for his bones.
JANUARY 2, 1815 THE KEEPER OF GIBRALTAR POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Toronto, Canada
Erected in 1808, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in Canada. The lighthouse's first keeper was a man named John Paul Rademuller. It was well known that John was a bootlegger, often keeping a stash at the lighthouse to help pass the long, cold winter days and nights. On a dreary night in January, John heard a knock on the lighthouse door. When he opened the door he was confronted by three drunken soldiers from a nearby fort. They demanded some of his homemade brew. When he refused, they beat him to death, dragged his body up the stairs of the tower, and threw him off the top of the lighthouse. When sanity set in and they realized what they had done, they panicked. In order to cover up their crime, the soldiers decided to get rid of Rademuller's body. They dismembered him and buried the mutilated remains around the lighthouse, and as the legend goes, Rademuller was never seen again. At least not in corporal form.
In 1893, another lighthouse keeper, George Duman, found bones buried near the keeper's house. Believing they belonged to the legendary Rademuller, he continued his search. Unable to find a complete skeleton, Duman reburied the ones he had found. Unfortunately he never marked the grave, and to this day, no one knows where it is located.
Through the years, many have witnessed mysterious happenings at the lighthouse. Spectral images, unearthly groans, the sounds of “something” being dragged up the towers stairs, materializing blood spots, ethereal lights, and a strange mist swirling around the tower have all marked the return of Rademuller. Could he be reliving that cold winter night back in January 1815, or is he roaming about searching for his bones? We will never know until the day the dead can speak.
JANUARY 3, 1870 THE BOUNCER OF THE BRIDGE CAFÈ
New York, New York
Formerly named the Hole in the Wall, the Bridge Café, built in 1794, has changed hands several times. The building has been a brothel, a bar frequented by pirates, and a seafood restaurant to name a few of its incarnations. Throughout its history, there have been many unsavory characters associated with the building, most notably, Gallus Mag. Mag, who was nicknamed Gallus by the type of suspenders she wore, was a six-foot-tall Englishwoman who took her role as bouncer to a gruesome level. Brandishing a pistol and knife, she would clamp on to her unruly patrons with her teeth and drag them out of the bar. If they were too rowdy, this overzealous bouncer was known to bite off the offending patron's ear. As a warning to would-be troublemakers, the ear would be pickled and left atop the bar for all to see.
Today, patrons and employees of the Bridge Café have reported seeing shadows moving about the building. But that's not all; during the late-night hours disembodied voices have been heard. And the sounds of footsteps have reportedly echoed from the second floor when no one is upstairs. If the owners and patrons are correct, then Gallus Mag, the bouncer who ruled with an iron fist, is still on duty.
JANUARY 4, 2010 THE “E STREET UNWELCOMER”
Springfield, Oregon
According to the Eugene Community Examiner, a ghostly apparition has startled commuters heading west on E Street, toward Eugene. The majority of reports come from witnesses who have driven the patch of road during the evening hours. While driving, they've looked to the left side of the road and seen a ghostly figure dressed in black materialize before their eyes. Many have claimed to be overcome with fear. Some have reported that the dark figure advanced toward them and then disappeared before their eyes. Other locals have stated that they've come close to striking the specter. And even then, when the strange entity is close enough to reach out and touch, its features are indiscernible. Although no one knows why this ghostly visitor is haunting E Street, one thing is for certain. The “E Street Unwelcomer,” as it has become known, is not only a distraction, but also, a road hazard.
JANUARY 5, 2005 DEADLY SKIES
Inchon, South Korea
According to the Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo, a thirty-six-year-old woman committed suicide onboard a Korean Airline flight in January 2005. Flight attendants became worried when one of the passengers did not return to her seat. Upon investigating the plane's lavatory, they discovered that the woman had hanged herself with her scarf. Attempts to revive her failed.
Over the next few months, the plane was plagued by a series of odd occurrences. The crew noticed peculiar cold spots and heard unworldly voices. On one occasion a Buddhist monk, the lone passenger in the firstclass section, began chanting. When the flight attendant asked if anything was wrong, the monk replied, “There are dead people sitting in each of the empty seats.” On another occasion, a member of the crew was taking a nap when he felt someone tuck the blanket in around him. When he opened his eyes he saw a hand coming out from the wall. In an attempt to free the plane of th
e spirits, the crew secretly blessed the bathroom with sacred liquor. But it was unsuccessful. To quell the increasing complaints by the crew, the airline reportedly took the plane out of service.
In May 2008, on a Korean Airline flight, another passenger, like the first, committed suicide in the bathroom by hanging herself with a scarf. Was this the same plane that was secretly put back in service or just some macabre coincidence?