by Maureen Wood
Another grisly story associated with the lighthouse involves serial killer, Carl Panzram. In the early 1920s he stole a revolver from future president William Howard Taft and went on a crime spree, murdering twenty-one men and boys and dumping many of their bodies a scant 110 yards off Execution Rocks. He was finally caught and hanged on September 5, 1930. His last words were “Hurry it up, you Hossier bastard! I could kill ten men while you're fooling around!”
Although the lighthouse has borne witness to strange noises, unexplained voices, and mysterious fires, most of the ghostly sightings take place at the rocks. Boaters and even Coast Guardsmen have all seen the specters of terrified men stalking the rocks. Whether they are the victims of Panzram or the condemned prisoners of the British, the tortured souls apparently are to forever remain, haunting the cold stone of Execution Rock.
APRIL 3, 2008 THE HAMPTOM LILLIBRIDGE HOUSE
Savannah, Georgia
As reported in the Associated Contents online news, The Hamptom Lillibridge house, built in 1796, is the most terrifyingly haunted house in all of Savannah. After a sailor hanged himself in a third-floor bedroom, a series of tragic events and ghostly happenings plagued the building. In 1963, soon after antique dealer Jim Williams purchased the building, another tragedy occurred. A group of laborers had been hired to move two architecturally similar buildings onto one parcel of land. One of the workers was crushed to death beneath the structure when the smaller of the two houses collapsed.
When the houses were put into place, the workers resumed their duties and the restorations began. However, above the clamor of construction equipment could be heard the sound of disembodied voices and the stomping of feet running up and down stairs. But there were no stairs to run on. Scared witless, many of the thirty workers refused to continue their task.
Soon after, Williams was made aware of the odd find the workers had made beneath his home. They had stumbled upon an empty crypt that dated back to the colonial days. Seeing it empty, they had sealed it back up and buried it again before informing Williams.
Was the crypt the source of the events that plagued the Lillibridge house? We will never know. However, the cries and the mocking laughter Jim Williams heard convinced him to contact an Episcopal bishop. An exorcism on the house was performed on December 7, 1963. Unfortunately for Jim, it was unsuccessful. To this day, the haunting of the Lillibridge house continues.
APRIL 4, 2009 THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT
Southington, Connecticut
The truth about the popular movie, The Haunting in Connecticut, was revealed in an interview with People.com. For two years, Carmen Reed, the mother of the boy who had been plagued by a malevolent force, stated the children in the home had been slapped, groped, and terrorized. According to the interview, in order to be closer to the clinic where her son underwent cancer treatments, the family moved into a former funeral home. The torment began the first night they arrived. It started with her son seeing a man with black hair that hung down to his hips. The apparition appeared to him daily. Sometimes the entity would just say his name. Other times, he'd make threats. The doctors, after being informed of the boy's visions, declared him a schizophrenic. Soon after, her son's disposition seemed to change. He began playing cruel tricks on his family. Not sure what to do, the Reed's sent their son to live with nearby relatives. Interestingly the voices and the visions stopped. But now with the boy gone, the entity set his sights on one of Carmen's nieces. One night, her eighteen-year-old niece said, “Aunt Carmen, it's coming, can you feel it?” Terrified, she clung to Carmen. Pulling her away, Reed glanced down and saw the imprint of an invisible hand crawl up her niece's shirt. That's when she realized that the visions and voices that had plagued her son were supernatural. Immediately she reached out for help. Famed demonologist John Zaffis, along with three priests, performed a three-hour exorcism. Zaffis was later quoted as saying, “Compared to that house, the other cases I had been involved with were like dealing with Casper the Friendly Ghost.” He continued, “All I wanted to do was get my car keys and get the hell out of that house.” Although the exorcism was a success, the Reed family no longer lives there. The torment they'd endured at the hands of the evil that once lurked within their former Southington home will never be forgotten.
APRIL 5, 1765 THE MASON CHRONOMETER
Delaware
Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were astronomers and surveyors. In 1763, they were hired to survey the border between two of the colonies, Pennsylvania and Maryland. They were staying in Delaware while they worked on what became known as The Mason-Dixon Line. Mason also “tinkered.” He had high hopes that the new project he was working on would bring him riches. It was a chronometer, an early version of a watch. He went into town one day on an errand and left the chronometer in his tent. While he was gone, a fat little boy came into his tent and ate everything he could find, including the chronometer. When Mason returned and discovered what had happened, he tried to get the chronometer from the boy, but failed. Realizing the situation was useless, he drank to the fat boy telling him he could “keep the chronometer with him until the end of time.”
The fat little boy grew up to be a clockmaker. And when he died, he was buried at London Tract Church in Landenberg. Today, his grave is weathered and worn. But if you put your ear to the stone, they say, you can hear Mason's chronometer still ticking.
APRIL 6, 1626 THE GHOST CHICKEN
Highgate, London
According to the BBC, Sir Francis Bacon was responsible for the world's first frozen chicken. One particular frigid day in April, Bacon and his friend Dr. Witherborne, a physician to James I, made a lifealtering discovery. While enjoying a carriage ride through Pond Square in Highgate, the men were discussing the possible use of snow to preserve food. As the snow stuck to the wagon wheels, Bacon pointed out to Witherborne that the grass beneath looked new and fresh. Witherborne, not sharing his friend's vision, scoffed at him. Sir Francis, angered by the doctor's disbelief, ordered the carriage halted. Running into a home at the bottom of Highgate Hill, he purchased a hen. He killed and cleaned the bird and removed its feathers, stuffed the cavity with snow, placed the carcass in a bag, and covered it with more snow.
Unfortunately for Bacon, the bird would have its revenge. A few days later, as a result of his freezing the chicken, Bacon contracted acute pneumonia and died on April 9, 1626.
Not long after, the ghost of the chicken began to appear. Many frequenting Pond Square would hear the screeching and clacking of a chicken. Yet none was in sight. At first, the locals thought everyone had been imagining things. They even blamed it on an emotional reaction to Sir Francis's death. But the sightings continued. The featherless fowl was seen on several occasions, shivering and running in circles before vanishing through a brick wall. Over the years there have been countless sightings. In December 1943, a British airman passing through town one night heard the sound of a carriage, followed by a loud screech. When he looked up, although he saw no carriage, there before him was the bird, shivering and running about. As he approached it, it disappeared before his eyes. It's these types of haunting that beg for answers. For instance, do chickens have a soul? And if they do, then this poultry-geist, adds a whole new dimension to soul food.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
In 1907 Dr. MacDougall performed an experiment on the dying. The measured loss of mass on humans compared to dogs, was a staggering twenty-one grams to none. To MacDougall this was concrete proof: animals do not have a soul. Somehow I think the chicken would disagree.
APRIL 7, 1775 THE CONCORD COLONIAL INN
Concord, Massachusetts
Erected on a Native American burial ground by John Thoreau, Henry David Thoreau's father, the Concord Colonial Inn is comprised of three houses connected together. Henry David Thoreau lived there from 1835 until 1837. Today, many of the staff and visitors report strange occurrences. Books have flown off of the shelves and full-bodied apparitions have been sighted. But the most activity surrounds
room 24, where a woman with dark hair wearing colonial dress haunts the room. In fact, staff at the Concord Colonial are so terrified by her ghostly apparition that many have refused to enter the room. One guest, after being booked into room 24, was so horrified by the ghost's appearance that she ran downstairs in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, the inn was completely booked and the desk clerk was unable to change her room. The guest, refusing to return to room 24, spent the night sleeping on the sofa in the foyer. The next morning, both the guest and the maid sent to retrieve her belongings were astonished. Her suitcase had mysteriously repacked itself. Another visitor of haunted room 24 was awakened in the middle of the night. Reportedly, she lay in sheer terror as a shadowy mass hovered above the bed. How did her husband respond to her complaints? He said, “Don't worry, honey, the ghost came with the price of the room.”
APRIL 8, 2005 THE REALTOR
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Michelle, a realtor, was inspecting a vacant ranch for a client. Her initial impression was positive. It looked in decent condition. She entered the home and, as usual, began doing a clockwise inspection of the property. Upon reaching the kitchen she stopped short. Every drawer and cabinet door was ajar. She counted at least fifty. After a moment's hesitation, she chalked it up to an overzealous realtor wanting to see every last detail and continued with her inspection.
Michelle then peered out a window, spied the backyard with a built-in pool, and decided instantly that that was where she was headed next. Walking out of the kitchen toward the back of the house, she passed a lit basement with its door wide open. Deciding she would save the basement for last, she continued on. Suddenly, the door to the basement violently slammed shut. Startled, she quickly turned around to see who was there, but found she was alone.
Determined to see the backyard, she turned on her heels and headed for the door at the end of the hall. That's when she felt it. The odd electrical sensation that tore through her body made her hair stand to attention. Finally getting the hint that she wasn't welcome, she said, “Fine, I'll leave,” and briskly walked out the front door.
After Michelle relayed her experience, the client declined a further look. The house was on the market for two years, and as far as Michelle knows, it never sold.
APRIL 9, 1949 THE WITCH OF THE WOOKEY CAVES
Wookey Hole, England
The Wookey Caves is an extensive cave system located near the village of Wookey Hole in Somerset England. Neanderthals, Celts, Romans, and a ghost or two have inhabited it over the past 50,000 years. It is now a renowned tourist attraction, with ghosts and all, enticing nearly 25,000 people a year. When exploring its caverns, visitors have reported seeing the ghost of a deceased cave explorer in 1949 and the spirit of a nameless little boy who wanders the tunnels and passageways. However, the most famous denizen of the caves is the witch.
Back in the 1700s an old woman lived in the cave with some goats. The villagers blamed the recluse for all the ills that beset the village. Heeding their complaints, the Abbot of Glastonbury sent Father Bernard to exorcize the witch. As the story goes, the priest blessed the water in the cave and then began sprinkling it about. The witch of the Wookey Caves challenged the priest. Standing his ground, he asked her to repent. His request was spurned, and a battle of wills ensued. Finally, Father Bernard doused her with holy water. The wicked witch screeched, her body stiffened, and she slowly turned to stone. Is the story of the Wookey Caves a legend? Maybe yes. Maybe no. In 1912, seasoned cave explorer, Herbert Balch, discovered the skeletal remains of several goats — and an old woman.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
On July 28, 2009, after about a month of auditions, Carole Bohanan was hired for about $80,000 a year to be the new witch of Wookey Caves. It seems that despite Father Bernard's best efforts, the witch is back.
APRIL 10, 1324 THE SKELETONS OF PRAGUE
Prague, Czech Republic
As you make your way through the charming medieval streets of Prague, you might find yourself face to face, or rather face to skull, with Prague's “Begging Skeleton.” In life he was a student at the university who stood six foot six. His stature drew the attention of a professor, who wanted a tall frame for his collection of skeletons. The student, who was much younger than the professor, sold his skeleton to him for thirty dollars, figuring he would easily outlive the much older professor. Collecting his money, he went out for a night of drinking, squandering all thirty dollars. Quite inebriated, he got into a fight and was killed. His skeleton ended up in the professor's collection. Now he wanders the streets looking for a handout so he can buy his skeleton back.
APRIL 11, 1735 THE DOLPHIN HOTEL
Littlehampton, England
Several spirits reportedly haunt the Dolphin, an old coaching inn built in 1735. Two of the most active ghosts are Tom, an older man who once looked after the many barrels of wine, and Molly, a chambermaid who once lived in the old hotel. It seems poor Molly, distraught after being jilted by her lover, entered the old stable block and took her own life.
One credible report of Molly's ghost came from an American serviceman in the mid-1990s. While relaxing at the Dolphin, he was suddenly stunned to see the ghostly apparition of a beautiful young woman walk across the floor in front of him. Further investigation indicated that Molly's apparition had indeed appeared above the old stable block where she had met her tragic end. And since the floor had been raised several feet, it explained the man's odd report: he said that Molly appeared to be wading through water, her ghostly apparition only visible from the waist up.
APRIL 12, 1800 THE GREEN LADY
Burlington, Connecticut
The Burlington Center Cemetery, better known as the Green Lady Cemetery, is one of the oldest graveyards in Burlington. But how did it get its name? Legend has it that a young woman by the name of Elisabeth Palmiter died tragically at the hands of her husband. Evidently it's not what he did to her, but what he didn't do.
One day, Elisabeth, who lived next door to the cemetery, wandered into the woods in search of her husband, Benjamin. She got stuck in the swamp. When her husband happened across her, he just stood there, lantern in hand, and waited for his wife to disappear beneath the muck, never to breathe again. But Elisabeth, angered by her husband's inaction, returned from the dead and haunted him until he went insane.
Through the years there have been numerous reports of the ghostly apparition of a woman surrounded by green mist wandering throughout the cemetery. One visitor of the graveyard took a picture of the tombstones. Upon reviewing her photo, she noticed a stationary green mist above one of the stones. To her surprise, it was the grave of Elisabeth. Is the legend of the Green Lady fact or fiction? Maybe you should visit Burlington, Connecticut, and find out for yourself.
APRIL 13, 1699 THE POTSFORD GIBBET
Letheringham, Suffolk, England
Back in the 1600s many men were hanged for their crimes, but perhaps more grisly is that their bodies were left to rot in the sun on a device called the gibbet. A gibbet is a gallows with a projecting arm at the top, from which the bodies of criminals were hanged in chains and then left suspended for all to view. In a place called Potsford Wood stands the Potsford Gibbet, an eerie reminder of its horrid past. The last victim was a man named Jonah Snell, hanged there in 1699 for the murder of a miller and his son.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
In England, gallows were built at crossroads. This was done in the hope of confusing the ghosts of the hanged, in case they decided to return and revisit those who took their lives.
Today, those who venture into the wood have noticed strange twinkling lights darting about the trees. Dark shadows roam around the weathered gibbet accompanied by hideous moans. But even in broad daylight many have been terrorized by a cloaked figure with a skull for a head. The specter of Jonah Snell, perhaps?
APRIL 14, 1912 TITANIC EXHIBIT
Atlanta, Georgia
On April 14, 1912, while cruising through dark, icy waters, the Titanic struck a
n iceberg. Within a few short hours, it sank, disappearing into the black watery depths and leaving more than 1,500 people struggling for their lives in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
Eighty-two years later, on June 7, 1994, the United States District Court awarded RMS Titanic Inc. salvaging rights. It wasn't until fourteen years after, in 2008, that the salvage company began their world-wide tour titled the “Titanic Aquatic,” which featured over 190 artifacts.
It is rumored that a Georgia aquarium, soon after displaying the antiquities, began experiencing a series of unexplainable events. One volunteer, Margarit, felt an invisible hand move through her hair while she was working. She was quoted as saying, “I think it's the lost souls from the Titanic.”
A spokeswoman for the aquarium stated that she'd received multiple reports of odd goings-on from various volunteers. Soon after, a paranormal investigative team was called in. It seems that during the investigation, members of their team spotted several shadowy figures roaming the aquarium's hallways. The ghostly specter of an elderly woman was seen in the vicinity of the Titanic exhibit.
Coincidently, other sites housing the Titanic artifacts have reported experiencing similar unexplainable phenomena, lending credence to the notion that the artifacts from the Titanic have some of its lost souls still attached.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
The energy of those who have passed on can remain attached to an item. That would explain why so many cultures treasure their relics.
