A Ghost a Day

by Maureen Wood

  APRIL 27, 1976 THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF ROSALYNN CARTER

  Plains, Georgia

  In 1976, during an interview with the National Enquirer, Rosalynn Carter shared her family's haunted house stories.

  Between 1954 and 1959, the Carters rented an old Southern house in Plains, Georgia. Although she was not a true believer of ghosts, she recalled several instances of strange goings-on in the house. In fact, her experiences with the house started long before moving in. As a child growing up in town, she would do her best to avoid the house at all cost. But on the occasions when she did pass the empty house, she would often see flashing lights emanating from the attic.

  Former residents of the home spoke of sleepless nights when blankets were torn from their bodies as they lay in bed. A white dog had been seen on the front porch on several occasions, yet when approached, it would vanish. Another resident reported that one night his body was lifted out of his bed and placed on the floor, only to be placed back in bed again.

  Legend has it that the activity began after the building had been taken over by Union soldiers. The tortured souls of the soldiers killed during the skirmish are believed to still reside within its walls.

  She was so distraught by the rumors of haunting, Rosalynn decided to turn the “haunted bedroom” into a sitting area when the Carters moved in. During the years they rented, Rosalynn also reported that her son inadvertently uncovered a hidden room beneath the fireplace with nothing but a lone chair in it. Mrs. Carter believed that the Union soldiers hid in this room, and perhaps this contributed to the rumors of the haunting.

  But did she have a ghostly encounter herself? Although she never saw a ghost, she does admit to hearing eerie sounds each night that echoed in an empty attic. Sounds that sent chills up her spine.

  APRIL 28, 1945 HOTEL BURCHIANTI

  Florence, Italy

  The Hotel Burchianti is more difficult to find than its ghosts. Tucked away in the Old World Florence streets, this quaint hotel has been home to some of Italy's “most famous” residents, such as opera singers, poets, and politicians, including Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Many visitors to Burchianti have witnessed several spirits. A little girl who likes to skip down the hallways, an old woman who knits in a chair, a spectral doorman, and a maid who continues her duties with care and attention to detail can all be seen within the walls of the hotel. But it is the Fresco Room that has garnered the most attention. Guests who have spent the night there have had the uneasy feeling of being watched. Some have experienced the sensation of a phantom entity as it crawls in bed with them. Others have seen a man, whom they believe to be Benito Mussolini, enveloped in a pink haze. Perhaps most chilling are the occasions when guests have been awakened by an icy breath upon their face. Although the Burchianti Hotel only has eleven rooms, these chilling experiences have earned it a spot on the list of The World's Most Haunted Hotels.

  APRIL 29, 1865 LINCOLN SPECIAL

  East Coast, United States

  Abraham Lincoln has long been associated with the paranormal. It is a well-known fact that he attended séances and foresaw his own death, and his ghost has been witnessed in several locations, including the White House. After his death on April 15, 1865, it was decided to transport the president's body to his final resting place, Springfield, Illinois. A powerful steam locomotive, dubbed the “Lincoln Special,” was designated for this journey. On board were both Lincoln's body and the coffin of his son Willie, who was disinterred for reburial with his father; as well as 300 mourners; an honor guard; and, to keep the body fresh looking, since Lincoln was not embalmed, a mortician. The train departed Washington chugging along up the east coast. Finally it arrived in Springfield on May 4, nineteen days after his death.

  Through the years there have been eyewitness accounts of the spectral Lincoln Special. From these reports it appears to be taking the same route as it did back in 1865. People near the tracks have reported hearing an old-fashioned steam whistle and seeing dense gray clouds of billowing smoke, which are followed by a change in the atmosphere. Nearby crossing gates close as if a train is passing by, but there is none. And for those fortunate enough to spy the train, it is a scene they will never forget. A blue light emanates from the engine, which is followed by a flat car with a band of skeleton musicians in Union uniforms, playing music that no one can hear. The next car contains Lincoln's black-draped coffin and an honor guard of skeletons in both Union and Confederate uniforms. As the train passes, there is a rush of warm air, no matter how cold the night is. Eyewitness accounts have slowly diminished through the years, making one believe that Lincoln's phantom funeral train may be slowly fading away.

  APRIL 30, 1945 ADOLF HITLER

  Berghof, Germany

  On April 30, 1945, as the Third Reich crumbled around him, Hitler and his wife of one day, Eva Braun, retired to their bedroom in the fuehrer's underground bunker and committed suicide. Their bodies were burned, and seven days later, Germany surrendered and the war was over. But apparently it wasn't the end for the fuehrer. From the end of the war to the present, Hitler's ghost has been seen in the area around the Berghof, Hitler's home in the Bavarian Alps.

  The Berghof was heavily damaged at the end of the war. Countless visitors have claimed to see Hitler strutting about the ruins, barking out orders, and wildly waving his arms in the air. Other times, he has been seen sitting in a chair, his head in his hands, despair on his face. When he was alive he would look out the picture window of the Berghof and say, “It is here where Germany will find me for a thousand years.” It appears he may be right.

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  Brian Singer, the director of the 2008 movie Valkyrie, told the National Enquirer that he was convinced Hitler's ghost was haunting the set. Among the unexplainable events that happened during the filming was a runaway tank that nearly hit actor Tom Cruise.

  MAY 1, 1791 CROW ROCK

  Crabapple, Pennsylvania

  One Sunday, the four young Crow sisters were walking through the woods on the way to visit a neighbor. It was a warm peaceful day when they reached a ford in the creek that ran through their property. As the sisters were crossing the ford, three men — two Indians and a savage white man named Spicer — came running out from behind a large boulder. The men had been hiding, lying in wait. Frozen in fear, the sisters were easy prey. They were brutally attacked with tomahawks, but the sisters fought back. In the commotion, one sister escaped. By the time the rescue party came back, it was too late. The sisters had been scalped. Two were dead and one lay dying in the hot sun. She later perished at home. All three were buried in the family plot.

  Today, some say that if you go to that boulder by the ford on a hot summer's night, you can still hear the terrifying screams of the sisters. And every now and then, you can even see their wandering spirits searching for their scalps by the rock that bears their name, Crow's Rock.

  MAY 2, 1946 ALCATRAZ

  San Francisco, California

  Indigenous people believed Alcatraz island to be inhabited by evil spirits. From the 1850s to 1933, the island was used as a military prison for deserters and depraved soldiers. In 1934, The Rock, as it is sometimes known, became a federal penitentiary. It was home to some of the country's most notorious murderers, including Chicago gang lord Al Capone and the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” Robert Stroud. Alcatraz was reputed to be the toughest prison system and where the most hardened criminals were locked away. Although some prisoners came close to escaping, they never succeeded. Inmates who were unable to endure the cramped quarters, torture, deprivation, and physical abuse eventually died at the Rock. Some died of natural causes, some at the hands of guards or other prisoners. During the prison's heyday, six cells on D block made up “the Hole.” They were used to house the more troublesome inmates. However, one of the six cells, the most isolated, was called, “the Oriental.” The story is that in the 1940s, one prisoner, after being stripped of his clothes, was tossed into its dark chamber. Throughout the night the man howl
ed and screamed claiming a creature with red eyes was attacking him. Laughing it off, the guards ignored his cries. The next morning when they opened the door, they found the man dead, his throat laced with unexplainable claw marks. Later, the guards lined up the prisoners to take a head count. To their astonishment, they noted one extra inmate. As soon as they recognized him as the man who had mysteriously died in the Oriental, the ghost vanished.

  Everything from inexplicable cold breezes to the loud sound of unearthly clanging has been reported from prison guards and their families who inhabited the island. Many believe that those who had been imprisoned on the island still remain. Evidently, even in death, Alcatraz is inescapable.

  MAY 3, 1810 ST. SIMONS LIGHTHOUSE

  St. Simons Island, Georgia

  During the construction of St. Simons Lighthouse many workers bitten by mosquitoes died from disease, an omen of things to come. In 1880, while Frederick Osborne was keeper, an argument broke out between him and his assistant, John Stephens. Apparently the trouble began when Osborne spoke “inappropriately” to Stephens's wife. A violent fight occurred between the two, and Osborne was shot and died from his wounds. Stephens was arrested for his murder, but he was acquitted and continued tending to his duties. However, he was not alone. It appears that Osborne, even in death, continued his duties as well.

  Through the years following the murder, many of the keepers, as well as their wives, claimed to hear the sound of heavy footsteps on the tower's staircase and to feel Osborne's presence. In fact, one account published in a newspaper in 1908 retells how a keeper's wife, having problems with the light mechanism while her husband was away, called out to the spirit of Osborne. There was a “clink and a rattle,” then she saw the ghost of Osborne working on the mechanism. Shocked, she fainted. When she awoke, she found that the mechanism had been repaired. As the years passed, fewer sightings of Osborne have been reported, making one think that good keepers don't die, they just fade away.

  MAY 4, 1471 THE CHARGING HORSEMAN

  Prestbury, England

  In 1471, a messenger during the War of the Roses charged down a path headed for the camp of Edward IV. He soon met his end as a Lancastrian arrow sailed through the air, plunging deep into his chest. His mission had abruptly been put to an end.

  Today, the glowing image of this messenger can still be seen galloping through various locations in Prestbury, specifically along the Burgage, which is reportedly one of the most haunted roads in Prestbury.

  During construction on the roadway, workers found the skeletal remains of a man with the head of an arrow buried deep within his rib cage. It seems that this poor messenger is forced to relive his failed mission for eternity.

  MAY 5, 1937 BANTA INN

  Tracy, California

  In Tracy, a bar called the Banta Inn was originally a saloon built by reputed outlaw Frank Gallegos. In later years it served as a bordello, before finally meeting its end in a fire in 1937. As a cost savings, all the unburned timber was recycled and used to rebuild what would later become the Banta Inn. It is said that among the ghosts to frequent the bar are two people who lost their lives in the fire. Objects have been seen levitating as well as shadow people dashing to and fro. But the most popular ghost to visit Banta is Gallegos's son-in-law, Tony Gurkan. Gurkan and his wife, Jenny, took ownership of the bar in the early 1960s. While alive, Tony had the habit of leaving the cash drawer open with neatly stacked coins visible for all to see. He was also known to sit by himself at the corner of the bar. In 1968, Tony suffered a heart attack and died. In the years since, those who have bar tendered have recalled tossing coins in the cash drawer and closing it, only to find the drawer open and the coins stacked into neat little piles. And from all appearances, death hasn't stopped Tony from enjoying a good hand of cards. He's often been seen, sitting by himself, in the corner of the room, playing poker. And that's not all. Apparently when we cross over to the other side, humor remains. Staff of the Banta have heard the jukebox playing Spirits in the Material World, by the Police. And it wasn't even plugged in!

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  Severe psychokinetic phenomena are moving or levitating objects. It is often associated with some of the following: doors slamming, objects sliding across a table, pictures sailing off the walls, and furniture moving of its own accord.

  MAY 6, 2006 DEAD AGAINST TOLL ROADS

  Richmond, Virginia

  It seems that not only the living are adverse to toll roads, but the dead as well. Pocahontas Parkway is alive with paranormal activity. At least it was. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch motorists, toll operators, and road crews were plagued by ghosts. One truck driver was forced to scare away the torch wielding Algonquian ghosts with the horn of his big rig. His opinion: the Native Americans were protesting the road being built over what once was their village. One evening, during a night of highway construction, a worker spotted what he thought was a man in a Native American costume riding a horse across the highway. At first he just assumed it was an eccentric out on a joy ride, but he changed his mind when he approached the man to ask him to leave. Before he could say a word, the ghostly specter vanished. Toll workers on the late-night shift have reported the bone-chilling sounds of “whooping” and screams emanating from the woods. Even a spokesman for the local state police commented that the eerie high-pitched screams were made by more than a dozen voices.

  Interestingly enough, it appears that the Algonquin protestors caved in, or, should we say, they gave up the ghost. Because they've barely been seen or heard from since.

  MAY 7, 1663 THEATRE ROYAL

  London, England

  The notoriously haunted Theatre Royal was built in 1663. In its day it was the leading theatre in all of London. But what of the ghosts that reside there? The host of characters include: Dan Leno, whose clog dancing is still heard coming from the empty dressing rooms; the remorseful Charles Macklin, who in 1735 took out an eye of a fellow actor with his cane; Joe Grimaldi, the deceased clown who is believed to assist actors in finding their correct spot on the stage, ridding them of their jitters; and last, but not least, “The Man in Gray”, an eighteenth-century nobleman dressed in a gray cape, three-cornered hat, and powdered wig, who makes his presence known during various rehearsals. Word has it that this last ghostly visitor is not only sought after, but also highly celebrated, especially since his past appearances correlated with such theatrical successes as Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, and The King and I. So where did the mysterious ghost of the Man in Gray originate from? In 1848, the skeletal remains of a man with a knife wedged between his ribs, was found behind a wall at the Royal.

  MAY 8, 1815 THE WOODBURN MANSION

  Dover, Delaware

  Built in the 1790s by Charles Hillyard III, the Woodburn mansion once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad; today it is the governor's mansion. The first reported ghostly sightings in the house were in 1815. The Bates family, who resided there at the time, had a houseguest by the name of Lorenzo Dow. On his way down to join the family for dinner, he passed an elderly gentleman on the stairs. When he joined his hosts at the dinner table, he asked if the old man was going to join them. Bates informed Dow that there was no one else home. But through Dow's description, he quickly learned the man described was none other than his own deceased father. Another owner of the mansion claimed to have a run in with the elder Bates as well. One night he came down to the dining room and discovered a man drinking his wine. It was the ghost of Bates. Several other spirits are known to frequent the mansion: the spirit of a little girl who has a habit of tugging on unsuspecting people's clothes and vying for attention, a colonial soldier, and a Southern slave raider. Little is known about the soldier, but it has been said that the slave raider accidentally hanged himself in the old poplar tree. At night you can hear his moans of agony. The many ghosts of the governor's mansion are reflected in its history. Who knows, those who are living in it now may haunt the house in the future.

  MAY 9, 1131
TINTERN ABBEY

  Tintern, Monmouthshire, Wales

  Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow on the banks of the River Wye, founded Tintern Abbey. It was a Cistercian order and thrived for 400 years. In 1349 bubonic plague swept through the area killing many monks and perhaps explaining the disappearance of the neighboring village of Penterry.

  Today the abbey and Saint Mary's Church lie in ruins, deserted except for the ghosts. Nocturnal visitors have reported hearing the somber sound of chanting and witnessing the processions of torch-bearing spectral monks. The most terrifying story associated with the abbey speaks of a group of men who went into the abbey's orchard in search of antiquities. After a day's labor, they had dug up two skeletons. That night in the church, they celebrated, drinking heavily and taunting the spirits of the monks. The skies grew dark. A heavy wind came up. Lightning flashed about the area. Soon an eerie mist began to swirl around them. Out of the mist came a knight. Other figures emerged: hooded men and the white-robed monks of the monastery. The ghostly knight raised his arm, pointing toward the doorway of the abbey. The men, scattering in fear, left what they'd brought behind. It is said that they did not stop running until they reached the next village. Since that day, few dare to dig on the abbey's grounds fearing that they too might raise the wrath of Lord Strongbow, the Earl of Pembroke, and protectorate of Tintern Abbey.

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT