A Ghost a Day

by Maureen Wood

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  Batteries are often drained in haunted locations. Paranormal investigators believe that spirits consume the batteries' energy to manifest.

  NOVEMBER 22, 1904 THE FOX SISTERS

  Hydesville, New York

  The “Spook House,” as it was so aptly named, was the location where the Fox sisters first realized their abilities to communicate with the dead.

  Although the disturbing sounds had been heard prior, on March 31, 1848, the spirit of a man reached out to the Fox sisters by rapping on the walls. As if the spirit could hear and see all, it accurately answered a series of questions for both family and neighbors alike. Through a succession of beats, the Fox sisters learned that the spirit was that of a peddler. He'd been murdered, his throat slashed for a sum of $500. He stated that he was hidden, buried in the basement, ten feet below ground.

  On April 1, 1848, an attempt to dig for the remains was halted due to flooding. It wasn't until November 22, 1904, when school children were playing in the cellar of the old Hydesville building, that the discovery would be made. The children found skeletal remains, along with a peddler's tin, beneath the dirt in the crumbling cellar. For a period of fifty-six years, the Fox sisters had been the subjects of ridicule and scorn. Finally, their claims of communicating with the deceased peddler were validated.

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  The Hydesville house, along with the peddler's remains and his tin, can be viewed at the central headquarters of American Spiritualists in Lilydale, New York — a true testament to the Fox sisters' ability to communicate with the dead.

  NOVEMBER 23, 1924 SANTORIO CARLOS DURAN

  Cartago, Costa Rica

  Named after its founder, Dr. Duran, the old tuberculosis hospital built in 1915 is thought to be among the most haunted buildings in Costa Rica. Back in the days when it was a hospital, it had become home to tuberculosis patients, lepers, and the mentally insane, among others.

  The building is abandoned now and under constant guard — during the day that is. There are not too many people who would willingly subject themselves to the haunted complex in the evening hours.

  Stories prevail of the inhumane treatment of patients, who found themselves imprisoned in the facility. Perhaps their torment and suffering continues today, because numerous ghostly apparitions have been sighted. The echoes of voices have often been heard. And coins have mysteriously appeared out of thin air, thrown from what were previously patients' rooms. One repeatedly encountered specter is that of a nun. Many visitors to Santorio Carlos Duran have witnessed her presence. In fact, it's been said that one time a journalist doing an article on the old hospital spotted the nun upon her arrival and began interviewing her. Later, when she was discussing the interview she'd had with the old nun, the journalist was informed that the nun she had been interviewing was no longer among the living.

  NOVEMBER 24, 1854 SACHS BRIDGE

  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

  The Battle of Gettysburg raged for three days, killing over 50,000 Americans and wounding thousands more. The entire town and almost all of its buildings were involved in one way or another. The Sachs covered Bridge, which was built in 1854, was no exception. Like many of the buildings, the bridge too served as a field hospital for the troops, where doctors, under the poorest conditions, treated the wounded and the dying.

  Now the bridge is a historical landmark and a hotbed of paranormal activity. Pictures taken from the bridge at night have shown strange glowing orbs and streaks of light. Visitors have heard the painful moans of the long-passed soldiers, while others have been overcome with grief, sensing the soldiers' unyielding pain. Full apparitions of men in uniform, both Union and Confederate, have been seen from time to time, bearing witness to the horror they witnessed those days in July of 1865.

  NOVEMBER 25, 1758 POINT STATE PARK

  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  The thirty-six-acre Point State Park opened in 1974 in downtown Pittsburgh. The park was built on the site of the old Fort Pitt, which played a vital role during the French and Indian War. Its key position at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River helped make Pittsburgh the gateway to the west. And according to www.hauntsandhistory.blogspot.com, police and security guards have been reliving the park's past since it opened.

  Police patrols have spotted the frightening apparitions of British and French soldiers and their Indian allies. Others have reported strange mists, undistinguishable voices, and even phantom battles, all occurring within the boundaries of the park. Despite heightened security, objects have disappeared from the park's museum, never to be seen again. Men in uniform have appeared on security monitors, but when guards go to investigate, they can't be found. And even America's great general, George Washington, has graced the park with his presence. Recently human bones were uncovered within its grounds, and a French reenactor was murdered. It appears to those working there that the park's past has come back to haunt them.

  NOVEMBER 26, 1983 HUMMEL PARK

  Omaha, Nebraska

  The 200-acre Hummel Park was named after J. B. Hummel, a longtime superintendent of Omaha's Parks and Recreation. The park is on the site of an old fur trading post and may even include an Indian burial ground within its borders. Rumors of evil doings have been associated with it, including unsolved murders, lynchings, and animal sacrifice. In 1983, a prostitute was sexually assaulted and bludgeoned to death in the park. The vestiges of satanic rituals and the carcasses of dead animals have been found by the Morphing Stairs. They are called this because if the stairs are counted on the way up, there is a different number on the way down.

  Visitors to the park have an uneasy feeling of being watched. And screams can be heard at night, although few dare to venture into the park after dark for fear of attack from the albino entities living in its trees.

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  If you're afraid of being in total darkness, you are said to have lygophobia.

  NOVEMBER 27, 1944 11:11

  Staffordshire, England

  On a cool November morning, at 11:11 a.m., a horrific explosion ripped through what used to be the old Fauld gypsum mines. Thirty-five-hundred tons of stored munitions exploded, creating a crater one-quarter mile wide and 300 feet deep. Over eighty people were killed in the explosion at the site and at a nearby plaster mill. It was the largest explosion of World War II before the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. It burst a nearby reservoir dam sending a wave of destruction upon the village below. The crater is still there today as a desolate reminder of the past, and it appears that some of its victims remain as well. Visitors to the site overcome by grief, disembodied screams and moans reverberating from the ground, and echoes of the victims below are all reminders of the tragedy that occurred at 11:11 that day.

  NOVEMBER 28, 1700 FIVE-TO-FOUR FRED

  Newton Burgoland, Leicestershire, England

  The Belper Arms has been one of the most popular pubs in this region for centuries. Visitors come to enjoy good food and spirits. Every day at five minutes to four, just like clockwork, Freddy arrives. He always has a cold air about him as he makes himself known by stroking unsuspecting women's faces and giving the men a good squeeze with his cold clammy hands. And not being a politically correct type of guy, he often gives the lasses a good pat on the bottom. “Five-to-Four Fred,” as the locals call him, certainly is a character, even if he is dead.

  NOVEMBER 29, 1892 HOTEL DEL CORONADO

  San Diego, California

  Built in 1888, Hotel Del Coronado, designated a national historic landmark, is located at the water's edge on Coronado Island. This Victorian era building is legendary for its superb atmosphere. Or is that ethereal atmosphere? It appears that the Del Coronado is home to an eternal guest. Although rumors of murder abound, the sad tale goes that back in 1892, a young woman by the name of Kate Morgan, grief stricken and jilted by her lover, committed suicide.

  So naturally, when guests report seeing th
e wispy image of a beautiful young woman walking through bedrooms, hallways, and gardens, it's Kate that immediately comes to mind.

  In fact, there have been so many reports of strange occurrences that Christine Donovan, the Del Coronado's historian, has been recording visitors' ghostly experiences and has also written a book called Beautiful Stranger: The Ghost of Kate Morgan and the Hotel del Coronado.

  Christine believes Kate to be relatively harmless, as the majority of the reported sightings include televisions and lights being turned on and off, glassware flying from gift shop shelves, and the feeling of being brushed up against by someone walking past. However, there have been more dramatic stories involving Kate. One guest wrote that during the night the ceiling fan above his head turned on for a short period of time, and then turned itself off. Upon waking, he found that all of his pillows had been removed from his bed and stacked atop his computer pyramid style. And just when you think it can't get any stranger, another couple, enjoying a romantic Valentine weekend away, had the scare of their lives when their bedding was ripped off their bodies by some unseen force. That story leads one to think that even in death, poor Kate is having difficulty bearing witness to passionate love.

  NOVEMBER 30, 2003 NAM KOO TERRACE

  Hong Kong, China

  The two-story red brick house was built in 1915 by a prominent Chinese businessman. Today it is sometimes referred to as The Wan Chai Haunted House, after the district it is in. Because of its history, Nam Koo Terrace is considered one of the most dangerous haunted houses in Hong Kong. Since the early 1900s it has been the stage for countless acts of violence, including rapes, suicides, and murders, the latest in 2009 when a man was found hanging from a tree outside the building. During the Japanese occupation, it was used as a brothel by the military. Numerous local Chinese women were raped and tortured by their captors.

  The supernatural activity associated with the house has grown over the years. Citizens have reported hearing bone-chilling screams and seeing spectral fires, headless bodies, and acrid green smoke emanating from the building.

  Thinking of visiting the building? Think again. In 2003 the Oriental Daily, a local newspaper, reported that a group of eight teenage ghost hunters attempted to investigate the haunting there. During the night, a ghostly assailant assaulted three female members, an experience so frightening that all three were hospitalized. It seems that, once again, Nam Koo Terrace has lived up to its reputation as Hong Kong's most dangerous haunted house.

  DECEMBER 1, 2009 THE SCREAMING WOMAN

  London, England

  Filmmaker Peter Jackson has made a number of ghost movies, such as The Frighteners, a movie cowritten in 1996 with his wife, Fran Walsh, and The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold. When asked by Britain's Channel 4 TV about the spiritual accuracy of The Lovely Bones, he said he couldn't be certain what a real soul was like.

  He could, however, tell of his own supernatural encounter. Evidently, twenty years prior, when he lived with his wife across from the Thames Theatre, he found out firsthand what a ghostly apparition looked like. One morning Jackson awoke to the screaming face of a fiftyish-looking woman — a dead fiftyish-looking woman. Terrified, Jackson watched as her ghostly form glided down the end of his bed and disappeared into the wall. Unsure of what he'd just seen, he relayed his experience to Fran, who replied, “Was it the woman with the screaming face?” Fran, it seems, had seen her two years earlier.

  Legend has it that the Thames Theatre is haunted. During the Vaudeville days, it was said that a woman, after having been booed off the stage, committed suicide. She is known to materialize in the theatre quite often. Perhaps her visit across the street to Jackson's apartment was due to the reported restoration, or maybe this screaming lady was only in search of an audition.

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  When a spirit materializes, it is said that it gains physical substance, as if suddenly appearing out of thin air.

  DECEMBER 2, 1931 THE GURDON LIGHT

  Gurdon, Arkansas

  On cloudy and moonless nights, strange lights appear by a section of railroad tracks near Gurdon, Arkansas. The lights move from side to side, appearing and disappearing at will, casting no reflection, with no rational explanation. If you ask the locals, they'll tell you all about it.

  Most believe the phenomenon involves a murder that took place on the railroad tracks back in 1931. Louis McBride worked for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad during the Great Depression. Because of the economic conditions of the time, there was a limit on how much time employees could work. Will McClain was McBride's foreman, and it wasn't long before the two got into a heated discussion about McBride's hours. The exchange turned violent, and in a fit of rage, McBride struck McClain with a railroad hammer, knocking him to the railroad bed. He continued to strike him until he severed his head.

  The Gurdon Light started to appear shortly after McClain's mur-der. Most believe that it is the headless McClain wandering the tracks with a swinging railroad lantern searching for his severed head.

  TERRIFYING TIDBIT

  Phantom lights are considered to be a paranormal phenomenon when the floating lights cannot be explained by ordinary means.

  DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE DISNEY WORLD GHOST

  Orlando, Florida

  The Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World is haunted by more than just props and visual effects. As reported in the McDowell News, the mansion was built beside a lake that in the 1940s was the sight of a fatal plane crash. And it's believed that the man piloting the smallengine plane is the ghostly apparition that now inhabits the building.

  One employee, who reported the sighting, said that he'd been working in the empty load area of one of the rides when all of a sudden he looked up to see an elderly man sitting in one of the “doom buggies.” The young man approached the well-dressed gentleman and tried to get his attention, but the man refused to respond. Concerned, he spoke to other members of the staff and asked them to keep their eyes out for the phantom rider. But the man never appeared again.

  Background music is often heard in the séance area, even when the attraction is turned off. And the mysterious sound of music playing from behind the walls is often heard. So the next time you pass through the Haunted Mansion, be aware that the ghosts floating before you may not all be holographic images.

  DECEMBER 4, 1924 FACES IN THE WAVES

  Gulf of Mexico

  The oil tanker, S.S. Watertown, was sailing through the sea on its way to the Panama Canal when tragedy struck. Two crewmembers, Michael Meehan and James Courtney, were overcome by fumes while cleaning the cargo hold and suffocated. They were buried at sea off the Mexican coast. The following day, shortly before sunset, the first mate screamed in surprise as the faces of the dead men appeared in the water off the portside of the ship. Ten seconds later, they disappeared. But this was not the last time the two unfortunate souls were seen. For the next few days, they were spotted in the water by several members of the crew. The captain, Keith Tracey, reported this phenomenon to his employer, Cities Service Company, who suggested that he attempt to take a picture of the lost souls. He complied and then locked the camera in the ship's safe until he returned to port. When the film was developed, the faces did in fact appear in one of the six photographs he took. When a new replacement crew boarded the ship, all sightings of the phantom crewmen ended. The negatives were turned over to the Burns Detective Agency for authentication. They found no fakery. Even today, this photograph stands as one of the most amazing ghost photos ever taken.

  DECEMBER 5, 1851 CAPTAIN TONY'S SALOON

  Key West, Florida

  Captain Tony's Saloon, previously named Sloppy Joe's, opened in 1851. Visitors to the saloon may be surprised to find that beneath the concrete floor lay numerous bodies. The story goes that, years prior, a hurricane tore through the island and destroyed the morgue, which was originally located in part of the building that the saloon now occupies. The destruction from the storm was so complete and the bodies of th
e morgue's inhabitants so unrecognizable that the decision was made to dig through the floor of the old building and bury the dead where they lay. They resealed the area and built walls up around it. But perhaps there were some who were a little unnerved with the way they buried their dead. Soon after, the top of the wall was lined with empty beer bottles filled with holy water, bottles that still can be found sitting on the saloon's shelf. But wait, there's more. While enjoying a drink at Tony's, you can also take in the sight of the island's first hanging tree, which grows through the roof of the building. The island saw its share of murderous buccaneers, and what better place to execute them than a tree which stood in such close proximity to the morgue? At least eighteen people were hanged from its limbs. One of them, a woman who reportedly murdered her husband and children, is the spirit that is believed to haunt the bar. A ghostly apparition of a woman wearing a flowing nightgown has been spotted on numerous occasions. But then again, with the unusually macabre history of the building, how can anyone be sure?