Tonight 9/8C on the Biography Channel

Season 5, Episode 4

My episode of My Ghost Story airs

Synopsis:Episode 45 – Full Episode
Investigators capture the voices of inmates’ ghosts at Ohio’s Mansfield Prison. Confederate spirits haunt a Texas house. A woman is possessed by the ghost of a little girl. A creature known as the “Crawler” haunts an old Oklahoma church.

My part of the episode is about Black Bear in Oklahoma.
“Church of Darkness” Olive township, Oklahoma
It is the last 8 minutes of the show

To watch the episode go http://www.biography.com/tv/my-ghost-story/videos/episode-45-full-episode-3591747789

Galveston is thought to be approximately 5000 years old. It was called the Isle of Doom in 1528 by shipwrecked sailors.The Spanish then called it the Isle of Snakes due to the abundance of reptiles. The control of the property that the Stewart Mansion sits on has gone through multiple hands over its life.

Jean Lafitte and his men took control from the cannibalistic Karanwawa Indians in a the first transfer of control. One of the first houses built on Galveston Island was built by J.A. Settle in 1846. An 1851 map showed the building just west of Lake Como and was labeled Settle’s Post. F.S. Hook was the next to purchase followed by Colonel Warren D.C. Hall. The building burnt down in 1925. The Sealy family bought the property from Mottexas Ranch, followed by the Stewart family, who then gave it to the University of Texas Medical Branch. In 1967, the property was sold it to oilman and developer George Mitchell. In the year 2000 Moore and Gould obtained the property. It has since then deteriorated and transferred a few more times.

The Galveston Historical foundation works to preserve architecturally and culturally important structures. The mansion was added to its annual heritage at-risk list in 2004 because it is historically significant to the island. The foundation removed it from that protected list in 2007 because new property owners Moore and Gould had acquired city approval to do an inn project. There has been no demolition of the mansion to make way for any project. Today there is no historical designation that protects it from demolition.

The mansion suffers from serious deterioration although many of the original features are still intact. There is a pull to go through the long abandoned property for some. It seems it has become a right of passage for many islanders probably from the years of urban legend and all of the interesting history.

The historic significance begins with the first transfer of control of the property and that begins with Jean Lafitte. This famous pirate was born in either France or the French colony of Saint Domingue in 1776. In 1805 he had a warehouse in New Orleans which held stolen goods from his older brother Pierre. They became so good at smuggling (which included slaves) they moved their base of operations and turned to piracy.

In 1814, the American authorities captured most of Lafitte’s fleet. In order to be granted a pardon, in 1815 Lafitte had to help General Andrew Jackson against the British. The Lafittes then became spies for the Spanish during the Mexican War of Independence. At that time they relocated to Galveston because as a part of Mexico it was outside the authority of the United States and was largely uninhabited. They developed a pirate colony where they tore down the existing structures and built 200 sturdier homes. The colony had anywhere between 100-200 men at the time and they named it Campeche.

The headquarters was known as Maison Rouge. It was a two-story building surrounded by a moat and was painted red. It faced the harbor were there were landings for The Pride, which was Lafittes ship. He conducted most of his business aboard for his safety. The slaves that were smuggled by them practiced black occult (voodoo and hoodoo) perhaps this is one reason why everything fell apart for the brothers. The downfall of Campeche began in 1818 when Lafitte’s men kidnapped a Karankawa woman and warriors from her tribe attacked the colony killing five men. In return, the corsairs aimed their artillery at the Karankawa which killed most of the men in the tribe. This became known as the battle of three trees. Then a hurricane flooded most of the island where four ships and most buildings were destroyed as well as several people killed. In fact only six houses survived out of 200 as habitable. They began to rebuild the settlement. In 1821 The USS Enterprise was sent to get Lafitte and his men out of the Gulf of Mexico. Angry, his men burned down Maison Rouge, the fortress and the whole settlement as they left the island. Lafitte continued attacking ships until he died in 1823.

The Sealy’s were the next major family to acquire the property that was formerly occupied by Jean Laffite from Mottexas Ranch . As one of the most dynamic families they were very powerful in business and politics. George Sealy Jr. commissioned San Antonio Architects Atlee B. and Robert M. Ayres to design the opulent 8,200 sq ft Spanish Colonial Revival summer retreat to be built in 1926. He was a famous industrialist and infamous union-buster. He called the mansion Isla Ranch and commissioned the murals to be painted sometime in the 1930’s.

The next owner of the property is Marco Stewart Sr. who was the founder of Stewart Title Co. He acquired the mansion on October 13, 1933 as a vacation resort home. He made his fortune in insurance, banking and war. Marco Stewart Jr. then inherited the more than 2,000 acres property in 1939. He remodeled and expanded the property as well as changed the name to Stewarts mansion. In 1944, Stewart’s widow, Louise Bisbey Stewart and her son Marco Stewart Jr. donated the residence to the University of Texas Medical Branch where it was used for a number of years as a convalescent home for crippled children.

It is hard to find through all the grass and brush on the property but the Marco Stewart family cemetery is located here. There are markers for Marco Stewart, Marco Stewart Jr. and one of his sons. Stewart died before his wife and children in 1950, when he suffered a heart attack while driving home from a social event. There is an urban legend that the family was killed and put into the walls of the mansion by Stewart himself before he committed suicide

The last time my group Woodlands Paranormal was in the location we were able to get numerous EVPs that included some of children. Perplexed as to why there would be children there some of our members thought it was from the story of Marco Stewart killing his children. Upon doing research we realized that the property was a convalescent home for crippled children for years and most likely had some deaths of the children here. Perhaps what haunts the location is residual energy trapped from the years of death and tragedy. Perhaps what is there is intelligent because we were also able to get EVP responding appropriately to our questions.

Many things are said to happen here. Some of the stories are that the pirate murals are said to supposedly change places and you can see ghostly apparitions. You can hear disembodied voices, footsteps, humming and the piano. According to urban legend there use to be an electric chair in one of the rooms. According to the caretaker “There are ghosts in this house. My wife and I hear doors banging and noises in the middle of the night.” Many people tell you not to go at night for whatever reason. Lafitte’s spirit is said to walk the property looking to show someone the treasure’s location.

The island is also said to be home to a pack of supernatural black dogs since before the great storm of 1900. One urban legend says that twelve black puppies were adopted by a downtown business owner when their mongrel mother was killed. For over a century now there are tales of these large black hellhounds with flaming eyes. The stories are not just scary but are also somewhat of an omen because seeing the dogs are a warning of an impending disaster.

Some tell the story with the twist that the twelve black dogs were part of a pack that were owned by the Pirate King Jean Laffite. Known as the Campeche devil dogs they were bred for hunting down thieves, travelers and interlopers. This pack from hell is said to have been born within the eye of a hurricane. It is rumored that Lafitte demanded that a voodoo queen give him an army of dogs to guard his place. This Voodoo Queen that did a ritual where it is said that she died as the last puppy was born. So her dark powers were poured into the original twelve as they were born.

Some say the dogs are shape shifters and will shift into unseen shadows. People are sometimes aware of the smell of a wet dog they cannot see, hear low growls as they are walking or will feel breathing on the back of their necks.

While in the location I was sitting on the stairs and went to stand up to take a picture of one of the murals. I felt something on my neck and thought it was a mosquito so I went to smack it. As soon as my hand touched my neck it stung where I asked someone to look and see what it was. It turned out to be a scratch about 4-5 inches long. They took a picture of the scratch. When we went home I reviewed my audio and caught a child making a noise at the time I was scratched. So it seems perhaps a child was trying to get my attention. This is one interesting place I cannot wait to go back to!

Go check out our group website at http://www.woodlandsparanormal.com

In preparation for an investigation Woodlands Paranormal is doing with the public in October we went down to Galveston last weekend to do some preliminary work. We are excited to be able to get into this historic property for a few nights! I wanted to share our the research we have on the property. I will also put the information on our group website and facebook incuding our photos. We were able to get some very interesting pictures.

The Ashton Villa is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a recorded Texas Historic Landmark. It is located on the corner of 23rd and Broadway in Galveston, Texas. The mansion was built by James Moreau Brown in 1859 before the Civil War by one of Texas’ wealthiest businessmen.

The story of this family begins with Mr. Brown. He was born on September 22, 1821 in Orange County, New York as the youngest in a large family of 16 children. Between the ages of 12-16 he was the apprentice of a brick mason. He left New York around 1838 and arrived in Galveston in the mid 1840s. He then opened a hardware business which was the largest store west of the Mississippi. In 1846, Brown married Rebecca Ashton Stoddart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1855 he purchased a slave named Alek who was also a brick mason. On January 7, 1859 Mr Brown purchased four lots on Broadway in for $4,000. The house building then soon began.

He closed the hardware business in 1859 as well and became president of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad. He kept this position through the Civil War and also served as a purchasing agent in Mexico. He resigned as president of the railroad and re-entered the hardware business after the war. The 1870 census placed his financial worth as $175,000 in real estate and $100,000 in personal assets, making him one of the richest men in the state.

Mr Brown chose to build a 16,500 square feet Italianate villa, with wide overhanging eaves and ornate cornice brackets. The house found in a architectural pattern book that was published in 1851 by Samuel Sloan who was a architect in Philadelphia . Brown did change some of the elements of Sloan’s design. He kept the basic square shape and added the dramatic wrought iron veranda. It is said the veranda probably came from the firm of Perot and Wood of Philadelphia who also supplied the fence and gate. The 3 story structure is constructed of brick and cast iron and was one of the first brick structures in Texas. The walls were made thirteen inches thick, to help protect against humidity and to add strength to the structure. The family then occupied the house by 1861.

James Brown and his wife Rebecca Ashton Stoddart Brown raised 5 children. They were John Stoddart (1848), Moreau Roberts (1853), Rebecca Ashton, known as Bettie (1855), Charles Rhodes (1862) and Mathilda Ella (1865). Bettie and Mathilda were the most dominate personalities of the house.

Bettie was a rather independent woman for her generation. She was a tall beautiful blonde who almost always wore her hair up. She was intelligent, artistic, and fun-loving. In many ways she was even somewhat eccentric. People were often surprised by her smoking in public. Enjoying her lavish life with her family she decided to never marry although she found no shortage of suitors. She seldom if ever was without an admiring escort at the many gala events of the island city. Much of the artwork and impressive paintings throughout the house were done by Miss Bettie herself. She was a rather accomplished artist during a time when women were only allowed to dabble in painting china. It is sad but at that time women were not to actually paint seriously. She studied art in Paris. She loved to travel and often journeyed alone to the far reaches of the world, including Morocco, Jerusalem, Egypt, China, Japan, and India.

Mathilda was the youngest child suffered through an abusive marriage. She came back to Ashton Villa in 1896 after she divorced her husband Thomas Sweeney. She returned to live in the house with her three children. I will save her story to share at a later time. Just know Mathilda is a sad story that contributes to the history of the Aston Villa itself.

Mr. Brown lived in the house until his death at the age of 74. He died on Christmas Day in 1895. Mrs. Brown died in 1907. The house then went to Bettie, who lived here until her death in 1920. Mathilda inherited the house and left it to her daughter Alice in 1926. The house was then sold to the Shriners and was used as offices. In 1970 the house was taken over by the Galveston Historical Foundation and opened it to the public in 1974.

One of the historical fact about the home is that it became the headquarters for the Confederate Army. It served in that capacity for the entire war, except for a brief period in the fall of 1862. Galveston was surrendered to the Union Army who chose to make Ashton Villa their headquarters. It was re-taken by the Confederates during the Battle of Galveston in January 1863. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Surrender took place in the Gold Room. While standing on the balcony of Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere

This house has gone through and survived numerous storms including the Great Storm of 1900. That storm killed well over 6,000 people which left the island virtually abandoned and was described as “the worst recorded natural disaster ever to strike the North American continent.” During the 1900 Hurricane, Mrs. Brown is said to have acted to save the home and her family’s lives by opening up the doors and windows on the lower floor and allowed the flood waters to flow all the way through the home exiting out the back door so that the home would not be pushed by the waters and possibly damaged. The negative impact from the 15.7-foot storm-surge over the island was the basement filled with sand and also partially buried the six-foot cast iron fence. There is a story that one of the youngest daughters of the Browns sat on the main staircase that faces the front door and the water was as high as the 10th step up flowing through the home like a river. The daughter just sat there and watched the flowing water apparently with much fascination! The basement of the house was permanently filled in with sand when the entire town of Galveston was lifted by as much as seventeen feet with sand pumped from the Gulf floor to protect from future storms. That process also buried much of the fence which appears quaintly short. Even with the grade raise Hurricane Ike brought 30 inches of damaging water and mud back into the first floor.

Today lovely antiques, family heirlooms and original art fill this stately mansion. It is also filled with artifacts gathered during Betties world travels. Perhaps all the artifacts and history has led to strange activity in the mansion. The Ashton Villa is often called the “most haunted building in America.” There are many ghostly stories about this place. It is reported that the ghost of Bettie Brown has not left and is seen from time to time dressed in a beautiful turquoise (her favorite color) dress. She is seen standing in the Gold Room and at the top of the staircase which leads to the dayroom. This was the only room where Bettie could go without wearing her “stays” and she apparently spent a lot of her time there even to this day. She is sometimes heard playing the piano at one of her famous music recitals. She is known to abruptly stop a certain song from playing in the mansion.

Not all of the strange activity is from Bettie. During the civil war the Ashton Villa was also used as a hospital for Confederate soldiers. There are rumors of marching soldiers moving through the house and on the grounds. People have reported feeling a presence joining them on the tour.

Other activity surrounds a chest of drawers purchased in the Middle East and stands in Bettie Brown’s dayroom. It reportedly locks and unlocks spontaneously even though the key has been missing for years. Ceiling fans have been known to turn themselves on. One bed refuses to stay made. No matter how many times a day the sheets are straightened they get messed up would end up on the floor by something unseen. Furniture moves and inexplicably clocks are stopped. Others have experienced an exotic smell of jasmine and roses throughout the air which is said to be Betties favorite scent.

Perhaps the haunting could be from the numerous deaths which include Both Mr. and Mrs. Brown and Bettie who all died in the house

The Haunted Areas
1. Stairway – Bettie’s presence is felt most intensely on the central stairway and in the hallway on the second floor landing by sensitives
2. Second floor landing – Full apparition was seen by a guide on the second floor landing. She was wearing a turquoise evening gown and holding one of her fans (an ornate Victorian one)
3. The Gold Room and surrounding area where her fans and favorite possessions are on display is another strong area for her prescience. Perhaps it is all of her things on display calling her there? There is a story I will share that I cannot confirm at the moment. One day a caretaker we will call Mr T was awakened by the wild barking of the his dog thought that someone was trying to break into the Villa. He said he heard a man and a woman arguing in The Golden Room. When he entered he saw woman, sitting on the piano stool dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. She was looking at an man who was standing up looking at her and appeared angry. He said the man had dark curly hair and a beard and that both were dressed in costumes from the 1800s. It sounded like they were taking through a radio and he heard “It is foolish for any man to talk to you about marriage. You couldn’t really love anyone, for you are too absorbed in your own pleasures, your collections of meaningless objects, and most of all, your looks.” She answered him: “Harrison, do you really believe this? I won’t listen to such hateful words.” She started to play the piano then heard a creaking sound behind him in the hall so he turned to look. When he looked back the man was gone and the lady was crying while laying her head on her arms on the piano. He said she walked over to her fan collection near to where he was hiding and picks up a fan. Then walked to a wall mirror, she said, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all.” She drops the fan, and slowly dissolves into thin air.
4. whole house – The furniture moves by itself and the clocks stop working for no mechanical reason
5. Windows – Bettie has been photographed staring out of the second floor window through the curtains
6. Outside – Soldiers are seen marching from time to time

Go check out Woodlands Pararnormal

I love it when our group goes to a location and get an audible voice during an investigation. An audible voice is one where you can hear it live with no help from equipment. Sometimes it is weak where maybe only one person can hear it and then it can be verified by listening to the audio recorders. I especially love it when the voices are really loud! The weekend before last the Society of the Haunted was at a location in Tulsa Oklahoma and got a very loud audible voice. We were all separated throughout the house when it happened. It sounds like the man is saying “wild sh*t, nothing but wow or wild” and most of us heard it. You can hear me saying “what was that” immediately after we heard it.

All of us then got busy rewinding the recorders to listen. I was sitting at the top of the staircase, Ken was downstairs in the front room at the bottom of the staircase and the homeowners were in the living room right off the foyer. All of us caught the voice on the recorders. We think the entity was in the foyer where Ken was probably the closest. A few of our members thought perhaps it was residual because of how mechanical sounding that it was and that it sounded almost like it broke through a barrier of some sort. I have not gone through all of the collected evidence yet to give my full opinion yet. It was really cool to be there and hear the man or whoever it was first hand! It is also rare to get really loud audible voice so we felt blessed.

An audible voice is not an EVP even if you catch it on your recorders. EVP stands for electronic voice phenomenon and cannot be heard audibly. You can only hear it through audio playback. So I bet you are wondering what an audible voice really is. It is an audible manifestation which you hear similar to an apparition which is visible. I believe the EVPs captured moments before the audible voice were building up to the manifestation that occurred. I need to review more of our video footage to see if any camera angle caught a physical presence as well.

Now let me share this audio with you. When we played back the audible voice we also caught a few EVPs right before the audible voice. Here is the first one which is a laugh

laugh

The next EVP that was caught sounds like a child with an English accent saying daddy

daddy

This is the audible voice wich sounds like it is saying wild sh*t nothing but wow (or maybe wild)

wild sh*t nothing but wow (or maybe wild)

Here is the full audio clip so you can hear the sequence

Ken’s device-cut-laugh to what was that

We are scheduled to go back to the property in March to see if what else we can find. Watch our website for more audio from this investigation

This historic theater designed by architect George Kadane in Frederick Oklahoma was originally built in 1929. James Beard named the theater after his daughter Ramona Beard Ayers. James was also known as J.B. and was the local bank president.

When it was opened as the Ramona the Kasane family acquired the rights to cotton queen pageant. The Ramona then became the official home of this pageant from 1930 until world war II. At that time it moved to Nashville and was renamed the national “Cotton Maid” pageant. Back in the day the theater was also used for minstrel and vaudeville shows. Today the theater is still in operation with it being used approximately once a month or more for events.

According to historic paperwork, the Ramona was built on the site of an earlier theater named the A-Mus-U. I do not know if any part of the original structure from that building is still standing as a part of the Ramona. They did acquire funding for construction of the current theater through stock sales to investors. The building was built in the Spanish Colonial style that was popular in 1915-1940.

It is interesting that I was able to find a reference to numerous theaters being built in that time frame that would fit the earlier building being named the AMUSU. At the time of this writing I am not sure which version is correct the A-Mus-U or AMUSU. If this was the originally AMUSU then it could have begun its history from a man named Allan Tom. He had a dream where he took to the road with silent movies in a Traveling Picture Show. I cannot confirm this at the moment but will continue to explore what may have been originally located here.

The theater still contains the original fixtures and details except the second floor balcony which was changed to the current marquee in 1949. When it was opened in 1929 it was hailed as the “Showplace of the Southwest”. This jewel of the past has given some of the workers reason to pause and think they were not alone or think they may be going crazy. These stories prompted our group to be the first to investigate for paranormal activity.

We really enjoyed being in the Ramona with all of its rich history. You could almost feel what it was like to be back in 1929. Our investigation was productive in that most of our team had some sort of personal experience while there. It wasn’t until we went through our footage and audio several times that we realized we actually captured something. We were able to get evidence that there is something unexplainable going on inside the theater. We captured numerous evps on our investigation. Some of the evps seemed to be of an intelligent nature and not just residual. I will be uploading the evidence to the society of the haunted website soon.

Go check out the gallery for this investigation
http://www.hauntedchef.com/1960-2/the-ramona-theater/

The Lawton Constitution wrote an article about us coming our to investigate. You can read about that article here

http://www.hauntedchef.com/2011/10/04/who-you-gonna-call/

Earlier in 2011 our team was featured on the season premier of Animal Planet’s “The Haunted” show in the episode called The Monster in the Closet. This house was a place we had investigated numerous times trying to help the family.  Animal Planet was originally going to call this episode the “wrath of the wraith”. The term wraith is defined as a vengeful spirit with red eyes which is fitting for the description of what we knew to be there. The thing that was called red eyes has been gone since we performed the house cleansing that was aired on the haunted episode.

We have investigated their house since the episode aired because there was still some activity going on. The last time we were at the house Tal wanted to give me a gift she had made herself. She offered me one of her paintings and allowed me to choose which one. She would only give it to me if it were going to hang in my house. Everyone that has been in my home knows I am an art lover. I also love to paint myself when I have the time. It is a shame but I haven’t had time to paint in a long while now.

I decided on which painting I wanted and picked the one in her bedroom. This was the main area for activity in the home when red eyes was there. She told me the name of the painting is titled “Ode to the Oklahoma Winds” and wanted me to remember that. She didn’t just hand it to me because she wanted both of us to bless the painting. We said the “Our Father” and anointed the painting with holy water on all the corners. She also wrote a prayer of thanks and love on the back so I would always remember her and that the family loved us. I will never forget them. None of us will forget them!

The back of the painting says : “You have blessed this house, you have blessed me! I love you always & God is always with us both! “Deliver all of us from evil!” The painting now hangs on my wall in my home where I get to look at it and think about their family every day

Today Old Town Spring is a shopping destination. This lovely turn of the century town just north of Houston has an interesting past. Life began here in the early 1800’s when the French and Spanish came to trade with the local Indians. After the Civil War the railroad came through. A group of railroad workers named the area “Camp Spring” after one of the worst winters in Texas history because they were looking forward to better weather. Camp Spring was then platted by the I. & G.N. Railroad Co. and became a permanent settlement. The word “Camp” was dropped where Spring became the official name of the town. It was the base of operation for the workers and became a boom town from all the business the railroad brought in. Spring became a crossroads for two intersecting rail lines in 1901. The yard then added a roundhouse and 14 track yards of track. During the years of growth Spring had sugar mill for syrup making. two cotton gins, 5 saloons, an opera house, hospital, two steam saw and grist mills, bank, hotels, three churches, several schools and even had a gambling hall.

The decline came when the railroad headquarters moved to Houston in 1923. Prohibition and the depression then happened as well which forced businesses to close. The town was then reduced all the way down to a small settlement. In the late 60′ business minded individuals started to return to all the abandoned homes. The Goodyear airship America was also based here from 1969 through 1992. The Oil boom which began in the 70’s then made the town grow and become what it is today.

It is now known as a shopping destination! Old Town Spring also has museums, art galleries and restaurants all within an easy stroll from one another. People from all over the world come to visit. The town has several festivals and events every year like the Texas Crawfish & Music Festival. The town is also voted one of the top attractions in Texas each year

Old town Spring is also affectionately known as the most haunted town in Texas. Paranormal groups and television crews have visited to catch evidence of the reported activity. The many stories of spirits bring in people from all over looking to have their own experience with a ghost. I will share a few of the ghost stories with you. One about the bank and one about a spirit named Sarah

The original bank of Spring was robbed several times including once by a couple resembling Bonnie and Clyde. It was never confirmed that they were in fact the famous duo. Current ghost tours all tell the story as if it is a fact though. Today you can see bullet holes in the banks facade from one of the attempted robberies. That particular attempt was made by a trio of felons however they were unsuccessful. Photos taken in the old bank sometimes have strange anomalies.

There is a spirit named Sarah who is said to haunt one area in town. The original barn is still on the property which was once owned by Henry C. Doering. His daughter was friends with a 12-year-old girl named Sarah. Long ago while playing in the barn Sarah fell from the loft breaking her leg. An infection set in which caused her death within a few weeks. It is said she still plays in the barn along with some other young spirits. People report cold spots, noises on the roof, the feeling of being watched, objects are moved, hearing voices and the sounds of children playing. Photos taken in the area sometimes contain an anomaly in them that cannot be explained.

Go check out the photo gallery for Old Town Spring

I had heard that the area around Bear Creek Park in Houston, Texas is haunted. So I began to research and see what I could find out about the location. I love how history and rumors get caught up with one another where you have difficulty finding the truth. One problem I had with research was another paranormal team had posted something online about a civil war battle taking place in this park. I cannot confirm this story is true. There are tales that north Harris County did see skirmishes. Perhaps one of these stories is where the rumor began. Tall tales can begin their life with a thread of truth somewhere in the mix. Perhaps the town of Addicks which was destroyed in the 1900 storm and was rebuilt only to be flooded again is the cause of the haunting? Addicks was eventually turned into a ghost town and became a reservoir because of the flooding in 1929 as well as 1931. I tried to find where the old town of Addicks was located and even had difficulty with that. There is conflicting information about the location. One map online points to the area by the blue light cemetery and another place says the town was south of I-10 and highway 6.

This area is famous even with all the conflicting information. Over the years teams from all over have gone out and investigated the claim of a haunting. We were there last Saturday to find out for ourselves. What we did know from all of the previous investigations is that tapping occurs when you stop on the bridge on Patterson road. Is the tapping from acorns falling from the tree, real ghostly encounters or the car cooling off? There happens to be 2 bridges along this stretch of road. We decided to test both bridges with the vehicle as well as our other equipment. We heard the tapping on the bear creek bridge. I couldn’t figure out what the tapping was caused from. It was a hot 87 degrees while we were there taking readings. I did not get any meter activations at all that night. I did have one of my temp devices register a cold spot a few times that couldn’t be explained. One member was able to feel a cold spot as well before I started taking readings. We had an occasional car pass. We had a good time hanging out while waiting for any activity to happen. Nothing happened but that doesn’t mean we didn’t capture something. Be on the lookout for me to post evidence if we find any.

Go see the Bear Creek Park Gallery here

A huge fire destroyed one of the businesses in downtown Shawnee overnight. The business was Loco’s at 107 E Main St. which was a small antique shop and had only been open for about 9 months. The call about the fire came in to the department about 1 a.m. According to the fire chef the crew could not make an interior attack due to the heat. The fire was so intense that it collapsed the roof. It took almost 8 hours for the fire to completely be put out. Two other buildings sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

When I heard about the fire I ran to look up the address. I have been in many of the businesses along Main Street and have done investigations of several places. Loco’s it turned out was not one of my past investigations. I was still upset to see it destroyed. In previous investigations in this town we have found active hauntings and what we call residual energy. This residual energy is like a recording on a cd that happens for unknown reasons. When the conditions are perfect the recording can replay making anyone that happens upon it to think the place is haunted. I wonder if Loco’s had any activity? When they rebuild they may notice things happen in weird places like someone walk up a staircase that is no longer there.

It is sad when history is lost! It seems that lately several historic locations have caught fire. Just a few weeks ago Fort Chaffee Hospital Complex burned to the ground. The Fort Smith Fire Department has deemed that it was an accident. Members of the Kentucky National Guard who are fans of the show Ghost Adventures were doing training at Chaffee and decided to go see it for themselves. It is believed that one of them discarded a lit cigarette into a grassy area near one of the buildings at the Fort. The fire burned approximately 90 acres and more than 120 buildings. Back in February The Sisters of Charity of Providence school in DeSmet, Idaho burned down. The building was more than 100 years old and was a historical landmark. Reviewing the history showed two earlier buildings on the property were destroyed by fire in 1881 and in the early 1900s.

Today there is an old building 15 miles east of Springfield in Buffalo. The house was built around 1840 and it is now on the schedule to be burned down! If you care about history perhaps you will be upset enough to contact the people who will be responsible for letting it go! The house was a “12-mile house” for stagecoach drivers and their horses who would be traveling between Springfield and Decatur.
Drivers could stay the night and rest their horses before finishing the trip the next morning. Some historians believe that Abraham Lincoln may have even stayed there.

Apparently the owners donated house to the Buffalo Fire Protection District because they want it gone. It is scheduled to be used for live fire training in September when the weather will be cooler. The chef said they would like to burn it for training because it is in a sate of disrepair and an eyesore. They must get permission before they burn it though. I am hoping that they will not be granted their wish. The Historic Preservation agency can deem the house to be historic because it is more than 50 years old and has some type of historical significance. I am concerned that yet again we are going to loose another piece of history if the house is destroyed. Are you? I would love to be able to get inside the house and just sit. I think it should be made into a museum or saved in any condition. If you are as upset as I am please make contact those responsible:

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.state.il.us/

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency http://www.illinoishistory.gov/

Chief Mike Thompson of the Buffalo Fire Protection District
114 S
Wells Street
Buffalo, Illinois 62515

The property manager Jeremy Crouch with Heartland Trust in Forsyth

1401 Koester dr, Forsyth, IL 62535

Springfield-Sangamon County
Regional Planning Commission
200 South 9th Street – Room 212

Springfield, IL 62701
Phone: (217) 535-3110

A reporter working the case is Jackson Adams from the Illinois Times

jadams@illinoistimes.com

We investigated a historic Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanitarium last weekend. It is nestled in the hills in it’s own complex as a self sustaining city of its own. Tuberculosis also known as consumption is highly contagious. Hospitals were built to handle the treatment of this disease which could take years before the person passed away. This complex had a municipal water/sewer system, a fire department, and even had a farm with dairy and swine in operation. It was built in 1910 covering almost 1000 acres of land. It was closed in 1973 after the discovery of antibiotics.

This was the second time we have been to the facility. Driving through the gates again brought up the mortality rates of the people that passed here. With 70,000 patients treated here combined with the mortality we were wondering what kind of activity we were going to get. We were told the whole complex offered many different types of activity. It was also said that sometimes people would leave empty handed where they believed that nothing was going on here.

We however did not go home empty handed. Through the night we all experienced different things. Cold spots, shadows, lights, sounds, door opening, whispering, feelings of being watched as well as being touched. We were running all of our equipment and were getting positive results. I just got done reviewing my photos and noted several pictures with anomalies which I will be uploading. I am going to be turning my attention to the audio next. I can’t wait to see what I caught if anything. Keep logging back on to see what evidence we caught

I had posted an article to the blog before. Go read Tuberculosis Sanitariums here

Also go see the photo gallery for the Sanitarium here