A woman from Beaumont, Texas shared a great story with me tonight. The story is from her grandmother, who was Miss. Beaumont in 1921 and went on to the Miss America pageant. The story was reported in the local newspaper when everything came to light years after these events.
It all started around 1926. She and her husband lived in a little house, hallway down the middle, rooms on either side. Well, her husband did shift work, so she was alone a lot at odd hours. One night she was sitting in bed reading when a man appeared at the foot of her bed. Top hat, tails, very fancy. She said "What do you want?" and got no response. Again she asked, and he turned and walked into the wall.
She told her husband about it and he told her she was crazy. But later he found himself working nights and they were in bed in the middle of the day and the man appeared again. He just about came unglued, but she asked the man again, "What do you want?" Again, he just looked at her then turned around and walked into her wall.
Months after this her cousin came to visit. One afternoon she was in the bathroom, right off the bedroom, washing her hair in the sink, alone in the house. A shadow passed behind her and she called to Miss. Beaumont. No answer. There was a screened-in porch off the bathroom and the only way to enter it was to go through the bathroom, past her. She saw a shadow moving by the porch and again called out. Finally, she lifted her head out of the sink and standing in the doorway to the porch was the man in the top hat and tails. She fainted.
When the woman's grandmother came back, her cousin told her she could not stay with her anymore and left.
They moved away from the house and in 1938 all the houses on the block were torn down. Miss. Beaumont went to the demolition crew and asked them to let her know if they found anything when they tore down that house and gave them her name and number.
When they got to that wall they tore it down and found a door. They opened it up and there was a small room, inside was a skeleton in a top hat and tails with a bullet between his eyes.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Outside of Dallas
The night before Hurricane Isaac hit the tour was pretty small. But a couple from outside of Dallas joined us and both of them had seen something in their day.
The man had driven down a road through Laurel Land cemetery late one night and saw someone jump over a barrier, cross the road in front of him and jump over the opposite barrier. He turned the car to see where the person was going and there was no one there, just the cemetery. The next day he spoke with a friend who worked there and told him the story. The friend was a security guard, if memory serves, and told the man he was crazy. But sure enough, the next night he was keeping watch and saw the mysterious person cross the road and disappear into the cemetery once again.
The lady had grown up in an old farm house outside of Dallas. The man who built it gets credit for bringing Chalet cows to the US. In her bedroom was a large circular burn mark. The story in town was the family had a daughter who was mentally ill, or handicap, and she was kept in that room. The woman had not seen the girl, but one afternoon in high school her boyfriend drove her home and she saw her father hop onto the wrap around porch and walk around to the side of the house, out of her line of vision. After he disappeared she realized her father was at work.
The man had driven down a road through Laurel Land cemetery late one night and saw someone jump over a barrier, cross the road in front of him and jump over the opposite barrier. He turned the car to see where the person was going and there was no one there, just the cemetery. The next day he spoke with a friend who worked there and told him the story. The friend was a security guard, if memory serves, and told the man he was crazy. But sure enough, the next night he was keeping watch and saw the mysterious person cross the road and disappear into the cemetery once again.
The lady had grown up in an old farm house outside of Dallas. The man who built it gets credit for bringing Chalet cows to the US. In her bedroom was a large circular burn mark. The story in town was the family had a daughter who was mentally ill, or handicap, and she was kept in that room. The woman had not seen the girl, but one afternoon in high school her boyfriend drove her home and she saw her father hop onto the wrap around porch and walk around to the side of the house, out of her line of vision. After he disappeared she realized her father was at work.
Outside Austin
I have never been to Austin Texas, but I hear great things about it. A couple from outside of Austin with two kids had a great ghost story for me, or bits of one.
The woman said that in their old house they had lots of activity: some friends wouldn't even visit because they felt so uncomfortable in the house. But their oldest daughter seemed at home with it. Children seem to be more in tune to these things in general. Frequently their daughter would talk to them about Annie, the little girl in her room. They had a motion sensor video camera in the room. One night they were watching the monitor and saw her get up in her crib and begin to talk. They could see no one in the room, but she seemed to be looking straight at someone. Finally, there was a flash of light, something moving across the room, and she lay down and went to sleep, a moment later the camera shut off.
The woman said that in their old house they had lots of activity: some friends wouldn't even visit because they felt so uncomfortable in the house. But their oldest daughter seemed at home with it. Children seem to be more in tune to these things in general. Frequently their daughter would talk to them about Annie, the little girl in her room. They had a motion sensor video camera in the room. One night they were watching the monitor and saw her get up in her crib and begin to talk. They could see no one in the room, but she seemed to be looking straight at someone. Finally, there was a flash of light, something moving across the room, and she lay down and went to sleep, a moment later the camera shut off.
The slave at the door
An older woman from Chicago, traveling with her grown daughter, came on the tour recently. The woman had a story from when her daughter was just a baby.
She was in Alabama at her in-laws for the first time, a big sprawling house with a service wing. It was 2:00am and she was up in bed for the baby's regular feeding, her husband beside her, when she heard the door open and saw a slave man at the door, a shadowy tall figure with broad shoulders and distinct muscles. She desperately tried to wake her husband but he wouldn't wake. Then she heard her mother-in-law from the other room calling her.
"Do you see him?" her mother-in-law yelled.
"Uh huh," she said.
Apparently the figure had appeared to her mother-in-law as well. Her mother-in-law insisted that the ghost just wanted to see what a girl from the North looked like.
She was in Alabama at her in-laws for the first time, a big sprawling house with a service wing. It was 2:00am and she was up in bed for the baby's regular feeding, her husband beside her, when she heard the door open and saw a slave man at the door, a shadowy tall figure with broad shoulders and distinct muscles. She desperately tried to wake her husband but he wouldn't wake. Then she heard her mother-in-law from the other room calling her.
"Do you see him?" her mother-in-law yelled.
"Uh huh," she said.
Apparently the figure had appeared to her mother-in-law as well. Her mother-in-law insisted that the ghost just wanted to see what a girl from the North looked like.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Round Rock, Texas
Two older women from Arizona joined my tour this summer and they were great guests. It was not their first visit which is always good to hear.
One of the ladies had a daughter who moved from Rochester, New York to Round Rock, Texas. They had bought a wooden trunk in Rochester and when they moved into a new limestone house in Round Rock they put the trunk in the kids' room and filled it with toys. But the daughter would hear thumping in the trunk and she thought a rat had gotten in the trunk during the move.
She was horrified and made her husband empty out the trunk to find this rat. He cleared the entire thing out and found nothing.
Then one night she saw a child walking up the stairs. She had children and thought one of them had gotten out of bed, but when she checked on them everyone was asleep. After thinking about it she realized none of them had a gown like that, it was long and white and looked very old fashioned.
The woman who shared the story said that of all her children this daughter was the least likely to believe in ghosts. Before, if someone had told her this story she would have told them they were nuts. But she's had a priest out there a few times to get things settled in the house. I don't know how successful it's been for her, you never know.
One of the ladies had a daughter who moved from Rochester, New York to Round Rock, Texas. They had bought a wooden trunk in Rochester and when they moved into a new limestone house in Round Rock they put the trunk in the kids' room and filled it with toys. But the daughter would hear thumping in the trunk and she thought a rat had gotten in the trunk during the move.
She was horrified and made her husband empty out the trunk to find this rat. He cleared the entire thing out and found nothing.
Then one night she saw a child walking up the stairs. She had children and thought one of them had gotten out of bed, but when she checked on them everyone was asleep. After thinking about it she realized none of them had a gown like that, it was long and white and looked very old fashioned.
The woman who shared the story said that of all her children this daughter was the least likely to believe in ghosts. Before, if someone had told her this story she would have told them they were nuts. But she's had a priest out there a few times to get things settled in the house. I don't know how successful it's been for her, you never know.
Highway 5
Highway 5 and Highway 152 in California have a lot of energy about them. A couple from the Bay area joined us a few days ago. They didn't really believe in paranormal activity until a drive down Highway 5. They were near the connection between 5 and 152, it was late at night and up ahead they saw a ball of light. They didn't make much of it at first, but as they got closer there was no oncoming traffic, no explanation for it. When they finally reached it, a wave of cold air passed through the car and was gone. They paused then the man turned to his wife and asked, "Did you feel that?" Both of them were baffled. The children were asleep in the back sear.
That night, after they got home, the couple was asleep in bed, their three year old between them. Suddenly she flew over her dad and hit the dresser. Blood streamed out of a gash above her eye and no one was asleep anymore.
The next day his wife was in the kitchen talking to a friend. The refrigerator was on one side of the kitchen, facing a window on the other side of the room. Her back was to both while she talked on the phone then she heard a thump. She turned around and a magnet from the refrigerator had flown across the room and hit the window.
When they first saw the light and their toddler flew across the room, the man insisted that the family ignore it, deny that anything was happening. But soon he changed his mind and encouraged everyone to accept that something paranormal was happening and just respect it. After everyone in the house came to terms with it, the activity stopped.
That night, after they got home, the couple was asleep in bed, their three year old between them. Suddenly she flew over her dad and hit the dresser. Blood streamed out of a gash above her eye and no one was asleep anymore.
The next day his wife was in the kitchen talking to a friend. The refrigerator was on one side of the kitchen, facing a window on the other side of the room. Her back was to both while she talked on the phone then she heard a thump. She turned around and a magnet from the refrigerator had flown across the room and hit the window.
When they first saw the light and their toddler flew across the room, the man insisted that the family ignore it, deny that anything was happening. But soon he changed his mind and encouraged everyone to accept that something paranormal was happening and just respect it. After everyone in the house came to terms with it, the activity stopped.
Mama Rose
Reserve Louisiana isn't far from New Orleans, but I've never had an occasion to go. A couple with two teen-age daughters came out for the tour a few nights ago. They lived in Reserve in his grandparents' house, a four room house that they had added on to. His great-grandmother died in the bedroom off the kitchen, but it is his grandmother, Mama Rose, who died in the hospital, that their daughter sees in the house, not as an old woman, but when she was young and looked just like their daughter does now.
Before they built onto the back of the house, the two girls shared a room. One night the youngest was sitting up in bed and she saw a glowing woman sitting at the foot of her bed. She told her sister to stop messing with her, she was scared. The figure got up and walked to the dresser and her sister mumbled something. The youngest said "raise your hand" and her sister's hand appeared on the pillow beside her.
Often she would see Mama Rose at the foot of the bed or in the kitchen. The rooms were side by side and most of her time, while she was alive, was spent going between the two rooms.
On another occasion the two girls walked into the kitchen and a flood of perfume followed them. Their mother said, "Girls! Do you have to take a bath in your perfume?" The girls shook their heads and denied they were wearing anything. Their father walked in after them and sniffed for a moment before he realized, "That's my grandmother's perfume."
Before they built onto the back of the house, the two girls shared a room. One night the youngest was sitting up in bed and she saw a glowing woman sitting at the foot of her bed. She told her sister to stop messing with her, she was scared. The figure got up and walked to the dresser and her sister mumbled something. The youngest said "raise your hand" and her sister's hand appeared on the pillow beside her.
Often she would see Mama Rose at the foot of the bed or in the kitchen. The rooms were side by side and most of her time, while she was alive, was spent going between the two rooms.
On another occasion the two girls walked into the kitchen and a flood of perfume followed them. Their mother said, "Girls! Do you have to take a bath in your perfume?" The girls shook their heads and denied they were wearing anything. Their father walked in after them and sniffed for a moment before he realized, "That's my grandmother's perfume."
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