What is even more disturbing is when there are multiple murders that happen in a similar fashion. What is even more interesting is when these murders took place decades apart.

The Villisca axe murders and the Amityville murders are prominent murders that happened in the 20th century. But people die every day, so what is the big deal? The matter of how these people lose their lives is not only gruesome, but the facts are truly extraordinary. I’m going to break down some of the most disturbing similarities between Villisca and Amityville that will make you wonder.

Both Families Had Six Members Murdered

Between midnight and 5 am around June 10th-11th, 1912, six members of the Moore family were found bludgeoned to death. In addition to the family members, there were two friends sleeping over at the time who were also murdered.

On the evening of November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murdered the six members of his own family.

Both Houses Have Quarter Moon Windows

This one is a bit creepy. We are all familiar with the creepy “eye like” windows of the Amityville house. Some people think that the windows look downright evil.

What many don’t know is that the Villisca house also has quarter moon windows. They don’t look quite as evil as Amityville, but the common aesthetic between two drastically different time periods is striking. It seems these windows were quite popular for over half a century.

Both Families Were (Likely) Murdered in Their Sleep

When the Moore family’s remains were discovered, investigators concluded that all the members of the family were asleep. One of the guests, Lena Stillinger, seemed to have woken up because she had defensive wounds. Given it was 1912 and the murder weapon was an axe, it must have been a really quiet method. However, I have also heard axes chopping wood and it’s fairly noisy. I’m puzzled as to why and how these people were asleep. Especially with the ones who were in the same room when the murder was happening. You would think the other person in the room would have woken up.

One of the most terrifying myths about Amityville was that the DeFeo family seemed to have slept through it all. Ronald “Butch” DeFeo. The parents were likely awake at the time of their death. The children slept through their parents’ (and their own) murder. They were all shot with .35 caliber lever action Marlin 336C. All of the family members were also found face down in their beds.

No One Heard Both Murders

Okay, this one might be a stretch for the Villisca murders. But even so, none of the neighbors heard the family screaming when the murders took place. It should be noted though, that the neighbors noticed when the Moores didn’t do their morning chores. They felt comfortable enough to knock on the door and check on the family. So, this was a community that was personal and had deep connections…or in each other’s business.

The neighbors around the Amityville house reported that they didn’t hear any gunshots. Also, there weren’t any signs that Butch used a silencer. He could have used pillows to dampen the gunshot noise. But again, no one heard screaming or any ruckus around the house. The only thing the neighbors heard was the family’s dog barking.

Both Have Connections to Native Americans

To be fair, almost anywhere you go in the United States will have strong Native American roots. In the case of these two houses and murders, their respective towns were the location of strife and warfare between European settlers and local tribes.

According to a rumor, Villisca was named after the Native American word, “Wallisca.” When the town was founded in the early 1900s, it was thought that this word meant, “Pleasant View” or “Pretty Place.” Instead, the word actually means, “evil spirit.” I haven’t found much to support this theory, but it’s interesting.

Despite rumors of an ancient burial ground on the Amityville house property, it isn’t true. The tribe that most likely visited the area was the Massapequans.

Could an unrestful spirit have possessed Butch DeFeo and the Moore’s unknown assailant? The Villisca murders were never solved, despite a few arrests. All of the accused were acquitted. Perhaps it was merely a drifter who wanted to spill blood, and the Moores were the unfortunate chosen victims.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, these similarities between these two murders continue to intrigue me. I feel as though there is so much more to both stories that can build these connections. However, thanks to time and simply not connecting the dots, there are some elements of the story that has been lost forever. Perhaps this is a tragic event that is doomed to repeat itself every several decades. How long will it be before the next one occurs? Either way, two families were destroyed.

And that is the most tragic connection of all.

What do you think? Do you see a connection between Amityville and Villisca? Tell us in the comments!

The post The Weird Similarities Between the Amityville Murders and the Villisca Axe Murders appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.

The Story

In August of 1971, a woman named María Gómez Cámara noticed a stain appearing on her kitchen floor. It was taking on the form of a face. Given that the kitchen floor was made of concrete, it became even more interesting when it seemed like the face was moving. Poor María did her best to scrub out the stain to no avail. Her son and husband even went at the concrete floor with a pickaxe and cemented the floor. But it came back. More faces started to appear on the floor. When the mayor heard about this, he forbade further destruction of the floor. The face was cut out from the floor and taken for further study. I want to know what those results yielded.

Rumor has it that when the floor was excavated, skeletons were found 10 feet below the surface. Some of the skeletons didn’t even have skulls. The 700-year old remains were re interred at the Catholic cemetery. Apparently these faces were also able to communicate. Atlas Obscura claimed they were psychophonies, meaning they were communicated through a medium. Were the people who were buried underneath the concrete still there?

Even when the floor was completely replaced, a new face appeared two weeks later. So, it wasn’t over. It didn’t take long for the rumor to spread around the village and eventually cross oceans. The house became known as “La Casa de las Caras”, also known as “The House of the Faces.”

Thoughtography Theory

Many paranormal investigators believe that these faces were created through thoughtographic phenomenon, meaning that these images were “burned” onto the floor through psychic means. I suppose you could say that this is what causes spirits to appear in photos. If ghosts don’t have mass to reflect light, then they might burn their image onto a photograph. But what is interesting is that in this case, the faces weren’t created by the people who were buried below the concrete, but instead, Maria herself.

I’ve done some research on this phenomenon in the past, and I just can’t get on board with it. Yes, I believe that supernatural occurrences are possible, but I honestly have to see it to believe it. It’s one thing for the mind to have the ability to move things, but it’s a whole other level when the mind can “burn” images onto photos, concrete, wood, etc.

A Hoax?

Most skeptics agree that this phenomenon is a hoax. It is believed that Maria and her husband used a special chemical agent or paint to make the faces appear. Maria died in 2004, and apparently the faces remained long after she passed. Given that the faces created such a widespread buzz that resulted in numerous tourists visiting the house, the family benefited from financial gain in this situation. Just by Easter 1972, there were hundreds of tourists, and this continued for about 30 years.

In 1971, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior took an interest in the case. They appointed specialists to analyze the concrete and found that there were questionable substances like vinegar, a brown pigmentation, and an aggressive chemical compound. Apparently, the compound could be found at drugstores. The July 1993 edition of the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research”  featured an article by Luis Ruiz-Noguez, who noted the presence of zinc, lead and chromium on the floor, which are common ingredients in paint. In the seventies, lead was a popular ingredient in paint. Others did infrared photography and found brush bristles. It’s believed that Maria’s son was the artist. Between paint and the possibility of an oxidizing chemical agent being used, we can pretty much consider this case closed.

Conclusion

Even when it is blatant that this was a hoax, there are still people who believe in the authenticity of these faces. Believe it or not, there are much more complex studies on this phenomenon that will break down the chemical compounds of the faces to really make the case for forgery. Any yet, it seems that people are ignoring the data and continue to believe in this. Videos about the Bélmez faces continue to go viral with people freaking out and checking their own concrete floors for signs of ghostly activity.

To me, people who believe in the faces NEED to believe in them. They provide some sort of hope that there is something out there much bigger than us. Some call it God, some may call it proof of the afterlife, something. It’s what you many call “faith.” Even when there has been scientific proof that maybe not all the events in the Bible happened as written, people still have faith that there is truth in the good book. Finding meaning in the simplest of things can make a difference between life and death for some people.

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During vacation your guard is down, you are open to new experiences, novel food, different points of interests. An event like a paranormal encounter is certainly exotic but also can be unwelcome if it is unanticipated. And depending upon the event and how it was received, can be perceived to be quite harrowing. Granted, paranormal just doesn’t happen to those who are expecting it and spooky shit can happen everywhere, anytime. But the majority of us prefer not to vacation at traditionally haunted places for our vacations: Disneyland, the Queen Mary, the Myrtles Plantation, Tombstone, the U.S.S. Hornet. The majority of the general public plan to spend time in more traditional and less spooky locations:  Grand Canyon, Los Angeles. Yellowstone, New York, Rt 66, Lake Winnipesaukee, etc. Granted, these locations have their haunted history too but that is not the primary purpose for most visitors.

These following examples cover the spectrum of surprising vacation spookiness, ranging from mystifying to malevolent. Each demonstrates that sometimes no matter what you pack and prepare for your vacation, spooky can happen anywhere and anytime!

Probably more than unsettling than a ghostly vacation encounter on land is a spooky experience at sea. Instead of leaving the mainland and all earthly cares behind, these unfortunates sailed right into the inexplicable and bizarre. These 2 creepy cruise line experiences are a reminder that regardless of the luxurious setting, nobody is safe from the paranormal.

According to the Ghost & Ghouls website, a mother and daughter were traveling on the Thomson Celebration when one of the days of their itinerary became miserable and stormy. Because it was a rainy day, they decided to spend time below deck watching a movie at the cruise ship cineplex. The duo settled down with their popcorn and drinks in one of the middle rows. They were the only ones in the theatre. However, ten minutes into the movie, 3 people walked in on their left. They walked all the down to the front and then turned around and walked back up.  Despite the fact that there were only 2 other people in the theatre, the newcomers sat right behind them-yeah, I had those kinds of people sit behind me too; they usually kick the back of my seat to boot. As soon as the trio sat down, the 2 women decided to move. When they got up, however, they noticed that there was nobody behind them. What made it so puzzling was that the late-comers would have had to pass them to leave the theatre.

Although that encounter was off-putting, it was a cake-walk compared to this next spookiness at sea.  This paranormal episode also had happened to a mother and daughter but it occurred in their cabin and was far more disquieting. It was the middle of the night and the mother woke to discover what she thought was her daughter next to her bed. She called out to the shadow but instead of responding, it just walked away. Mom quickly fell back asleep. After a few hours, they rose with the sun and were startled by the tv turning itself on. Even more distressing, while they were searching for the remote the room was overcome with the smell of brimstone.

They quickly packed their bags without showering or changing their clothes and made a bee-line to the elevator which was across from their room. On the other side of the elevator, there was a storage room which a staff member was trying to access. Mysteriously, he couldn’t get the door open. He voiced his frustration to the mother and daughter as they were waiting, “What’s going on? It’s like somebody is from the other side is holding the door!!!” The women couldn’t get into that elevator fast enough!

An unexpected paranormal adventure at sea is particularly unsettling because you are trying to get away from it all. The land, civilization, all earthly cares-even the ground itself. However, back on dry land, it still can send you through a loop, especially if you are totally innocent of the site’s haunted history. A honeymooning couple at Key West chose a quiet, unassuming B&B off the Main Drag. They wanted a place intimate and cozy with no surprises or a lot of people. Unfortunately, their assumption about a limited amount of people was not correct. Their room was oversold and they needed to be moved to another room on another floor. As they walked to their room, they encountered a painter dressed in paint-splattered white overalls and who was just about to place a drop cloth on the landing. The couple said hello but he ignored him and continued with his task. To make the situation even more uncomfortable, the smell of paint became increasingly overwhelming-even after they opened all the windows. They called the front desk and pleaded to be moved again. When the honeymooners mentioned the painter, the front desk was incredibly confused. There was no painting scheduled at this property as it was the weekend and the middle of summer.

Thankfully, the request was honored. However, while they were going to their room to retrieve their belongings, they noticed the painter was gone! To add to the confusion, it looked and smelled like he was never there! They decided to take a tour of Key West after dinner and the couple mentioned to their guide of their odd experience. Their guide’s eyes widened as they finished their tale. She explained that this experience was not just an odd event with a worker but an actual haunting! That painter was not a taciturn worker but the ghost of an employee who died 10 years ago – on that very day of their arrival!  He, unfortunately, fell down an elevator shaft and returns on the anniversary of his death.

Each witness to a paranormal event-willing or unwilling-becomes part of the story. They become an element of the tale as they recount it to others. Generally, the witness recounts a lady in white, a spectral child peering from a corner or worse, a scratch on the arm or a hissed, “Get out!”. Unfortunately, for one particular family in Australia, they not only became part of the story but their son became a casualty-with a bizarre photograph to tell part of the tale.

In 1979, 6 young boys and 1 adult male died in a horrific fire at an amusement park called Luna Park.  A fire broke out in the last car of a ride called the Ghost Train and unabated, it destroyed the entire train.  Although there were a variety of factors that led to the tragedy-low water pressure, poor staffing and training, the owner’s alleged ties to the Mob-there was no firm conclusion of why the fire got so quickly out of hand.

There are those who think that the case of the tragedy might not have been man-made but in fact came from a far more supernaturally sinister source. Sometime after the disaster, one of the mothers who lost her son was looking at pictures of the bereaved family’s last hours at the fateful park. The last picture she reviewed not only gave her pause but also chills. To the right of her late son was a disturbingly costumed individual. Upon reviewing the photo, she recalled that a costumed character did sidle up to her son while he was waiting for the Ghost Train. As she was taking several photographs, an individual with a horned headdress, animal printed cape and sarong included himself in a shot of her son. Because of the excitement of the day, the incident quickly disappeared from memory almost as quickly as it happened.

Upon further investigation with Luna Park, the mother discovered that this individual was not affiliated with the property. Their costume is not associated with any particular character, plus to compound the mystery, upon interviewing the staff, nobody recognized the figure as a busker or any someone from an outside entertainment agency.  There is a variety of online discussion whether there is an occult connection with this person or the accident but that is for another writer and another article. But what can be said is that this person was never seen before this fateful day and was never seen after.

What happened to all these vacationers may vary in terms of location and phenomena but the after effects were remarkably similar. Each of the parties felt shaken and disquieted from their experiences.  An unbidden encounter can cause anxiety, stress and other symptoms similar to PTSD, the actual term called Post-Traumatic Vacation Syndrome. The traits for those who experience profound disappointment during vacation can be just like those who have a traumatic paranormal encounter. Perhaps with these stories in mind, we should be packing holy water, iron, and sage along with the sunscreen, bathing suits and flip-flops.  After all, spooky shit can happen anywhere and anytime!

The post My Family Went on Vacation & All I Got Was This Ghost Story appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.

Why residential cases?

Why indeed…

For the past seven years of APS’ existence, our bread and butter have been residential cases. My experience in paranormal investigation goes far beyond the seven years, and I had worked on cases solo for quite some time. Why did I bother going into it in the first place? With all of the legal liabilities out there, was it worth it?

My Backstory (Feel Free to Skip)

The reason why I wanted to get into residential casework is that when I was dealing with my terrifying experience at the age of 17, there wasn’t anyone to help us. This was 2003. Believe it or not, it was a year before “Ghost Hunters” premiered (2004). At the time, when it comes to paranormal TV, all I had was “Most Haunted” and “Scariest Places on Earth.” But I didn’t watch those shows because they weren’t allowed in the house. I wasn’t even allowed to read the “Goosebumps” series or watch “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” I did anyway when my mom was asleep (sorry, Mom).

When I was in high school, I was dealing with a lot of stuff. My grandmother died the summer before my freshman year of high school and I had my first “serious” boyfriend. As with all high school romances, it ended…ironically on the anniversary of my grandmother’s death (he was a gem). Needless to say, I was heartbroken for a multitude of reasons. Also, with my grandmother gone, there was no longer someone there to diffuse the tension between my mother and me. So, my home life was rather turbulent. I started thinking some really dark thoughts and really rebelling. To be honest, my rebellion started in middle school but it got REAL bad my sophomore year of high school. I was really diving into reading paranormal books and case files by the Warrens. I would read AT the library so that I didn’t have to take the books home.

Anyway, my grades were slipping. At the same time, I was becoming obnoxiously religious and conservative. I listened to Christian metal, started wearing all black, and really becoming that “deep” teen while serving as president of the Faith Club. Finally, my senior year, I decided to homeschool so I could join a Christian mime ministry. Yep, I was the coolest kid. Anyway, it was the fall of my senior year. I was neck deep in Jesus and my grades were improving since I was learning at my own pace.

However, one night, I had a terrifying experience one night in my bedroom. It was scary enough that I was sleeping in my mom’s room for months before we did anything about it. Mainly, it was because my mom didn’t believe me. It wasn’t until my cat started hissing and going nuts every time she went into my room that my mom decided to find help. At the time, in 2003 in San Diego, CA, there wasn’t a team around that could help us. If there was a team, we couldn’t find them. Eventually, we had to call in a prayer team, which led to an intervention from the Greek Orthodox church.

Keep in mind, this was still very much a time where you didn’t speak about ghosts or anything paranormal…especially if you were a part of a conservative Christian community.

Residential Cases Today

I would say that paranormal culture has changed dramatically since my encounter. People are more open about their paranormal experiences. If someone needs help, they’re more willing to reach out for assistance. There are also so many teams these days that you can’t throw a rock without hitting a local team. There are at least 3-4 teams in almost every major city. They are everywhere. Some of these teams do residential cases. What is interesting is that a lot of these teams stepped back from residential cases.

This can happen for a few reasons:

1. Burnout
2. Many clients end up needed psychological or medical help instead of a ghost hunter
3. Liability risks

Burnout is very real, especially if you’re doing other things because of residentials. That’s all I’ll say about that.

#2 is a very real problem. In fact, APS has cut back on a lot of residential cases if we even get a whiff that someone is in need of a medical professional. We don’t want to give validation to a person who may use our involvement as a reason to stop taking medication. Many people would rather there be a ghost instead of admitting that they may have a very real problem. Because we are screening so intensely now, our case numbers have dropped, which I’m okay with.

#3 has always been a risk, even if teams from the early days didn’t realize it. There is always that risk you’re going to be sued. Even if you have your client sign all the release forms, that won’t stop them from at least taking you to court. You’ll still have to pay those attorney and court fees. William Wilkens of Paranormal Societies wrote a great article about Liability and Legal Concerns for Paranormal Investigators. I highly recommend you read it!

Also, there is a chance that some of these clients are looking for their gig on TV and need validation from a team. Or, they see it as a sideshow and invite half of their Mommy group to watch as you work.

Again, Why Bother?

The risks I mentioned are very real and possible. With this in mind, why do I still continue to work residential cases? Because as we weed through the absurd requests, there is always that one that is legit and is desperate for help. Had there been a team for my mom and me back in the day, would I still be wary of sleeping alone in the dark? Would I have had to deal with the issue for almost a year? I don’t know. But as long as there are families scared to sleep at night, children scared to function in their daily lives, and people seeking a sense of normalcy, fighting for their homes, APS will be there. Even if APS dissipates in the next ten years, at least I will still be there. Even if I’m debunking a haunting, the clients in it for the right reasons breathe a sigh of relief and find some peace in their lives.

To me, that is what makes it all worth it.

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We are no strangers to these magnificent forces of nature, and many of us have hurricane prep down pat. I looked up at our gorgeous blue skies this morning and wondered what it must have been like before NOAA and the complex monitoring, spaghetti models, 24-hour television, and other warnings we have. Our coastal ancestors must have been caught off guard countless times, lulled by the beauty and fresh air that is a pre-hurricane day in the fall—very literally the calm before the storm.

For some, though, they had the spirit of a young lover, now known as The Gray Man, to serve as warning of impending storms. And sure enough, The Gray Man was spotted in Pawley’s Island, SC, on Sunday, just as our modern systems were awakening to the realization that Florence was headed this way.  South Carolinians familiar with the stories know that The Gray Man means business. And as we can see, Florence is sure to make good on his word.

Residents of Pawley’s Island and neighboring towns have seen The Gray Man as a harbinger of terrible storms since the 1820s. They describe seeing him walking on the beach, looking every bit like a man in gray clothes until they approach, and he simply disappears.

The legend says that spotting him is a good thing – he is here in warning, and often, once spotted, people report their houses are spared the devastating effects of the storm. One Gray Man spotter in 1954 said even the towels hanging on her porch remained intact, in spite of widespread destruction from a storm.

An internet search will turn up several versions of who the Gray Man is, but my favorite is the love story of a young man trying to get home to his fiancé. He had been abroad for two years, and hurried to her be by her side, taking a shortcut home as a storm swept through the area. In his rush, he became mired in quicksand and never made it to her.

His love for his betrothed was so great, though, that he visited her after crossing over. She saw him walking on the beach, and then later he came to her in her dreams. But his visits left her quite heart-broken, and she became ill. Her father, the story goes, took her back to their main homestead, away from the reminders of their coastal tragedy.

The legend of their great love was born the very next day, when a devastating hurricane swept across Pawley’s Island, causing loss of life and significant destruction. The young lover’s life was spared by her heartache and her father’s concern.

Lucky for us, The Gray Man does not limit his warnings to Pawley’s Island or to the family of his beloved. He has been seen at Cape Hetaeras and along other beaches of the Carolinas, always before a major storm hits.

We can’t genuinely know his story, but I do know I would heed his warnings. And once Florence has gone and clean-up has begun, we shall toast our gray-clad friend and his great love.

Special thanks to APS Core Member KayWright for her research assistance on this piece.

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We will be investigating the Trivette Clinic on September 29th, 2018. There will be 150 paranormal investigations happening simultaneously all over the world at the same time starting at 10 pm ET. We are honored and so excited to be part of such an important event!

This year is all about giving back. Stay tuned on the APS page to find out how we will be giving back to the Trivette Clinic and what you can do to help!

The post APS to Participate in the World’s Largest Ghost Hunt appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.

Johnny and June owned a large plantation mansion known as Rose Hall Great House of Montego Bay, Jamaica. When disobedient slaves were punished, they were reportedly placed in the dungeon underground and tortured. It was built in the 1700’s and it was one of the few homes to survive the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt of 1831 and 1832. Out of the 700 plantation houses that once stood, only 15 remain today. Rose Hall was one of those survivors. Why? It is believed to be haunted by an angry, restless spirit by the name of Annie Palmer. It is believed that Rose Hall survived the revolt because they slaves were scared of releasing the spirit of the White Witch out onto the world. Or, at least that is what the legends say. The name “Annie Palmer” probably sounds familiar, because Johnny Cash wrote a song about her!

The Beginning of Rose Hall

Rose Hall before its restoration

In order to fully understand this legend and haunting, let’s start back at the beginning. Here is the abridged history of Rose Hall as we know it: In 1746, a man named Henry Fanning purchased a 290 plot of land in Jamaica to prepare for his marriage to Rosa Kelly. They were married in 1747. Henry died a few months after the wedding. Rosa Kelly owns everything. But there’s no Rose Hall yet. In 1750, Rosa marries a man named George Ash, who built Rose Hall officially. While some think Rose Hall was named for Rosa, George was also close with the Rose family as well. In 1752, George died after Rose Hall was completed. In 1753, Rosa married a man named Norwood Witter. He ended up spending all of Rosa’s money and left her in debt. He died in 1767. In 1768, Rosa married John Palmer from a neighboring estate. Their marriage was happy and they were married until Rosa died in 1790, and John died in 1797.

Because Rosa and John had no children, their estate went to their sons. They never came to Jamaica to claim their estate, and they never had children to pass the estate onto. So, the estate was eventually given to John’s grandnephew, John Rose Palmer. He took over the estate in 1818.

The Rumor of Annie

A portrait of who is believed to be Annie Palmer

Annie Patterson moved to Haiti with her parents from England when she was just 10 years old in 1812. Her mother was English and her father was Irish. One year later, both of Annie’s parents died from yellow fever. Afterward, Annie was placed in the care of her nanny, who taught her everything about Voodoo. That’s where the story gets juicy. At some point, the nanny died and Annie relocated to Jamaica when she was 18 years old.

Through rumor, Annie learned that John Rose Palmer, the owner of Rose Hall Great House needed a wife. She used black magic to cast a spell on the owner and married him. Thus, she became Annie Palmer. She soon started using the slaves as lovers. When John found out about this, he beat her with a riding crop. The next day, he was dead. Legend says that she poisoned him and took over the entire estate. She continued to take slaves as lovers, but then would murder them when she was tired of them. Apparently, she set traps throughout the property for her slaves. If they were ever in the kitchen, they had to whistle to prove that they weren’t eating her food. If they stopped whistling, she would reportedly behead them.

Annie became known as the “White Witch of Rose Hall” by her slaves because of her cruel treatment and practice of Voodoo. She married two more times, with each husband meeting a grisly end. It’s believed that her lover, Takoo (also spelled Taku), strangled the last husband. Annie fell for an Englishman named Robert Rutherford, but he was in love with Takoo’s granddaughter. She cast a spell to eliminate Takoo’s granddaughter from the picture. She cast an “old hige” curse where a ghost would visit the poor girl and cause her to wither and die.

But this is where Annie would meet her end. It is believed that Takoo cast a spell and murdered Annie by strangling her in her sleep for what she did to his granddaughter. She died in 1831, supposedly. That would make her about 29 years old.

When Annie was buried, the slaves were fearful of Annie’s angry spirit coming after them. They burned her possessions so there wasn’t any more attachment. But the ritual to seal Annie’s body and spirit into her tomb wasn’t done correctly, so now her angry spirit roams the lands.

The Truth About Annie

Annie’s rumored tomb

What we have here is the perfect recipe for a good ghost story. We have a motive from the main antagonist, and we have a reason to

fear her. It turns out that there really was an Annie Palmer, but her story is so much different and not as interesting. Her maiden name was Annie Mary Paterson, and she was a Jamaican of Scots descent. She married John Palmer in 1820, and was her only husband.

Neither Annie or John died at Rose Hall. In fact, John couldn’t handle the debts and they eventually abandoned Rose Hall. It stood abandoned for 130 years. John died in 1827, after about seven years of marriage to Annie.

When they were at Rose Hall, they only had one or two slaves. After they lost Rose Hall to debt, they lost their slaves too. After John died, Annie sold what was left of their estate for about £200. She passed away in 1846, around her mid-40’s.

Why the Rumors?

Another portrait of Annie

We can thank a newspaper clipping from 1868 that actually labeled Rosa Palmer as the White Witch of Rose Hall. That honestly would make more sense to me given the number of marriages she had.

Then in 1911, another story came out about the White Witch, only this time it labeled Annie with the title. In 1929, Herbert G. de Lisser wrote a book called, The White Witch of Rose Hall, with Annie once again labeled as the White Witch. The book was meant to be fiction, but it soon became reality.

I don’t think the writers had any ill will towards Annie. I think this is a perfect example of how fiction and fact can meld into something completely different from the true story. This is how legends and rumors are born. But in Annie’s case, it’s grossly disrespectful to her memory and legacy.

What About the Ghosts?

If there is paranormal activity, it surely isn’t Annie or the slaves she didn’t torture. If there is any activity, it could be from any time in history with the land and the home. It could even be Rosa Palmer and her husbands. We’ll never know for sure.

But here’s the big question; did Johnny Cash have a paranormal experience while he was living at Rose Hall? The answer is yes! During a dinner party one evening, he saw the apparition of a woman in white, she was in her 30’s, and she went into the dining room and towards the kitchen. In fact, Johnny wrote about his encounters with the spirits of Rose Hall in his biography:

“We’ve never had any trouble with these souls. They mean us no harm, I believe, and we’re certainly not scared of them; they just don’t produce that kind of emotion.”

Also, keep in mind that Johnny Cash was a strong Christian. There’s a chance that he wasn’t bothered by the spirits because he felt he was protected by Christ.

As we close out this blog, take a listen to Johnny Cash’s “The Ballad of Annie Hall”

Sources:

Johnny Cash’s Haunted Plantation Home: What Happened There Will Chill You To The Bone

Rose Hall Great House & The Haunting of Johnny Cash

https://exemplore.com/paranormal/The-White-Witch-of-Rose-Hall-A-Jamaican-Ghost-Story

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My first experience of a story being relayed to me through pain was at St. Albans. It was with a young woman who suffered headaches. As she approached me, not only was I noticing the cold on my right side, I was also getting a headache in my right temple. It wasn’t mine, that was certain. As I sat there and listened to her, asking her questions, we were getting accurate responses on the Ovilus we were using. I have had migraine headaches since I was 15 years old, so I know my headaches. That morning I woke up with a headache in my right temple, but I didn’t bother taking anything for it, it simply went away.

My second experience was this past Saturday night during a second investigation at the Trivette Clinic. We went to the second floor to begin our investigation that night. After settling down, I noticed a dull ache under my ribs on the right side, then it was suddenly a sharp stabbing pain. I excused myself and walked outside holding my side. As soon as I walked through the front door the pain stopped. After going back in to rejoining the group, I sat down on the floor and it immediately started again. There was no dull ache, but rather a full on stabbing pain. I went back outside for the second time, the pain stopping immediately after going through the door. When I again went back inside to rejoin the group, the pain started half way up the staircase, but this time I connected with a man. After returning and siting back down on the floor, the pain was so intense I could barely breathe. When we started asking questions, we got some amazing responses. The pain was so intense that I began asking him to please stop hurting me. I also stated I had not given him permission to touch or affect me. The pain started easing up immediately. During this time, we were able to obtain some amazing communication through the spirit box.

Thinking back on both events, I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to hear their stories. I am also glad I can differentiate what belongs to me and what belongs to them. I am always open to hear what a spirit has to say, but I also understand how they choose to share it with us is not always up to us. Unlike the event at St. Albans, at Trivette Clinic I had nothing going on physically to warrant the pain I experienced during this event.

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I must say that the entertainment industry seems to be taking a step back from paranormal reality TV. I don’t really want to spend a significant amount of time on this blog bashing it, because ghost hunting shows aren’t really trying to show truth. They are trying to sell something. They are trying to present a product and hope that you will watch. In short, it’s entertainment. Or “paratainment” as it’s often called ever-so-lovingly. Until a few years ago, I was heavy into debunking the mainstream television shows, trying to dissuade people from watching because it was fake, etc. However, it only recently dawned on me that these shows aren’t really interested in presenting “truth” so to speak. They want to entertain. You watch television to be entertained. When you’re sitting on your couch at 10pm on a weekday getting ready to watch a TV show, you’re not really interested in something terribly meaty. Well, most people aren’t. If you are, shoot me a message because I want to chat with you! Anyway, making that realization about ghost hunting shows has made me sort of…enjoy these shows again. I’m not watching these shows for tips and tricks. I’m watching them to be entertained. Maybe the only tip I’ll take away is information on a location, but that’s about it.

When APS hosts public ghost hunts, or I’m on panels at conventions, I’m often met with some surprise at how different investigating is from television shows. It’s a lot longer, a lot more boring, and it takes patience. When you watch a TV show, you’re watching the best 30-45 minutes of a 4-8 hour investigation (or even longer). If we were able to get that much activity in that short amount of time, we might as well pack up and go home after an hour!

Equipment set up can take anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour or more…all depending on how much equipment you have and how much help there is. Then, you must have a plan in place on where you’ll go, what you’ll do, how you’ll get there, contingency plans, and more. Ghost hunting is so much more than just going to a haunted place and looking for ghosts. Maybe it is for some, but I need to have a plan in place.

If you feel inspired to go on a ghost hunt after watching a TV show, that’s fantastic! Just know that when you go on your first ghost hunt, expect the process to be a bit more tedious and the experience to run longer than an average TV show. Also, again, these shows are edited for entertainment. You will likely not have an experience every 5 minutes. They may happen every 30 minutes, every hour, every 3 hours, or none at all. Yeah, the last one might be a bit disappointing. If that happens, it doesn’t always mean a place isn’t haunted. The ghosts might not have been up to talking. When this happens, I try to relish in the fact that I had access to an amazing site for a certain amount of time and got to spend time with some really great people.

This week’s blog is short and sweet. I’ll be going on a ghost hunt in Colonial Williamsburg tomorrow night, which I’m super excited about. Happy hunting and stay safe out there!

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Originally, on that location stood a home. A home where a poor mother witnessed her daughter struck and killed by a speeding truck. A woman who was so traumatized that she never left her home. Even after death. A woman who now haunts the location where our now restaurant stands. A ghost who inexplicably harassed me and even might have tried to kill me!

Restaurants, like theatres, hotels and hospitals are job sites that are commonly reputed to be haunted. Like those other locations, restaurants are emotionally charged environments (has anyone heard of a haunted tax office, a spooky grocery store?). Restaurant staffs are  constantly involved in urgent situations; there is trust and disappointment, there are difficult people, uncooperative coworkers and always the concern that you are going to not rise to a customer’s expectations-to the detriment of the bottom line. The guests also have an emotional connection to the restaurant; it is where they celebrate, commiserate, call home and seek refuge. Places with such heightened emotions attached to it are perfect vessels that attract and retain energies from this plane and beyond.

I was not the only Gregg’s employee who had an encounter with, “The Lady in Red”. Since Gregg’s inception, this ghost’s difficult and restless spirit had bedeviled all of us in a variety of ways. Nobody knew her name but at least the male staff knew what she looked like. A definite flirt, she would only appear to them. A 40-ish woman from the 50’s she wore a red shirtwaist dress with petticoats, pearls and shiny black high heels. One popular story usually shared during a new hire’s first week is the tale of how a new busboy encountered her at the end of his first night. And his last night.

After the last guest left, this hapless boy locked the entrance doors only to turn around and see a woman in a dated-looking red dress sitting in the 2^nd to last booth on the right. He nervously stuttered that they had just closed and then he turned around to unlock the door. However, when he turned back around to let her out, she had disappeared! He then stepped outside-the keys still in the lock –got in his car and never came back .The female staff members’ experiences with the Lady in Red were just as perplexing but a little more troubling. The servers, female managers and even Jenny, the co-owner have been poked, tripped and glasses knocked over in their presence. In the kitchen, she would flirtatiously whisper the cooks’ names but she would hide the waitresses’ slips for the orders.

The first of 2 events that happened to me almost occurred unnoticed. During a Saturday night dinner rush, I started a new pot of coffee, placed an order for a martini and then just walked a few steps to the right of the computer to pick up the cocktail at the bar. I worked downstairs in the pub and it is a very compact space. It probably can seat at the most 70 including at the bar. You can walk just a few steps between the beverage and salad station to the computer and then right to the bar to pick up drinks. So when I was picking up the martini I was able to turn around immediately behind me to watch the coffee brew. Much to my horrified confusion, I turned just in time to see the filter basket slowly pull out from the machine! Because it was a Saturday night, the other servers were too preoccupied to see what I was witnessing. However, as soon as the water started to spray, we simultaneously grabbed towels and the broom to clean up. As I was sweeping the last of the grounds, I asked the waitress next me how the filter could be pulled out like that. She shrugged and said there isn’t a logical reason for it but weird things like that happened at Gregg’s all the time.

That weird incident was just inconvenient and messy but the next one was even messier and possibly sinister. It was one in the morning and the last guest just left. The other waitress closing with me was collecting the glassware from the table while I started to shut down the salad bar.  Above the unit were 2 long glass shelves about 3 feet apart, the lowest one about 3 feet above the salad unit-and me. They had just been installed about two weeks ago, the tops shelf had plants on it but the lower one was still bare. As I was putting away the chickpeas and Italian dressing, I heard a faint crackling noise. I looked around and down but I could not see anything that would cause that noise. I looked to Laurie who had finished with the glasses and now was using the carpet sweeper.  At that point, the crackling noise became loud enough that I could determine were it was coming from-right above me!  Wide eyed, I looked up to see a hairline fracture continue from the far right corner of the pane and slowly continue pass me. Transfixed, I did not have the wherewithal to move. Fortunately, Laurie had more of a presence of mind and quickly pulled me away just as the pane broke in half and crashed into the salad unit. After we look upon the myriad of glass shards in front of us, we looked at each other with our mouths wide open. And just like the coffee filter episode, Laurie said that weird things like that have happened before but there was no reasonable explanation for it.

Most hauntings are usually experienced by the staff but are also can be perpetuated by them. This is not surprising, actually. Restaurant work is very emotionally taxing: the customers can be demanding or downright belligerent, co-workers can be unreliable or treacherous, management uncaring or even in some cases, misogynistic. And keep in mind that these emotionally fraught relationships are played out during the frenetic pace of serving food/drinks to a constant flow of people. Seven days a week. Frequently, the most common staff member that stays behind is the owner itself. When you think about it, whom else has the most emotionally invested? Their restaurant is their livelihood, the very reason why they get up in the morning, an extension of themselves.

The owner of Vincent’s Steakhouse, Vincent Lorenzetti was definitely a soul that was invested in his place, in life and in death. Like most enterprising individuals, Vincent was a Type A personality: demanding, hyper-detailed, never easily satisfied, not comfortable in letting others take the reins. An avid cigar smoker, employees often remark that they smell cigar smoke before or after the restaurant opened. During a visit with my meet up group, Fork, Knife and Spook, the staff shared many stories that confirmed Vincent’s ghostly presence. One of the servers shared that while she was leaving the basement break room, an older male voice gruffly demanded her to get back to work. Our bartender, Kristie, mentioned that on nights when she closed and if it was slow, glassware would slide off the bar. She wondered if Vincent was upset that the proceeds for the night weren’t that great.

The most intriguing elements of the haunting were not witnessed by the staff, however, but by some of the members of my meet up, Rob and Hope Goff. Rob and Hope are the founders of Agawam Paranormal, Western Massachusetts’s foremost paranormal research group and they have investigated Vincent’s several times. Eager to share all of the details of one particular investigation, Rob happily took out his laptop to show some astounding footage. During one investigation, the team set up motion detection cameras throughout the restaurant including upstairs where besides feeling like they were being watched they also felt that they were NOT at all welcomed. While the team was downstairs in various rooms, the upstairs cameras positioned near the motion detectors picked up something intriguing. Something unseen tripped off every motion detector as it went from the office to the end of the stairs. About an hour later, the same cameras captured a very large circle of light, not exactly an orb, it was too large, come out of the office closet and float out of the office. It then went down the stairs through a wall next to the front entrance.

It is not only the owners who like to stay behind. At the Taproom in Wilbraham, one of the several ghosts is Eddie, a former dishwasher. The Taproom is located in a quiet bedroom community a few miles outside of Springfield. The building was built in 1826  and housed several businesses: a boardinghouse, an inn for stagecoaches, a residence for a local farmer and it was even a stop for the Underground Railroad.

In the 1970’s, Eddie was a regular when the restaurant was known as O’Driscolls. Retired from his office job and widowed, he had a lot of time on his hands. When the dishwasher pulled a no-show, Eddie stepped in and worked there on a daily basis. That is until the day they found him unconscious in the dish room. Before the ambulance arrived, he had passed away but his spirit has yet to clock out. According to the manager, Sharon, the dishwasher would occasionally start on it’s own-particularly after the restaurant had closed.  The staff also shared that the kitchen door swings by itself from time to time. The door is not near any draft or window or entrance. The dish room is not the only place where his presence is felt, however. After his shift, Eddie would sit at the far right end of  the bar, his favorite spot. People unfamiliar with the story of Eddie claimed that they would feel someone try to push them off when they attempted to sit on his favorite stool.

New England is understood to be one of the oldest places in the country and it is also known for its thrift-hence the term, “Yankee thriftiness”. We take pride in not wasting anything and our property history reflects that.  Most buildings that have been around for at least 25 years have probably been repurposed at least once. Our restaurants are definitely no exemption. Naturally, a haunted restaurant becomes that way because the energy of the enterprise can sometimes attract spirits that have stayed behind from previous incarnations. Sometimes, the emotional and psychic energy is so strong that it can resuscitate spirits that lingered even before there were businesses-like the “Lady in Red”.

The Taproom’s other ghosts were from a time when the building was a boarding house.  Sharon had mentioned that besides Eddie, two of the more active ghosts are a mother and son.  Although their names are not known, the staff is quite familiar with their activity, which primarily occurs on the second floor or the basement. The young boy’s laughter and the subsequent swish of his mother’s skirts can be heard either day or night.

The paranormal writer, Hans Holzer, coined the phrase, “stay behind” for those who are so attached to their location that they stay put even after death. Regardless if the building has changed purposes, been renovated or moved, whether they are residual or intelligent, they remain. One of the saddest cases of a stay behind is the story of Abigail at the Storrowtown Tavern. Storrowtown Tavern is a popular restaurant located in West Springfield, just a few miles from Vincent’s Steakhouse.  The tavern is part of a complex of historic buildings that were transferred from Central Massachusetts and placed along the Big E Fairgrounds. Although research determined that the restaurant served as a tavern there was not much else was discovered.

Agawam Paranormal also has done several investigations at Storrowtown Cassie M, one of their mediums had intuited that her name was Abigail and she used to work a housekeeper at the inn. Cassie was not able to determine why she still lingers but she sensed that Abigail moves from the banquet room (AKA the Vermont room) on the top floor and the powder room next door. Abigail flits from window to window, mumbling to herself, eternally confused about her new surrounding and why these new guests don’t see her. Although these new guests don’t see her, Abigail’s presence is felt. Guests and employees have heard a woman sighing behind them, the shadow of a woman in old-fashioned dress passing by the rooms’ entrances. During our meet up at the Storrowtown Tavern, I unexpectedly encountered Abigail myself. The women’s restroom has a waiting area that it divided by a wall and solid door. While I was washing my hands I heard a woman talking in the other room. Not wanting to inconvenience her, I hurried up and said while I was opening the door, “It is all yours!”  I walked into an empty room!  The stairs to go back to the first floor are right around the corner but there was no way that she could left the room so quickly .The Vermont room as well as the office-the only other rooms on the 2^nd floor were also dark and unpopulated. When I went back to our table and recounted what had happened, Cassie and Hope confirmed my suspicions. During one of their investigations, they captured several EVP’s of a young woman in the women’s room waiting area.

Like the “Lady in Red”, a spirit sometimes can be associated with the land that the restaurant was built upon.  A young Revolutionary War soldier named Jake frequents the historic Know Trail Inn in Otis, MA. The inn has been in business since the 1760’s and is located along the Knox Trail, a path that played a pivotal role in winning the Revolutionary War.  Although his origins are not certain, Jake has been a noted presence since the end of that conflict. He makes himself known to the waitresses, especially the younger ones. He likes to turn the lights on and off, plays the jukebox while certain waitresses are counting the tips and plays with the locks on the doors. One server in particular, Bethany, is a favorite target. Often when she closes, Jake will lift and flip around a very large padlock attached to a door located near the wait station. At first, she thought it was somebody playing a prank; however, the lock is too heavy to be jostled from behind the door. In addition, Bethany was adamant that the lock was being lifted up and around as if guided by unseen hands.

I am sure that other servers have had the same type of dreams as I had. You are back to a restaurant that you once worked, the tables are never-ending, the food mysteriously changes as soon as you deliver it, you go down to the storeroom but you can’t find what you are looking for.  Once you have worked in a restaurant, a little piece of stays behind-I sometimes guess what kind of tips I would make whenever I step into a new restaurant. The excitement, the emotions and bonding that occurs while working in a restaurant never goes away. So is it any wonder that those who have gone before us didn’t feel the same way? I bet you wouldn’t expect that from your local H & R Block office.

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