GHOST WARRIORS AT KING KAMEHAMEHA'S

King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii is said to be haunted by the chanting ghosts of an ancient tribe. Along the upper floors, heavy stomping and piercing battle cries have been heard echoing along the hallways, frightening guests something awful in the night.

King Kamehameha the Great was the king credited for uniting the islands of Hawaii under one ruler and also with rebuilding the Ahu-ena Heiau temple dedicated to Lono, the Hawaiian god of peace, prosperity, and agriculture. Kamehameha's home was the land where the hotel sits, and much of what surrounds it. It is from here that he ruled over his islands until he died on May 8th, 1819.

Per the custom known as hunakele ("to hide in secret"), the dead king's body was buried in an unknown location in order to protect his mana, which is believed to be the power of a person, and is considered sacred.

Some think that the final resting place for the king lies beneath the floors of the eponymous hotel, and that this is the reason for the ghostly disturbances. Other than the war calls, people have claimed to have seen the images of ancient Hawaiian warriors moving and standing in various places. Some have reported hearing the sounds of spears or swords clanging outside their windows, or coming from other rooms. There is a portrait on the bottom floor of the hotel of the Queen Liliuokalani that supposedly breathes in and out as the eyes stare at you.

I don't know about the ghostly activity, but the hotel is considered to be among Hawaii's most historically significant locations. There are many artifacts, murals, and native décor to be seen. So, next time you decide to take the often fabled Hawaiian vacation, give old King Kamehameha's a consideration.

The legendary King of the Hawaiian Islands

 

 

For more things ghostly, check out our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.





Media and Press

PERRYVILLE: KENTUCKY'S CIVIL WAR BATTLE

Us in front of the Perryville Battlefield Museum

 

 

Though officially, Kentucky was neutral during the Civil War, the importance of the state was not lost on those who lead armies into battle there. Even President Abraham Lincoln said, "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." He also stated, "I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game," in a letter to Illinois Senator, Orville H. Browning.

 

Kentucky, being a gateway to the south, was in an important position. It was believed that holding the border state meant holding much of the south, and the supply line of the L&N Railroad, as well as the Ohio River, were crucial to military stability during the war.

 

October 8th, 1862, the Union and the Confederacy fought a bloody battle on Chaplin Hills in Boyle County, Kentucky, just west of Perryville. 894 Union soldiers were killed and 532 Confederates were slain. The actual battle was won by Braxton Bragg and the Confederacy, but upon learning that an entire garrison of Union soldiers was about to march on them, Bragg withdrew, taking his men into Tennessee, thus vacating the land--and the state--to the Union. 

 

The battlefield has been preserved by the state, and people are welcome to visit the museum and roam the grounds. There is a trail around the entire park that you can drive on and see the sights and get out to read the historic markers sporadically placed.

 

But, tourists don't seem to be the only visitors here. It has been rumored that ghosts of the slain troops remain. Phantom gunfire has been heard in the night, and the spirits of men in uniform have been seen walking the grounds. When we visited, we heard a lot of gunfire, too, but we think there was a reenactment going on. There were also a lot of fires burning nearby. It looked like some old structures were being razed. We're not sure what that was about.

 

We visited the memorial site in the Confederate cemetery and conducted a spirit box session but got zero responses. Out in the area dubbed the "Valley of Death," where a very violent battle took place, we got nothing but pure silence. We have not thoroughly checked all of our pictures yet, but so far nothing has turned up. Jenny did see the faint image of a young soldier leaning on the cannon in the museum after she felt something strange near her. We did find out that the ghost of a defiant rebel supposedly lurks in the building. We found humor in this alleged report since the spirit was leaning on a cannon right by a sign that says, "Do not lean on cannon."

 

For more ghostly stuff, visit us at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.

 

Statue overlooking the Confederate cemetery

Marker at the Valley of Death



 



 

 





Shepherdsville History and Haunts Tour

Come check out the Shepherdsville History and Haunts Tour this Saturday at 8pm in front of the Old Stone Jail behind the Bullitt County Courthouse. Some details:

--outdoor walking tour
--$10 per person, cash only
--approximately 90 minutes long
--call 502-702-1213 for reservations
--if we don't answer, leave a message including your name, number, and number of people in your party
--or, you can message us

Hope to see you there!

WAVERLY HILLS IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

In our upcoming book, Louisville's Strange and Unusual Haunts, we discuss our personal experiences during an overnight at Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky. Honestly, I had heard all the ghost stories about the place and was pretty skeptical before going in there. I thought, "How could one place have this many alleged encounters." But, after actually being there for a while, I will say that I believe a lot of the stories and, if nothing else, firmly believe there are some paranormal powers existing within.

Now, I won't go into our personal experiences here. But, as most people know, there are quite a few supposed ghosts wandering around Waverly: Timmy, the little boy with the ball; the shadow people that stand in the corridor; the hanged nurse on the top floor; and, the infamous Creeper that crawls along the hallways. These are often-noted and well-known haunts that are supposed to reside inside the giant abandoned tuberculosis hospital.

You can imagine with the amount of TB that affected Louisville in the early 20th century, this building went beyond capacity at one point. A lot of the treatments they used were experimental, some even thought to be relatively savage. A lot of people died in this building and it is believed that these untimely deaths resulted in a hodge-podge of paranormal personalities walking the corridors.

Waverly Hills has been investigated by every "credible" ghost hunting team, as well as a number of "amateurs" and tourists. A lot of people take the tours--both historical and paranormal--pay to do the overnight investigation, and even go to the haunted house every year during the Halloween season. They offer all of these things at a certain price.

If you're interested in hearing our own very eerie account of Waverly, as well as some of the history, then be on the lookout for our book. If you want to see some of the pictures and/or videos we got while there, check out our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



CHICKEN ALLEY LEGENDS

 



On a stretch of country road outside Seymour, Wisconsin, it is rumored that the ghosts of chickens roam the night. If you stand there in the middle of the road, listening to the still night, you will soon hear the phantom clucks of various chickens as they approach the road from somewhere in the shadows along the grass. If you stand there long enough, you will see their ghostly images wander onto the road and cross it, only to disappear after stepping off the edge into the beyond.

I guess these chickens really did cross the road to get to the "other side."

 

But these feathered phantoms are not the only haunts creeping along Chicken Alley. Legend has it that sometime many years ago, during winter, someone riding their snowmobile at night crashed and died after being run off the road by a passing automobile. When nights are cold and winter nears, if you ride down Chicken Alley, the snowy specter of the rider will manifest on his snowmobile and chase you.

 

There is also a story about an angry spirit at the crossroads who yells at you if you get out of the car. How an event like this is even discovered, I don't know, but it seems that at the onset of dusk, a faint shadowy form appears in the middle of the intersection and will demand that you return to your car and leave. I guess this could be bad news if you're someone like Robert Johnson, but as long as you're not singing the blues, you should be okay.

Apparently, the street sign will sometimes disappear, as well. Some say it is engulfed by the shadow of the crossroads; others think it vanishes because there's some sort of rift in time there and the sign doesn't actually disappear, but people are seeing the area during a time before the sign was planted.

There is also a tree that only appears when the moon is full, leading some ghost enthusiasts to believe there is some sort of witchcraft or darkness that lies over the area, and this tree is a beacon for bad spirits that reveals itself when the time for malevolent entities is at its peak.

Definitely some amusing tales about Chicken Alley. I don't know where they could have come from or what sort of truth or experiences exist within them, but I thought they were worth telling just for fun.

For more strange and unusual things, visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.





 





PARANORMAL EVENT IN LOUISVILLE: THE NIGHT AT THE ST. JOHN'S THREE

NuLu History and Haunts Tour will be working with the St. John's United Church of Christ on East Market Street in the NuLu district of Louisville, Kentucky, Saturday night, May 13th, 2017 on a public paranormal investigation of three buildings they own that are all alleged to be haunted. The investigation will begin at 8pm and price of admission will be only $15 per person with all proceeds going to the church.

Among those coming are Brian McAuliffe, a highly experienced investigator with extensive knowledge of the paranormal and many investigations under his belt. McAuliffe was part of a documentary about the notorious Eastern Cemetery here in Louisville.

Mr. Ghost Walker, Robert Parker, who has conducted the Louisville Ghost Walks in downtown Louisville for about 15 years. He is also the author of the Haunted Louisville series, and has appeared on local television and in local papers on several occasions.

Justin Keen and his team from HauntingsGuide.com will also be present. They specialize in gathering ghost tales and evidence from all across the country and sharing them with fellow paranormal enthusiasts.

In order to keep contamination of the evidence to a minimum, we are limiting the investigation to 20 people. But, we hope that this is just the beginning and we will see a lot more out of the these three spooky, historic buildings. If you're interested, check out our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.

If you want to know more about the St. John's Three, and the other haunted tales from the NuLu district, consider our tour: https://www.facebook.com/eastmarkettour/.

The Parish Hall.

The Parish House

St. John's Church

 

 



LEAP CASTLE: THE MOST HAUNTED PLACE IN IRELAND

Dubbed the world's most haunted castle, as well as the most haunted place in Ireland, Leap Castle was built sometime in the 13th century, with additions coming through the years, in Coolderry, County Offaly, Ireland by the O'Bannon Clan. Its original name was a Celtic translation for "Leap of the O'Bannons." The castle was built on land believed to have been occupied in some form since the Iron Age and even possibly dating as far back as the Neolithic Age.

 

Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, tried to seize Leap in the 16th century twice and failed. But, the castle did fall to the control of the O'Carroll Clan, whom the O'Bannons actually served under. But, after Mulrooney O'Carroll died in 1532, a bloody family feud over leadership ensued, turning the brothers against one another, even causing one of the brothers to kill the other, who was a priest, right at the altar during a service.

 

The Darby Family gained ownership in 1639 after marrying into the clan. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Mildred Darby, whose husband was Leap owner John Charles Darby, began holding regular séances in the castle. Mildred was a well-known Gothic novelist who used the pen name Andrew Merry. Her input and claims about the house's haunted nature helped propel Leap to being known as one of the most haunted places in the world.

 

Parts of the castle were burned during the Irish Civil War in 1922, and many believe it to be because rents on the land and within the structure were raised to pay for extensions made on Leap at the time. In 1974, historian Peter Bartlett purchased the castle and conducted restorations until he died in 1989. A man named Sean Ryan has owned it since 1991 and he oversees the continuing repairs.

 

Leap Castle is also on the cover of Tim Winton's The Riders, which is a very good novel.

 

There are several ghost stories emanating from Leap:

THE BLOODY CHAPEL

This is the aforementioned incident where the priest was slain by his brother during a mass he was performing in one of the upper halls. It was a brutal killing, causing blood to soak the altar. Since then, the priest has been seen wandering about the room, exiting the western door before descending the stairs, and lurking in the shadows about and around the chapel.

The Oubliette in the room was once used by the O'Carrolls as a dungeon to hold captured and dying prisoners when they would attack the castle. The O'Carrolls would also hire other clans to eliminate nearby threats, and afterward would invite them back to Leap Castle to celebrate, only to poison them and slash their throats. They would then dispose of the corpses in the Oubliette and forget about them. Charles O'Carroll also had the entire MacMahon Clan killed and thrown into the little dungeon. When the area was cleaned out, numerous skeletons were found there, lending credibility to the stories, even if they may or may not be embellishments.

Many manifestations and strange occurrences have been reported in the Bloody Chapel as well as the great hall. A lot of ghosts are reported to wander aimlessly about the area, never interacting with the living. It is also said that a man's spirit lives in the Oubliette and will attack anyone who enters without permission. He has been known to strike, grab, shove, and choke trespassers.

The Bloody Chapel

The Oubliette, or possibly the Murder Hole



Two young girls--Charlotte and Emily--once lived at Leap Castle. Emily fell off a battlement atop the castle when she was 11. Emily's ghost is sometimes spotted replaying her death from the battlement, sailing to the ground below. Both spirits can be seen and heard playing in stairwells and hallways. They have sometimes been accompanied by an old nanny that likes to supervise them as they play and sit with them at lunch.

A woman was allegedly held captive and violated by the O'Carroll Clan, then committed suicide after her child was killed; she is seen wandering the home holding up a dagger in a threatening manner. A strange light glows within her and she creates a drastic drop in temperature in her surroundings. This supposed specter is called the Red Lady.

There is also a ghostly woman who was murdered by the O'Carrolls wandering the grounds, reported by Mildred years ago. Shadows and apparitions have been seen moving about the remnants of the Priest's House, which was burned during the Irish Civil War. There have been reports of people having their hands and legs grabbed by unseen forces in areas were gruesome murders transpired. An older gentleman has been seen lounging in a chair by the fire in the main hall.

It's hard to say how many of the claimed incidents were actually experienced by people in this castle. They all could just be the imagination of a Gothic novelist looking to sell books, furthered later by people who wanted to capitalize off the supernatural legends that survived the century. Or, maybe all the outrageous tales of the O'Carrolls' supposed brutality have merit and a lot of angry ghosts remain thanks to the savagery they felt at their hands. Sounds like a plot for an incredibly frightening film. But, they do say that sometimes real life is stranger than fiction. Maybe it's scarier, too.

 

 

For more frightening accounts of supposed real life haunts--and other cool ghostly things--follow our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.





 



THE STORY OF THE BELL WITCH

The folklore of the Bell Witch is pretty well-known in the south. John Bell, Sr., of Adams, Tennessee was a farmer who lived along the Red River in the early 1800s. Between the years of 1817 and 1821, it is alleged that the area was under attack by a poltergeist that came to be known as the Bell Witch.

This entity, who author Martin Van Buren Ingram said in his book, An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch, was named Kate Batts, was able to speak, touch, move things, change shape, travel great distances quickly, and even supposedly be in more than one place at the same time. Kate focused a lot on John Bell's youngest daughter, Betsy, who was engaged to a man the witch did not approve of.

In the summer of 1817, it all began with John Bell shooting at what he believed was a dog with the head of a rabbit. After firing on the strange creature, it disappeared. This incident seemed to spark the aggressive activity as the Bells began to experience acts of violence against them. Members of the family were hit, pinched, their hair was pulled, and they had pins stuck into them, primarily Betsy.

The story of the Bell Witch spread and people traveled some distances to see old Kate Batts in action. During this time, the specter would carry on conversations with people, making threats, jokes, and even repeating sermons. John Johnston, son of a family friend, asked the witch a very personal question about something his grandmother would say in a certain situation, and the entity repeated it back word for word, even impersonating his grandmother's accent.

A man from England heard the story and came to the farm to debunk it. Once Kate was able to perfectly mimic the voices of his parents, waking him one morning, making him think that his parents had heard his voice as well, so he quickly left and returned home. A while later, the Bells received a letter from the Englishman apologizing for his skepticism because he stated that the being, whatever it was, had visited his farm.

Though "Kate Batts" adored John's wife, Lucy, bringing her fresh fruits, singing her hymns, and referring to her as the "most perfect woman to ever walk the Earth," she apparently despised John. She called him "Old Jack" and would cuss him, hurt him, and make threats to kill him. Eventually, she made good on her threat and poisoned John, then brought her malevolent rambunctiousness to his funeral, making a scene by singing drinking songs. When Betsy broke off her engagement with the man the witch didn't like, the wicked force said she would leave, but vowed to return in 1828. When she did return, the rest of the family ignored her as best they could and she disappeared again.

Through the years, a lot of theories as to where the Bell Witch story actually came from have been made. Some believe it was just a tale to scapegoat bad things that were done by people in that town. Others think maybe a great trickster had been the culprit behind the incidents, manipulating the situation to make others believe there was an angry spirit at work because he sought some sort of vengeance upon John Bell and his family. There are also those who believe the story to be real and that the witch was maybe someone John Bell had murdered. I don't know how much evidence supports any of these explanations. It's very possible this could all just be a sensationalized tale woven to sell a book. If it wasn't and these accounts are accurate, I don't think there was a witch or a vindictive ghost intending ill-will on the Bell Family. I think there was something more devilish and dark at play, because a lot of what this creature supposedly did seems demonic. But who knows? The Bell Witch is a popular folktale either way.

For more paranormal tales, visit and like our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE



One of the most outlandish structures in the entire world has to be the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. Built by Sarah Winchester, wife of William Wirt Winchester--creator of the Winchester Rifle--this home is a veritable labyrinth of lunacy. There are many insane and inexplicable features of the house, such as trapdoors in floors, doors that lead to nowhere, and secret passages hidden in the walls of twisting hallways.

The house was built on a floating foundation which allows it to shift freely, giving it some reinforcement when earthquakes strike. The sprawling architectural jigsaw puzzle has about 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces and only 17 chimneys, three elevators, two basements, and over 10,000 panes of glass. 

A bird's-eye-view of this modern day madhouse.

 

The Winchester fortune was massive. After William Winchester died from tuberculosis in 1881, Sarah inherited more than $20-million, which, back then, would have been like receiving $23,000 a day today. This excessive wealth allowed for Sarah to begin building the Victorian Nightmare in 1884 and keep it going until her own death in 1922. Sarah spared no expense during the house's construction. There were numerous luxuries contained therein that were not commonly found in homes back then: indoor plumbing and toilets, push-button gas lights, forced air heating, and her own hot-water shower.

 

The décor of the home was nothing short of extravagant. Many of the windows were made by Tiffany's and valued at about $1500 a piece; a lot of the doors were worth twice that as they were inlaid with German bronze and silver; there were even Swiss molded bathtubs throughout the home as well--and all of this is really just a very minute collection of the opulence contained in the wacky Winchester warren.

 

Gorgeous insanity.

Splendor within the Winchester House.

Another outrageous design inside Sarah's opulent opus.

 

But, why did Sarah Winchester create such a zany home? And why did she let it go on for the rest of her life, like Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour? Well, the popular answer to that is that she was haunted by the spirits of many people who were shot down by a Winchester Rifle. These ghosts supposedly haunted her till the end of her days, and the only way to keep them from driving her mad was to grant their request, which was to build a home that was never finished. So she did.

 

Some people believe Hell is repetition, and if that is true, then perhaps this diabolical demand was designed as atonement for the Winchester widow.

 

But, building the house wasn't enough and the angry spirits kept haunting Sarah. This is why the layout of the house became so bizarre: Mrs. Winchester used the wiles of her wits to stay on constant run from the ghosts, and this backwards manor was her armor against their otherworldly onslaught. When being chased by the specters, she could duck into a secret passage and erase her path. She often vanished into mysterious rooms, through small hallways, and across oblong, awkward staircases, tricking the trackers off her trail. It was even alleged that a room on the upper-floor, surrounded by doors with only one leading to a true exit, was the séance room where she would go to converse with the unwelcomed inhabitants of her home. It seems that Sarah Winchester remained in a never-ending struggle against these poltergeists until the day of her death.

 

The Séance Room at the Winchester house where Sarah allegedly tried to speak to the entities in her home.

 

Through the years, many employees of and visitors to the Mystery House have reported haunts and strange activity taking place. A lot of them are very mundane, garden variety incidents, such as turning doorknobs, footsteps, whispers, and lights turning on and off, all of which could be attributed to the usual explanation of the "house being old." But, there are some stories that come from between the walls that are a bit more specific.

 

A former caretaker claimed to have heard very specific footsteps clopping about the place, accompanied by long, drawn, heavy breathing while he was presumably alone in the building. One night, he heard what sounded like a screw being turned, followed by the rattling of something small hitting the floor. When he looked around, he found nothing strange. The caretaker did have a friend who caught the image of an unknown man in workman's overalls in a photograph he took at Winchester. Maybe it's the spirit of one of the workers who toiled to create this marvel.

 

One man had trouble getting the exterior doors to remain locked. When he would close up the house at night, he would do his rounds and check all the doors, finding many of them to be unlocked even though he remembered locking them before. Upon returning to the front doors, he would find them unlocked as well. Sometimes, he would go back in to check around for intruders, but would find nothing peculiar. When he would start checking doors again, many that he had just locked would be unlocked once more and he'd have to start all over again.

 

The man later had the same problem with lights coming back on in the house. After he would shut off the lights, he would be getting ready to get in his car, look up, and see all the lights on the third floor blazing. So, he'd go in, turn them off, and as he was passing back through the house to leave, he would find other lights on that had been previously off. Sometimes, he'd get outside and see the lights back on, other times he would not. Sometimes he would go back in and turn them off, other times he would not.

 

People have also heard voices talking to them from dark corners; the hayloft is supposed to be haunted by some shadow that roams about, trying to carry on conversations with people. The aroma of an assortment of foods has been smelled when nothing is cooking. People have seen apparitions walking through walls, opening doors and entering rooms, and just randomly hanging about the hallways. There are many other reported haunts dating back thirty years or more.

 

In recent years, it has been claimed that these stories were all made up by people working for the Winchester Mystery House in order to sell tickets for tours and gain publicity, and that nothing paranormal ever took place in the home, nor were any ghosts ever hounding the matriarch of the Winchester empire. The explanation comes from someone who has done a lot of research into the home and its history. They have deduced that due to the Winchesters' tie to Freemasonry and her Rosicrucian beliefs, the home is simply a giant canvas of symbolism that pays homage to the Masons and Rosicrucian ways. Though this reasoning is ultimately conjecture, there's no denying the peculiar design of the home and the décor do suggest some Masonic influences.

 

There is a lot to the Winchester Mystery House, and though this particular blog may seem a bit lengthy, it still does not come close to covering the complexity of one of the world's most fascinating homes. Whether or not ghosts haunt the house, or whether angry spirits drove Sarah Winchester to near madness, or if she was simply showing her devotion to her spiritualism, one cannot deny that the Winchester House definitely emanates a singular and awe-inspiring aura.

 

William and Sarah Winchester

 

For more cool stuff that is weird and spooky, like our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/

 







CHINA'S HAUNTED FORBIDDEN CITY

China's Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace of China from 1420 to 1912, beginning with the Ming dynasty and ending with the Qing dynasty. There are 980 buildings total on the complex and it took fourteen years to complete. It has been named a World Heritage Site and now the palace, known currently as the Palace Museum, is the most visited art museum in the world with well over 14-million tourists stopping by annually.

Construction of the palace began in 1406 when Yongle Emperor Zhu Di moved the capital city from Nanjing to Beijing and would employee over a million laborers and utilize the many resources from the surrounding land. The Ming dynasty reigned from 1420 to 1644 when Li Zicheng, self-proclaimed Emperor of the Shun dynasty, lead a rebellion on the palace and was able to usurp the seat. However, he soon abandoned the Forbidden City when Wu Sangui, former Ming general, lead Manchu forces against Zicheng and set fire to sections of the palace. This lead to the rise of the Qing dynasty in Northern China.

Anglo-French forces seized control of the city during the Second Opium War in 1860 and held their position until the end of the conflict, which came soon after. When the anti-Imperialist uprising known as the Boxer Rebellion began in 1899, Emperor Dowager Cixi left the palace a year later, leaving it to the control of the rebels. The palace ceased being the political center of China after the last Emperor, Puyi, abdicated his post in 1912; he and the Republic of China then reached a new political agreement that would end Imperialistic dynasties.

With all the years of battle, bloodshed, rebellion, and concubine murders, the Forbidden City is believed to be haunted by many spirits. In the 90s, a guard by the name of Fat Fu told a story about two of his co-workers who experienced a ghost, saying they rushed into the guard shack around 9pm, flustered and nervous, and claimed they had seen the ghost of a black-haired woman in a long white gown somewhere on the compound. When they tried to get her attention, the woman fled, so they pursued her, suspecting she may be a thief. When they finally caught up to her, cornering her by a locked door, she turned around and, to their horror, they saw, in the beams of their flashlights, that the woman had no face, only long, unruly hair hanging down. Fat Fu went to find the woman, but never saw her. Another guard reported seeing this same woman walking along one of the courtyards, but she was not running. She was weeping as she floated through the night, up towards one of the walls, and out of sight.

Shadows move along the walls when no one is around. There are also the sounds of animals running back and forth through rooms when none are there. Dark shapes drift along the steps leading to the palace, and the figures of transparent people have been seen lingering in windows of various buildings.

There is also the very disturbing story of General Yuan, the man who defended the city from the Manchu armies in 1630. He fought back the forces and was known to be a loyal servant who would do whatever it took to support and protect his Emperor. But, his successes drew jealousy and some of those who envied his status began to spread vicious rumors claiming betrayal about the general. Eventually, these words reached the ears of the Emperor and he had Yuan tortured and his body chopped into several pieces and spread throughout the land; all that remained was his head and it was saved by one of the troops who did not believe the lies. From here, the tale only becomes more harrowing: many people believed the accusations brought against him and found his severed limbs and ate them.

It is said that the general still protects the land, as well as wanders the night in search of revenge against those who wronged him. Near his tomb, a white mist sometimes swirls until the faint image of the betrayed general takes form. People have reported hearing his cries in the night, as well as seeing his headless body stalking the grounds beneath the moonlight. One man even claimed to have saw the General's head hovering in a palace window, with his eyes burning from the fires of rage.

There are numerous smaller haunts reported from the site, such as apparitions, cries, voices, smells, eerie presences, footsteps, bangs, doors opening, shadows moving, and strange-looking creatures lurking in corners. A place that old has to have a lot of energy, and since so many people met bloody deaths there, the Forbidden City seems to have quite the lure for spectral activity. Could you imagine wandering that vast complex in the dead of night? The things you could see and hear...

Strange and eerie presences wander the Forbidden City.

 



For more cool and creepy things, visit (and like) our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



THE GHOST OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN



Presidential ghosts are not uncommon, especially in the White House. Many presidents and their wives have been seen, and some presidents and their families have had strange occurrences while living at the nation's capitol. The most common ghost among them is that of the 16th Commander-in-Chief, Abraham Lincoln, who has been reported to haunt the White House since his death in 1865.

Not that he really needs any introduction or biography, I will mention that he presided over the country during the horrific Civil War, was the president who made abolition official, was known for being a highly articulate wordsmith, and was assassinated after supposedly predicting his own demise.

According to Lincoln's friend and biographer, Ward Hill Lamon, the president had a dream three days before he was shot in which he stumbled into his own funeral after being assassinated. He had also confessed to his bodyguard, William H. Cook, that he had dreamt of his death three nights straight. Cook tried to convince him not to go to the play, to which he replied that he had promised Mary Todd they would go. Then, instead of bidding Cook goodnight as he always did, he told him, "Goodbye." That was the last word he ever spoke to his bodyguard.

The weight of the tragedy was pressing enough to keep Lincoln lingering between here and the spirit realm. He has been seen staring out of windows at the White House (Grace Coolidge being the first to witness this), walking across rooms, sitting at the desk in the Oval Office, and has also been heard knocking on walls and doors. Margaret Truman and Lilian Rogers Clark both claimed to hear the knocks and footsteps around his old bedroom. Harry Truman woke to the sound of strange knocks while sleeping in there. Teddy Roosevelt and Maureen Regan had reported seeing his apparition wandering about the house.

Former Queen of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina, encountered his ghost in 1942 when she answered a knock on her door and saw him standing there wearing his top hat. The incident scared her so much that she passed out.

While visiting the White House during World War II, former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, emerged from the bathroom naked and smoking a cigar only to see Honest Abe sitting in a chair by the fireplace. "Good evening, Mr. President," said Churchill. "It seems you have met me at a disadvantage." Lincoln then laughed and disappeared, as reported by Mr. Churchill himself.

Numerous people have claimed to see his shadow lying in his old bed and even pulling on his boots.

A photo of Mary Todd with her husband's ghost behind her has been widely circulated and often discussed. The photo was taken either in 1869 or in the early 1870s, years after Abe's death, and many think it is his ghost comforting her. Some believe it to be a double-exposure even though that would be one serious coincidence.

Abraham Lincoln's ghost or a double-exposure?

 

 

Eleanor Roosevelt said she had felt his presence there but never had any encounters with him. Press secretary to Eisenhower, James Hagerty, and Lady Bird Johnson's press secretary, Liz Carpenter, made the same claims.

 

Lincoln has also been seen away from the White House. He haunts his grave in Springfield, Illinois, the home of a woman who was at the Fords Theatre when he was shot, and a phantom train that runs the path of his procession. He has also been seen on the grounds of the Farmington Plantation in Louisville, Kentucky. His ghost was last seen in the 1980s sitting in a chair at the top of the stairs in the White House.



Just chillin' in his chair.

 

Maybe everyone sees Lincoln's ghost so much because he is the most famous president of all-time. It could be that they just want, or expect, to see him, so they think they do. Or, maybe all of this expectation for his appearance creates enough energy to draw his ghost. Lincoln was a monumental man (could be why they built a monument for him, eh?), so he may have chosen to remain at the White House to make sure things are running smoothly, or at least not as poorly as they could be.

 

 

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MOST COMMON HAUNTS

 

 



Haunts come in a variety of manifestations and are usually filed away into two main categories: intelligent and residual. The latter being defined as a paranormal event that is merely an energy imprint left behind by someone. These usually come in the form of apparitions that appear in specific locations, often performing the same acts, even sometimes happening at the same times. This category is highly favored by parapsychologists as many believe that most acts deemed supernatural or paranormal are caused somehow by the manipulation of existing energy.

The idea of intelligent haunts is not as widely accepted by those who consider themselves rational in modern society. These haunts are spirits of the deceased that can interact with the living by touching, talking, or moving things in real time. People have even reported manifestations that have appeared and spoken with them.

Through our study of ghost-lore and places that are alleged to be haunted, we have found the most common haunts seem residual, but there have been those that have responded to questions asked, and moved things when asked. These would be classified as intelligent. But, a skeptic would say other wise. Logically speaking, if you cannot prove it, then it is not to be believed.

Through our research, it seems that sensory haunts and redundant apparitions come most often. Inexplicable smells and cold spots appearing out of nowhere are among the top experiences, alongside mysterious footsteps and lights flickering on and off. Doors opening and closing on their own seems to happen a lot, as well as eerie lights emanating from places no lights should be. We have also been told of various instances where sounds such as loud bangs, crashes, and broken glass occur but nothing is found to be destroyed upon investigation.

But, in the realm of intelligent haunts, poltergeists seem to be the most observed. When paranormal activity really heats up, people can get pinched and slapped, stuff moves from place-to-place without anyone knowing why, and faint images of the deceased visit people and tell them things. Sometimes it seems these spirits are looking for someone or something, trying to resolve unfinished business.

Depending on where you stand when it comes to the paranormal, some of these theories might help you understand strange occurrences in your life. Others believe there are logical explanations for everything that happens. Of course, many acts can truly be debunked by a house being old, electric being bad, the wind, imagination, and other tricks of the mind. But, some cannot, and they are the occurrences that keep people like us wondering.

Besides, who's to say that one day a haunting won't be the logical explanation? Maybe someone will have a breakthrough and capture hardcore, irrefutable evidence of an afterlife, and spirits still existing there and being able to make contact with us. It might happen.

 

 

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THE WHISPERS ESTATE

The earliest records found of the infamous Whispers Estate date back to 1894, so that is when it is believed the house was built. Even if the entire history isn't widely available, everyone who's heard of it knows that it's a supposed paranormal hot spot with a dark and death-filled past.

A 10-year-old orphan, named Rachel, who was adopted by former owners, Dr. John and Jessie Gibbons, died from severe burns after starting a fire in the front parlor. It is said that she has been seen running through the house, trailing the smell of smoke behind her; people have also heard her name whispered in the hallways.

Jessie died of pneumonia in the master bedroom. Guests have reported waking up ill, unable to breathe, and with a relentless cough. The closet door has been known to open repeatedly and the doorknob turn over and over. Jessie has also been seen standing in the corner, watching those in her room.

An infant died in that same bedroom and the smell of baby powder and cries of an infant have been sensed in the room.

Two others who are alleged to have died there are a young boy who fell down the stairs and an old man who was found deceased in an upstairs bathroom; the cause of his demise is unknown. The sound of something tumbling down the steps has been heard in the night.

 

View from the upper window of the Whispers Estate.

The home used to be a bed and breakfast and is rumored to still be full of haunts. Patrons had heard strange whispers at night, fluttering through the various bedrooms and hallways. This has earned the old manor its menacing name. There was once a bed in what was dubbed the "Vampire Room" that was used on the set of the film Interview with the Vampire. The place is now only rented out for paranormal investigations.

 

 

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THE DEVIL'S GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK

Loftus Hall is a three story mansion that sits on the Hook Peninsula and overlooks the Celtic Sea at the southeastern tip of Ireland. Originally called just The Hall, the manor was built circa 1170 by Richard de Clare, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Around 1350, this  building was replaced by another and was later known as Redmond Hall. It fell under siege by English forces during the Irish Confederate Wars in 1641 because the owner, Alexander Redmond, was an Irish rebel sympathizer. The Redmond Family was able to barricade the castle and keep the English at bay. When the fog fell, the Irish Confederate Army snuck in, after hearing of the attack, and ambushed the English, fighting them off and protecting the estate.

More battles took place through the years, and the home fell out of the Redmond Family possession. It became Loftus hall in the middle 1600s when the Loftus Family bought it and restored much of the damage. In the 1870s, that building was torn down by John Henry Wellington Graham Loftus and the foundation was used to erect the current house.

Though Loftus Hall saw its share of battles and bloodshed--and no doubt family deaths--the ghost story that comes out of it stems not from anything related to these topics, but from a simple game of cards.

On a stormy night in 1666, an unexpected vessel docked on the shore of the Hook Peninsula, carrying a handsome young stranger who was granted sanctuary inside Loftus Hall. The daughter of the family, Anne, became close with the man during the time he was there. One night, he and the family were playing cards and Anne dropped one of hers on the floor. When she bent to retrieve it, she saw the man had a cloven hoof instead of a foot. She then stood and pointed this out and the man vanished through the roof in a fiery haze, leaving behind a gaping hole.

 

Nice hoof, eh? Sorry 'bout your roof, by the way. 



Soon after, Anne began to slowly lose her mind. It is rumored that the family then locked her away in her favorite room known as the Tapestry Room. Anne refused to eat or drink and she only sat in the corner with her knees tucked under her chin while awaiting the return of her abominable mystery man. But, he did not come back and she died in 1675. She was buried curled up because her legs would have broken if anyone tried to straighten them out.

After Anne's death, it is believed that the man with the cloven hoof returned and began haunting Loftus Hall. Loud clopping footsteps were heard echoing in stairwells and along corridors. Menacing laughter would ring out in the night. Items would be thrown across rooms and smashed to the floor. The smell of smoke was soon noticed in certain areas. These events became so intense that exorcisms were performed, but they only made things worse. Soon, the presence of two spirits were heard and felt as a woman's cries and also laughter joined the fray. The pale apparition of who people believe is Anne began to appear in the room where she died, as well as running along the halls. The shadow of a strange man started to appear in rays of sunlight and also candlelight, moving eerily along the walls. Some think that this devilish man and the tragic Anne Loftus are now locked in an eternal contest of Hide-and-Seek.  

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JAMAICA INN'S SAVAGE PAST

 

Notorious for pirates, smuggling, and other illicit activities, the Jamaica Inn at Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England is also known for phantoms and spirits hanging around the grounds. Author Daphne du Maurier published a novel about the place in 1936 and acclaimed filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock adapted it into a film that was released in 1939. In 1983, there was a miniseries about it made and also a 2014 TV film.

The current building was built in 1750, but there has been an inn present on the road since 1547. The etymology of the establishment's name either derives from the Trelawney Family who once owned the place, as two of the members served as governors in Jamaica, or from being a storehouse for Jamaican rum stolen by smugglers.

The dangerous Jamaica Inn.



Bodmin Moor is a part of the massive Cornubian batholith--a granite land mass that stretches across a large portion of Great Britain's south-western peninsula. It is a treacherous piece of land to access, and this is what made it a favorite location for smugglers to hide their booty. Allegedly, there are more than 100 different routes that lead to this terrible terrain. Wreckers used to use the rocky bays and crashing waves to capture ships and loot them, then leave the inhabitants for dead.

Bodmin Moor was known for so much treachery and brutality that no one can account for every ship wrecked there or every life lost on property. But, there is no doubt that the Jamaica Inn was a dangerous place for travelers to find themselves. A lot of them never found their ways back out.

Thanks to such a menacing history, the inn is said to be haunted by the wayward souls of the plunderers, pirates, and killers that had stopped there, as well as the victims who met doom at the edge of their blades.

Stories of phantom boats awash at the water's edge have been reported, the wailing of anguished spirits rising from them in the night. Wasted wraiths have been alleged to wander the roads nearby, drifting into nothingness on the winds.  The mysterious clop of hooves along the streets are heard, accompanied by the squeaking of the wagon wheels as the thieves make their way towards London. Legend has it that anyone who hears the moans of the iron carts will be cursed to endless poverty.

The most ghastly haunt of them all is about a man who was gutted in the dead of night by a stranger who lured him outside. The man's disemboweled body was found the next day. Many years later, it is said that his ghost returned on a cold night in January. Outside, the apparition was seen in the darkness, and as the landlord went to lock up his business, the ghost ran into the inn and was found drinking ale with his innards hanging out. Footsteps have been heard passing through there ever since. It is believed the spirit returned for the beer he left sitting on the bar the night he was eviscerated.

A very macabre and sensational tale coming out of the infamous inn. Who knows to what extent it is accurate, but it is certainly interesting. Hope you enjoyed it.

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The unwelcoming granite slab that is Bodmin Moor.

 

One of the rocky cliffs of Bodmin Moor.

 





THE MOVING COFFINS OF THE CHASE VAULTS

 

 

 

Located in Oistins, Christ Church, Barbados, at the cemetery of the Christ Church Parish Church, is a tomb of moving coffins known as the Chase Vaults. The legend, which dates back to the 1800s, claims that each time this vault is reopened, the coffins inside are found in different positions than they were previously left. The claim is unsubstantiated, but has been reported on a few occasions.

 

The first account of this alleged phenomenon to be written down came from James Edward Alexander in 1833, who stated that when the vault was opened in 1812 to bury Thomas Chase, the caskets of his two sisters, Ann Maria Chase (buried in 1808) and Dorcas Chase (earlier in 1812) were out of place from where they had been laid. Prior to that report, the church's old Rector, Thomas H. Orderson, told the tales, but was said to give a different version each time.  

 

Legend has it that the church sexton also discovered these events had happened in 1816 and 1819. A story that the family patriarch, Col. Chase, had actually murdered the girls, thus leading to a sinister force dwelling within the tomb, or the spirits of the girls being in a constant state of unrest, causing the coffins to move, began to spread. But, no evidence of this murder has been found to exist.  

 

An investigation of the tomb was ordered. Sand was sprinkled along the floors to capture any footprints, and then the vaults were sealed for eight months. Locals reported hearing screams and disturbing sounds ringing out from under the concrete. When the vaults were reopened, the coffins had been found thrown about, more disrupted than before, yet no marks in the sand.

 

After this, the caskets were removed from the vaults and reburied elsewhere. But, people say that the restless ghosts of the children still haunt the tomb, screaming in the night to be released.

 

Although no official documentation has ever been submitted to validate these claims, it is still widely believed that the coffins do move. But, others believe that this story is allegorical, created around the Masonic myth of the "Secret Vault" which symbolizes death and the Divine Truth. The stories of the Chase Vaults' rowdy caskets is said to be loaded with freemason symbolism, and that other Masonic allegories about moving coffins surfaced in the 1940s.

 

Myth or reality, it sure makes for a good story to tell around a campfire.

 

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ISLAND OF THE DOLLS

After an hour long canal ride south from the shore of the Mexico City barrio known as Xochimilco, is one of the creepiest and most bizarre places on Earth: Isla de las Munecas, or Island of the Dolls. It is an eerie island decorated with hundreds of filthy, aged, mutilated dolls dangling from trees, nailed to walls, and impaled on pikes.

This menacing island was once the home of a recluse named Don Julian Santana Barrera, who was the man that created the chilling spectacle. One day, Barrera came upon a small body floating in the river. When he pulled it out to see what it was, he discovered that a young girl had drowned. Not long after, he found a doll floating nearby, so he hung it from a tree as a sign of respect for the deceased. Soon after, tortured screams began to pierce the darkness at night, and whispers and footsteps could be heard in the silence around his hut, even though it was hidden in the woods many miles from the city. These harrowing events caused him to begin hanging more dolls to satisfy the girl's restless soul. For five decades, Barrera collected as many dolls as he could, either whole or missing limbs, and scattered them about the island, lumping them together in random spots. Barrera died in 2001 and his body was found almost exactly where he had found the girl's body half a century ago.

Being such a singular landscape, tourists began to flock to it once word got out. Apparently, the area is still haunted despite Barrera's devoted dedication to the young girl's spirit. People have reported hearing whispers and footsteps. Dolls have been known to blink, turn their heads, and move in other ways. Some talking dolls have even gone off even though they should have been too old to still operate. Shadows walking in the twilight and moonlight, as well as in flashlights and spotlights, have bee reported. The wailing of the young girl can still be heard, and the loud calls of what sounds like a man's voice have travelled the airwaves of the night.

Has the island altar created by Barrera for this young lady done more than just appease her? Has it made her feel like this is home, giving her no desire to leave? Is Barrera now trapped there with her, or has he decided to stay because it is his home? We'll never know. But, many people, tourist and native alike, will agree that there is indeed something out there on the ominous Island of the Dolls.

An area where a small gathering of the old dolls hang.

A collection nailed to a wall.

Almost looks corpse-like.

Severed doll heads impaled on pikes.

Don Julian Santana Barrera: the Man Who Hung the Dolls.

 

 

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