A visit to Antietam Battlefield

Like Gettysburg Antietam Battlefield in Sharpsburg Maryland saw it's share of death. The battle claimed more than 23,000 men killed, wounded, and missing in one single day, September 17,1862
I had heard stories of hauntings so I wanted to see it for myself
Some claim that Dunker Church is haunted by soldiers

One of the most impressive areas of the battlefield is an area called Sunken Road or Bloody Lane,
Things like gun fire, have been heard. Smoke has been smelled and voices heard in this area.

Farmers had used this road to travel and on the day of battle Confederate General Hill placed all of his men (about 2,600) on this road. When the Union Army arrived with 5,000 men the fighting was so horrific that the
It was told that the Blood was literally "flowing like a river". This battle was one of the bloodiest battles fought at Antietam. More than 5,000 men lost there lives here.

Another area of the battlefield famous for being haunting is Burnside Bridge

Sounds of phantom drums have been heard here, along with blue lights near the bridge at night.

Other places on the battlefield with reports of hauntings include the Pry house.

This home was used by General McClellan as his headquarters during the battle. General Hooker was also brought here and treated of wounds he recieved in the battle as was General Israel B. Richardson, Richardson died 6 months later in this house from his wounds.
Reports here include seeing a woman in old fashioned clothing walking down the stairs. Footsteps have also been heard going up and down the stairs and faces in the window of a woman.
It is a fact that General Richaardson wife came and took care of him on his death bed. Could this be her?
We will never know, but I left Antietam knowing I had visited yet another haunted battlefield.

Talking to Ben

As mentioned in my previous post we were able to use the "ghost box" while in Gettysburg with some results.
Of course being a true ghost hunter I wanted to wait until night to get out on the battlefield and choose one of my favorite spots. Sach Bridge
Sach Bridge ws used by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to retreat into Virginia after the battle. It has also been report that three Confederate hangings took place from the bridge rafters. The area around the bridge was also used as a field hosptial and rumor has it that unclaimed bodies are still buried in the woods there.
We arried early just before dark and took a look around


As dark approched we met up with a friend of mine from Facebook who lived in town. Mary had been investigation the area often and we enjoyed  meeing her. It was also nice to have a third person along. This way we felt like if three of us heard the same thing on the ghost box that it wasnt our imagination
As we began walking around we took some photos

We also started asking questions.
First we ask if we could get a name...crackle...gibberish, then clearly we heard BEN
How old are you ben. 22 came the answer
Where are you from Ben,, more static..then JOHNNY REB, MA'AM
We ask things like are you trapped here YES
Do you have any brothers or sisters..SISTER
I ask do you know what year this is? We got the number FOUR, which confused me, because the battle was in 1863, I then said "Ben the battle was July 1863" I got answer FOUR, it then cccured to me that the Confederates crossed the bridge JULY FOUR,
We then ask..Ben are you tired, do you want us to go..NO WALK
so we walked..I wasnt about to argue with a ghost ha ha.
We went to the other side of the bridge where we took more photos, walked around ask a few questions. Just look how big this orb is between my husband and I in this photo that Mary took of us.

Then once again ask. Do we need to go. YES we got this time.
We thanked BEN for talking to us..Told him to stay there (you should always do this so they dont follow you home) and left. We went back into the bridge itself and took some more photos. Here are some of them

Notice the orbs in these photos
All in all it turned out to be an interesting night, and I am looking forward to going back to this location again.

Gettysburg Trip Reviewed

My trip to Gettysburg over the weekend turned out great as usual. We took our new "ghost box" radio we made from the radio shack 12-587 transistor radio. At first I wasn't sure how we were suppose to be able to "talk" to a spirit using this, but as we played with it awhile I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was working.
It did take a little practice but as I worked with it and ask questions I was finding that the answers I was getting did make sense and they were always given in the same voice. Now you might be wondering what I mean by that so let me explain.
The idea behind the "ghost box" we made is to modify a simple radio so when you set it on scan it does NOT stop on channel but keep scanning. Once locked in place, it will continue to scan until you manually release it. Picture your car radio, as you scan for a station you hear different DJ voices and snips of commercials ETC.  On this "box" it works a little like that..Only we seemed to receive more static, then out of that static we would hear a single word.
For example at one spot I ask..If anyone is here can you give me a name
I heard the names TOM and EMMETT, I also got the words DEVIL ( I was at Devils Den) I heard the words SWORD, ROCK, and a few more in this area
Very interesting to say the lest

Spooky Places

As you know I always try and find the most haunted area's of Gettysburg to visit (which is almost everywhere in Gettysburg) and since I had to stay an extra few days due to some health problems my husband had, I opted for a night at the Colton Motel. While this is not one of the best motel's in town, it was clean and cheap. It is also suppose to be haunted. This motel sits where the left flank of Pickett's Charge took place on the third and final day of the battle. 12,000 men marched shoulder to shoulder and some of the bloodiest fighting took place where the motel now stands.  It is also directly across the street from the National Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery.Some of  stories that have been reported from this motel claim that showers turn on by themselves, doors lock, beds mysteriously turn down, photo have been taken by guest that show full blown Confederate Soldiers, and even on guest has reported that she saw a Confederate Soldier in her room about three A.M. He was standing in the bathroom doorway where she had left the light on all night. According to the story she woke up freezing cold and when she went to turn off the air (which is just outside the bathroom door) she saw him. As soon as she turned on the light he was gone.
Also mysterious fogs have been seen outside some rooms near the office. (We were next to the office)
While we did not experience any of these things our-self, it does leave me curious enough that I plan on booking this motel again.

Culp's Hill

Our trip to Gettysburg this time was on a more historic level instead of ghost hunting, but if you follow this blog at all you know I had to have at lest one experience. We did our day thing and then headed out to what I call the most creepy place on the Battlefield. Culp's Hill. This night's adventure left me still feeling the same way. Several other ghost hunters or "Casper Chasers" as some of the locals call us were in the area. I walked off in the direction of Spangler's Spring which is suppose to be haunted by the Woman in White. According to local legend, she is either a Civil War Nurse who comes to the spring in search of water for the wounded men, or a woman who commited sucide after being jilted by her married lover. I like to think she is the nurse, but no matter who she is, more than one person has claims of her existance.
I was standing near the spring taking my first photos. When I put the camera to my eye to look through the shutter I was startled by a white orb. At first my mind would not accept it, and I pushed the camera away. I quickly looked again and there is was, coming closer. Take the picture my mind said and I did just as it moved. This is the result of that photo.

After taking a few more photos I went over to talk to the other ghost hunters and was informed that "something" had thrown a large seed pod at one of them. She went on to tell me that she believed it was the woman in white who she claimed had played with her before. She said that in the past that she had thrown rocks into the woods only to have one thrown back.
It proved to be an interesting night indeed
Here are a few more photos that have orbs in them taken in the area of Culps Hill

Devil's Den

"Devil's Den" Located in Gettysburg PA. has the reputation of being one of the most haunted areas of the battlefield.

Drum rolls, and gun shot sounds are a common sound in this area
For some reason camera's used in this area do not function properly Batteries that were new just moments before die for no reason and photos will show up black. It is believed that this is caused by what happened after the battle.
 Photography was still new during the Civil War. Photographer Alexander Gardner was at Devil's Den a few days after the battle before the dead were removed.  In order to get a better shot, he instructed his assistants to move the bodies of dead soldiers to different locations, so he could take photos..We now believe that he moved one particular man to the pile of rocks so he could take photos. This has become one of the most well known photos of the battle.

Some people believe that the spirit of the solider can not rest, and it is him that causes the camera's of modern day tourist not to work.  Once they leave the area the camera is fine. Many visitors report hearing disembodied sounds, see orbs and have even seen shadow people in the woods nearby.

The first time I saw the above viedo I thought it was a fake. I had never been to Gettysburg. Now after visiting this area several times I am leaning towards it being real.
I have been both during the day and at night and find it most unusual.

On our recent trip this past Oct. my husband caught this orb on film. (It is at the very top of the photo)

This orb is very tiny and at the top center, but when we lighten this photo it shows up clear on the computer.
Can it be a fluke in the camera? Of course. Orbs are not really considered evidence, but they do make you think

Tell me what you think

I have a photo in my files that I had not paid any particular attention to until I did my previous post. I was searching through looking for photos that had orbs in them when I saw this one of the cannon. Just for the heck of it I put it into Picasa so I could fill in the light to see what might show up. Much to my surprise I found this.

Click on photo and enlarge on your computer to see the details clearly

Look closely in the red circled area..Do you see the young solider? No one was there when the photo was taken..At lest no one of our world..
Let me know what you think

The Camera's Eye

Now that things have settled down somewhat from my trip to Gettysburg a few weeks ago, I thought I would go back and talk a little about some of the ghost stories surrounding the area that the "ghost hunt" took us on. As I mentioned in the previous post we were taken out to an area called "The Grove" which is on the edge of East Cemetery Hill where much of the fighting on the second day took place. One of the units fighting that day were the Louisiana Fighting Tigers. These rough and tough men were not just your ordinary solider, but were made up of the worst of the worst. Most of the men were murders or worst and had been serving time in prison when the war broke out and were promised their freedom if they fought. You can only imagine the surprise on the Union troops when they came rushing at them out of the woods that day not only rifles but hammers, rocks, sticks, knives and bare fist. The union army struck back with anything they could find and the woods were full of dead and injured men when it was over. Like much of Gettysburg men were buried where they laid in temporary graves, until months and even years later they were removed and placed in cemeteries.
Fast forward to modern times: A new middle school is built along side the battlefield. Where the stadium now stands we know that several bodies had been buried. It was along this area that my blog friend Linda and her daughter Amanda, and Amanda's friend Darci, my husband and myself explored. With Linda's permission I am posting the photos that she captured that night

This strange mist showed up in one of the first photos. No one was smoking, it was not cold enough to see your breath, and nothing we can explain made this mist. We did not see it with our eyes. Only with the camera.

The next few photos are of orbs in the area.
Now I know a lot of people don't believe an orb is anything but dust, and yes some of this might be dust, but I do believe some of these are true orbs because they seem to hold there own light

See the orb at the top

This one is near the wall

Some of the stories of haunting of this area include woman being pinched..sounds of gun fire, smells of tobacco,

Here are some photos from my previous visits to the same area

Is this dust in every photo? Or could it be the energy of lost souls, still haunting the grounds of Gettysburg...
You decide

Carved In Stone

I had heard the following story before my recent trip to Gettysburg, so of course I had to go and find this rock. I stood there for a few minutes looking at it and wondering if I should take a chance and trace the name with my finger....
Do you think I did? Read the story and then decide.
Answer at the bottom of this post.

(Please note this story was found on the Internet and in no way do I accept any credit for it. If for some reason there is a copy-right associated with this story and I have no rights to reprint it here please let me know and I will remove it ASAP...
The photograph is my property and I do have the right to post it..
Thank You.
From: Haunted Gettysburg by Jack Bochar & Bob Wasel

Since the battle fo Gettysburg and even before, myriads of tales, sightings and unconventional occurances associated with Gettysburg have been abumdant. One legend, in particular, is worthy of repeating here, for tangible testimony exists to the core of the account.

Near Devil's Den, to the right of Smith's 4th New York Battery, stands a rock, on which can be found the name, "P. NOEL" carved into it. Some locals in Gettysburg contend that the name was simply a battlefield maintenance worker who, many years ago, carved his name into the rock for reasons only known to him. Others, however, strongly argue that a young girl, named Pauline Noel, was the owner of the name carved into the rock. They said that years ago, Pauline lived in the area on her father's farm. One of life's enjoyments to Pauline was to accompany her father whenever he worked in the fields. On one disasterous day, Pauline went with her father as usual, enjoying the farming and his company when, the wagon hit a rock, throwing the young girl off. Horrified and in shock, the father jumped off only to find he was too late. What he witnessed was the lifeless body of his sweet daughter Pauline, mangled - and decapitated.

They claim that many people through the years have seen the headless body of Pauline Noel roaming the battlefield in search of her head. Legend also maintains that Pauline's spirit, while roaming the battlefield, came upon that rock and, using her fingers, burned her name into that very stone. You may believe whatever you want, but remember Pauline's story when you visit and touch the carved rock. However, - beware to those who dare run their fingers in the etched grooves of P. Noel - there awaits another part of the legend!


So did I trace the letters?

NO WAY!!!!
Legend says if you do...you will have bad luck the rest of your life!

A little local Ghost Hunters

This is a recent show from "Ghost Hunters"
This episode was filmed locally at the beautiful Edgewood Plantation. Although I have not been inside I have driven by several times. After watching this show I may have to talk the hubby into a romantic get away weekend.

Haunted Town

Do you think an entire town can be haunted? Well, according to what I have been reading on the Internet the town of Atchison Kansas is.

In fact the Travel Channel has done a special segment called Haunted Town that depicts many of the haunted places in Atchison, including Sallie's House, Benedictine College, and more.

Some of the reports I've read include Atchison Street where a woman once lost control of her horses plunging into the river and drowning. It is said that her voice can be heard calling to those who are walking along the river to come join her.

At Jackson Park an area called Molly’s Hollow where couples go to "park." Is haunted by a young woman named Molly who was found hanging in a tree. Her killer was never found. In addition to Molly’s chilling cries, many witnesses also claim to have seen a ghostly figure hanging in the tree where her body was discovered.

A Kearny & 5th Street Home is said to be haunted by a friendly ghost. Not only has the ghost been known to help the gentleman owner into his over coat, but the lady of the house while out of town commented that she would love a cup of tea. When she arrived home, she found a cup, saucer, tea bag, and spoon were sitting on the counter and the tea kettle was on.

A North 2nd Street house is know as Sallie's, the Heartland Ghost home.– Sallie, the “Heartland Ghost,” is said to haunt this house that once belonged to a local doctor. The tale of Sallie’s ghost has been featured three times on the popular 1990’s paranormal television show Sightings, as well as Unexplained Mysteries. Sallie is a six year old child that died in the house. For more information on this house visit The Sallie House

To learn more about the town of Atchison Kansas Visit here

Book Surprise

got a nice surprise in the mail this week. An advance copy of this book.


I first heard of Author Beth Brown a little over a year ago when I was browsing in my local book store. Her book Haunted Battlefields: Virginia's Civil War Ghost, caught my eye.
Along with being an author Beth is the founder of a group called "Virginia Society of Paranormal Education and Research (VASPER)".

Now you all know how much I love my ghost, so I of course I contacted Beth to let her know how much I enjoyed the Battlefield book.. She wrote me back and mentioned that her group had just done an investigation at Berkley Plantation in Charles City VA. a few weeks prior. I was very excited at hearing this because it turns out that the weekend after her group had been there my husband and I had been for a visit.

While there that day I had asked the tour guide to tell me about the ghost stories I had already head about the plantation. The guide then mentioned that a group out of Richmond had just come down for an investigation. I started putting two and two together and realized that was the same group that Beth was in. What a small world!

Since then I have been following Beth via her web page A few months ago I found out that she has a new book coming out called "Haunted Plantations Of Virginia"

Several weeks ago Beth had a contest asking her fans to write a review on Amazon.com about the Haunted Battlefields book. In turn she would enter your name into a contest for a chance to win An advanced autographed copy prior to the public release of her new book Haunted Plantations. I was really excited when I found out I had won!!

The book came in the mail yesterday and here is what I found out from Beth..
I am the first person (besides her editor, publisher, and herself) that's seen the book. They just arrived at the publisher's warehouse today.

I am so honored to have the first copy. I have been reading on and off all day (I had to work), and I am almost finished. I can't put it down! Of course the first thing I did was turn to the chapter on Berkley Plantation. I won't spoil the book by reveling to you exactly what happened there but I will tell you that the place is haunted!

I am not sure how many book stores across the U.S. will carry the book, but you can order a copy via Amazon.com.
I highly recommend the book for anyone who loves these type of stories and especially if you plan on being in or live in Virginia.

The book has already inspired me to take a couple of road trips. I have to check out some of the homes she has listed and of course you know what that means..I will share my adventures with all of you! Until then

Happy Haunting....

Whaley House Tour

A friend of mine recently visited the Whaley House, Located in San Diego California




The Whaley House has been called the most haunted d house in the United states by the travel channel. The Whaley house was haunted even before the house was built and the family moved in. The first ghost to be reported was the ghost of James “Yankee Jim” Robinson who was hanged in 1852. He was hanged on the property that was used as a gallows before Thomas Whaley purchased the property and built the house. According to the San Diego Union, after the Whaley family moved in, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps moving around the house and concluded that these footsteps were made by “Yankee Jim”. Years later, many visitors to the house said that they saw the ghost of Thomas Whaley
Four family members of the Whaleys died in the house including Anna Whaley. The ghost of Anna Whaley has been seen by visitors in the garden or in the rooms located downstairs. Furthermore, some visitors claimed that they have seen an apparition of a woman in the courtroom.
A spirit of a dog was captured; it is said that the dog was a spotted fox terrier; the apparition of the dog was caught running into the dining room in the house. The Whaley family used to own a terrier named Dolly Varden when they were still alive. The dog died of natural causes and is said to lick the bare legs of women and is mostly seen by children....



While my friend was in the home, she said that the batteries in her camera died, only to have full charge again once she left the house. Also she said that she turned her cell phone to silence while in the home, yet when she entered the chidlrens bedroom, it rang..TWICE and no one was there.
Here is her tour exactly as she gave it to me....


First lets see the courtroom. Originally built as a granary this room was expected to be rat proof because of its brick construction but it wasn't. This room was also used as a school house, a billard hall, a ballroom and a church. From 1869-1871 Mrs Whaley rented this space to the county of San Diego for use as the courthouse.



Next is the general store, Whaley was foremost a business man, and the original design of the house had this in mind. In the earliest found documents he sold buckwheat, macaroni, leaf lard, clear pork, codfish, preserved fruits, oysters, lobsters, pickles, and tomato catchup. His merchandise also included household wares such as wooden wares, tin wares, hardware, and stationary. As well as all manners of clothing such as boots and shoes. Later in the years he also dabbled in liqueur sales such as champagne, ale, porter, hock wine, and schnapps.



As we round the corner we enter the dining room. The chairs are circa 1860 walnut and covered with actual horse hair. The original kitchen was outside and the floor cloth was made of oilcloth and painted with many layers of varnish





Rounding the corner we have two ways to go. Across from us in the rear downstairs bedroom or the guest chamber. General Sedgewick stayed here durning his campaign to attract a transcontinental railroad to locate its pacific coast terminus at San Diego.
Stories passed down from the family say that Lillian Whaley used this room as she got older and her health declined.



Now we move upstairs


From here there are three ways to go. Striaght ahead lies the theater, to the left the master bedroom and on the right the childrens rooms. Lets start at the theater.


Feel free to have a seat, the theater, was leased to Mr Thomas Tanner from Oct 1868 thru Januay 1869. His group was called the Tanner Troupe, and they boasted a diverse repertoire from dramas to comedy. Mr Tanner died shortly after the theater was opened and the troupe was disbanned, so in 1869 this room was rented to the county for meetings of the board of supervisors and the storage of county records




Now lets move onto the Whaley's master bedroom. The orignal bedroom suite is walnut and the hand woven coverlet is circa 1850.



Now lets go to the most haunted room in the whaley house. The children's room is considered cottage style. It is said the dolls will be moved in the dark hours of the night and that the puzzle will be scattered across the floor when employees return for work the next morning.



As we leave the upstairs the last room we visit is the rear bedroom. The furniture in this room is not original to the Whaley family but is from that time period. It is also unkown who would have used this room, employees spectulate that it would have been used for up to four children or visiting family members





As we head back downstairs be aware that there have been stories of Mrs Whaley standing at the head of these stairs in a frock coat and pantaloons.





From here we will visit the Study, and the palor which are attached to each other.
Thomas Whaley was also a city clerk, notary of the public, realtor and real estate investor as well as the railroad secretary. His did much of his paperwork and correpsondce in the study.


This chair rocks by itself

Now to the parlor, it is furnished with items that originally belonged to the Whaley's. The pump organ was Anna's and still works today. She was a musical woman who passed this love onto her children. In fact her son George played professionally at Horton Hall in San Diego's new town.

On My List

It’s just a little over a month now until my trip to Gettysburg PA. I am already thinking ahead to make sure I visit all the hot spots for haunted activity which in Gettysburg is just about everywhere.
Did you know that Gettysburg has been listed as one of the most haunted places in the U.S 
On my trip to Gettysburg last year we took several of the ghost tours. One of those was to the Farnsworth House.
One of the most famous ghost in the house is a lady named Mary She often lays down on the bed with the guest. There is also the ghost of a small boy who was hit by a carriage in front of the house while playing. His father rushed him into the house where he died a few minutes later. There are sounds in the attic of footsteps of soldiers. The bullet that shot and killed Jennie Wade was suppose to have come from this window.


Do you see the white mist? I can’t explain how it got there. The window is clear glass and overlooks the street and when looking out the window you see other buildings. There was nothing that should have caused this abnormality on the disk. Notice the heart shape? The photo was taken while sitting in the attic listening to stories about the house and the hauntings. While there the door to the attic opened on its own. There is no way anyone went in or out. I was sitting near the door and it is at the top of the stairs. I would have seen anyone who opened the door if they tried to run down the stairs without being seen.

I’ve put this house on my list to take a closer look at.

Creepy

I don't often blog about places that I haven't been to myself, but this caught my eye. I was watching "A haunting" tonight on TV and the episode was about Dartford Cemetery in Greenlake, Wisconsin. I have to tell you it really creeped me out. I normally don't mind cemeteries, but after watching this show I don't think I would want to go here even in the day time.
The following is from Unexplained Research and tells you about the show and the cemetery


A Haunting, Featuring the Dartford Cemetery

By Ashley Allgood


11/10/07 - The People’s Media Company

I am a huge fan of the Discovery Channel’s TV show "A Haunting." The show is in the top 10 shows for my TIVO to record. I’ve always loved ghost stories but I make a point not to watch the show too late at night. The show has a spooky host walking you through a real life ghost story. "A Haunting" reminds me of "Unsolved Mysteries" with it’s reenactments plus first hand accounts from the people who experienced the horror. I will honestly admit the show does a great job of creeping me out!
The most recent episode was called "Legend Trippers." Three brave teenagers take it upon themselves to investigate their town’s local legend. A "Legend Tripper" is someone who casually investigates alleged haunted places so they can decide for themselves if it is haunted.

The teens go to "Dartford Cemetery" which is located in Greenlake, Wisconsin. Legend has it that if you sit upon the top of the mausoleum a ghost will push you off. Yeah, sure let’s go there! I think not!

The show starts off with some teens sneaking into the cemetery late one night. They take a peek at an Indian grave first. According to the website featured on the show "Unexplained Research" apparitions of an Indian chief have been known to repeatedly appear. The teens climb upon the mausoleum and then start to tell the story of what happened on Halloween to some teens from their school.

The story: A teen, Nick gets online in search of something fun for him and his friends to do on Halloween night. He comes across the website "Unexplained Research" which has a list of supposed haunted places in Wisconsin. He decides to go to "Dartford Cemetery". This "Legend Trip" has a dare which is something the seeker must do in order to prompt the super natural occurrence. This dare is to sit on top of the mausoleum. So, of course Nick and his friends (John & Christian) decide to take the dare.

The fact simple that these boys are walking through a cemetery at night on Halloween is creepy enough for me. They walk around the cemetery and try to provoke a ghost to come out. But nothing happens except one guy playing a joke on another. They do climb upon the mausoleum and after awhile they see a crack. This scares them since it wasn’t there before. They climb down and before John can get down he is pushed. He yells telling his friends someone just pushed him! The two other guys are shocked since they didn’t even tell their friend about the legend for fear he’d be too scared to join them. Nick heads back to the car with John since he’s a little more than freaked out. The other guy Christian, though wants to check things out a little more. Brave guy, right? I guess they didn’t remember one of the major rules of horror movies. NEVER SPLIT UP!

More and more spooky things keep each happening to each of the boys like names and dates changing on tomb stones & seeing people. The confused and scared boys head home not speaking of what they saw. Only later after Nick has a dream about the cemetery they decide to talk about it. The story passes from one teller to the next.

The show returns to the original teens who were checking out "Dartford Cemetery" and I feel their experience was VERY creepy. Evil seems to follow them outside the cemetery!

I am sure this show will draw a lot of people to be one of the many Legend Trippers. But Nick and his friends will never return! I personally don’t blame them.

The show also showed information on another haunted location called "Witch Road" which is located in Rosendale, Wisconsin. You can find more information on Witch Road at "Unexplained Research."

Want to go check it out for yourself? Hop over to MapQuest and plan your trip. Just please don’t invite me along!


Sources: http://www.unexplainedresearch.com/media/a_haunting_featuring_the_dartford_cemetery.html


Video was found on YouTube.

In search of spirits

The night was cold with rain and wind. Just perfect for a visit to a haunted house, and that was exactly where I was headed. My daughter  and I pulled up the Ferry Plantation house in Virginia Beach about a half hour before schedule. We arrived early due to the weather and the fact that even though I grew up in Virginia Beach and have lived in the Hampton Roads area most of my adult life I had never been to this house. Thankfully another person was arriving the same we were and showed us the way up to the house which was a short distance from the parking area. 
I loved the house from the minute I walked in and at no time felt uncomfortable.






As you can see it is full of warm cozy furnishings. 
We were given a short tour, told some stories then allowed to move about on our own. One of the local paranormal groups was there for this tour and had brought some equipment in which we were allowed to use. We grabbed a infra-red thermometer and a set of dowsing roads and set off to see if we would have any type of experience
We had heard the story of Sally Rebecca Walke who lived and died in this house, She seemed to respond when asked questions using the dowsing rods my daughter has in her hands. (young lady in the photo in the middle is Sally)


Some people believe that when a spirit is present that there energy will cause the rods to cross. We used them for simple yes and no questions. We would ask them to cross for yes and then ask the sprits to uncross them for us. It worked over and over.




We also heard the story of Henry a slave who died here. His room was at the top of these stairs. Its been turned into a storage room now.



We were told he had been chained to the wall at some point (not sure if this is a true story, We heard it from a teenage boy that was there with the paranormal group).

Rebecca seemed to be taken with this area and we spent some time there using the “ghost hunting equipment”







We never could get the meter to flash, but the dowsing rods did cross several times.
We moved on to other areas of the house. I was anxious to see if Eric the child that had died in the house would communicate with us. We made our way to the gift shop where I took out my voice recorder. We ask Eric if he was there, waited for a response. (It is believed that voices of the dead can be heard with a tape recorder. What we can not hear with our ears can be picked up electronically) We then asked him to make a noise for us. For several minutes we could hear what sounded like a tapping noise at the window. Both my daughter and I could hear it and of course realize that it can easily be de-bunked due to the rain outside, but it only seemed to tap when we asked it to. Was it our over active imagination? I am not sure, but it was enough to make us both nervous so we didn’t stay in there long. When I played back the recording. I can hear the knocks along with what sounds like a voice saying pretty girl, and also in response to me asking if Eric wants to come play…a YES, Before we took out the voice recorder we had used a pendulum in this room and ask simple yes and no question.  When ask if Eric was in the room it swung in the direction of yes, when asked if he wanted to play, it swung no, and when asked if he was frightened, yes, when asked if he would play later, it stood still and shook as if there was an undecided answer.
Our hostess had also used a pendulum in  another room and it seemed to be responding to “something”.



I really enjoyed roaming around this house and tried to spend time in the areas that were suppose to have the most activity.
On the third floor is  where the Nanny's room had been. She had died when she was descending these stairs




The way the story goes is she caught her heel on the third step from the top, and over the years others have either fallen up or down these stairs at the exact same spot.
Other than the tapping we did not have any personal experiences, but really enjoyed our evening and I plan on going back again.
Here is a slide show of random photos of the house.