I wrote a post about one of
the most famous ghosts of Alcatraz, Robert Stroud. Stroud is not the only ghost
that has been seen at Alcatraz over the years. Alcatraz first housed prisoners
in the late 1850s. These first inmates were military prisoners who were put to
work building a new prison. The U.S. Army used the island until 1933 at which
point the U.S. Government decided to use Alcatraz or “The Rock” as a maximum-security prison that could house the most incorrigible
inmates.
When a prisoner was bought to
The Rock they knew that life was not going to be easy. Alcatraz was structured
to only provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care. All other basic needs
had to be earned. Some of the incorrigibles that were sent to Alcatraz included
famous criminals such as Al Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis
and Arthur “Doc” Barker. Unlike other prisons
the prisoners could not manipulate special privileges from the guards.
Alcatraz was known for its
tough discipline. Any prisoner refusing to follow the rules risked
being placed in the Strip Cell. This cell was located on the lower tier of Cell
Block D. It was a steel cell, where inmates were stripped naked and given only
water and bread. A mattress was placed on the floor at night and then removed
every morning. The cell’s toilet was a hole in the cell floor also there was no
sink in this cell. When prisoners where placed in the Strip Cell they had no
contact with other inmates and their time was spent in pitch-darkness.
Other punishment cells
located on D Block were known as “holes” they were also located on the lower
tier. In these cells prisoners were kept in isolation for nineteen days. They had a sink, toilet, one light bulb, and a mattress that was removed in
the morning.
Alcatraz was closed in 1963 because it was found that it would cost too much to repair the crumbling prison. In later years the Parks Service
reopened parts of the island and prison for daily public tours. At this
point rumors of torture began to emerge. It was felt that since Alcatraz
was on an isolated island away from public view that the inmates were probably
tortured and that “their tortured and bitter spirits were now haunting the
halls of the prison.”
One area that is known to be
haunted is the Utility Corridor. It is here that inmates Coy, Cretzer and
Hubbard were plummeted with bullets during their attempt to escape. In 1976 a security
guard making his nightly rounds reported hearing unexplained eerie clanging
sounds coming from this corridor.
Another active area is Cell
14D this is one of the original “hole” cells. Both visitors and employees have
reported feeling cold chills along with an intense presence in this cell. It was in this cell in the 1940s that a prisoner who was locked in-- screamed the whole night-- claiming there was a creature with glowing eyes trying to kill him. The next
day the guards found this prisoner dead, he had apparently been
strangled. Later that day several guards reported seeing this same inmate in line with
others and then he just vanished.
There are many more areas
that are haunted at Alcatraz. In a future post I will describe these areas and
their ghostly presences.
The Paris Catacombs or l’ossuarie
municipal contain over 6 million bodies that are placed along underground
tunnel walls spanning more than 186 miles. These bodies were placed here
starting in the late 1780s because the cities cemeteries were overcrowded and
were condemned because people who lived close by were becoming ill. These catacombs
have been a tourist attraction for over 100 years and not surprisingly are
considered to be very haunted.
The Paris Catacombs came into
being because the city was built from limestone that was quarried from
underground tunnels. Over the centuries these tunnels became a large complex
network that supplied Paris’ ever expanding building needs. In the 18th century
the weight of several buildings built above these hollowed out tunnels began to
collapse. In April of 1777 sections of these tunnels deemed dangerous were
closed off.
A second problem arose for
Parisians in the 18th century, as the city grew its graveyards
became very full. The “Cemetery of the Innocent” alone held more than thirty
generations of human remains. At first this problem was solved by establishing “chariers”
which are mass graves built above ground for the poorer residents of Paris. These mass graves rose ten feet above the
ground.
For the people who lived
close to these graveyards the smell became intolerable. This problem worsened
when several of these mounds broke open literally spilling rotting bodies into
nearby roads. Disease started to spread among the living in the vicinity.
People began dying from the pestilence spread by the corpses.
The decision was made to
start emptying the cemeteries and place the bones in the cities underground
tunnels. In 1785 the first bones were placed underground in these established quarries. These quarries became
known as the Paris Catacombs. It is a universal belief that disturbing the dead
is taboo. It is felt the dead should be left in peace. In this case like many
places around the world the living took precedence.
These disturbed spirits haunt
the catacombs today. In fact the Paris
Catacombs are listed as one of the top ten haunted places in the world.
Visitors have claimed unseen hands have touched them, some state they felt the sensation
of being followed. Yet others had felt cold spots. More unfortunate visitors
have claimed they were strangled and there has been cases where people have
even had hysterical breakdowns as a result of what they experienced while in
the catacombs.
On September 23, 1955, the
British actor Alec Guinness met James Dean, a teen idol, and an up and coming American actor outside a Hollywood restaurant.
Dean invited Guinness to take a look at
his new car, a silver Porsche Spyder, a much-coveted vehicle that had been built for
speed and racing. Dean called his new vehicle, “The Little Bastard.”
Guinness upon inspecting the
car became very agitated, and he told Dean, “if you get in that car, you will be
dead in it by this time next week.” Alec Guinness’ advice was spot on for seven
days later, Dean was dead at the age of 24. He was killed in a head-on collision
with another car. The Spyder was wrecked. Guinness was not the first to warn
Dean about the vehicle, several of Dean’s friends had already warned him about
driving it. The irony is Dean, an avid racing enthusiast, had only bought the Spyder
as a substitute until the Lotus he had ordered arrived. He owned the car a total
of just nine days before the accident.
George Barris whose specialty
was customizing vehicles bought The Little Bastard, which was now poorly mangled.
He had customized the 550 Porsche for Dean before his death. Barris hesitated
over the purchase admitting to friends, the car gave him “a bad feeling.” His gut feeling was right because as the wrecked car was unloaded from the delivery truck at his garage, it slipped and fell on one of his
mechanics, breaking both of his legs.
Dean’s Spyder was salvaged
for parts, and the curse continued curiously in these separate parts. During a
race in October of 1956, a doctor by the name of Troy McHenry drove a car with
salvaged parts from Dean’s Spyder’s, his rival in this race, William Eschrid’s Lotus
contained the engine from the Porsche. McHenry was killed when his car skidded
out of control and hit a tree. Eschrid’s car turned over, and he suffered
critical injuries. He stated later that the car suddenly “locked up.”
Shortly after this race, a
youngster slipped and injured his arm while trying to steal the Porsche’s
steering wheel. Barris reluctantly sold two of the Spyder’s tires. A few days
later both these tires blew out at the same time, the odds of two tires blowing at the same time is considered a very unusual occurrence, the driver of this car barely escaped death.
In light of these accidents, Barris considered sinking what remained of the wreckage in the Pacific Ocean. Still, instead, he loaned the car to the National Safety Council for an exhibition
on road safety. During this time, the garage where Barris was storing the
wreckage burned to the ground. Every vehicle in this garage was destroyed except
for the Spyder.
The curse continued when a truck driver who was hauling the wreckage died. His truck skidded off the
road, and he was thrown from the cab, at which point the wrecked car fell off the flatbed crushing him. What remained of the Spyder,
mysteriously disappeared from the back of another truck. This eerie disappearance
appears to have ended the curse, but since it is not known what happened next, this story is left with unanswered questions.
In September of 2008 a
commuter train carrying 225 passengers collided with a freight train in
California’s San Fernando Valley. 135 people were injured in this crash 86
people were rushed to local hospitals, 25 people died. One of the deceased passengers
was a 46-year old man by the name of Charles E. Peck who lived in Salt Lake
City. Peck was traveling to California for a job interview because he wanted to
move closer to his fiancé. The two planned to wed as soon as they lived in the
same state. This was to be Peck’s second marriage; he had two grown children.
His fiancé, accompanied by
Peck’s parents and siblings were driving to the train station to pick him up
when they heard about the crash. Peck’s body was not recovered from the wreckage
until 12 hours after the accident. For the first eleven hours of the 12 his cell phone placed call after call to his various family members. His son,
his brother, his stepmother, his sister, and his fiancé all received calls.
When they picked up their phones all they heard was static: when they attempted
to call Peck back their calls went directly to voice mail.
These calls gave his family
hope that he was still alive but possibly trapped somewhere in the wreckage.
This barrage of calls prompted search crews to trace the whereabouts of the
phone through its signal and to look through what was left of the first train,
the location the calls came from. The searches finally found Peck’s body about
an hour after his phone calls stopped.
It was determined that
Charles Peck died on impact but long after his death, his cell phone continued
to call the people he cared about. This cell phone, which led rescuers to his
body, was never found.
The crash that killed Peck
became known as the Chatsworth crash, it was the deadliest in Metrolink’s
history. It was determined that the commuter train engineer failed to heed a
red signal light, instead he continued on a track that a Pacific freight train
coming from the opposite direction had been given the right of way for. Tragically, it was another cell phone that caused the crash, the National
Transportation Safety board found that the Metrolink engineer was texting
messages as his train left the station and that he continued to text
messages—the last one he sent was just 22 seconds before the collision. Here is a news report with Charles Peck's fiancé talking about these phone calls.
In Huntsville, Alabama, there
is a very unusual playground. This playground is located within the walls of
Maple Hill Cemetery. The locals call it “Dead Children’s
Playground.” During the day there is nothing unique about it, but at night it
takes on a very dark or scary aura.
Maple Hill Cemetery was
founded on two acres of land in 1822, today it covers over 100 acres of land. It is the final resting place for many Confederate and Union soldiers. I t
is also the final resting place for some of Alabama’s former governors and U.S.
senators. Maple Hill is the oldest and largest cemetery in the state of Alabama.
Huntsville is a charming southern town that is nestled within a picturesque valley. It is said that when you enter Huntsville’s cemetery, it is as if time has
stood still. Three rock cliffs and a lovely wooded path surround Maple
Hill’s children’s playground. Despite its beauty, during the day most are
advised to stay away at night because it is believed the spirits of dead children
come out to play. The reason given for this is in the 1960s the peaceful Huntsville was plagued by several child abductions. Some of the bodies of
these young victims were found at this playground.
There is no documented proof
to support the above story, but many residents of Huntsville stand by it. Because ever since the abductions and killings, there have been reports of swings
moving on their own and voices of children are heard calling out to each other. These children are also heard giggling. Strange mists have been caught in photos that
have been taken after dark. Most of the activity that has been noted has occurred
between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.
One strange phenomenon that
is reported is the fact that the swings move “they are in sync with one
another, even if they are stopped.” Witnesses have even seen the dust fly up from
the ground under the swings as if someone just jumped off. Some
photos taken have a misty light in them that resembles the height of a child. Other witnesses observed the ghost of a man sitting on one of the cliffs above the
playground watching the children play. It is said he is the man who abducted
and killed the children.
At one point the city of
Huntsville removed the playground equipment to make room for more
burial plots. The residents protested, and new playground equipment
was installed. After this, the mysterious activity continued.
Today no one is allowed in the cemetery at night, but many people say you can see lights around the playground after dark. This is unusual because there are no lights to illuminate the area.
This mystery took place in the
West Indies at Christ Church Parish Barbados in the early 19th
century. It involved several incidents
of moving coffins within the Chase family vault. This vault is located seven
miles from Bridgetown in a cemetery in Oistins, Barbados.
The first coffin to be placed
in this vault which is built half above and half below ground held the body of a Chase
family friend by the name of Mrs. Thomasin Goddard. She was placed in a simple
wooden coffin built in July of 1807. Next to be placed in the vault was two
year-old Mary Anna Maria Chase in 1808. Her older sister Dorcas Chase was
placed in the vault on July 6, 1812. Both girls were buried in heavy lead
caskets. Some people at the time said Dorcas starved herself to death because
she was in a deep depression at the time, a state brought on by having to live
with her ruthless father.
A few weeks after Dorcas was
placed in the vault her father, Thomas Chase died, at his own hand, and was
placed in the vault. His casket was so heavy it took eight men to carry it. Legend
states that Thomas was one of the most despised men in Barbados. It was at this juncture the mystery began.
As Thomas Chase’s coffin was
placed within the vault the pallbearers who carried his coffin noticed that the
two coffins of his daughters that had been put in the vault earlier where
not where they had been placed. Mary Ann’s coffin was lying upside-down in the
opposite corner from where it had been placed. The family coffins where moved back in their original positions side by side, with Thomas’ coffin next to
them. Mary Ann’s coffin being small was set on top of one of the larger
coffins; the crypt was resealed with its heavy stone door.
The locals began to whisper
about this unusual event. The mourners blamed the Chase slaves who had
assisted in the burials. It was stated that they were taking revenge upon a
very cruel master. In reality, his slaves did hate Thomas Chase for he was a
cruel master but their superstitions would have prevented them from disturbing
the dead. The whispers stopped eventually.
Four years later in September
of 1816 the vault was once again opened to bury an infant Charles Brewster
Ames. Just as before the coffins where not where they had been left. In fact
this time it appeared they had been thrown about, including the coffin of
Thomas Chase, which weighted two hundred and forty pounds. Again the vault was
put back in order and sealed.
Shortly after, the vault was
reopened to bury Samuel Brewster. This time a large group of witnesses were
brought to view the vault as it was opened. The stone slab that covered the
door was carefully examined. No trace of tampering was found but when the vault
was opened once again the coffins where found out of place. Mrs. Goddard’s
coffin, the only wooden one was badly damaged so it was wrapped in wire to keep
it together.
This time the vault was
investigated to see if a reasonable cause for the moving coffins could be
found. One witness the Reverend Thomas D. Orderson who examined the vault was
perplexed when nothing was found that could explain the strange happenings. Orderson
later made detailed drawings of how the caskets were found. Once again the
vault was set to rights and sealed.
It was determined that an influx of water could not be the cause because the vault was one
hundred feet above sea level and water would have to flow through flint rock.
It was also determined the vault was too far inland for water to reach.
In July of 1819 the vault was
opened to bury Thomas Clarke, again the coffins were in disarray. Ironically, this time the one coffin left untouched was Mrs. Goddard’s wooden one. One
of the witnesses present was the governor of the island, Lord Combermere who
ordered a professional investigation. The entire vault was looked over carefully but no
explanation could be found. This time the coffins were restacked and Mrs.
Goddard’s coffin was placed against the wall. Sand was placed upon the floor in
an effort to catch the footprints of any who might enter the vault. The vault
was reclosed and the personal seals of the governor were placed in concrete.
One eyewitness, Nathan Lucas
stated, “Thieves certainly had no hand in it, and as for practical wit or hoax,
so many were requisite to be trusted with the secret of it to remain unknown.”
Combermere’s widow wrote
about the mystery years later, “the events were so inexplicable—that they may
be supernatural.”
By this time the entire
island awaited the next opening of the vault. In April of 1820 the vault was
opened not for a burial but to satisfy the governors curiosity. Thousands of
people were present as the governor and several friends approached the vault,
they discovered the seal was unbroken. When they attempted to remove the stone
that sealed the entrance it would not budge. They enlisted the help of more men
and discovered the cause—Thomas Chase’s huge coffin was standing on its head
with its end resting against the middle of the entrance slab.
When the governor and his
companions entered the vault they found the coffins had all moved once again.
Some were even flipped upside down. “The coffin of an infant had been hurled
with so much force against the opposite wall, near where it was lying, that a
deep indentation had been made in the stonework by the corner where it struck.” To their amazement the sand on the floor revealed no footprints.
Another witness, Sir Robert
Schomburgk described the vault in this manner, “The coffins were flung about as
if they had been toys in the hands of some gargantuan child, and no human
agency could have possibly contrived the disturbance.”
After this the mystery still
unsolved, the vault was abandoned at the request of the Chase family. The
coffins inside were buried in other locations. The vault itself still stands at
Christ Church but it is vacant.
A side note to this story: Governor
or Lord Combermere was struck by a horse drawn carriage and killed. The entire household
was attending his funeral when a photographer took what is now a very famous
photo of his ghost sitting in his favorite chair in his Combermere Abbey Library located in Chesire England.
A retired couple was visiting
their son in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since he and their daughter-in-law worked
during the day they were left to explore the area on their own. They had
never seen the Great Salt Lake so they decided to drive north of the city to see
it. It was a pretty spring day as they got out of their car and walked hand in
hand along its southern shore.
As the sun set to the west a
chill took hold of the air around them. Having left their jackets in the car
they decided to leave. They had been so wrapped up in the magnificent view that
surrounded them that they had walked further down the path then they had
originally intended.
It quickly became dark and
the air became even colder, the man put his arm around his wife to keep her
warm. As they finally neared the spot where they had parked their car a strong
blast of cold air hit them. As quickly as the wind came it then stopped. The couple wondered at how quiet everything had became. The wife now
frightened tugged upon her husbands sleeve urging him to move faster.
All the sounds that had
accompanied them on their walk, the birds chirping, the water lapping at the
shore, and the breeze through the grass at their feet all now disappeared. It
was like a giant glass jar had been placed around them muting all the normal
sounds. A man appeared in front of them seemingly out of nowhere. He stared at
the couple with a look of loathing upon his face and then turned abruptly and
walked slowly along the lake.
Startled the couple stood
frozen to the spot where the man had first materialized watching him make his
way down the path they had moments before walked. Stunned they saw him
disappear in mid stride. The husband grabbed his wife and stated, these dark shadows must be playing a trick on my old eyes; he seemed to vanish into thin
air. The wife her heart beating fast agreed that what they had seen was probably
just some sort of optical illusion.
The couple quickly proceeded
to their car and drove back to town. At dinner they told their son and his wife
about what they had seen and experienced. The husband concluded with a detailed description of
what the man had held in his hands. He was carrying an old-fashioned dress and
a pair of man’s trousers clutched close to his body. They appeared wet and
rotting as if he had taken them from a garbage heap. His wife chimed in, never
mind what he was carrying, did you see the way he looked at us, I thought for a
moment he meant us bodily harm. I shutter just at the memory.
When the son heard that the
man had just vanished before his parent’s eyes he broke in. I think you saw the
ghost of Jean Baptiste he was the grandson of Sacagawea the woman who led the
Lewis and Clark expedition. People state that he moved to Salt Lake with his
wife seeking anonymity.
He worked as a gravedigger in
1862. It was discovered that he had been stripping bodies of their clothing
after they were buried. He would then sale the clothes making a tidy profit.
When they searched his house they found clothes from children to the very elderly
that he had dug the graves for.
Angry Mormon mobs stood
outside the courthouse the day he was convicted of grave robbery. He was first
exiled to Antelope Island because they could not guarantee his safety at the prison
but it was feared he would wade ashore so they moved him to Fremont Island in
the middle of the Great Salt Lake where he disappeared and was never seen alive
again. Since, many people believe his restless spirit haunts the south shore of the
lake. You two are the first to have seen him in quite awhile.
The Whaley House in San
Diego, California is so haunted it is one of only two houses that the United
States government recognizes as being haunted. San Diego Pioneer Thomas Whaley
built his home in 1856. Unfortunately, the land he chose to build it upon was a
Kumeyaay Indian burial ground. In the early 19th century when
San Diego became a booming city, disease and conflict dropped the Kymeyaay
population in a brief ten years from 16,000 to 9,000.
The ghosts at the Whaley
House have been witnessed by large numbers of people—often by groups of people
who witness the phenomenon at the same time. One ghost often seen at the Whaley House’s is that of Yankee Jim Robinson. In 1853 Robinson was a colorful
character who tried to steal a boat—it is said he did this so that he could become a
pirate. During his attempt he was hit over the head with a butt of a sword and
badly injured.
The story goes he was put on
trail right away still suffering from a bad concussion. The judge at his trail
was drunk, he convicted Robinson immediately. Then while he was still semi-conscience Robinson was
hanged on a makeshift scaffold. Because of Robinson’s height his feet could just touch the floor, which resulted in a slow suffocation; it took him nearly an hour to die. This exact spot was where the future Whaley House
was built.
Yankee Jim is said to haunt
the stairs heading from the first floor to the second, specifically the ninth
step, which is believed to be where he dangled during his drawn-out death. Some
visitors to the Whaley House have experienced the feeling of a noose tightening
around their necks as they tour the house. Yankee Jim has also been spotted
standing behind tour guides during their presentations.
The builder of the house
Thomas Whaley, is another ghost that is very active. Visitors and volunteers often
smell the sweet aroma of a Cuban cigar—Thomas Whaley's favorite brand—in fact
this aroma is sometimes so overpowering that some visitors have to leave the home. Thomas’s ghost is seen wearing a long coat and top hat. His spirit roams the
house but he is most often seen at the top of stairs or in the master bedroom. People
hear his booming laughter throughout the house regularly.
Thomas’ wife Anna is yet another
ghost often spotted downstairs and in the garden. A distinct smell of perfume
is associated with her presence. One volunteer walking through the garden noticed
a young woman picking flowers without permission. She approached the young
woman who was wearing a long cream dress with her hair swept up in an
old-fashioned hairstyle. When the volunteer got within ten feet of this woman she just vanished.
Thomas and Anna had a
red-haired daughter who died at the age of eleven under mysterious
circumstances. It is known that she ate some poisonous powder. She is by far
the most playful ghost in the house. She often appears to children her own age.
She is so real they don’t at first realize she is a ghost. She likes to pull
hair and tickle the house’s young visitors. It is said that she is responsible for
the swinging meat clever in the kitchen, which hundreds of visitors have
witnessed.
Thomas Whaley died at the age
of 67 in 1890; Anna lived until 1913. The last Whaley to live in the house was
Corinne Lillian Whaley who was the youngest of six children. She died in 1953. After
this, the Whaley House fell into disrepair. Its' demolition was prevented in
1956 by the Historical Shrine Foundation of San Diego County,
which bought the land and building. Today the house is an historical museum and
has been restored to its original splendor.
A recent curator of the Whaley
House Museum a Mrs. Reading arrived at the house early one morning in order to
prepare things for the days' visitors. She was making her usual inspections when
she rounded a corner into the dining room and came face to face with a Native
American Indian who looked to be as real as anything else in the room except
that he had no feet. He hovered in view for a few minutes and then faded away.
There are so many eyewitness
accounts that I will not attempt to list them all. Here are just a few compelling ones. One tour group was being shown the rooms upstairs when
they all heard the piano being played downstairs. The piano music was still heard
as the group gathered at the the bottom of the stairs but then the music just stopped. The music room was silent. Anna Whaley while alive loved to sing and play her piano. She also
loved her music box and this box is heard playing when no one has wound it. Other witnesses
have heard singing in the building late at night, when everything is locked and
the lights are out. Window shutters are seen opening and closing at night as
well.
Many witnesses have seen a
young boy playing in the Whaley House master bedroom. The Whaley’s lost one son
while he was a toddler, people hear him laughing and crying in the house.
Disneyland and Walt Disney World have more ghosts
connected to them than any other theme parks in the United States. The most active
area of the park ironically is the Haunted Mansion attraction. Disney employees most often spot these ghosts when the park is closed to the public,
early in the morning or late at night.
One story is of a young
“crying boy” whose apparition is seen at the Haunted Mansion. He is seen most
often in the area where the public exits the ride. He is described as hunched
over and weeping into his hands. No one knows why he is so upset but it is
known that one mother after her son died requested that the park allow her to
spread her son’s ashes close to the mansion since this was her son’s favorite
attraction. Walt Disney World denied her request but she ignored this and late one night
near closing she spread her son’s ashes in the area without permission.
When the Haunted Mansion was
first built a sound engineer was setting up equipment before the attraction was
opened to the public. He kept hearing music. He thought maybe the sound was
coming from behind one of the walls. He wondered if a radio had been left
behind by accident. Although, as time passed no radio announcer came on but the
music continued to play. The engineer spent quite a lot of time searching for
the source but it was never found.
“The man with the cane” is
another ghost seen in the Haunted Mansion. In the 1940’s a small plane crashed
into a lake near where the Haunted Mansion was built years later. The pilot’s
spirit is said to haunt the mansion today. An employee spotted him while
working alone in the area that is used as a loading dock for the mansion. This
employee looked up and saw a man in a suit holding a cane sitting in one of the
ride’s Doombuggies. Surprised the employee tried to speak to the man but he did
not respond. After a few seconds, parts of him started to slowly fade away.
The staff have encountered
yet another ghost at the mansion who they call “the man in the tuxedo.” His
identity is not known. One attendant who was working near where the passengers
disembark from the ride saw a figure in a mirror behind her that is used by the
employees to see the cars approach. She kept seeing this image throughout her
shift but when she turned no one was there. She described the figure as wearing
a tuxedo. During the same shift she felt a chilly hand rest upon her shoulder
when she turned around no one was there. This employee quit her job at
Disneyland.
Several other ghosts have been encountered at these parks by the employees. One ghost nicknamed “George”
haunts the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. George was a worker at Disneyland who
was involved in a fatal accident when a beam fell on him. He is seen in the
early hours of the morning and is often mistaken for an intruder.
One interesting piece of
evidence that points to Disneyland being haunted is footage that was captured
on security cameras where a figure is tracked as it moves through four screens.
The figure appears to walk right through closed gates and even across water.
Some claim this apparition is Walt Disney himself walking through the grounds.
This story has been told in
Dallas, Texas since the 1930s it is sometimes called the “Lady of White Rock
Lake.” It is a very similar story to the traditional “vanishing hitchhiker.”
story where a young woman in a party dress is given a ride. The driver
typically finding something she left behind, a sweater or scarf, etc. tries to
return it only to find out the young lady had died weeks or years before. Chicago’s Resurrection Mary, also told since the 1930s, is one version of this
traditional hitchhiker story.
Woodrow Wilson High School
students in East Dallas told this story in the 1930s, but it is not known if
they originated it. This version of the story begins with a young couple to escape a hot July summer evening decide to drive out of the city to
park along the cooler shore of White Rock Lake. When they switch on their
headlights to leave they spot a white figure approaching. As the figure draws
near to the driver’s side of their car, they see it is a young woman dressed in
a sheer dress that is dripping wet.
The drenched young woman looks
at them and in a faltering voice says, “Sorry to bother you but I must find a
way home immediately, I was in a boat that overturned, the others are safe, but I
must get home.” The couple offers her a ride, and she climbs into the rumble
seat, stating she doesn’t want to get them wet. She gives them her address,
which is in Oak Cliff on the opposite side of Dallas.
As they travel across town, the young couple becomes ill at ease. They can’t help but feel there is
something odd about their passenger. As they draw near Oak Cliff, the female of
the couple turns to ask for specific directions only to find that the rumble
seat is empty, but is still wet.
After a brief search for the
girl, the couple drives to the address the girl gave them. As they approach the
front door, a man greets them with a worried look. They explain why they are
there, and he replies in a troubled tone, “This is very strange, you are the
third couple who has come to my door with this story. Three weeks ago, while
sailing on White Rock Lake, my daughter was drowned.”
One version of this story that is told in Dallas gives much more specific details. The couple that
encounters the wet young lady are the directors of the famous Neiman-Marcus
store—a Mr. and Mrs. Guy Malloy. The girl is described as a beautiful blonde
with an educated voice who is wearing a fancy dress that was purchased at Neiman-Marcus. This couple is cited, to make the point, that even
hard-working, no-nonsense people see ghosts. Yet another version has a doctor returning
home from a country club dance, he slows down to admire the lake and spots the
young woman beckoning him for a ride. Each vanishing hitchhiker story
has its own nuisances but they obviously are all similar.
In Dallas, some speculate that the wet young lady, whom many have seen over the years, is the spirit of Louise
Ford Davis who committed suicide by drowning herself in the reservoir in July
of 1935.
This story is told in my
state close to Halloween. It is stated that it is a true story. * I really like
it because it is a ghost story with an unusual twist. There are many ghost
stories that have a “hitchhiker” in them. This story also has a hitchhiker in
it but it is not your typical hitchhiker story. For one
thing in this story the hitchhiker is not the ghost…
This happened near a small
mountain town in northern New Mexico. A young man was hitchhiking across the
state on his way back to college. It was late at night and he was walking alongside the road when it started to thunder and lightning. Very quickly this young man was drenched in a typical desert rainstorm. Now cold and wet he
can hardly see two feet in front of him. In despair he wonders if a car will
ever pass.
Finally, he sees a pick-up
truck coming toward him. It approached him slowly and stopped where he stood. The
student without hesitation got into the truck and closed the door. As he wiped
the water from his face he realized that no one was behind the wheel. He
clutched the door handle intending to get out but the truck started to move and
being on a hill it picked up speed quickly.
The man watched as the truck approached a sharp curve; terrified for his life he starts to pray. In the next moment he
spots a black shadowy hand emerge from the rain through the drivers’ side
window as the truck hits the curve. The hand grasps and moves the steering
wheel. Now in shock, the student watches as the hand reappears each time the
truck hits a curve to steer the truck.
As the rain finally stops the young man is able to muster enough courage to open the trucks’ door. He
stumbles out and hits the road at a dead run too frightened to look back. At
the bottom of the mountain he finds a cantina on the edge of a small town, he
enters and orders a shot of tequila. Shaking and visibly upset he gasps out
his story to the locals in the bar as he waits for his drink. The patrons at
first think he must be drunk but when they realize he isn’t they start asking him
questions in concern.
Fifteen minutes later two men
walk into the same cantina. The taller one states to his companion, “Mira,
Pedro, that’s the parasito that got in the truck
while we were pushing it.” * I
have read various versions of this story from Africa, Australia, and of course
Ireland where I believe it originated. This story is told because of its
humorous ending.
One modern day version of
this story was retold in Alvin Schwartz’s book “Scary Stories To Tell in the
Dark.” The basic structure of this story begins with a group of teenagers who
are attending a Friday night party near a graveyard. The conversation always
evolves into a discussion about the cemetery One teenager states that you
should never stand on a grave after dark because the dead occupant will pull
you under.
At this point in the story a
brave person in the group, usually a girl announces that she doesn’t believe
this—it is just a superstition. The group then always “dares” the brave one, in
this scenario a girl, to stand on a grave that very night. She accepts
announcing she isn’t scared. The group gives her a knife and tells her to stick
it in a grave as proof she was there.
This brave teen then has no
choice but to follow through on the group’s dare because if she doesn’t, she
will lose face.
So the story follows the “girl” into the graveyard where she
tries to put up a brave front, but she is terrified. She reassures herself by
talking aloud she hastily picks out a grave
bends down and sticks the knife into the soil.
The catch here is as she
turns to leave she finds that something is holding her. In a panic, she
struggles in the dark but whatever has her will not let her go. She screams in
terror and collapses. Meanwhile, at the party, it is getting late, and her
friends notice she hasn’t returned, so they go look for her. They find her body
sprawled across the grave. It seems that when she had plunged the knife into the dirt, it
had caught her skirt pinning her to the ground. At this point, the reader is
told she died of fright.
Marie Laveau's grave.
Another version of this story
takes place in New Orleans in the French Quarter. This story involves three
young male tourists who have drunk too much. They are bored, so their talk turns
to one of New Orleans’s famous Voodoo witch queens “Marie Laveau.” One of these
three men is enticed into a wager—thirty dollars if he dares to climb
the wall of St. Louis Cemetery #1 and drive an iron spike into Marie Laveau’s
final resting place. Courage is needed for this task because Laveau’s tomb is considered haunted.
The foolish young man takes
the thirty dollars and throws himself over the wall. His friends wait for him to
return for over an hour. They drink more and pass out. In the morning they
curse their friend for he has not returned. Angry now, they
walk through the cemetery gates calling to their inconsiderate comrade. They
find him by the side of the witch’s grave dead—thirty dollars in coins strewn
about. In his drunken state, he had hammered the spike through his coat and into
the stone sarcophagus.
The misguided nail had held
him in place as he rose to leave. Panic and fear settled over his
drunken hazy mind for his stressed heart gave out as he struggled to free
himself. When his friends find him dead, his frozen features tell the story of
his last emotional moments: horror and despair.
Arlington National Cemetery is
located just outside Washington D.C. in the state of Virginia. It spans 624
acres; it is the resting place for veterans, military heroes, American
presidents, supreme court justices, and civil rights leaders. There are also
3,800 Civil War fugitives and liberated slaves buried in Arlington.
The Tomb of the Unknown is
the cemeteries most famous landmark. It first opened to the public in 1932. This
tomb holds the remains of unknown soldiers from WWl, WWll, and the Korean War. The cemetery is overseen by the Department of Army and is divided into 70 sections. Its earliest graves date back to 1864. The land Arlington sits on was
once owned by Martha Washington’s son John Parke Custis.
For many years the Old Post
Chapel across the street from Arlington has been considered a very haunted area. Thousands of military funerals have been held in this building. People feel
that many of these soldiers do not rest in peace, but most of the spirits seen at
this location are not soldiers.
Witnesses over the years
have seen and heard unexplained activity in and around this chapel. Soldiers report that doors that were left
locked are found unlocked. They also say that doors they open for the public are sometimes mysteriously locked when people try to
enter the chapel. This happens so often, several of the soldiers talk about it
with frustration.
Another report connected to
the chapel is one involving people hearing a woman crying loudly at the front
of the chapel, but when investigated, no one is in the building. Mourners before and after funerals have
reported seeing a beautiful Spanish lady, dressed all in all black, with a veil
covering part of her face. Witnesses to this phenomenon state that as they approached this lady, she just disappeared into thin air.
Countless numbers of soldiers
on guard duty, late at night, have reported seeing lights going on and off in the chapel. Others have reported hearing loud organ music coming from the
building but, as they approach the chapel, the music stops. Further investigations revealed the doors were locked and no one was there. Soldiers, tourists, and
mourners have also seen an apparition of a small boy running through the chapel
and then he just vanishes.
In recent years sections, #68 and #69 of the cemetery are both considered to be very haunted, and several witnesses have seen and felt strange phenomena in these sections. People who visit the
cemetery regularly, such as priests and clergymen, who conduct the funerals, report that their drivers are afraid to return to Arlington because of what
they have seen and felt in the past.
