Monday, November 18, 2013

Atchison’s Sallie House


Today this haunting is very well known but when the American television program Sightings first aired a series of stories about it in the 1990s it caused a sensation. 

Recently, another television program, Paranormal Witness did an episode about the Sallie House haunting but the Sightings shows made this story famous.

These shows entitled “Haunted Heartland” that Sightings* produced, over a period of one year, are all compiled in the YouTube video below. If you have not seen this video --it is a must-see. 

The Sallie House today is considered the most haunted house in Kansas. This reputation is backed up with some very compelling evidence. 

The home has been haunted since 1906. At this time a local doctor, in Atchison, Charles Finney lived in the home that was to become the “Sallie House.” It is said that a mother brought her very ill young daughter Sallie late one night to the house to ask the doctor for help.  Sallie then died in the home.
A photo the Pickman's took.

In the 1990s, a young couple Tom and Debra Pickman with their young son moved into the Sallie House. Several photographs they took had strange misty forms in them. Lights started to flicker on and off. Their son's toys were moved and the couple felt electrical shocks. 

It became apparent to them the house was haunted. Then Tom saw the ghost of a little girl in the home. Items in the home started to appear as if something had burnt them. Framed pictures in the home were found hanging upside down.

The activity specifically targeted Tom. He was often physically attacked. At first, he was yanked out of bed but then the entity started to scratch him, often drawing blood. 

Sightings sent in a parapsychologist, Kerry Gaynor, and a psychic, Peter James ** to investigate the home. They also used half a million dollars in equipment to try and help the family determine what was happening.


This show investigated Sallie and the doctor’s story. They proved that Tom was being attacked by an entity. The crew and Kerry Gaynor saw firsthand Tom being attacked and they captured several of these attacks on film. 

This show was also one of the first to use a computer where viewers could send in questions live to be answered.

Sightings also interviewed other people besides the Pickmans who had first-hand experience with this haunting.

* When Sightings went off the air many of the people that worked on this show then worked on Unsolved Mysteries

** James states there is a second entity in the home. Future investigations confirmed this. Another psychic in recent years stated she felt that Sallie isn't the negative energy but instead another adult entity also haunts the home and is the negative energy that is present.

Here is the series of shows Sightings produced. Peter James has since passed on may he rest in peace.

6 comments:

Splendor said...

It was frustrating how the wife "loved" Sallie and wouldn't listen to reasoning from her husband. On Paranormal it stated the house has remained vacant since 1994 or 1996?

Virginia Lamkin said...

The Pickmans did move out during the taping of the Sightings shows. Paranormal Witness exaggerated--another family moved in the house after the Pickmans moved out. In recent years the home has been vacant.

Unknown said...

What happened to the Pickmans?

Virginia Lamkin said...

Debra blogs for the Topeka Capital-Journal and she wrote a book--I haven't read yet--entitled "The Sallie House Haunting." Beyond this, I have not done further research.

Unknown said...

What was the name of the Psychic who says there is another spirit in the home? Also, do you know who lived there after Mary Liggett? I cant find the name of the show that aired in 2003 if anyone knows how or where to find it? It was called something like most haunted towns in America or something? I believe it aired in October 2003?

Virginia Lamkin said...

Peter James was the psychic. He is in the video attached to this post talking about what he experienced in the house.

For the rest of your questions--I don't have time to go through my notes but I know I didn't focus on the various people who lived in the house.

Since I rarely watch TV anymore I have no idea about a show that aired in 2003.