Haunted NASA Launch Site

On the morning of January 27, 1967, three astronauts, Gus Grisson, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, were sitting in the Apollo 1 capsule for a pre-launch flight test at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Gus Grisson, right, Ed White center, Roger Chaffee left.
Science Society Picture Library via Getty Images

A faulty wire caught fire under Command Pilot’s Grisson’s seat. This fire, because of the “pure oxygen” in the cabin spread quickly. The crew was trapped and could not escape—killing all three men. It was just two weeks before they were scheduled to blast off.

This tragic accident led NASA to make significant design changes, which made Apollo spacecraft’s safer for future journeys to the moon.

Launch Complex-34 abandoned.

Launch Complex-34, near the Atlantic Ocean, where this accident happened was shut down a year after this accident in 1968.

All that remains at this site today, 52 years later, is a concrete launch platform and rusted steel—a grim reminder of this ill-fated day. 

But some believe that something else remains at this site--the spirits of these three astronauts.

NASA refuses to officially acknowledge this haunting but soon after this site was closed down they no longer allowed their tour buses to drive past this launch pad.

They also no longer allow people to visit Complex-34 because of what they state are “unusual occurrences.” There is one exception to this rule—they have let paranormal teams in to investigate the area.

The cause for all this secrecy is because visitors and space coast workers state the area is haunted.

Plaque to honor the three
lost astronauts.

Two plaques and three granite benches were placed at the launch site as a memorial to these fallen astronauts. It is here where people have heard agonizing screams.

A former security guard claims every time he patrolled the area at night, he would get an eerie feeling. He never mentioned this to his bosses feeling they would think he was crazy.

But countless others have also reported feelings of sadness, dread, and even fear overtook them while visiting Complex-34.

There are reports that witnesses have seen “floating apparitions” near the launch pad.

More specifics about this and paranormal team findings can be found in the book by Joanne Austin entitled, Weird Haunting: True Tales of Ghostly Places.

Hemingway’s Haunted Home

Today people still hear the tap, click, click, and clack of his typewriter early in the morning.

Ernest Hemingway, the American novelist who wrote, A Farewell To Arms and The Old Man and the Sea, won both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize in the early 1950s.

Key West Home

In the 1920s and 30s, Hemingway lived with his second of four wives, Pauline and their two sons in Key West, Florida. The couple bought a run-down house built in 1851. They then lovingly restored this home.

Ernest told friends that when he died, he intended to spend his afterlife in this home. It appears he kept his word.

While living in Key West Hemingway was a prolific writer. He spent the early morning hours in the homes’ loft writing on his favorite Corona typewriter. * He wrote all but three of his novels during this period.

Hemingway at age 21 then most famous photo of him.

In 1940, he divorced Pauline and moved to Cuba with his third wife, but he often returned to his beloved Key West. Pauline lived in the home until her death.

Shortly after his death in 1961, Hemingway’s ghost was first seen at this Key West home.

A couple, walking past the house looked up and saw him on the second-floor veranda. He waved at them, and they waved back.

Later they were informed that this was not possible for he was dead. Shocked, they realized they had seen a ghost.

Tragically, Hemingway, while living in Idaho with his fourth wife, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His fourth wife claimed it was an accident, but it was a suicide.

  

Second-floor veranda

Since this first sighting, many witnesses have seen Hemingway standing on this veranda. He always waves.

He is also seen wandering through the house and grounds. Witnesses state they were startled while in the loft. As mentioned, the keys of his typewriter are head striking, and he is seen standing at the window in this room.

Hemingway and Pauline's
wedding photograph

Neighbors and visitors have also spotted Pauline’s ghost. She is observed standing at the entry gate smoking a cigarette. After these sightings, people find the butts of her favorite brand lying on the sidewalk.

While living in Key West, Hemingway befriended a sea captain. When this man sailed, Hemingway agreed to take care of his six-toed cat. Descendants of this cat still live at home.

It seems this cat became attached to the house, just like Hemingway, for his ghost is observed roaming the property. This six-toed feline is often seen guarding the pet cemetery in the garden.

When Pauline died the mansion was bought and turned into a house museum, visitors can take a guided or self-guided tour.

* Hemingway always wrote longhand first then he typed up his notes.

Here is a short video tour of his home. 

La Concha Hotel, Part ll

La Concha Hotel

In Part l of this post, I share sightings of the ghost seen most often at this historic hotel in Key West, Florida.

La Concha opened in the early 1920s and hosted many famous people in its heyday. It was renovated in the 1980s and since three ghosts have been seen.

One of these ghosts * is believed to be the spirit of Ernest Hemingway because it is seen in the suite where he stayed with his mistress—Martha Gellhorn who became his third wife-- in the 1930s.

He began writing his 1937 novel To Have and Have Not at La Concha. It pays homage to this hotel—noting “its prominence on the horizon.”

Hemingway and Gellhorn

His ghost is mischievous for he often moves objects.

One guest who stayed in the Hemingway Suite was annoyed by activity that prevented him from going to sleep. He had climbed into bed when he saw a video recorder fall from the dresser he had placed it on.

He got up and placed it back on this shelf. But once he was back in bed, the recorder once more fell to the floor. He picked it up again. He checked the dresser to see if it was wobbly but determined it was stable.

When he got back in bed—he turned the light out but watched the dresser this time. He saw a dark figure in one corner by the bathroom—it was slightly crouched down.

He saw the recorder fall once more. He got up quickly, flipped the light on but found no one else in the room. He arranged to move to another room.

It appears Hemingway doesn’t like others in his space.

* Florida’s Ghostly Legends and Haunted Folklore, by Greg Jenkins.

View of Gulf of Mexico
from atop the hotel.

The third ghost that is seen at La Concha is the spirit of a lawyer who was in trouble with the law in the 1980s. He was being investigated for embezzlement and fraud and knew he faced prison time.

He came up with a strange plan to commit suicide and make it look like a murder so his family could collect insurance money.

He left a rambling recording of statements that implicated his secretary in the crimes and stated that men were coming to assassinate him.

He then jumped from one of the hotel’s balconies, recording his screams as he fell to his death. But this plot to clear his name and help out his family failed.

The authorities had too much evidence that pointed to his guilt.

Since this bizarre death, many witnesses at sunset have seen a middle-aged man walking frantically back and forth on one hotel balcony.

La Concha Hotel balconies.

Several of these people have called hotel security thinking this man was about to jump. However, in each instance security guards found no sign of anyone on this balcony.

A couple sitting in a room below this balcony called the front desk in a panic. They reported seeing a body falling past the window. Afterward, no body was found on the premises.

It appears this dishonest lawyer is doomed to play out his death over and over again.

This ghost is also seen on the roof of the hotel.

The La Concha is officially called Crowne Plaza Key West today, but the old name is still used. A tour of haunted Key West landmarks starts in the lobby of this hotel.

In Part l of La Concha Hotel, read about the ghost of a hotel waiter who died in an accident on New Year’s Eve.

La Concha Hotel, Part l

La Concha Hotel

The La Concha was built-in 1924 giving Key West, Florida its first luxury hotel. It quickly became the playground for U.S. presidents, gangsters, European royalty, and famous authors.

This hotel remains the tallest building on the civilian side of Key West and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

President Harry Truman on
"Little White House lawn" while staying
at La Concha.

Ernest Hemingway frequently stayed at the La Concha in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. It is said he wrote several of his novels at this hotel. He also entertained his mistress—his future 3^rd wife-- in the hotel’s bar and in his personal suite.

View from the rooftop in 1926.

By the late 1940s, the hotel had fallen on hard times. La Concha’s rooftop bar with its spectacular views was the only part of the hotel that remained open.

In the early 1980s architect Richard Ruth took on the task to restore this hotel to its former glory. The hotel reopened in 1986. Ruth’s efforts succeeded for many guests note the feeling of the past when they stay at the hotel.

But for others, this unique atmosphere has taken on a spooky feel. For they have seen one of the three ghosts that are known to haunt the La Concha.

The ghost seen and felt most often is the “tormented spirit” of a waiter who worked at the hotel in the 1980s.

It was New Year’s Eve at 1:45 A.M. and this waiter was hurrying to get back to the kitchen with a loaded cart. He cleaned up and placed stray party decorations—streamers and confetti on his cart as he made his way to the 5th-floor elevator.

This harried employee pushed the button and heard the elevator door open. He had his back to the entrance as he pulled his cart into what he thought was the elevator—but he stepped into an empty shaft and fell 5 floors to his death—his cart landed on top of him.

The elevator had malfunctioned and stopped at the 6^th floor above him instead. The hotel chose to keep this accident quiet but soon after, staff and guests began to have strange experiences.

5th Floor hallway.

Many employees while on the 5^th floor stated they felt they were being watched. Others reported having their shoulders tapped when the hall was empty.

To this day, hotel maids refuse to work on the 5^th floor alone.

This waiter is also seen in the hotel’s kitchen. There have been reports of cooks seeing this ghost pushing a cart in one corner of this room.

Others have found colorful streamers and confetti on the 5th-floor landing near the elevator when no celebrations have occurred. One janitor who went to retrieve a vacuum to clean this mess—returned only to find the party decorations gone.

Various staff members have reported that their carts have been moved overnight. These carts are then found sitting near the entrance to the 5th-floor elevator.

Guests have reported hearing a squeaky cart roll past their rooms late at night.

They also report seeing a waiter, late at night, walking down this hall. They state this figure walked stiffly as if in a daze.

One guest tried to engage this figure in a conversation, but it ignored him and turned the corner. This guest then followed the waiter only to find no one in the next hallway.

Yet other guests have heard sounds of a party—when there is none. They report hearing muffled laughter and music echoing down the hall.

In Part ll of La Concha Hotel, two other ghosts who reside at the hotel, including the ghost of Hemingway, are described.

The Spirit of Mr. Jeeves

The Spirit of Mr. Jeeves

A popular post on this blog is about ghost cats—it is located here.

One interesting story about a ghost cat returning happened in St. Augustine, Florida, in the late 60s.

A chef who worked a second shift started to notice a sizeable Himalayan cat that accompanied him as he walked home. Someone in his apartment building evidently owned this cat, for he always veered off around the corner when the chef reached his front door.

He befriended this cat and noticed on its collar was the name “Mr. Jeeves” clearly printed.

The cat was friendly and often rubbed against his legs but the chef found it odd Mr. Jeeves would not let him pet him or pick him up.

After a month had passed and the cat was still accompanying him home. When he went to pay his rent, he asked the landlords if they knew who owned the large cat.

As he described the cat he noticed the elderly couple clammed up and refused to talk about it.

Later, another tenant told him that the landlords had a daughter named Helen. She was killed seventeen years before while she crossed the busy street in front of the apartments. Her cat was killed with her.

She mentioned she had also seen the ghost cat over the years.

He now understood why the cat never let him pick him up.

The chef tried to take a photograph of Mr. Jeeves but when the prints came back, the cat was not in the photo. Mr. Jeeves had been in the center of the frame when the chef snapped the picture.

Haunted Doll: Robert

The story that surrounds this doll is scary. Multiple witnesses have stated Robert can move about on his own, change expressions and eerily giggle.

So is any of this true? Witness reports about this doll’s behavior appear to be authentic--even though in some cases, it is exaggerated.

Robert 

This large doll that eventually would be named after its owner is a one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece made at the turn of the 20^th century. It is stuffed with wood wool known as excelsior. Robert wears a sailor suit and at one time had a painted face similar to a jester.

Robert (Gene) Eugene Otto

A disgruntled servant--who supposedly practiced voodoo--gave Robert Eugene Otto this doll in 1906. As a boy, Gene considered Robert as his best friend.

It wasn’t long after the doll was in the Otto mansion in Key West, Florida before strange things began to occur. 

Neighbors reported seeing this doll move from one window to another in the turret room. Other neighbors claimed they heard the doll giggle maniacally.

Guests that visited the home told the family they saw the doll blink and even change expression.

Strange stories about the doll became commonplace.

Otto Mansion in Key West

One night the family awoke to Gene’s screams. They rushed to his room to find it in disarray. Most of the rooms’ furniture was strewn about. Gene pointed to the doll and shouted, “He did it!”

After this, whenever Gene was caught misbehaving, he would accuse Robert. Since many have speculated that the doll absorbed all of Gene’s emotional turmoil as he grew up.

An exaggerated account states that Gene’s other toys were often found mutilated.

Despite these odd occurrences Gene kept the doll until his death in 1974. Myrtle Reuter purchased the home after Gene’s death. The doll was kept in the attic.

Several tenants that lived in the home during this time reported hearing footsteps on the floor above them. One plumber that was called in stated he heard giggling and turned to find Robert had moved across the room.

A Solares Hill newspaper reporter, Malcolm Ross visited the home.

“. . . At first, when we walked through the attic door, the look on his face was like a little boy being punished. It was if he was asking himself, who are these people in my room, and what are they going to do to me?”

As the small group talked about the doll’s back story, Malcolm noticed that Robert’s expression changed--it was as if he was following our conversation.

One of the group mentioned that Gene Otto must have been an old fool at which point the doll’s expression changed to disdain.

“There was some kind of intelligence there. The doll was listening to us.”

After owning the doll and the Otto mansion for 6 years, Myrtle Reuter moved. She donated Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. She told the staff the doll walked around her house on its own and was haunted.

Another exaggerated account states a ten-year-old girl owned Robert after Gene’s death. She supposedly said 30 years later she was convinced the doll was alive and was going to kill her.

Robert remains active. After his arrival at the museum staff noticed a different more intense energy in the building.

Once Robert was placed on display visitors knowing the doll’s history flocked to this museum to see him.

In display case with
letters in background
begging for forgiveness.

Others unaware of his reputation were shocked to see if they treated him with disrespect that their camera’s and electronic devises malfunctioned while near the doll’s display case.

When this happens, the museum staff receive letters from former visitors that apologized for their disrespectful behavior and ask for forgiveness. These letters continue to arrive regularly.

Ghost hunters and psychics wonder what causes the strange activity.

Is Robert the result of a voodoo curse? Is he the product of all the evil energy once placed upon him?

Another expression

In contrast, could he be just a misunderstood playful spirit.

Some wonder if the spirit of Gene, his life-long companion, might be with him still.

Despite all this speculation the activity that surrounds this doll remains a mystery.

Stetson University: Hulley Tower

Chaudion Hall and
Hulley Tower

Stetson University is the oldest private run college in Florida. It was originally named DeLand Academy after its’ founder, Henry DeLand in 1883. He also founded the town of DeLand where this university is located.

Within a few years of its’ founding the school experienced financial hardship when Henry DeLand’s citrus crops were destroyed in a freeze. He brought in partners to keep his academy afloat.

One of these partners was a hat-maker from Philadelphia named John B. Stetson. In 1889, the school was renamed “Stetson” after this benefactor.

Stetson University was given the money for a bell tower in 1934 by one of the college’s professors. Dr. Lincoln Hulley was a graduate of Harvard. He taught mathematics and engineering at Stetson and later became the Universities’ longest running president from 1902 till his death in 1934 from a heart attack.

During his tenure he was an exceptional teacher and a brilliant scholar who was a prolific author of books and plays. He was a popular president who put Stetson on the map. Under his guidance the university gained both students and accreditation.

Dr. Hulley was also an ordained minister.

Dr. Lincoln Hulley
Stetson's second president

Hulley Tower with
double door leading
to crypt.

Hulley Tower not only holds the school’s eleven chimes that announce special events on campus it has a large room at its base that contains a crypt. 

This elegant mausoleum is the final resting place for Dr. Hulley and his wife Eloise who died in 1959, 25 years after her husband.

A well-known story that is told on the Stetson campus is about Dr. Hulley and Eloise’s ghosts.

These two are seen taking nocturnal walks.

They are spotted walking arm in arm on the grass that surrounds the bell tower. Their little white terrier is seen accompanying them.

Students and professors also report seeing this elusive couple near the campus gym and fountain at night. There are many stories of witnesses pursuing this couple only to find them gone.

Stetson University's fountain

Residents of the town also report seeing this ghostly couple on their lawns across the street from Stetson.

One resident of DeLand while walking his dog late one night spotted an elderly couple peering into a large fountain near a popular campus restaurant directly across from the school.

As he approached them his dog pulled on his leash. His pet tried to head in the opposite direction. It took him only moments to settle his dog down but when he looked back up to say “hello” the couple by the fountain was gone.

He scanned the area but he saw no other people within blocks.

Ghost hunters that have investigated these reports have had their own experiences. A strong scent of flowers is noticed on the sidewalk near the tower and they have felt someone watching them.