Patsy Cline’s singing career was on the rise in the spring of 1963 when the small plane she was on crashed into a secluded West Tennessee forest near Camden.
She and three male companions * were heading home after a benefit concert they had given in Ohio. They were just a half hour from their destination when a storm hit causing their plane to crash.
Six years before, Cline’s performance on television of Walkin After Midnight had made her one of the first Country singers to crossover into mainstream popularity.
In 1961, she was in a car crash that almost took her life while she was working on recording Sweet Dreams. This song garnered her even more recognition and admiration. She followed this with her successes, I Fall To Pieces, Crazy and She Got You. All hits on the Country as well as the Pop charts.
At the moment of her passing the world lost a great talent. Belied by Cline’s small frame, her voice resonated with warmth, power, and emotions that have not been matched since.
Decades after her death her albums continue to top the charts. Today, a new generation of music lovers listens to her songs with awe.
People who have visited the crash site state that the quiet trees that surround the boulder that marks the place is deceiving, for most leave with an uneasy sense of something unnatural. Adjectives used to describe the area include: strange, odd and chilling.
One woman who took her dog with her down the steep path that leads to the ravine noted that her pet began to whine and would not go near the boulder that is inscribed:
*“On this site March 5, 1963, Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Randy Hughes lost their lives.” Hughes was Cline’s manager.
The crash sites' inscribed boulder.
The Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium, known as the “Muni” is another place where witnesses state they have encountered Cline’s ghost. She performed here on several occasions.
Backstage at Shreveport
Auditorium
Her apparition has been seen and heard moving backstage between the dressing rooms and the corridor. Witnesses state they have heard her voice as if she is warming up for a performance.
Here is an example of Cline’s sultry voice—I Fall To Pieces.
The Fireside Lounge is a bar
in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
After a regular customer
donated some items from a tenant that had passed away during surgery-- strange
activity began to occur.
Employees and patrons of this
bar noticed strange noises, their names being called out and light anomalies in
photographs taken during their special theme nights.
Bartenders saw shadows move
across one of the bar’s walls and they and customers saw items move.
The manager decided to check
out the Fireside’s surveillance DVR cameras to see if they captured this unusual activity. She and other employees
confirmed these items were actually moving on there own because the cameras did record these items change position, lift up, roll or fall off bar, etc.
The bar’s cameras have picked
quite a few of these occurrences.
It has been five years since
the activity was first noticed and it still occurs. Recently, a full-bodied apparition was seen in the bar.
The television series My Ghost Story did a segment on the
hauntings at this bar. This show was part of their Holiday Hauntings show.
It highlights the unusual
activity the Fireside Lounge’s cameras have picked up as well as interviews
with the manager and employees that work in the bar.
In 2010, Ellicott City, a small
town in Maryland, was noted as one of the best places in America to live by MONEY magazine. This city is a part of
the Baltimore-Washington metro area in Howard County. Ellicott City is also
considered one of the most haunted small towns on the East Coast.
Edward Parson Hayden, the
first county clerk in Ellicott City, built what is known as Hayden House or Oak
Lawn in the 1800s. He lived in this home with his wife and six children. He
died in 1850.
His home in more recent years
has been used to house the Howard County Board of Education and then the
District Court. In the 1980s a county law library was added.
Early on, strange stories
about Oak Lawn started to circulate. These stories reached a fever pitch in the 1970s when the home housed the district court and the Howard County Office of Parole
and Probation.
Oak Lawn
Clerks and secretaries
reported that the lights in the building would turn on and off by themselves. A
coffee pot would often heat up by itself even when it was not plugged in. These
witnesses also reported they heard footsteps in the part of the home that was not
in use.
Several workers saw a rocking
chair move without cause, and one staff member who arrived early to work one
morning reported seeing a man through a glass pane at the front door. When she
entered the home, she searched thoroughly, but no one but herself was inside.
The oddest experiences
surround phantom food smells. Besides the coffee pot acting strange, many
workers smelled the aroma of soup or bacon and eggs at all hours of the day and
night. What confused them was that there were no cooking appliances in the
building at this time.
Because of these persistent
smells, the workers dubbed this active ghost at Oak Lawn “The Cooking Ghost.”
One employee who often stayed
late to work noted that this ghost made its presence known in a variety of
other ways. He saw cloth napkins fold and unfold on their own right in front of
him.
He reported that one night as
he worked on the second floor, he saw a “white haze” out of the corner of his
eye. When he turned to get a better look, he saw a dense misty ball of vapor
floating in mid-air. He stated it wasn't too dense for he saw what was behind it.
He watched as it then vanished into thin air.
One witness who currently
works at the Court House states he sees “weird things” all the time. A hot
plate turns on by itself--again even when the dial is turned to off and the
unit is unplugged.
One of his female co-workers
saw the ghost of a female walk by her and then walk right through the wall
that leads to the law library.
The story of this haunting is
one of the scariest I have ever heard …
It took place in the north of
England in Yorkshire in the late 1980s. The witnesses that described what
happened were very reliable. Two of these witnesses were constables connected to
the local police station who did not believe that ghosts exist. What they saw
and heard changed their minds.
Many feel that when
environments undergo change, such as renovations, it stirs up paranormal
activity. This is what most likely happened in the fall of 1987 when
construction was started on the A616 bypass near Stocksbridge. It quickly
became apparent that someone or something was not happy about this change.
On September 8, 1987 two big
burly security guards hired by the McAlpine Construction Company to watch the
construction materials overnight were making their usual rounds. Both these men
had been hired for their size in hopes that it would deter others from stealing
company property. At 12:30 a.m. one of these men called their boss, Mick Lee, in a
frantic state. He told Lee what they had seen and heard.
The two security guards
driving a Land Rover had stopped their vehicle in surprise when they spotted a
group of children playing near the half completed bridge. They parked and
watched these children skipping about. They noticed these children were wearing
clothing from an earlier era and the guards wondered at the fact they were out
playing so late at night in an area where there where few homes nearby.
The two men then drove their
rover closer to where they had seen the children. Confused, they got out because the children where nowhere to be seen. As they inspected the area they
were stunned to find there were no footprints in the mud. Lee concerned about
the man’s “confused state of panic” rushed to the site. The guards then told him
what they had seen next.
Driving back along Pearoyd
Lane they saw a large, dark monk standing atop the unfinished
bridge. They told Lee that as their headlights swept the figure it just
disappeared. After this, something took hold of their heavy Land Rover and shook it violently like it was just a child's toy while they sat in it. Lee believing the two men, called the local Police. The constable who took the
call, PC Dick Ellis, laughed at Lees' concerns and told him that he should call
a priest instead because it didn’t sound like a matter for the police.
But to PC Ellis’s surprise a
priest called him the following afternoon to request he send someone to help
him with two security guards at the church. The vicar explained that these two
men were insisting an exorcism be performed at the Stocksbridge bypass site. He
told Ellis that he was very concerned about the men’s “state of distress.”
At this point the police had
no choice but to investigate the guards story. PC Dick Ellis and Special
Constable John Beet found themselves later that evening chuckling as they drove
toward the site. Both were very skeptical about what they felt was a false
report. They both found the two securities guards “state of panic” very amusing.
The evening of September 11,
1987 was warm so Ellis and Beet had their car windows down as they sat
surveying the construction site. It wasn’t long before they saw something
moving on the bridge. Both men left the car to investigate. They found a piece
of tarp flapping around in the wind. When they returned to the car both men
decided they would give it a few more minutes and then leave for the night.
In the next moment an odd
sensation overtook Ellis. He turned very cold and was unable to speak. He finally
turned to Beet and asked if he had felt anything. When Beet looked confused by his question he
explained that he had felt as if someone had walked over his grave. Startled Ellis
turned his head quickly feeling a presence at his side. Shocked he saw a dark
torso pushed right through the cars' window. Ellis noted the cloak the figure wore had
a v shaped piece of cloth running down its chest. Terrified, Ellis saw the apparition pass
right through his elbow that rested upon the window frame.
Within seconds this
apparition disappeared and reappeared on Beet’s side of the car. Beet screamed
as again the figure pressed closely against his door. As Ellis quickly stepped
out of the car the figure vanished once more. He circled the car and checked
underneath but nothing was there. Puzzled he found no footprints in the mud
except for his own and Beets.
Ellis got back in the car and
turned the ignition key but nothing happened. He tried again but the car would
not start. On his third attempt the car started. Ellis drove back toward where the construction material was stored and stopped to radio their location to the station. Suddenly, there was a very loud bang on the back of the car. Later, Ellis reported it
sounded like a baseball bat or pick axe handle was being used to hit the car.
Beet at this point was frozen
to his seat. Ellis climbed out of the car once more. Again he found nothing-- he didn’t see or hear anything. As Ellis jumped back in the car it was
struck again violently. The loud sound vibrated but curiously the car didn’t
move with the impact. As the car was hit once more Ellis started the car and
floored the accelerator.
Back at the station both men
were visably shaken up as they told their shocked colleagues what had happened. In their written reports both Ellis and Beet describe
feelings of “intense fear”.
“It was not that which one has when you are about to
encounter danger—but worse, it was the kind where you have absolutely no
control over… a feeling of dread.”
Many sightings of phantom
children have been reported around this area over the years. At the time the two
security guards spotted them other construction workers that were being housed
in trailers on site reported hearing children near the construction area late at
night.
It is known that the area where the bypass was built, over a hundred years ago, was once used by a monastery, which farmed the land
in the vicinity. One legend, states that a monk at this
monastery went to work elsewhere. This was not allowed, so when this monk died
the other monks refused to bury him in consecrated ground. They felt he should not have defied the rules.
As for the ghost children it
is stated in the past children were used to work in the areas "pits” or coal mines. One theory is that their was a mining disaster that killed many of these children. Here is a video produced by the British television series, Strange But True? that re-enacts this story. Other witness accounts are included. This story is told in the first 12 minutes of this show. It is followed by a story about people who believe they have been saved by guardian angels.
The United States Military Academy at West Point is located in New York State in Orange County. It dates back to the Revolutionary War when both the colonists and the British realized the importance of its location. George Washington early on realized the strategic advantage of the high plateau on the west bank of the Hudson River. Thaddeus Kosciuszko designed the fortifications in 1778, and Washington set up his headquarters at West Point in 1779. The Continental soldiers built the forts, redoubts, and batteries that are a part of West Point’s landscape today.
These early soldiers struggled for their lives and independence at the Battle of Fort Clinton and Montgomery near West Point.
Future generations of soldiers learned the art of war at the point. Most have taken this knowledge, as officers, with them to the many battlefields Americans have fought upon. Each class of cadets endures four grueling years at West Point, in their efforts to become leaders. In its history, many of its cadets, have returned to teach future cadet classes, others have given their lives for their country, so their final resting place is at the Academy.
West Point is rich in traditional and emotional history. Because of this it is not surprising that it hosts more than just cadets. The Thayer House, one of the oldest structures at West Point, is very active. Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, lived in this house while he acted as the Superintendent in charge of the Academy from 1813 to 1833. In 1973, a psychic determined that this house is “infested” with ghosts.
Unexplained things occur in this residence regularly. Maids have found that the bed in the Thayer master bedroom, often after being made in the morning, is disheveled when they return to the room. Loud knocks on doors and walls are common, as well as the slamming of doors and other noises throughout the house. Overnight guests, often find their personal items have been scattered throughout the house.
Chills, shadows, and wet spots are also common. One spirit rocks unseen in a rocking chair in one of the bedrooms. A lively ghost named Molly, who once was Thayer’s maid, also haunts the house. Her bed in the basement always looks slept in.
In the 1920s, another house on Professor’s Row had so much activity that a priest was called in to exorcise the spirit. It was said this ghost terrorized two servant girls, to the point that they ran out of the house, half-dressed and screaming, in the middle of the night.
One of the more recent hauntings happened in October of 1972. Four cadets that were all housed in room 4714, of the 47the Division barracks, saw an apparition of a soldier dressed in a 1830s cavalry uniform. The ghost appeared “luminous and shimmering, sporting a handlebar-mustache and carrying a musket rifle.” This ghost was seen materializing out of the wall and a closet in the room. On another occasion, a spirit form rose up out of the middle of the floor. A cadet while showering, saw his bathrobe swinging on its hook, and suddenly he was shocked by cold water.
Lorraine Warren was called in to consult on this activity.
Two upperclassmen were sent to stay in the room with the plebes (freshman). They both felt an unnatural coldness engulf the room. One of them saw the ghost, but it promptly receded into the wall. Later the men who had seen the ghost identified it from a print found at the point. The hauntings continued until mid-November of 1972, at which point the commanding officer, had all the furniture removed from the room, and declared it off-limits to the living. This apartment is close to the point's graveyard. It is also near a site where a fatal fire once burned down an officer’s house. Some point to these two facts as to why it is haunted. Another sighting was witnessed by a visitor who saw an entity near the entrance to the grounds of the Academy. It appeared to be a black man in a turn-or-the-century uniform.
The witness sensed the man was extremely agitated and angry. His uniform was stripped of all medals. When further research was done, it was discovered that this man had been court-marshaled but then exonerated by a military court. It appears he cannot forgive or forget this incident. He roams the grounds of West Point, still venting his anger.
I first heard a version of this story in Northern New Mexico in the early 1980s. La Mala Hora in Spanish means “the bad hour.” When the frightening apparition in this story appears it is always at a fork in the road or crossroad where a lone driver in a car is traveling in an isolated area. This apparition is a harbinger of death.
I still can’t drive a deserted road at night without thinking about this story. I guess it is because the image of the harbinger is so scary. The story begins with a phone call.
My friend Isabella called sobbing to tell me that she and her husband were getting a divorce. Devastated for her I called my husband who was on a business trip in Chicago to inform him that I was going to drive to Santa Fe so I could comfort Isabella. My husband agreed and wished me well. It was late in the day when I started the drive. Santa Fe is a four-hour drive from where I live, so I estimated I would not reach Isabella’s house until midnight.
Tired, I found myself doing several things in the car, so I would not fall asleep at the wheel. I turned the radio’s volume up and rolled down the window to breathe some fresh air. As I drew nearer to the turnoff to Isabella’s house, I rolled the window up feeling a chill. The night was dark, and the rural road I traveled had no streetlights.
I was having trouble seeing the road that stretched ahead, and I slowed down so I wouldn’t miss the turnoff to the dirt road that led to Isabella’s property. A coyote howled in the distance, this distracted me for a moment; I almost missed the turn-off. Feeling relieved, this trip was almost over I relaxed. As the road split into two I took the left fork, out of nowhere a woman appeared in front of my car, I slammed on my brakes quickly to avoid hitting her.
Seconds later, the woman was gone. I inspected the area around my car, wondering if I had imagined her. Then I saw her right beside my window looking in at me. Her eyes glowed red, her short teeth were pointed, I screamed as she leaped at my window her clawed hands striking the glass. I jammed my foot down hard on the accelerator, rocks flew as my car sped away, terrified I watched, as she was able to quickly run alongside my car continuing to strike the window, despite my speed. She finally fell behind, and in my rearview mirror, I saw her grow taller and taller until she was as large as a tree. Red mist swirled around her, and she pointed at me mouthing words I did not hear. I jerked my attention back to my driving afraid what might happen if I ran my car off the road.
In a state of numbed panic, I reached Isabella’s drive and rushed to her entrance, I was still pounding on her door as she opened it. I fell into her arms, crying and shaking. She assisted me over to a chair and gave me water to drink. I somehow was able to tell her what I had seen. Shaking her head in concern, she asked, “Were you at the fork when you saw her?” Confused, I nodded yes. Wringing her hands, she told me it must have been La Mala Hora. "The bad hour?” I asked. Isabella turned to me, “this is bad, very bad when La Mala Hora appears it means one thing—someone is going to die.” Not believing in this superstition I laughed. But what I had seen still weighed heavily on my mind. Isabella was so distracted as she helped me bring in my luggage, she did not even mention her divorce.
The next morning I felt much better. But as the day progressed, I could not shake a feeling of dread. Neither one of us mentioned what had happened the night before, but we were both worried about La Mala Hora as I announced I best head home. Isabella insisted upon accompanying me home. We left the quickly, neither one of us wanting to pass the fork in the road at night. Within twenty minutes of pulling into my drive, a police car pulled up at my house. Isabella and I both knew what this meant. The police officer informed me gently that while returning from dinner, in Chicago, my husband had been mugged, at the same time I had seen La Mala Hora, his body had been found in an ally. He had been shot in the head and died instantly.
