Bulloch Hall’s Sobbing Well

Bulloch Hall

Bulloch is a ten-acre antebellum plantation located in Roswell, Georgia.

Major James Bulloch, a wealthy coastal planter had this Greek revival style home, Bulloch Hall, built by African American slaves in 1839.

Bulloch Hall is where President Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, Martha Bulloch lived as a child.

This plantation grew cotton, and the Bulloch’s owned thirty-two house and field slaves.

It is believed one of these slaves, a young girl, aged 14, has haunted the plantation for over century.

The Union Army made Bulloch Hall their headquarters, in 1864 during the Civil War. The family fled their home. 

Teddy Roosevelt visiting
Bulloch Hall in 1905.

The president’s mother died before the war ended, but while Roosevelt was president, he visited the plantation in 1905, to see where Martha grew up.

The plantation passed through various hands after the war, including a period of two decades where it stood abandoned.

In 1977, the city of Roswell bought the land and turned the hall into a house museum that highlights exhibits about pre-Civil War life and culture.

The young African American slave who is believed to haunt Bulloch plantation died in an accident. She was drawing water from the well behind the house when she fell in. She drowned.

Soon after this tragic death, witnesses reported they heard a young girl’s voice coming from the well. They heard her pleading for help, then her sobs.

This crying sound is still heard today. The well has been investigated numerous times, but no logical reason has been discovered for these sounds.

This girl’s apparition has been seen in the house, and since her death, another strange phenomenon has occurred for many years.

The candles and oil lamps throughout the house will not stay lit, for any length of time. At other times the entire house will light up, while no one is inside.

Even during the two decades the mansion lay abandoned, witnesses who walked past at night would report seeing candle and lamplight glowing from the mansion’s windows.

Today, visitors and staff have reported seeing the period lamps in the home, light up and extinguish when no one is standing near them.

One visitor captured this odd
figure when no one was
standing at the front of the house.

All this strange activity is attributed to the young ghost for it is believed one of her primary duties while alive was to light and extinguish all the homes' candles and lamps.

Nottingham Shop Ghost Video

“She obviously is a woman of good taste.”

Hopkinson Vintage, Antiques and
Art Centre

Last week a surveillance camera in a shop in central England captured a female ghost moving about. This video quickly went viral last Thursday after being placed on Facebook.

Late last week on Tuesday night, Liam Woodgates saw something that startled him as he inspected his CCTV security system. He thought it was an intruder in his store off Station Street. He then realized the apparent female figure was floating around.

Footage captured in
middle screen.

When he sent the footage to his general manager, Izzy Watts she at first thought it was a joke. She then became ill when she realized she was looking at a ghost.

Woodgate's shop, Hopkinson Vintage, Antiques and Art Centre, is named after the original owner of another shop in this space in the 1880s.

A Mr. and Mrs. Hopkinson both worked in H-Hopkinson Ltd., an industrial engineers merchant shop.

Shop in the 1880s

Rack where ghost is seen.

This video shows an outline of a female wandering around the present-day shop. She appears to inspect a rack of vintage T-Shirts displayed on a rack and then she turns and disappears.

Watts upon seeing that the ghost was inspecting her favorite part of the shop stated, “She obviously is a woman of good taste.”

The staff at the store think this female ghost might be Mrs. Hopkinson who once worked alongside her husband in this space.

The following is the full screen version of what the surveillance video captured in this vintage clothes shop in Nottingham.

Juneau’s Alaskan Hotel

The U.S. bought Alaska from the Russians in 1867. Just 13 years after this in 1880 Joe Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold in the Silver Creek Basin-- soon after the Alaskan Gold Rush began with a vengeance. 

A small tent city named after one of these men, located along the Inner Passage became the capital of the territory--Juneau, Alaska.

The McCloskey brothers, who struck it rich during this rush--along with another investor, Jules B. Caro had a 3-story hotel built near the steamship docks in Juneau in 1913. 

When visitors walk into this 101- year old hotel today they often get a strong sense that they have entered another time. For the Akaskan Hotel has retained most of its original frontier charm.

The hotel also retains several ghosts. It is said after the Alaskan was renovated in 1978 this ghostly activity became even more pronounced. 

One ghost that resides in the hotel is called, Alice. The local legend states Alice first came to the Hotel during the gold rush with her husband. His goal like thousands of others was to strike it rich.

Alice's husband left the hotel promising her he would return within 3 weeks. But when he didn’t return even after many weeks Alice believed her husband was dead. She became desperate for she had used the little money she had. 

In Alaska, the men have always outnumbered the women -- this was especially true during the early 1900s so there were several brothels.

Alice stranded and feeling she had no choice became a lady of the evening. But in a tragic twist of fate, her husband returned just a few weeks later. When he discovered what she had done he became enraged and killed her in a room located in the back of the Alaskan Hotel.

Present day staff and guests have encountered Alice's ghost on many occasions. Her presence is most often felt in the back of the hotel--in Rooms 218 and 219. Several guests who have stayed in these rooms who had no prior knowledge of this haunting have demanded to be moved.

Various staff members have stated that they are always uncomfortable when they are in this area of the hotel. Housekeepers recount how they often discover towels or other items either moved or misplaced in these two rooms. Several have seen Alice's ghost sitting on one of the beds.

One visitor told the staff after his stay that he felt waves of unhappiness and disappointment in one of these rooms. 

Alice’s ghost is sometimes seen walking up and down the hotel’s staircase. One desk clerk at the hotel saw her ghost walk up these stairs late one night. He described her as a blonde lady wearing a white dress.

Alice’s ghost has also been seen in the hotel’s bar. This room has several mirrors and many patrons have seen her form reflected out of the corner of their eye.

One summer resident of Juneau had her own strange encounter in the Alaskan Hotel but not with this ghost. One day while visiting a friend she used the hotel's restroom. She was surprised as she entered this room to see how outdated and old-fashioned it was.

Later that same day she was back in the hotel--she again entered this restroom--but this time it was modern. Flustered she came rushing out to query the staff on what had happened to the quaint décor she had seen earlier that day. They had no idea what she was talking about. Evidently, she experienced a “time slip.”

Raynham Hall’s Brown Lady

Most people who are interested in ghosts are familiar with this photograph. The ghost captured in this picture is known as the Brown Lady. Her spirit was first seen in 1835 in Norfolk, England at a 16th century country home called Raynham Hall. The Townsend family has owned this hall for over 400 years. The ghost that haunts their home is said to be Lady Dorothy Walpole. She is known as the Brown Lady because she wears a brown brocade dress.

The story behind this haunting is considered a legend by some and by others true. It is stated that Lady Walpole’s ghost lingers at Raynham Hall because of what her husband did to her. Charles Townsend found out that his wife had been unfaithful to him--he was not a man to forgive or forget. Documents from the time indicate that Dorothy died and was buried in 1725. But...

Many feel her death and funeral were faked. Charles known for his violent temper took his revenge. The legend states that he actually locked her away in a remote area of the hall. She was not allowed to see her children for the rest of her life.* In 1726 at the age of 40 she died from smallpox. Another version states she actually broke her neck when she was pushed down the hall’s grand staircase.

Portait of Lady Dorothy Walpole
National Portrait Gallery, London

Since her death her ghost has been seen on several occasions. The first sighting occurred in 1835. It was during a Christmas gathering at the hall when Colonel Loftus and another guest at this party saw her figure as they went to their bedrooms to retire for the evening. The colonel described her “as a aristocratic looking women wearing an old fashioned brown dress.” He saw her clearly and was able to draw a sketch of her likeness. He pointed out that she was missing one important detail--her eyes. He just saw empty sockets. He also stated that her face glowed with an “eerie light”.

The second sighting was in 1836. Captain Frederick Marryat, a navel officer and a close friend of Charles Dickens was a houseguest at Raynham when he and two of his companions saw the Brown Lady. He stated that she smiled at him and the others with a very “diabolic” smile. The captain who was known to be very brave acted uncharacteristically out of fear. He took out his pistol and fired at the figure. The ball passed right through the ghost and slammed into the door behind.

The Brown Lady was seen for a third time in 1926. The son of the Lady Townsend at that time and one of his friends saw her apparition on the staircase. He stated afterwards that this ghost looked exactly like a portrait of Lady Dorothy that hangs in the hall. Lady Townsend and her son had not heard of the Brown Lady before this encounter.

The fourth sighting in 1936 provided the world with proof that there was indeed a ghost at Raynham Hall. A London photographer, Captain Hubert C. Provand and his assistant Indre Shirva were photographing the hall’s grand staircase for a spread in Country Life magazine when Shriva spotted something unusual. He “saw a vapory figure-- gradually taking the shape of a woman” moving down the stairs toward them.

Under Shirva’s direction Provand quickly took off the lens cap as Shirva pressed the trigger to activate the camera’s flash. Later when this negative was developed the famous image of the Brown Lady appeared. Country Life published this now famous photo along with others taken that day in December of 1936. ** Afterwards several people claimed the photo was faked but the magazine held firm in its conviction that it was authentic and had not been tampered with.

Since this sighting in 1936 the Brown Lady had not been seen again.

In one article I read it was speculated that since there is a pattern of 100 years between two of these hauntings and yet another 100 years between another sighting and when the photograph was published that the the Brown Lady might just make another appearance in 2036.

* Some state this is why she returns--she is looking for her children.

**  This photograph also appeared in Life Magazine in January of 1937.

This site "Dorothy, Viscountess Townsend" has good information about Lady Dorothy and the haunting.

Florida: Haunted Bellamy Bridge

For over 100 years the ghost of a female wearing white has been seen in Marianna, Florida. She is seen in a swamp and on the Bellamy Bridge that spans the Chipola River. This story is Florida’s most well-known ghost tale. 

The story behind why this ghost haunts this old steel bridge is actually just a legend that over the years has been confused and mixed with the real story. Both the legend and the real story behind this haunting are about tragic lost love.

The legend states that a restless ghost of a young woman Elizabeth Jane Bellamy roams the swamps around the bridge on dark and foggy nights. Elizabeth was betrothed to a prominent antebellum planter and political leader in Florida by the name of Samuel Bellamy. 

The story goes that Elizabeth tragically on her wedding day was dancing with her new husband in a lovely mansion he had built for her when her long gown suddenly came in contact with a candle. The folds of the fabric quickly were engulfed in flames. Before any of the guests or her new husband could react Elizabeth ran screaming from the house. Overcome by the flames she sustained horrible injuries.

Another version of the legend states Elizabeth had actually gone upstairs to rest after her wedding and her dress caught fire from sparks from the lit fire in the room--she then ran from the mansion screaming and before anyone could reach her she was burned over most of her body.

In incredible pain Elizabeth lingered for two days before finding peace in death. He body was buried in a grove of trees near the Chipola River.  

It is said that her new bridegroom was so overcome with grief that he never recovered from her death. He eventually committed suicide. 

It appears Elizabeth’s spirit was too restless to stay at peace for her ghost soon after her burial was seen often late at night on the banks of the river. In later years, after the Bellamy Bridge was built at the site her ghost was seen on the bridge as well and in the swamps surrounding it.

This legend actually evolved from a fictional novel that Caroline Lee Hentz wrote in the 19^th century about a young slave women who was given a large wedding by her mistress in the “big House” because she was held in high regard. 

In this story it is this black bride whose dress catches fire and then she dies of her injuries. Over time people came to believe that Hentz’ story--that she placed on a fictional plantation called “Bellamy Plantation” was actually Elizabeth Bellamy’s story.

The real story is that Elizabeth Croom first met her future husband Samuel Bellamy in North Carolina as a young girl. Samuel went to the University of Pennsylvania to study medicine-- when he returned home despite a nine- year age difference Elizabeth agreed to marry him. Their marriage took place in North Carolina in July of 1834 three years before the supposed Florida wedding and fire of the legend.

After they married the couple did move to Florida drawn by its vast lands and the romance of settling in a new territory. Samuel’s older brother Edward Bellamy and his wife who was Elizabeth’s older sister Ann had already migrated to Florida. 

The young couple took 80 African slaves and purchased land they called the Rock Cave Plantation near Edward and Sara’s plantation close to Marianna. Florida. This area was ideal for growing cotton and sugar cane.

However, the swamps were a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Both malaria and yellow fever hit many of the early settlers in this area. 

It was fever not a fire that killed Elizabeth. She was just 18 years old in May of 1837 when she died. She left behind a young son and her husband. At the time of her death she was being cared for by her older sister Ann at her plantation that was near the Chipola River so Elizabeth was buried in a grove of trees near where the old Bellamy Bridge stands today.

Just one week after Elizabeth’s death her son Alexander also died from fever and was buried next to her. Samuel Bellamy never remarried and he actually built the mansion on his plantation after Elizabeth died. 

The old legend did get one thing correct because Samuel did take his own life by cutting his throat with a razor in 1853.

As time passed people superimposed Hentz’s fictional tale with Elizabeth’s story and this mixed story then evolved into Florida’s most famous ghost story. 

Despite this, it is believed that Elizabeth does haunt the Bellamy Bridge. Over the years many people have seen the apparition of a young woman walking through the swamps on the west side of the bridge. 

Other witnesses have reported seeing a ball of fire that descends from the air straight down through the framework of the old bridge. Witnesses have also seen mysterious white lights appear in the surrounding swamp at night.

Here is a link to one photo taken near the bridge of what some feel is Elizabeth’s ghost--the unusual mist in the lower right corner is pointed out.