Television Ghost Shows vs. Reality

Update: I wrote this post when there were many ghost hunting shows on American television--today this fad has waned. . .

In America, a large variety of television shows are being produced about ghosts. Some focus upon the ghost hunter, others on the people who are experiencing hauntings, some even focus upon animals that see ghosts. 

All of these shows are produced for one reason—to be as entertaining as possible so that they stay on the air and make money. 

They have started a favorite pastime craze in America. More ghost hunting groups have formed in America in the past seven years than in the previous fifty years combined. 

Shows like “Ghost Hunters,” “Ghost Adventures,” “A Haunting,” “Paranormal State,” “My Ghost Story” are trendy-- the list goes on and on. 

Some of these shows attract audiences by presenting ghost hunters as heroes. Others attract audiences by showing people who have experienced hauntings as scared or sometimes even terrified, and often confused. 

These two extremes are precisely that—extremes. In the real world ghost hunters are not heroes but just people who seek answers. 

In reality, people who experience hauntings are not necessarily "scared" they just want answers so they can comprehend what is occurring. 

On television shows, ghost hunters often save the day for their clients. In reality, ghost hunters help their clients understand what is occurring, whether it is paranormal in nature or not.

Often to entertain, ghost shows on television present an exaggeration of the kinds of hauntings people experience. 

There always seems to be “demonic” activity occurring, or at the very least some very frightening activity occurring. 

In reality, most hauntings that occur are actually very benign in nature. 

The ghost hunters’ real role often is just to point out to their clients, who sometimes are concerned, that the activity will not harm them. This granted is not entertaining enough for television audiences.

The methods employed by ghost hunters on television are varied. 

Some present their “heroes” rushing in to challenge the ghost or ghosts. Others show their heroes saving the day by using religious beliefs to conquer any fear their clients may have. Yet others just rush in to prove that there really is ghostly activity. 

In reality, most ghost hunters spend time returning to places to determine if they are actually haunted.

On television, it is often assumed the place is haunted before the investigation begins. Granted, these shows want their audiences to be scared, so this fact is never in question. 

Some shows rely on the premise that people need ghost hunters to confirm something is going on--this is sometimes true. 

But most people who have true hauntings, figure it out without help. They just let ghost hunters come out to experience something they already know is occurring. 

Many Americans have lived peacefully with ghosts in their homes or businesses for years.

Despite all the comparisons in this post, my goal is not to overly criticize television ghost shows. After all, their purpose is to entertain. 

One good result of the interest people take in them is more people have realized they are not alone in their beliefs. 

Another positive result is more people have become proactive in this interest and are now seeking answers for themselves by joining groups, etc.

I must point out that many of my posts use the same assumptions--that a place must be haunted-- for them to be scary and fun for the reader.

One word of caution, like I mentioned in another post, people cannot learn to ghost hunt from watching these shows. 

Many good books fill in the gaps that these shows do not have the time to provide. 

Several posts on here address how to ghost hunt as well. 

Ghost hunting can be exciting and fun but it also takes mega time, work, and dedication.

Pearl Harbor: The Ghost of the USS Arizona

The USS Arizona has been a tomb ever since the morning of December 7th. 

When this ship was bombed and sunk, 1,177 crew members perished with her, making it the most significant loss of life on any United States warship in American history. 

On this date in 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into the Second World War. 

Today the USS Arizona rests in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor off Oahu, Hawaii, as a tribute to all those who died.

Sunk

Forward Magazine Explode

The USS Arizona was based along with seven other battleships in Pearl Harbor's "battleship row," its shallow waters ideal for these massive ships. 

During the attack, several bombs hit their mark, one of these penetrated her forecastle, which detonated her forward ammunition magazines. The resulting massive explosion wrecked Arizona’s forward hull, collapsing the forward superstructure, and causing her to sink. 

After the attack, in the following months, much of her armament and topside structure was removed. Two of her aft triple 14^th gun turrets were transferred to the Army encampment as coast defense batteries for Oahu.

Arizona’s wrecked hull remains where she sank. 

In the 1950s, she began to be used as a site for memorial ceremonies, and, in the early 1960s, an official memorial was built. 

It is run by the National Park Service. It is a permanent shrine for all those brave souls who lost their lives in Pearl Harbor, and those who died fighting the Pacific war that began there. 

All warships that enter and leave Pearl Harbor, pause and salute the USS Arizona.

Countless visitors to this memorial, which stands on pillars astride Arizona’s broken hull, pay their silent tribute to this tragedy. 

A few bits of this sunken hull, rusted, twisted metal, can be seen near the shallow waterline. Still attached to the deck is the ship’s flagpole; Arizona’s hull still leaks oil from her bunkers—all these decades later. 

Some state this is a fitting tribute for she appears to still bleed for all who were lost on the day Franklin D. Roosevelt called, “a date that will live in infamy”.

For years, people who have visited this memorial and park service employees have witnessed some strange activity. 

Many photographs that have been taken around the memorial have captured strange foggy spots and misty human figures seem to appear in the background of these photographs.

 One specific ghost that appears is said to be the officer who was posted on Arizona’s deck the morning of December 7, 1941.  

Distracted by something personal, he left his station briefly. It was during this time the Japanese planes attacked. This officer was killed. 

Some speculate he is seen because he is driven by guilt to walk the deck, and then look out near the flagpole. He is seen mostly at night, low tide, and in the dim light of dawn.

USS Arizona in the 1930s

Crybaby Bridge: Monmouth, Illinois

There are many “Crybaby Bridge” stories in various states in the U.S. Some stories that surround these bridges are genuine folktales others are more recent urban legends which cynics state are “fakelore.” Regardless they are all entertaining. 

One bridge in Monmouth, Illinois, which has been christened a Crybaby Bridge, has an interesting legend connected to it.

Local residents of Monmouth are familiar with the following story about a steel bridge that sits three miles northwest of their town. 

It was said many years ago, a young unwed mother approached the bridge as a lightning storm raged around her. 

Shame weighed heavily upon her shoulders. Driven by fear because she had recently been abandoned, she found herself standing in the middle of the bridge holding a week-old baby boy to her breast. 

Having no choice, not wanting to be ostracized by the community, she hurled the baby over the bridge’s trestles into the churning cold water of Cedar Creek. 

Ever since this tragic event, locals who pass the bridge state they have heard a “spine-tingling” cry that sounds like a baby struggling to breathe.

Yet another legend connected to this bridge states, an elementary school bus plunged off the side of this bridge during a flood. Unfortunately, it is said the buses occupants all drowned before rescuers arrived. 

Since this accident, many people have stated that if their car breaks down as they cross the bridge or even if they just stop on the bridge that the ghosts of these children have pushed their cars safely across. *

One local young lady and her friend not believing this legend decided one afternoon to drive to the bridge to see if they could debunk it. 

This single-lane bridge is located on a rural dirt road off US 67-N. It is at the bottom of a valley-- there is a steep incline at both ends of the bridge. This road is so narrow that only one car can pass at a time. 

After rounding a sharp curve that leads to the Cedar Creek Bridge these two young investigators stopped their car at the bottom of the hill and got out. They walked across the bridge, noting that it is entirely flat at both ends and in the middle.

They got back in their car and put it into neutral. They were surprised when almost immediately, their car started to slowly inch its way across the bridge. It did not stop until it got to the other side. 

Perplexed these two ladies were convinced that there must be an environmental reason for this, so they headed up the opposite hill from where they drove in. 

They turned their car around and drove back down to test it going the other way. They again stopped their vehicle and put it in neutral at the opposite end of the bridge. 

They were shocked to see their car instead of rolling backward as they expected it moved forward and slowly inched its way across the bridge, not stopping until it reached the other side. 

To this day their experience on this bridge baffles them.

The young people in the town often retell another legend connected to this bridge. They state that a group of teenagers out for a joy ride struck a fisherman who stood on the bridge late one afternoon. 

Evidently, just as this fisherman cast his line over the bridge, he was hit by their car and killed. 

Local legend states his apparition appears around the area that surrounds the creek.

*  This gravity hill story is very similar to the San Antonio, Texas story, which states a school bus full of children, was struck by an oncoming train. These students were killed instantly. Like the bridge story above, it is noted these children help push cars across the railroad tracks. Here is a link to a post I wrote about this ghost story.

The Amish also have an evil crybaby bridge haunting here.

Ghost Ship: The Young Teazer

The story of the Young Teazer inspired one of the best-known ghost ship stories in Eastern Canada. 

The Young Teazer, a typical sailing schooner of its day was a privately owned ship—a privateer, which exploded in Nova Scotia during the War of 1812. A year after this, strange sightings of this ship began to be recorded. 

The “Teazer Light” as it has become known has been seen for over two centuries and is described by witnesses as a fiery ship seen in Mahone Bay.

It was a common practice among countries to allow privateers in times of war to attack enemy merchant ships and claim any loot they found. This was a big help because it robbed the enemy of needed supplies. It also gave naval ships more time to fight battles. 

Privateering was a hazardous way to make a living, but many ship owners participated for it was a quick way to make a fortune. During the War of 1812, many American privateers chased down British ships along the the southeastern coast of Nova Scotia.

HMS Hogue

In June of 1813 one of these American privateers, the Young Teazer, became the hunted instead of the hunter. 

On June 27^th the HMS Hogue encountered the Young Teazer and forced her into Halifax Harbour (spelled: Harbor in the U.S.) but the Young Teazer managed to escape. 

A few days later the frigate HMS Orpheus chased the Teazer into Luneburg Harbour. But the Orpheus lost her near Mahone Bay due to light winds. The Hogue then picked up the chase again, after 18 hours she was able to trap the Young Teazer in Mahone Bay. The Hogue began to fire upon the Teazer viciously. Soon the Orpheus joined in.

That evening the Hogue readied five boats to board the Teazer. 

Meanwhile, Captain Dobson on board the Young Teazer discussed plans to defend his privateer with his 38-man crew. * 

Lieutenant Johnson known for erratic behavior on previous cruises, argued with the captain and then disappeared below. The schooner exploded a few minutes later. 

Johnson, who was a British deserter knew that once his identity was discovered, he would be hanged. So in desperation, he threw a lit torch into the ship’s supply of gunpowder.

Of the few Teazer men who survived the explosion, several were severely burned. They were found by local residents clinging to the burning spars and bow of the shattered hull of the schooner. Approximately, 30 of the Teazer crew died. 

The local militia secured the survivors including the captain. 

These men were sent to the Melville Island prisoner war camp in Halifax. Most were eventually returned to America in a prisoner exchange. 

The locals buried the dead in unmarked graves in the St. Stephens’ Anglican cemetery in Chester. They also took charge of the Young Teazer’s wreckage. **

Mahone Bay
Nova Scotia

Almost a year later to the day a ghost ship was first seen near Chester in Mahone Bay. This was the first of many appearances. 

Hundreds have seen a burning ship out on the Bay. Many witnesses state this ship just appears out of nowhere. Others have reported seeing this flaming ship head right for them. Terrified, they felt it was about to run them down-- only to see it vanish at the last second. 

Sometimes this ship would pass so close to the shore witnesses on the beach can even make out seamen up in its riggings.

In most documented reports it is stated the ship appeared to be on fire. This is why people believe that it is the ghost ship of the Young Teazer. 

Some have  even stated they heard the tortured cries of the men who were trying to escape this flaming ghost ship. 

The Young Teazer is most often seen near the anniversary of when it exploded and in the exact spot where it exploded. Most witness reports mention that once seen this ship just vanishes into thin air.

In recent years there haven’t been as many sightings. A possible reason for this being the encroachment of civilization—lights from homes, marinas, etc. make it much harder to see out over the bay. 

Others claim that they have debunked these sightings. They state that when a bank of fog covers the moon as it rises over the horizon, it causes the illusion of a ship on fire.  ***

*  The number of the crew members and how many were killed in the explosion are not known, so approximate numbers are given.

** Some of the wreckage salvaged was used for building materials. One store near Mahone Bay was built from this salvaged wood. Other materials were turned into souvenirs. 

A piece of the keel was used to build a cross--this cross is inside the St. Stephen’s Anglican Church in Chester. Another fragment of the scorched oak wood keel is displayed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlanta in Halifax.

*** A folklorist, Helen Creighton spent two decades collecting maritime ghost stories. She was first inspired to do this when she encountered a couple by the name of Enos in the community of Hartlen’s Point on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour. 

When she expressed an interest in a deserted house near the Enos property she was informed, “That’s our ghost house.” The house was partly constructed using wood from the Young Teazer wreck. They then told her that it was haunted, strange knocks and footsteps were heard regularly.

Creighton who wrote a book entitled Bluenose Ghosts mentions that several witness accounts that she collected about the strange sightings of the Young Teazer could be explained by an optical illusion during full moons, but others could not be so easily explained away. In her book, she includes numerous eyewitness accounts of the Young Teazer.