Venice’s Proveglia Island Part l

This island is just one of several islands located in the Venetian lagoon. Today, tourists are not allowed on Proveglia. The legends that surround this “infamous” island have continued to become more and more exaggerated over the years. 

It is often stated Poveglia is the most haunted spot in all of Italy. This island’s very dark history does point to the fact that it is probably haunted but this activity is so interwoven with legend it is difficult to separate the two.

The Medieval Venetians were ahead of the curve in Europe when it came to public health and sanitary laws--this is impressive since at this time people didn’t know much about germs and how they spread. When the Black Plague hit Europe in the 16^th century Venice already had been using the island of Proveglia to quarantine * travelers who entered the lagoon on ships that had signs of plague. 

When the Black Plague reached Venice it is estimated that over 50,000 people ** who were stricken with this terrible disease were forced to stay on the island. When they died they were buried on the island. Combined with earlier outbreaks of plague in the late 15^th century the island altogether has over 160,000 victims buried in its soil. ***

At the time of the Black Plague conditions in the islands hospital called Lazzaretto Vecchio were horrendous. This 16^th century plague was much more deadly than previous outbreaks. About 500 people a day died on the island.

Photo: Ransom Riggs

According to 16^th century Venetian chronicler, Rocco Benedetti:

“The sick lay three or four in a bed. Workers collected the dead all day and threw them in graves without a break. Often the dying ones and the ones too sick to move or talk were taken for dead and thrown on the piled corpses.” ***

Despite this large number of dead Venice because they isolated the sick lost just one third of their population to the plague. In comparison other areas around Europe where almost completely wiped out. 

Proveglia's few lucky patients that survived were taken to a nearby island's Lazzaretto Nuovo to convalesce.

* The word quarantine was first coined and used in Venice.

**Venice at this time was a world trade center so archaeologists who have studied the remains state they represent many cultural backgrounds including African and Asian. 

Photo: Ransom Riggs

*** On Proveglia in the late 15^th century plague victims were buried in neat rectangular trenches wrapped carefully in white sheets. But the 16^th century plague created so many victims that the Monatti or corpse handlers were overwhelmed. They dug holes and unceremoniously dumped the bodies in. When these pits became full they started to burn the bodies.

In Part ll of this post entitled, "The Legends that Surround Proveglia Part ll" I share both the traditional and more recent "exaggerations" told about this island being haunted.

Update: This island is now up for sale. 

A Ghost Named Thankful

Old House Journal has a page dedicated just for their favorite ghost stories. Old homes that are renovated often stir up paranormal activity. This magazine’s readers submit stories about their encounters with ghosts.

My favorite story in this magazine was first published in the fall of 1988. A couple bought their dream 220 -year-old- farmhouse in Connecticut in the 1970s.

As they moved in it was apparent to them that they were not alone. It seemed they had a “permanent resident” on their hands. The wife stated, “It was like someone was reading over our shoulders.” She told her husband that she didn’t know why but that she felt their ghost was a woman.

The family often heard doors opening and closing--sometimes they were slammed. They heard footsteps upstairs most often in their daughter’s bedroom-- when their daughter was downstairs. The family also found items often were moved. They were then found later in unusual places.

Despite the fact this activity continued the couple stated they never were afraid. In fact, the wife felt comforted by the ghost’s presence. It was like there was lightness in the air when she was around.

Unfortunately, not everyone reacted the same way to her presence. One winter afternoon the families’ handyman was repairing a back windowsill when he realized a tool he needed was in the home. The family was away for the afternoon so he entered and existed the home through the basement cellar. When he tried to open the door that led from the cellar into the home he found it locked.

He heard footsteps overhead in the living room so he called out, “Can you unlock the door.” When he didn’t get a response he headed around to the front of the home thinking the family must have returned. But there was no car in the drive and the front of the house was securely locked.

He once again went to the back and entered the cellar. This time he heard footsteps near the door. The handyman once again called out but there was no response. He went back to the broken window and peered inside the home. He saw a form walking through one of the back rooms. Now upset, he left quickly leaving his tools behind.

After several months the couple became curious about their ghost. The wife called the previous owners who had lived in the farmhouse for over twenty years. This woman asked her about the “ghost” before she even mentioned it.

Shortly afterwards the family saw the ghost for the first and only time. They thought they saw a child walking down the stairs from the second floor but then they realized it was an old woman. She had grey eyes and wore a grey dress. She was very short and thin. This woman disappeared as they stared at her.

Later, when the wife dug into the history of the home she discovered that the farmhouse had been built around 1777. The same family, the Knapps had owned the farm for three generations. The last Knapp to live on the farm-- Ira Knapp brought his new bride, Thankful Knapp to the farm in the 1800s. Thankful was a small woman, weighing only 90 pounds.

Ira died in 1871 when Thankful was 65 years old. Her son’s encouraged her to move in with one of them but to their frustration Thankful refused stating she loved the farm and wanted to stay put. At the age of 85 Thankful was killed when she fell down the farmhouse cellar stairs.

As it turned out the couple was grateful for Thankful’s presence in their home. Once when the wife lost her wedding ring she searched for several weeks. Finally, fed up she requested, “Thankful, can you help me find it?” The following morning she entered the kitchen and spotted the ring lying in the middle of the tiled floor.

Another time the couple’s daughter returned home from school to discover she had forgotten her key. It was raining so she went around to the back porch and took shelter with the family’s two dogs. She tried the back kitchen door but it was locked and chained. She called out, “Thankful, please let me in, I’m cold.” When she bent down to pet the dogs the door flew open.

The family’s cat particularly enjoyed Thankful’s presence. They often saw him bouncing around pawing at something unseen in the air. He would jump and spin around as if he was being coaxed. He also would walk from room to room and back again as if he was following someone.

One time the family watched as he ran smack into a wall. He then sat staring at the wall as if he were asking why couldn’t I go through too. They then followed him as he ran around the corner and continued to play in the adjoining room at the exact spot on the other side of this wall.

The family noted that sometimes Thankful presence wasn’t felt or heard for a while. One of these times was when the cat died. All was quiet for two weeks. The wife felt Thankful must have been as sad as the family. Each year on January 22^nd the home was very quiet. The wife went back through the history she had copied and discovered that Ira, Thankful’s husband had died on this date.

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.