A Hunters Return

James Heyward had two loves in life, his books, and hunting. James’ father was killed in the Revolutionary War, and his mother was disappointed when James, her eldest son, took no interest in running the family’s rice plantation.

1800s Rice Plantation S.C.

At the end of the war, the widow Heyward had a refined 2-story house built on the fashionable Legare Street in Charleston, South Carolina. She loved to entertain friends, and her children often came to visit.

One early morning in January of 1805, she went into the home’s library. There as usual sat James in an alcove. He was hunched over, holding his head in his hands.

The widow concerned approached the table. She asked him why he had not left yet. He had informed her the night before that he and friends were going to leave Charleston early the next morning to go quail hunting at the family plantation.

When she received no response, she asked, “James, are you ill?” She watched as her son just faded away.

Now certain what she had seen was a bad omen she sent for a servant. She demanded this man go to the plantation immediately and see if something was amiss with the hunting party.

However, before this servant could leave, there was a commotion on the front porch. The door swung open, and a group of plantation workers entered, carrying the lifeless body of James Heyward—his grieving friends, trailed behind.

They told the widow as they had galloped across a field that morning a cow had startled James’ horse. He was thrown and killed instantly.

At the precise moment of his death Mrs. Heyward had seen and spoken to her son in the library.

Library window.

It has been over two hundred years since this tragic accident, but James’ ghost still makes appearances in the Legare Street home’s library.

Fourteen families have lived in this home since the widow Heyward had it first built-in 1789. Several of these residents have claimed to see James’ ghost.

He is seen wearing his green riding coat and reading a book in the alcove. At other times he is seen gazing out the window toward where the family’s plantation once stood.

This residence at 31 Legare Street has 7 bedrooms and 9 baths. The home is almost 7,000 square feet in size and is valued at $1.2 million. The owners’ wish is that everyone respects their privacy.

Telly Savalas’s Good Samaritan

Telly Savalas

Telly Savalas was an American actor who was known for his tough guy character movie roles. He is remembered however for starring in the 1970s television series Kojack where he played a New York City detective.

He won an Emmy and two Golden Globes for this role. His character Kojack made the catchphrase, “Who loves ya, baby?” popular.

Years before his acting success he experienced what could only be classified as a paranormal encounter. Late one night in 1959, he was driving home to Long Island from a date when his car ran out of gas.

He looked around but everything was closed and deserted. His only option was to walk toward the freeway. From behind him, he heard an odd squeaky high-pitched voice call out—offering him a ride.

He had not heard a car drive up but as he turned, he saw a man in a white suit sitting in a Cadillac. This Good Samaritan then drove him to a gas station. As they returned to his car, Savalas took down the man’s number and address so he could pay him back.

The man told him if he could not reach him he should call a friend of his, a Red Sox baseball player. He gave Savalas this number as well. He then helped fill the car and he even pushed it to help Savalas get it started.

The next day, Savalas read a newspaper report that mentioned the baseball player the man had used as an extra contact, it stated he was dead. Things became eerier when Savalas called the Good Samaritan’s number.

A woman answered. As Savalas told her the reason, he was calling the woman stopped him. She was confused as she told him that her husband had died two years before.

Savalas described the man who had helped him and told her he had given him this number. As he described the man—the white suit he wore—she broke down and mentioned her husband had been buried in his favorite white suit.

Savalas then mentioned the man’s strange high-pitched voice. The wife still crying told him that this made sense for her husband had shot himself in the throat. He had taken his own life.

It appears Telly Savalas encountered a guardian spirit right when he needed one.

I first read this story in a book entitled, True Ghost Stories, by Jason Keeler. It is a quick read and mentions many famous ghost tales. It can be found here.

Silent Movie Theater

This theater has been a fixture on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, California since 1942.

Its original owner, John Hampton opened the theatrer just 15 years after silent films became passé. He began with his personal collection of silent film favorites and then slowly increased his film library.

His theatre showed Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Rudolph Valentino and the Keystone Cops in all their glory.

John Hampton, 1942

What original theatre
looked like in 1942.

Hampton’s dedication to preserving these films meant he often placed his new finds in a tub above the theatre in chemicals. This over the years exposed him to deadly toxins. He was diagnosed with Cancer in the 1970s and died in 1990.

Tragedy struck the next owner, Laurence Austin, in the theater in January of 1997. He was shot and killed during an apparent robbery.

The police later revealed that Austin’s business partner and long time lover James Van Sickle had actually hired a hit man to kill Austin. His motive was to inherit the money. He and the gunman both received life in prison.

Laurence Austin in front of
theatre in 1996.

This theatrer closed in 1997. But then Charlie Lustman bought and re-opened the silent film house in 1999. He was inspired to do this when he saw the faded blood stains on the carpet and saw the posters Hampton had hung in the theatre--he stated he felt that Hampton’s spirit inspired him to restore the place.

The little 158-seat theatre now had fresh paint, new wooden floors, a new screen, projection booth and a neon marquee. The films shown were still accompanied by piano or organ music.

During the time Lustman owned the theatre it became apparent to him and his employees that the building was haunted.

They felt that John Hampton’s spirit haunts the lounge area of the apartment upstairs where he and his wife Dorothy lived for 45 years. 

Lustman revealed that if he strayed from the original purpose for the theatre, showing silent films, things would go wrong. When he arranged to show a 3-D film festival in 2000, he received a black eye as he tripped over a display case. Then the projector that had worked fine for a year, broke down minutes before the first 3-D film could screen.

Hamptons' ghost apparently was unhappy with his decision.

Another ghost in this theater is Laurence Austin. He has shocked more than one witness in the lobby—near where he was shot.

Lustman, and a former publicist for the theater would hear the repeated jingle of keys while alone in the building. Austin while alive had this nervous habit--he would jingle his keys.

To settle down the activity Lustman brought in a shaman, sage was burnt, and rose crystals were placed where Austin was murdered.

In 2006, Lustman sold the place to the Harkham brothers. They re-opened the theater as a rival house called the Cinefamily. They show an eclectic mix of sound and silent films.

What theatre looks like today.

This Silent Movie Theatre is located on the west side of Fairfax Avenue just north of the Farmers Market. It is rented out for special events.

Ghost teams in the area should consider renting this venue. It would be an ideal place for a conference and a ghost hunt.

Oliver House: Adultery and Murder

Footbridge that
leads to the entrance
of B&B.

Today the Oliver House is a bed and breakfast. It sits on a secluded hill in the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona. It was initially built as offices and a boarding house for the employees of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Company.

The old house has a bloody history. Despite written records being lost to neglect and fires, it is believed 26 deaths occurred in the Oliver—most murders.

Several of these murders were a direct result of unfaithful spouses.

One story told by the locals involves a man by the name of Nathaniel Anderson. Nate was a miner who stayed in Room 13 at the Oliver House. He was stepping out with a married lady, a Mrs. Elizabeth King, whose husband he owed money.

Oliver House before renovations.

The two had carried on an illicit affair for some time when early one morning in February of 1920, he was shot twice, in the forehead and in the back. His body was discovered at the top of the stairs near Room 13.

A man was seen leaving the house but was never positively identified. So the case remains officially unsolved. It is believed Nate Anderson has haunted Room 13 since.

His ghost is also seen on the stairs and in the area around his old room.

In recent years a local DJ was bet a $100 to stay in this room overnight. He stated that all the ghost stories told about the Oliver House were just nonsense. He took the bet feeling it would be an easy way to make a hundred bucks.

Once checked in, with great fanfare, this DJ proceeded to Room 13. But as he unlocked the door and opened it, he saw Nate’s ghost standing in the middle of the room. He quickly returned the key and left the hotel.

He later returned the $100 and admitted he now believed in ghosts.

In 1932, another betrayed husband entered the Oliver House. This angry husband, a police officer, went to the Blue Room and shot and killed his wife and her lover. He then proceeded to kill anyone else who got in his way.

All told, he killed 12 people that day. He then turned the gun on himself.

Modern-day visitors that stay in the Blue Room report hearing phantom footsteps and they return to find the furniture mysteriously moved in this room.

What B&B looks like today.

The second floor at the Oliver is always active. Several paranormal groups have investigated this building. Typical reports include doors opening and shutting, footsteps in the hallways, and the sounds of water running.

Guests report feelings of creepiness overwhelming them on this floor. They often state they felt something unseen was watching them.

One couple reported hearing the sounds of an entire “party” going on when they were the only ones on this floor. Others report hearing the sounds of pipes being worked on in places they no longer exist.

Read my post about other haunted places in Bisbee, Arizona, here.