Our local library has a colorful history of being haunted.
Two librarians died in the library under unusual circumstances. One hung herself from the attic rafters and another was battered to death by a book cart. Spend a little time there and you’ll hear footsteps, feel as though you’re being watched, see ghostly apparitions browsing the stacks or sitting and reading, see runaway book carts and ghostly children sitting with young children during story time.
It’s a lively place with a history that very few people discuss. On overcast rainy days it’s not a place where you want to be — yet it is ideal for relaxing with a good gothic tale — especially with what is going on in the library. Seriously, I prefer being home on such days in my comfortable chair with a lap robe and my Kindle, but I digress.
I was at my local coffee shop on such an overcast rainy day and I met Graham who had a story to tell about his college library.
He and four of his friends worked at the library. They were given the task one evening after closing to clean the third floor, which was believed to be the most haunted area of the library. They did split up to cover the area.
Immediately Graham felt a kind of static electricity surrounding him. He was uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to alert his friends.
When the lights started blinking, Graham and his friends became concerned.
“Maybe we should leave,” one of his friends said. “I don’t want to be stuck up here in the dark.”
He was teased a bit about being afraid of the dark, but they all felt the cold air that blew throughout the area. Graham looked around and saw a middle aged man dressed in a dark suit carrying a couple of books and looking in the stacks.
When he first started working in the library, the librarian told him about an English professor who haunted the library. At the time Graham accepted it, but didn’t think much of it. He believed in the paranormal, but he didn’t think it odd that college professors wouldn’t be haunting the library from time to time or the lecture halls or classrooms. So when he saw the gentleman ghost, he assumed it was the English prof.
As the spirit moved around, the lights blinked. The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Graham and his friends stood still watching and listening. No one came out of the elevator and no one went in, but the doors closed and the elevator moved down.
Books were falling from the shelves from various areas. Graham wondered if a group of spirits got off the elevator to mess with them. A book cart slowly rolled towards them. When Graham reached out to stop it, it picked up speed with Graham taking a ride on this runaway cart. It headed for the elevator. When Graham thought he would crash into it, the door opened. On the ride up and then down he could hear soft laughter. He wondered if this was an reenactment of a fraternity hazing that happened a number of decades previous.
He tried to remember this particular incident. Did it happen in the library? He remembered that it did involve books, but a book cart . . . Graham closed his eyes to think. He took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes he had a vision of a young man blindfolded with hands and feet bound with a rope. He was on a book cart, bumping along a path pushed by young men in long coats. Each one yelling insults at the one on the cart.
Upahead near a tall tree was another man making a noose from a coil of rope.
“What do we have here, boys?” he said.
“A horse thief,” was the reply.
“Well now, you know what we do with horse thieves, don’t you?”
The noose was put over the young blindfolded man’s head. He was removed from the book cart and raised just a few inches in the air. If he stretched out, his feet would have touched the ground, but he was so scared . . .
The cause of death was not hanging, but . . . could one die from being scared to death? That seemed to be what happened.
From the research Graham did, he found that each of the young men involved in this hazing incident all died within a year. Was this revenge . . . or guilt?
Of the six fraternity brothers involved, two fell down the elevator shaft, three hung themselves on the third floor, and one was crushed to death under the weight of fallen bookshelves.
They were destined, so it seemed, to play out their deed for eternity.
Residual hauntings can’t harm the living, but they can be frightening. I’d rather see the old English Professor than these frat boys any day.
There’s an old park in town with a sinister history.
I avoid it as much as possible. There is an open theatre there and during the summer they put on family plays. They are held in the afternoon so the park is empty well before dark. This is also a popular place for Easter Egg Hunts and activities for children on Easter Sunday.
Many have seen apparitions on stage and there have been reports of seeing robed men carrying lanterns and chanting while they walked throughout the park. It is believed to be a satanic group that has taken over the park and also responsible for the attacks that many claim to have occurred over the years. Some believe their are demons hiding in the bushes keeping an eye on the park.
Actually, there are conflicting stories. There are those who want people to stay away from the park and there are those who say the park is safe and nothing has happened there. I believe what I have personally experienced and what I’ve heard from reliable sources. And, as I said earlier, I avoid the place.
Early one Saturday morning I heard the insistent ringing of my doorbell.
I couldn’t imagine who it could be and I was going to ignore it when I heard my name being called. I knew it was my friend Barbara. Her husband, Harry was in the car with their nephew, Joel and his girlfriend.
“Grab your coat and come with us.” Barbara ordered.
“Where are we going?”
“Pioneer Park.”
She must have sensed my hesitation. She grabbed my arm and led me to their car.
“Last night I couldn’t sleep and I heard chanting out in front of the house,” she began. “I didn’t want to look out front so I looked out the side upstairs window and I saw a long procession of dark robed people carrying candles. It was the largest group I’d ever seen gathered. The chant was almost like a growl that rumbled down the street. I was scared.”
“Julie and I were coming home from a movie when we saw flickering lights up in the hills near the park,” Joel added. “We decided to investigate, but the wind started blowing and we were being peppered by hail. It stopped after we turned towards Julie’s house.”
“This morning my sister and I went jogging up near the park,” Julie said. “We could hear something in the hedge, like it was stalking us. We cut across the street and that’s when we saw candle wax on a rock formation shaped like a pentagram.”
Evidently, Julie and her sister ran home, called Joel, who called his Aunt Barbara, who came to get me . . .
“Now, we’ll have proof of satanic activities going on at the park,” said Barbara.
Quite frankly, I didn’t care. I’m content to allow people to do as they please as long as they don’t involve me in their activities. I didn’t really want to see the pentagram or be anywhere near that park, but I held my tongue.
Harry parked the car and we got out with Julie leading the way. Yes, there was evidence of a pentagram with candle wax melted on it. It gave me a chill. The wind picked up and before we got back to the car, it started to hail.
Something strange was definitely going on and we didn’t need to be out there. Harry couldn’t get the car started. There was panic in the car. The windows were all steamed up and at various places the message “Get Out” was scrawled on the windows.
Harry got the car started and we darted down the street away from the park and the pentagram.
We went to Barbara and Harry’s house. That was all right with me, I wasn’t ready to go home just yet. We sat at the kitchen table while Harry made a fresh pot of coffee. Barbara started cooking pancakes, she cooked when she was upset. It was fine with me, not that I wanted breakfast, but it was comforting to watch “normal” morning behavior.
Then Barbara said, “I didn’t get one picture!” Then started laughing. “Do you want to go back!”
We all shouted, “No!”
We knew what we saw and what we experienced. We didn’t need a picture, the memory was freshly imprinted on our minds. It wasn’t an experience we would soon forget.
We settled down to eating our pancakes and discussed everything except the incident we just experienced. We didn’t want to open the door to going back to take a picture or do a video.
I ain’t afraid of no ghosts seems to be the running joke with “ghost hunters”.
But in reality, I’m not too sure.
We may not be afraid afraid of them, but we can still be startled by them or feel uncomfortable around them.
This is a real ghost story told to me by Kevin.
One weekend he agreed to house sit for a friend. Basically he was feeding his friend’s dog and cat and hanging out with them for awhile before returning home.
His friend told him the house was haunted, but not to worry about it, no harm has come to his family or pets. Kevin wasn’t a believer in ghosts and just took it as his friend messing with him.
When he arrived to feed his friend’s pets, he saw something watching him from an upstairs window. He immediately texted his wife to join him at the house. Kevin wasn’t comfortable going into the house alone.
When his wife arrived, he told her to stay outside and he went in alone to check out the bedroom window where he was sure someone was watching him.
He went through the whole house feeling a bit foolish. Nothing was there.
He and his wife fed the dog and cat and settled into the living room to watch a DVD that Kevin’s friend set out for him to watch.
The dog was barking at something on the staircase. The cat settled on the sofa next to Kevin’s wife, Maureen.
Kevin went upstairs to investigate what had the dog so upset. When he returned he was white as a ghost, shaking and having trouble breathing.
Maureen went to him. She was going to go upstairs, but Kevin blocked her from going up.
Once he settled down, he took Maureen by the hand and showed her what scared him. He explained that he saw someone in that front bedroom window looking at him when he arrived. When he went upstairs the first time, the door was open. When he went up the second time the door was closed. When he opened it, there were three coats hanging on the bed post — one inside the other.
Downstairs, they heard noises in the kitchen and found all the pots and pans stacked one on top of the other on top of the stove. They knew the stove was clear of any pots and pans when they fed the dog and cat.
They turned off the television and DVD player, ejected the DVD and put it back in its case and left the house.
Before this incident, Kevin and Maureen didn’t believe in ghosts.
They did return later that day to take the dog and cat along with their food, bowls, litter box, beds, toys, etc. with them. Neither of them had any desire to return to the house.
When Kevin’s friend returned, he explained to him what happened.
His friend wasn’t surprised. He said things like that happened all the time.
It seemed to be poltergeist activity that was occurring in the house. If Kevin’s friend was comfortable with it, then it was his business.
I wouldn’t want to be in a house with poltergeist activity. I would prefer ghosts.
There are plenty of stories about haunted places — especially hotels. Will anyone forget Stephen King’s The Shining?
Well, this isn’t about that book, movie or hotel. I met Paul and Paula with their parents at my local coffee shop. Paul and Paula were twins in their early 30’s. They were chefs. They worked in a hotel in Colorado and were here for a visit with their parents. They could prepare just about anything, but their love was pastries. They would one day love to have their own pastry shop or do catering, but they were happy where they were — even though the hotel was haunted.
The interesting thing about this hotel is that it’s foundation is on quartz.
Quartz is believed to attract paranormal activity.
The hotel is absolutely beautiful with a sense of history — and a sense that you are sharing a part of that history. Paula is more of a skeptic, but Paul is a true believer in the paranormal.
They heard stories of a stabbing in the dining room during a heated argument. And the man who slit the throat of the other with a steak knife hung himself in the stables out of guilt and remorse. There were stories of children who lost their lives falling down stairs or out of windows. There were also stories of lover’s quarrels that ended with one of them dead.
Paula admitted to feeling cold spots in the dining room. Paul reported to seeing ghostly images of well dressed couples milling about. They both commented about things in the kitchen being moved. There were also ghostly images of children running around the lobby and playing on the stairs.
“On minute they’re there and the next they’re gone,” Paula said.
“I would hear giggling and the footsteps of small running feet,” Paul added.
There were also times when dishes and glassware would break — like an explosion when no one was nearby. They also recalled being pushed when carrying hot sauces or pouring them onto food.
There was one time Paula burned her hand and she heard very clearly, “Are you all right?” She didn’t know if it was a man or a woman, but the voice was a whisper and did convey concern. In spite of herself she answered, “Yes, I’m fine.” She knew she was alone at that time in the kitchen.
Sunday brunches were popular at this hotel where the doors were open to the public. There were locals that would come every Sunday and others once a month or so. Paul and Paula were in and out of the kitchen and the dining room on these days to make sure everything was full, clean and appealing. This is when they could show off their pastries which were a definite hit. The hotel made excellent money boxing up their cakes, cupcakes, cookies and brownies.
The more Paul and Paula spoke about the hotel and their experiences, I could see their mother getting uncomfortable, especially when they spoke of something evil about the place. It seemed that they would hear voices luring them upstairs. Many of the maids and the night workers spoke of being told to check a window and would feel themselves being pushed down the stairs or towards opened spaces. Many people with such experiences didn’t stay past their two week notice.
“Daddy and I are doing well with out investments and we would like to see you more,” she began.
“Yes,” her husband added. “Why not fulfill your dream of a bakery now, close by?”
“We will help you get started,” their mother added.
The twins were dumbfounded. They didn’t know what to say. I felt like I was in the way and took my leave.
I did see them again at a country club event. Paul and Paula were catering the affair.
They seemed happy and both were engaged to be married in the summer. They worked at different restaurants part time and rented a place where they could do their cooking, baking and catering. There were several events that kept them busy and making money.
They’re located in the old part of town and deliver lunches to the local merchants. They also do a wheels on meals type of thing for some elderly acquaintances of their parents. Their business is doing quite well and have plans to repay their parent’s generosity of relocating them and setting them up with their own business.
Paula is engaged to a local attorney who helped them with their culinary business plan. Paul is engaged to a nurse at the local hospital.
“Until we spoke to you, we didn’t realize how potentially dangerous the old hotel may have been,” Paula said.
“There were accidents that happened there regularly with employees and guests. They would say they didn’t know what possessed them to do the things they did,” Paul said. “It was like they were sleepwalking.”
“Children drowned in the pool,” Paula said. “That was the last straw for me.”
Paul nodded. “The lifeguard was just watching with a strange expression on his face. Of course, he was too late to rescue them. He was brought up on charges of endangering the children.”
Old places with antiques and those with water and lots of wood seem to attract the paranormal — evil and otherwise. The problem is that the evil entities can be so helpful and caring until they gain your trust and then things get out of control with possession.
My great-aunt at one time was the telephone operator with the old fashioned switchboards that connected with the rooms in the hotel where she worked. She would say at times lights on her switchboard would go on for rooms that were unoccupied. She would send someone up there from time to time and they would report how they could see the indentation of someone sitting or laying on the bed or sitting in a chair. There were times when the desk and the hotel stationery would be messed up with ink splotches. There were also rooms guests would report feeling watched and having their luggage gone through. They would request another room or check out.
So much is possible to observe when one is open to the paranormal. Yes, there are logical explanations, too, but I wouldn’t rule out the paranormal.
Well, this was quite exciting for a Real Ghost Story.
Lizzy Borden’s life and trial have been discussed over the years with divided beliefs of her guilt in murdering her father and step-mother that fateful day in August, 1892.
In 1975 there was a movie made with a possible means of how Lizzy Borden committed the crimes and was able to leave no evidence behind for the authorities to find.
I got caught up in it once again by watching a variety of YouTube videos to get a clear picture of what happened. My quest started when I watched a Paranormal Investigation of the Lizzy Borden Bed and Breakfast.
But for this post, I believe it is best to begin with a documentary of Lizzy Borden.
It’s always important to discover what was going on in the Borden residence prior to the murders.
Each documentary brings forth evidence regarding Lizzy, but is that the complete story?
I do like the dramatization of this documentary . .. but some aspects of the story seem to be left out . . . Lizzy and her thoughts and feelings.
Later on you’ll hear some EVPs that state Lizzy was “spoiled”. Wouldn’t that indicate that she always got her way and thus would have no reason to murder her step-mother and father?
And what is the truth . . . something we’ll never know for sure.
Lizzy Borden Documentary:
Did Lizzy murder her step-mother and father? Was it motivated by greed?
Given the “personal” nature of the attacks, it seems likely Lizzy Borden did do the deadly deed . . . But what is the truth?
Paranormal Investigators FAM and Lou Rock decided to visit the Bed and Breakfast to see what they could learn from the haunting that seems to be taking place.
There is definitely some creepy stuff going on and the spirit box EVPs do give one a bit of a chill.
The Paranormal Investigation Video
What do you think?
There were definite disturbances in the basement.
It has been documented that Mr. Borden had once been in the furniture business and later became a mortician.
However, there is no evidence that he conducted any “mortuary” business in his home or that his home had ever been a mortuary.
That would be too easy to explain the “hauntings” . . . Yet, I do wonder what spirits came into the house when the home across the street had been burned own. It is said children came to stay, but was there more?
Did something evil come into the house — maybe possessing Lizzy?
No offense to these paranormal investigators, but I decided to go a bit farther and wanted to see what Amy Allan and the Dead Files had to say about Lizzy Borden and the house that was turned into a Bed and Breakfast.
This took a bit of a turn to my way of thinking.
It does shed more light on Mr. Borden and how he ran his home.
Dead Files Investigate The Lizzy Borden House
What wasn’t Amy revealing?
Lizzy Borden Documentary:
Does this add clarity or muddy the water a bit more?
I believe more information is necessary in the form of another documentary.
This documentary discusses Lizzy’s life after the trial and how she and her sister did move to a mansion on the hill. Lizzy named it Maplecroft and this was where she could live a lavish life — evidently the life her father could afford, but didn’t want to live — even for the future welfare of his daughters.
It also debunks Lizzy’s killing of animals in order to hold a funeral — and all the implications associated with harming animals to a criminal mind.
Yet, what is behind the statement that Lizzy was “peculiar” or “odd” what was the evidence of this? Was it how she was raised . . . yet she did church work . . . or was this after the trial? Or was this because of her shoplifting?
You can decide later what is truly relevant and what isn’t in order to seek the truth about Lizzy Borden and the murders of 1892.
In light of all of this . . . I’m wondering . . .
Emma may have had a lot of resentment of having to care for her sister, or she may have welcomed it.
Yet both women didn’t have the opportunity to meet gentlemen and back then, the only way for a woman to leave home was to marry. So, both Lizzy and Emma may have resented their father for not allowing them to attend fancy balls or for their father to host one.
Without a mother — a true mother who would have seen to it that her daughters were given every opportunity to meet suitable suitors, these women were really nothing more than house servants in their own home.
If there had been “abuse” in the home, then it seems reasonable Mr. Borden would want to hold a tight rein on his daughters — to keep his secret . . . or was it the sister’s secret . . . or was something else at play in the house . . .
I can understand how Lizzy Borden could have gone “mad” . . . but why continue living in that small town — or did Lizzy Borden have something to prove to the townfolk?
And what did she prove?
I would suggest that instead of asking Lizzy if she did the crime, why not ask her for her story and who she was with her goals and aspirations . . . Her feelings of how everything went terribly wrong . . .
I believe there is more to this story. And I believe this rings true with the second Biographical Documentary. There are definitely more questions that haven’t been answered.
Yet I do believe, too, that Lizzy and others who “haunt” the bed and breakfast are tired of being asked the same questions over and over again . . . and may just say “yes” to commiting the murders in order to be done with it.
Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment.
Sharon
But wait . . .
And what could be said for Maplecroft — Lizzy’s last known residence?
Surely Lizzy Borden would haunt that place moreso than the residence where her father and step-mother were murdered.
I would definitely not want to haunt the old house, but haunt my home, the home where I was free to live and entertain as I pleased.
I would think Mr. & Mrs. Borden would haunt the bed and breakfast and Lizzy would haunt Maplecroft . . . but what do I know . . .
Maplecroft:
A beautiful place, but I don’t know if I’d like to live there.
I don’t know about operating a bed and breakfast out of Maplecroft Mansion, but I think a quaint little paranormal bookstore would be lovely selling crystals and other items of interest.
I wouldn’t really want to do seances in the home other than to discuss Lizzy’s life without mentioning the murders.
As I mentioned earlier, I believe the Lizzy Borden story is a lot more interesting than the murders and the trial.
I’m going a bit soft on thinking of buying such a house with a history . . . it could be a selling point or drop the price down . . . I do wonder what stories this house has to tell . . . since there were several previous owners . . .
Just something to think about . . .
Thanks for indulging me in my search for the Lizzy Borden story.
They have lived in 4 different houses and each and everyone has been haunted. They believe since both of them are sensitive to spirits that they may be attracting them into their lives.
Carl recalls seeing a ghost when he was just a child. He went into his bedroom one day to play with his toys and found a little boy playing on the floor with his cars. He went running to tell his mother and when they returned to his room, the little boy was gone. As the years went on, he would see spirits from time to time and accepted them as his normal day to day routine.
Brenda’s first encounter with the paranormal was after the death of her beloved grandfather. She would see him in his favorite rocking chair on the front porch of their house, smoking a cigar. She would play with her dolls next to the rocking chair for hours just to be near her grandfather. The family cat would curl up in her ghostly grandfather’s lap, just as when he was alive. Brenda knew her friends couldn’t see her grandfather in the rocking chair and she didn’t mention it to them. Her mother did sense him, but didn’t make a big deal about it. It was just accepted.
They were now living in their 8th house in as many years and shared with me their story.
Shortly after they were married, they moved into Carl’s grandmother’s house.
He didn’t want to bring his new bride there, because his grandmother had a strong dislike for him. It wasn’t anything he did, she just never liked him. Brenda loved the old Victorian and thought it was just perfect for them and for the family they wanted eventually.
It didn’t take long for Grandma to make an appearance — maybe not physically, but by turning up the burners on the stove or changing the temperature of the oven to ruin any meal Brenda made. She was able to interfere with the television by changing channels and turning it on or off. These were not necessarily dangerous pranks, but annoying. When Brenda and Carl were able to save enough money, they moved out and rented another house.
They moved into a duplex.
For the first few months, everything was calm and peaceful, but soon they found something was messing with the thermostat on the heater. At night it would get well above 80 degrees in the house. They would turn it down to 60 before going to bed. Brenda immediately thought of Carl’s grandmother and wondered if she followed them, but she was able to cook a meal without interference in the duplex.
Carl came home from work one day and found Brenda unconscious in the kitchen. She claims she was pushed and hit her head on the counter.
Brenda became more and more uncomfortable living in the duplex. She would hear loud music coming from the attached unit next door when no one was home. When the place became infested with rats, they moved.
Carl and Brenda found a lovely townhouse by a lake.
It seemed perfect for them. It was as though they were on a second honeymoon. There were no disturbances in the house or on the trails around the lake and the wooded area.
Things got a bit uncomfortable for them when some strange neighbors moved in next door to them. It started with their car being scraped while it was in the carport. Next there were strange odors coming from next door into their townhouse. The door to the bathroom would not stay closed. It was always coming opened, even when the door was locked. Next, they experienced shadows moving through the walls and drifting up to the ceiling watching them.
It became so uncomfortable for them that they had to move.
They found a newly built house that was a model home.
They believed this would be perfect for them. No previous owners and no wall that was shared with a neighbor. It didn’t take long for there to be disturbances. Drawers were spilled out in the kitchen. Water would turn on at various times day or night. The lights would flicker. They heard a telephone ringing continuously. There were also loud arguments between two ghostly men. They would hear a gunshot which ended the argument followed by running feet and the slam of the front door. This scenario played out several times a week.
They did research on the house and found that one of the owners was murdered by the contractor in the back bedroom Carl used as an office. It was always disturbed with desk and file drawers being opened. Pens, paper and paperclips were thrown off the desk and scattered around the room.
They were able to break their lease and moved out only two months after moving in.
Brenda was pregnant and sought professional help.
They moved back into Carl’s grandmother’s Victorian house. They called in a psychic to bless the house and to also do a reading for them. They did want to contact Carl’s grandmother to ask her permission to live there and to raise their family. Brenda and Carl planted flowers and also a vegetable garden. The landscaping was beautiful when they finished — similar to how he remembered it when his grandmother lived there.
Carl’s parents kept the grandmother’s furniture in the house and used it as a guest house for out of town guests. They didn’t want to sell it and didn’t want to rent it — other than to Carl and Brenda, which they would eventually inherit if they wanted it.
The psychic was able to find out that the Grandmother didn’t like men since she learned her husband of fifty plus years had been cheating on her since the beginning of their marriage. When she saw Brenda fixing dinner for Carl, Grandma decided he didn’t deserve a well cooked meal and messed with the oven and stove. She also didn’t believe he deserved a comfortable night’s sleep and messed with the thermostat. She did what she could to get them out of her house and make Carl’s life miserable.
Carl told his grandmother how sorry he was that his grandfather was such a womanizer and treated her so poorly, but he assured her that his father and he did not share their father’s and grandfather’s behavior. He wanted to prove it to her by living in her house with Brenda and their new baby who would be born in a few months.
Fortunately, the baby was a girl and they named her after Carl’s grandmother.
Everything seems to be working out well for the couple. They know the older woman is around. They have seen her sitting in a rocking chair in the nursery singing to the baby while she sleeps.
They have noticed things moved in the house, but Brenda is able to cook without interference. The thermostat remains where it was set.
They’re finding it is possible to live peaceably with a resident ghost.
