Like many of you out there, I love Halloween. The cooler weather, stormy nights, and of course, scary stuff!! If you are a horror fan like me, you can’t wait to try out this year’s Halloween haunts. Maybe this time, one of them will be able to scare you. Still hoping…
Here are four stories that scared me when I was a child to help you get into the Halloween spirit. I’ll even tell you about a personal ghostly experience while working in an old building in Maine. So sit back, turn off the lights and get ready to be scared… or at least highly entertained.
The Cooper Family Hanging Ghost
Do you remember the first photo of a ghost you saw that scared you the most? Well, for me, it is this one and the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. I remember very clearly when I first saw these photos. Traveling in the back of my parents’ station wagon and my five brothers and sisters, I read a book about ghosts. Two stories scared me more than any other ghost story or photo has ever done.
For months after that, I would see a ghostly figure at the end of my bed at night. I would always wake up at the same time and see the apparition.
The story goes, back in the 1950s, the Cooper family just moved into their brand new home in Texas. Wanting to commemorate their first dinner in their new home, Mr. Cooper took this photo before enjoying their meal. After developing the photos, they are shocked to see the apparition of the falling man.
There is not much else regarding the family, and there are plenty of theories as to this being a fake photo, but I prefer to suspend disbelieve and imagine what could happen. It’s more fun this way.
Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is a small abandoned cemetery in Cook County, Illinois, with a long history of paranormal activity. Created back in 1833, the cemetery was originally called Everdon Cemetery after the founder, Samual Everdon. The first official burials started in 1840, but some think burials actually began in 1834. Several organized crime families used it as a dumping ground.
The Madonna of Bachelors Grove is said to be that of a woman who was buried next to her child. She can be seen walking the cemetery on a full moon holding her infant. Several photographs are floating (pun intended) around of The White Lady, along with orbs and other ghostly shapes.
Other Ghostly Visitors
A farmer and his plow horse are sometimes seen near the lake behind the cemetery. Apparently, the farmer got too close to the water, and the plow fell in. Pinning the man and horse under the surface.
A shimmering farmhouse will appear suddenly. If you try to approach it, it will either seem to get smaller or disappear.
Monks are often seen along the 82 plot cemetery, as late as 1984.
A two-headed spirit has also seen roaming about near the lake where the farmer and horse died.
This is definitely one cemetery to visit if you plan on visiting the Chicago area. There are plenty of tours you can take. I would not recommend going there alone at night as there is a heavy police presence around the site. If you are visiting the Chicago area, Click Here to schedule a ghost tour.
The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
The ghostly apparition belongs to Lady Dorothy Walpole (1686 – 1726). Sister of the first Prime Minister of Great Britain and married to Charles Townshend. Her husband found out she was unfaithful and locked her in her room until she died of Smallpox in 1726.
The first reported sighting was in 1835 during a Christmas celebration. Several people said they saw her near the bedrooms with a white glowing face and empty eye sockets. This went on for several nights and led to several employees quitting after running into the spirit.
The next reported sighting was in 1836 by a friend of Charles Dickens. Captain Frederick Marryat, also an author, reported coming face to face with the Brown Lady. Only to disprove the hauntings. He theorized that this is the work of living, breather hooligans bent on causing mischief. On the third night, while returning to his room with two other gentlemen, he spotted a shimmering light approaching them. They hid behind a doorway to let the “intruder” pass. They snuck up behind her only to come face to face with The Lady. He never returned.
Union Cemetery, Easton Connecticut
Celebrated Ghost Hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren have extensively researched this cemetery. The four-hundred-year-old cemetery is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the US. Several photographs and videos of orbs and other mysterious sightings can be seen. The main attraction being The White Lady.
There are several theories about who she was. Some say she is a woman who died in childbirth who is still searching for her child. Some say she is a woman who was murdered behind the church and buried in a sinkhole. Others say she is a woman who was murdered after killing her husband. There is no clear record of who she might have been or when she died.
Several sightings range from seeing the ghostly apparition wandering the graveyard. Motorists claim to see a woman standing in the middle of the road appearing right in front of them. When they stop and look for the body, no one is there.
Another famous resident of this cemetery is Red Eyes. Several people have reported seeing a pair of red eyes looking at them from the brush. One man reported seeing the eyes and running away. He heard footsteps running after him but never saw who was chasing him.
The eyes belong to Earle Kellog, who burned alive across from the cemetery in 1935.
Keep this spot in mind for future Ghost Hunting tours as this is a must see for any paranormal thrillseeker! Click Here to schedule a tour.
The Ghost in the Server Room
A personal experience
While working in Maryland, I was fortunate enough to experience another ghostly encounter. I was installing some new software at the Snow Hill Courthouse a few years ago. Working alone in their server room on the third floor with no windows other than the frosted glass on the door, I was busily working away facing the wall when I saw a shadow pass behind me in the silver faceplate of the light switch. Instantly I got chills running up and down both arms.
Thinking someone must have come in through another door, I got up to see who was there and found no one. There is no other door into the small server room. Now, here’s the freaky part. As I was looking for whoever it was that had walked behind me, the door clicked shut. The door locks with an electronic security device requiring a key card. The heavy door would close on its own after opening with an audible click. No one came in, and no one opened the door as I would have heard it opening.
I walked out of the server room and asked a few of the women who worked near the server room if any of them had walked past the door. They both said no, and I told them my story. One of the girls told me that the courthouse is built on top of an old cemetery, and they’ve all see or hear strange things before.
Established in 1686, the landscape is dotted with old abandoned buildings in various states of decay. The town would make for an interesting Ghost Hunting experience as there are many haunted spots to visit. Click Here for tour information.