|
The Haunted Places Report 09/08/07
|
Rev. Ron Beach
|
Sep 08, 2007 19:26 PDT
|
THE HAUNTED PLACES REPORT
"Some things exist whether you believe in them or not!"
Founded by: Dennis William Hauck
Edited by: Ronald E. Beach
Email: Edi-@haunted-places.com
Website: http://www.Haunted-Places.com
All information contained in this newsletter is copyrighted and
may not be used in any format without the express written permission of
the editor.
09/08/07
_____________________
FROM THE EDITOR
_____________________
Please visit our website at: Haunted-Places.com and let us know
your thoughts & comments. Anything you like to see added to the site?
All items should be emailed to us at:
Edi-@haunted-places.com
******
We are in the process of updating the Haunted-Places website
with upcoming events for 2007 and 2008. Please email us with your
upcoming meetings, conferences, classes, or other events. Just email a
short description including dates, times, prices, & contact info to:
Edi-@Haunted-Places.com .
________________________
ANNOUNCEMENTS
________________________
From Brandy Stark at: puggodd-@yahoo.com
Hey, all. The St. Petersburg Times did a story on us and is was
a featured article:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/02/Neighborhoodtimes/Girls_of_ghost_huntin.shtml
Other than being "gleeful" -- an adjective that I have rarely
had applied to me in my life -- being called the "girls" of ghost
hunting (Puh-lease. Women or Ladies, yes, girls, no) -- and this weird
part about our smelling wrists and hair to find a fragrance that we
allegedly could not determine (it's stated in our reports we found no
known origin, it followed us into the room, and we verified that the
scent dispensers in the hall were empty. The maid service had not been
out there for two days as no one had stayed in that part of the hotel,
and they had no known chemical solutions that smelled of lavender, that
the scent was smelled at various times by 7 of the 8 people present, and
that it returned with request...the staff were the ones with perfume who
asked us to verify that there was no aroma coming from them that could
be mistaken for it, and we never smelled hair that I remember) -- it's a
nice article.
She is right that many of us do put our credibility on the line
(depending on who we deal with). I walk a narrow path because of the
academic side of things, and I do wonder if the ghost hunting has cost
me job wise in the long run. I know others have to keep it a secret and
cannot deal with media, either, because of their jobs. And she did say
we were serious, respectable folk.
Interesting how newspapers interpret our activities. This
reporter was a skeptic, but witnessed the lights turning on and off by
themselves, met with us to see our results, etc. She was an interesting
mix.
________________________
BOOK REVIEW
________________________
New Ghost Book by John Kachuba
Why do ghosts fascinate so many people? To answer that question,
writer and paranormal researcher John Kachuba (aka The Ghosthunter) has
investigated nearly 100 haunted locations throughout the country.
Kachuba’s new book, Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums,
Dowsers, Spirit Seekers and Other Investigators of America’s Paranormal
World (New Page Books, 2007), combines his case reports of actual
hauntings, discussions with leading figures in the paranormal world, and
stories about related subjects--buying ghosts on eBay, buying and
selling haunted houses, ghost tourism—to present an intriguing and witty
look at this interesting phenomena in American pop culture.
Set off down the trail of the paranormal and read about:
- A ghost hunt in a Connecticut coffee shop with lay religious
demonologist David Considine
- The woman who sold a bag of poltergeists on eBay
- The War of 1812 ghosts at Ohio’s Fort Meigs and other battlefield
ghosts
- Psychic Mary Ann Winkowski’s life as the real Ghost Whisperer
- The Friday the Thirteenth séance at an abandoned Midwest farmhouse
with ghosthunter Sherri Brake-Recco and psychic Laura Wisler
- Spending the night with the ghost of Miss Lily at St. Augustine,
Florida’s historic St. Francis Inn.
Kachuba is a first-rate storyteller who provides chilling
accounts of his adventures to please any reader looking for a good
scare. He's a frequent speaker at libraries, conferences, and on radio
and TV. He is the author of Ghosthunting Ohio, Ghosthunting Illinois,
and other books; he also teaches Creative Writing at Ohio University.
Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers and Other
Investigators of America’s Paranormal World
Price: U.S. $15.99 (Can. $19.95)
ISBN: 1-56414-937-4
Publisher: New Page Books, 1-800-227-3371
Available in bookstores everywhere and at online booksellers.
________________________
FEATURE STORY
________________________
Mayhem on the Mississippi - The Sultana Tragedy
Written by: Pat Fitzhugh at: patsw-@yahoo.com
The Civil War brought the southeast many ghost stories, the
thought of which conjures images of soldiers still lurking the
battlefields and bugles sounding in old Confederate graveyards late at
night. One of the war's most tragic events, however, took place not on a
battlefield, but a river – the Mississippi – and evoked what many
believe is a strong paranormal presence that exists even today.
The Mississippi was crucial to both the Union and the
Confederacy in terms of military strategy, supply lines, and soldier
transportation. Gunboats could quickly attack such ports as Memphis,
Vicksburg, Natchez, and New Orleans without significant detection.
Ammunition and supplies could be easily transported to soldiers in the
battlefields close by, and many Union soldiers used steamboats for
transportation to and from the battlefields.
After the war, the government announced that it would pay
steamboat companies $5 for each Union soldier they transported home.
This led to the assignment of larger vessels to fulfill the mission. One
such vessel was the 280-foot steamer, "Sultana," built in 1863. The
trips northward seemed long and grueling because the weary soldiers were
forced to crowd inside the 376-passenger vessel as it made its way up
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, a trip that took several days.
The Sultana's routine was straightforward; it would fill to
capacity, sail northward, and then return to pick up more weary
soldiers. The vessel soon became known as a "workhorse" steamboat, never
stopping for long and always sailing on time. Its dependability was
noted by Union commanders who, when faced with the possibility of making
a "kickback," loaded as many soldiers as possible onto the vessel each
trip; the more men who were transported, the larger the kickback.
On April 24, 1865, a contingent of 1,900 homeward-bound soldiers
waited at Vicksburg, Mississippi for the Sultana to arrive from New
Orleans, where it had left three days earlier, carrying 185 passengers
and a cargo of sugar and cattle. The vessel made good time until it
encountered boiler problems a few miles south of Vicksburg, which
delayed its arrival by several hours. In port, commanders discussed how
many soldiers would be allowed to board; there were far more soldiers
than the vessel could accommodate.
Safety concerns soon gave way to the importance of getting underway
quickly when the boiler repairs were made. Soldiers were allowed to
board as repairs were being made, and they would be accounted for when
the vessel was underway. The Sultana steamed away from Vicksburg at
10:00 PM, carrying upwards of 2,000 passengers.
The Sultana picked up more troops along the Mississippi as it
made its way northward, finally arriving in Memphis, Tennessee on the
evening of April 26th. It had been an uneventful trip from Vicksburg to
Memphis, but a routine boiler inspection revealed a major leak and the
vessel was ordered to stay until repairs could be made. More passengers,
mostly women and children, boarded the vessel while most soldiers
disembarked and visited nearby taverns to kill time while the repairs
were being made.
The whistle sounded just after midnight, and most soldiers
returned in time to sail. Captain J. C. Mason guided the Sultana across
the river to Hopefield, Arkansas, where it took on coal before heading
northward. Flooding in the North had caused the river to flow swiftly
and out of its banks, and the wind and dense fog combined to make for an
even slower and more treacherous voyage to the next port, Cairo,
Illinois, several days to the North. The Sultana slowly steamed off into
the darkness as the lights of Memphis slowly faded from sight.
On board, passengers began settling in for the evening. Some
were fortunate enough to sleep in cabins and others had to settle for
the outside decks; space was very limited. Mothers found sleeping space
for their children near the warm boiler room; the repetitious straining
and chugging sounds made their little ones fall asleep in no time.
For the weary soldiers, this was the final leg of a four-year
journey plagued by death, disease, and exhaustion; it was almost over.
They would soon reunite with their families, in some cases for the first
time since the war began. Between such emotion and being packed like
sardines, sleeping was very difficult for the weary soldiers.
Laboring against the wind and swift current, the Sultana neared
a small cluster of islands called "the Chicken and Hens," just after 2
AM, averaging only six knots per hour. The previous port, Memphis, was
still only twelve miles away. The fog's increased density seemed to
absorb all sound – even the chugging of the engine – and an eerie
silence fell over the vessel as it slowly chugged up the Mississippi.
Then suddenly, the eerie silence turned into all-out mayhem. A
strong blast jolted the vessel, throwing passengers off the outer decks
and into the frigid depths of the Mississippi. Some were killed
instantly by the impact, and others suffered only broken limbs. Their
attempts to stay afloat were futile; their cries for help turned into
gurgling and choking as the strong undertow pulled them down into the
cold, muddy depths. They would not be heard from again. At about the
same time, a series of gut-wrenching screams came from the boiler room,
which had become an inferno of burning wood and melting steel. The
screams, mostly of women and small children, were very intense but
lasted only a few seconds. They were not heard again.
Seconds later, another blast was felt. Red-hot chunks of coal
were strewn throughout the vessel; the chunks that flew overboard made a
loud, hissing sound when they hit the water. This second blast flung
more bodies, mostly burning, overboard – much like the hot coal, but
only with a shorter hiss when they hit the water. Passengers who
survived the blasts tried frantically to reach the main deck as more
things caught fire and smoke began filling the vessel; a few made it,
but most were in shock or too injured to move.
Within minutes, the Sultana – all 280 feet of it – had become a
floating inferno of wood, steel, and human carnage in the middle of a
deep, swift river with no other sign of light anywhere. Passengers
searched desperately for anything that might keep them afloat so they
could swim to safety, but very little could be found; most everything
was on fire. One of the giant smokestacks finally collapsed, landing on
a handful of passengers and burning them to death. The main cabin deck
collapsed at one end, dumping passengers into a "pit" of sorts, which
was situated at the bottom of the vessel where the fire seemed the
hottest. Suddenly, the wind shifted and swept the fire, along with the
aroma of burning wood and human carnage, to the outer decks.
The few remaining passengers stood at the outer railing,
pondering whether to jump or be burned alive. Most said a short prayer
and jumped; their cries for help faded as the current pulled them under.
A lucky few happened upon driftwood and managed to stay afloat, but
eventually succumbed to hypothermia and their bodies were found frozen
to the driftwood several miles downstream the following morning. Those
who reluctant to jump held onto the railing until the intense heat gave
them no choice; they jumped and suffered the same fate as most of their
fellow passengers.
Reduced to a floating bed of coals, the Sultana's remnants
drifted aimlessly for several hours before washing up on a small island.
The towering blazes were seen back in Memphis, where search
parties set out the following morning. A few survivors were found along
the riverbanks and taken to a Memphis hospital, but most died from burn
complications in the days that followed. It took some time to gather all
the bodies from the river, and identifying them was difficult because
puffiness and discoloration had set in; and to make matters worse, many
had been severely disfigured by the blasts. Still other bodies had
become tangled in submerged brush and trees as the current swept them
downstream. They were found, first by wild animals, in the spring when
the floodwaters subsided from the thickets along the riverbank; their
identification was impossible.
The Sultana tragedy claimed more than 1,750 lives – yes, even
more than the Titanic -- but made headlines for only a short time. Why
this horrific tragedy received so little attention is anyone's guess,
but the author feels that the news of Lee's surrender to Grant (April
9th), Abraham Lincoln's assassination (April 14th), and the killing of
John Wilkes Booth (April 26th), simply "overshadowed" the Sultana
disaster.
The Mississippi River, always changing its course, now flows
about three miles from the disaster site. All that remains of the
Sultana lies some twenty feet beneath a soybean field near the
Tennessee-Arkansas border. Only a few relics have been recovered, and it
is not likely that an excavation will take place anytime soon – the cost
is simply too high. Many are okay with this, however, because the field
is a lasting memorial to those who lost their lives in the disaster.
However, its present-day sense of peace and isolation is negated by a
lingering presence that has terrified many people.
For years, tugboat captains on the Mississippi have reported
seeing an orange "glow" lingering above the field late at night. They
say it resembles the glow of a fire burning, and lasts for some time
before slowly fading away. This description coincides with what nearby
residents have reported as well, including the notion that the field
feels warmer than the land that surrounds it. Most feel the apparition
is a residual haunting, where a "ghost ship" repeatedly lives out its
final hours; but others feel the phenomenon encompasses a much broader
spectrum.
Hunters have reported screams, choking and other ghastly sounds
in the area. Some blame the elements, but most readily admit there is no
natural explanation. Others have reported seeing human-like apparitions,
mostly disfigured and scantily clad in old clothing, moving about the
field and sifting through the dirt just after daybreak. The figures are
seen only a short time before disappearing, usually into the dense fog
that the Mississippi River bottomland is known for. Many believe the
figures are Sultana disaster victims searching for their belongings,
which are now buried under twenty feet of silt and clay.
With so many years having passed, it is hard, if not impossible,
to comprehend the pain and anguish felt by those who perished in this
great tragedy. It is doubtful that the Sultana will ever be recovered,
and the tragedy will most likely remain a long-forgotten footnote in the
annals of American history; but for some people, the ghastly apparitions
and noises at the disaster site are the only reminder necessary.
Postscript: The author spent several days in Memphis researching the
Sultana disaster back in 1999. Unable to find a contact number for
permission to visit the disaster site, he drove along nearby public
roads to get a good feel for the area. On his way back, when crossing
the Mississippi only a few miles south of the disaster site, he noticed
a large sign at the Pyramid Exhibition Center, which read, "Exhibit:
Titanic - The World's Greatest Maritime Disaster." "Oh boy, how ironic
is THAT!" he thought, shaking his head slowly and saying aloud, "yeah,
right, whatever you say -- do some research next time!"
________________________
SEEKING INFORMATION
________________________
this section is devoted to helping those looking for paranormal groups
near their home or seeking information about various hauntings. If you
can provide answers or help to any of these requests please feel free to
email the senders.
Questions or comments for this section can be emailed to:
Edi-@haunted-places.com. Please be sure to include your email address
so our readers can respond to your request. Due to the vast number of
subscribers, we at The Haunted Places Report can not be held responsible
for the types or quality of answers and /or help you receive.
____________________
TRUE EXPERIENCES
_____________________
From: BGSVar-@aol.com
My house is set upon the site of an old land quarry back in the
early 1800s. One day while I was setting on my front porch, a man in
tattered work clothes came from the side of the house to the steps where
I was setting. He asked for my husband Charlie in a really deep and
quivering voice, and although I didn't know the guy, which I didn't know
most of my husband's friends, I went to go get him. I told him the man
was sitting out by the steps, and my husband looked at me like I was
crazy. So finally I got him to go see what the man had wanted, the man
was gone. This may sound not exactly "terrifying" but my husband was
standing in front of the window facing the steps, he said he never saw
the man.
_____________________
UPCOMING EVENTS
_____________________
For a complete listing of this year’s upcoming events please
visit our website at:
www.Haunted-Places.com
* * * * * *
September 14
Ghosthunting 101
West Virginia Penitentiary
818 Jefferson Ave.
Moundsville WV
6 -10 PM
Learn how to use actual Ghost Hunting gear, ghost hunting
protocol, how to take the best paranormal pictures possible, and a brief
history of “Spirit Photography”. This classroom is on site at the
prison! You will learn the ancient art of Dowsing and how to use it in
an investigation. (80% of people actually have this ability). Learn
paranormal terms and meanings and then explore the prison in a small
group setting. 2-hour class followed by a 2-hour private investigation
of the infamous WV Pen.
Class Instructor: Sherri Brake-Recco, owner of Haunted Heartland Tours.
Fee: $50 per person. Age limited to 18 or over
To reserve online:
http://www.wvpentours.com/main.php or by phone at 304- 845-6200
September 15
All Night Ghost Hunt
818 Jefferson Ave.
Moundsville, WV
8 PM - 6 AM
At 8 pm, enter the gates of what was once one of the bloodiest
prisons in America for an hour-long guided tour of the facility. At 9 pm
begin your paranormal experience and share your stories at midnight
during pizza and a movie. Continue exploring for mystical spirits until
6am under the direction of a qualified paranormal investigator or on
your own.
Fee: $50.00 per person
For more info visit: http://www.wvpentours.com/main.php or call
304-845-6200
September 25
Ghostly History Tour
Hope Cemetery
Salem, Ohio
8PM - 9PM
Join a "Victorian Era grave digger", in the dusk of the
evening, as he leads you on a lantern lit walk thru one of the area's
oldest cemeteries. As darkness covers the cemetery you'll visit the
graves of some of Hope Cemetery's most well known "residents" and learn
their stories.
- Learn why there are two civil war memorial statues in the cemetery.
- Visit the grave of a man hung for his attempt to free slaves.
- See the final resting place of a well-loved ex-slave turned basket
weaver.
- What is the story behind Goldie and her mysteriously changing flowers?
- You'll be told about Victorian Burial Customs.
- Learn how to recognize the gravesite of a Civil War veteran.
- See beautiful headstones, and mausoleums as darkness sets in.
- Listen to ghostly tales, funeral folklore and odd burial customs.
- Learn about Salem's early pioneers and their struggles.
- Learn about the Symbolism on tombstones.
- Learn the origins of common superstitions.
The tour will start at the cemetery office on S. Lincoln Ave.
This is a one-hour walking tour; be sure to wear comfortable shoes and
dress for the weather.
Tickets are $10 per person. Tour will be held rain or shine. No
refunds will be given. For more info or to purchase tickets visit:
http://www.haintshauntsandhistory.com/
September 26
Beginning Ghost Hunting Class
Salem Community Center
1098 N. Ellsworth Ave.
Salem, Ohio
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Over 80% of Americans believe in ghosts. Are you one of them?
Do you have an interest in the paranormal and would like to learn more?
Than this class is a "must" attend. This class was developed for those
with little or no ghost hunting experience. It is a pre-requisite for
our Advanced Ghost Hunting Class that will be offered at a future date.
In this class you will learn:
- Paranormal Vocabulary
- The Signs of a Haunting
- The Use of Ghost Hunting Equipment
- How to Photograph Ghosts
- How to Record Ghostly Voices (EVP)
- Famous Haunts in Ohio
- Investigation Protocol
- Use of the lunar cycle
- Tips on Conducting an Investigation
- Much More...
This class is approximately one and half hours long. It will
consist of book work, lecturing, hands on use of equipment, slide show,
and samples of EVP taken from suspected haunted locations. You are
welcome to bring your own equipment for instruction on its use. You are
also encouraged to bring your photos and EVPs for group discussion.
Class participants will receive a workbook and a certificate of
completion.
The Class Instructor is Paranormal Investigator Ron Beach. Ron
has been featured on several radio programs and in various newspapers
and magazines. He has 20+ years experience in the field of paranormal
investigations, having investigated haunted sites throughout the United
States and Europe. He has founded 3 different investigative groups and
served on the board directors on several others. Ron is currently
Webmaster of Haunted-Places.com and editor of the Haunted-Places Report.
Fee: $20 per person. No refunds will be given.
Refreshments will be included.
|
|
 |
|
