Summer Plans II

[rp2813]

Greg I had a similar experience in a friend's old farm house in Sonoma County. I heard slamming noises in the middle of the night, like someone angrily going through drawers in the back of the house, then footsteps coming around and towards my room. The spirit entered the room and the cat was on the bed with me. We both followed it as it came in through one corner and went around and out the door, and I felt that same cool wafting of air as it passed by.

I asked my big biker friend who owned the house about it the next morning. He said something like, oh yeah, that's Margaret and she does that sometimes. He had researched previous owners and knew a lot of the names of people who had lived there.

After he had moved from there and the place was empty and for sale, I brought my partner up there. The front door was unlocked so we went in. Every door to every room was closed. The door to the room I slept in was not only closed but locked. I called my friend to advise him. He said he had just been there the day before and as always, left every door wide open. He also advised there had never been any keys to lock any of the interior doors.

 

[oldhouseman]

Thanks Rich

We had the debate for a week before I started the project. I kept the vacuum close at hand and used it often. I'm not putting a finish on the floor. None of the floors had any kind of finish on them until the last owner had the floors stained and varnished in 1983.

Floor finishing like we are accustomed to seeing is a very late 19th/early 20th century thing. There is a Victorian in town that only has the the outer edges of the floors finished. They didn't spend the money to do the whole floor because a large rug covered it.

Ralph, I come home to find doors in a different position than what I left them. When I woke up Sunday morning the door going from my bedroom onto the front porch was open. I asked my partner if he opened it during the night. He said he never went in my room that night. The really odd thing about it is that the door was locked. The deadbolt lock requires a key inside to open it. When we were having the electrical service installed the electrician called me at work one day to tell me he was getting behind schedule because he lost two workmen in a row that wouldn't go back in the house. Apparently they had seen something that unnerved them and refused to work on the place. Or even set foot in it.

I have never had what I would call a scary experience in the place. I feel very comfortable and right at home. From my first visit to the place when it was falling in I felt like the house had been waiting for me to find it and bring it back to life. If there are any extra residents they haven't bothered me yet. I wish if they were going to move things that it could be a paint brush or broom and do something to move the work along!!

 

[rp2813]

Sounds like the spirits are happy to have you there. As long as they don't cause any trouble I see no need to try and run them off. Considering how long that house was in the hands of the same family, it's no wonder the spirits are there, and I'll bet they feel they have a right to be there and have a stake in what happens to the place. That house could not have had a better person than you come along to honor its historical significance.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

house had been waiting for me to find it and bring it back t

Can I relate to this, and I kid you not! We did not find our house; but the house found us.

We're always having something going on ... from footsteps, to the sound of parties (the first time this happened, John said to me a following morning "why did you wind up the Victrola last night." I told him I did not, and asked him the same questions, "and who came over?, etc.). Let's see, lights going on and off (now, occasionally one thinks they had turned on or off a light, but not after the third time). They LOVE electrical gadgets, especially the computerized oven (a beep here and there). I could go on and on -- this is only the begining.

Two questions:
1) do any of you have any issues occurring outside the house, on the property?
2) Shall we take this to a separate thread ... don't want to take over oldhouseman's original thread.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

... all homosexuals out there, You are doing your universe .

Hey, what about us masculine tops!

Thanks for sharing your story, along with the rest of you. I'm enjoying reading them.

Rob.

 

[oldhouseman]

No

outside issues with my place as far as I know. My partner does a lot of projects outside and keeps complaining that his tools are getting moved. Considering all the people born and have died in the house as well as many deaths of soldiers in the Civil War there is just no telling about the place.

Don't worry about the thread Rob, it adds to the interest of the place.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Spirits outside the house.

well ... It matters not what season or task I am doing outside, be it using a chain saw, a lawn mow or shoveling snow, but the SAME GUY is always just at the end of my peripheral vision: very tall and thin, ca. late 60s, white shirt, green overalls, thick head of white hair. I told this to some of the locals who believe in such things and they said that was old Man Elliott, one of the previous owners.

Our house was part of an original 600 acre parcel given by an act of congress in the 1730s to people who wound go out to this section, name of town not even known at that time, and farm it. Old Man Elliott was the first generation of dairy farmers on our property (ca. 1920s) -- on eBay, look up "F.W. Elliott" Dairy and see the milk bottles from the dairy. I believe the farm closed in the late 80s.

Sad, in the 50s there were 23 dairy farms in Petersham; now there is one and he no longer raises cows for milk.

Rob.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Spirits outside

The little girl "Amy" at my house was first seen by me last winter when I was shoveling snow. I saw her standing on the porch, when I looked again she was gone. Later when it was too cold for any children to be playing in the back yard I and my mother have seen her swinging on my daughter's swing set.

My daughter argues with her on occasion in her room and will come stompping out mad, saying "Amy won't let me play". You can still hear her toy piano playing in her room. We have always felt that that must have been "Amy's" room when she "lived' there.

 

[oldhouseman]

I have never

seen any "ghosts" or "spirits" in my house. All events considered.

My house has become my home. It is comfortable and inviting.

I am making provision for guests to have a comfortable visit and enjoy their time with us.

An inviting home, comfortable rooms and good meals on the table. Inviting grounds and gardens as well.

I am open for ideas on the house and grounds. Please feel free to comment.

 

[cleanteamofny]

Spirits

Don't let them creep you out.
Just do a little digging and find out who that person was if you can.
It will set you at ease the more you know about that person.

Let me tell some of you, I've seen and felt them (dead people spirits) on Greyhound busses when I was an employee, on an Air Jamaica Airplane,
one of my Sanitation job location which I will not tell on this forum and in my parent's apartment when we were small.
I can tell some of you a few tales that would make your hair stand on ends when family member or friends that are about to crossover or just passed.....

Lord have mercy!

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Cook or chore woman of the house

Hey Iheartmaytag,

You said: There are two spirits that are present there. One is an older woman, I would deem her as the Cook or chore woman of the house. She is very possessive of the kitchen. She likes to move the mixing bowls around.

We've got one of those in our kitchen too. Her name is Harriet, and that's the only "regular" spirit we know by name. I can't tell you how many times we've had to clean up flour on the counters, WHEN WE HAVEN'T use any in days. She loves the kitchen gadgets and we can be in another room and she plays with the oven timer ... On occasion, we'd wake up in the morning to find all the pots and pans on the floor -- this I am not sure was done by her, as we all have one of those closets/drawers, etc. in which everything is precariously placed!

Rob.

P.s. -- to someone on this list; you know who you are: Delia Smith, Harriet it is not!

 

[rp2813]

Larry, it sounds like you may have similar stories to Jon's regarding his aunt who disappeared (see his "thoughts/prayers needed" thread here on Super)

 

[iheartmaytag]

filter-flo-rob

Yes the Cook/Chore woman is/was very possessive of the kitchen. She used to move this one metal mixing bowl almost every night. At times the bowl would disappear for a few days at a time, then show up on the counter.

We know from some research in our area that the house was very affluent at the time it was built, 1935. It is an air-plane bungalow and was built for $3,000. This house was believed to have had a servant because of the butler's pantry, as well as the woodwork. At the time may professionals used the loft area (air-plane) as their office. The more well-to-do used them as their sitting room, or sun room.

We also know the house was a rooming house for a time during and after WWII. Being close to a University it may have rented out. The cellar was dug deeper and finished in 1970's. The fixtures in the bathroom were made in 1971. The ladies we bought it from had lived there since 1992, they did much of the restoration and updating during this time. I only wish they hadn't liked blue so much.

As for the lady of the Kitchen, she has not been seen or felt since the paranormal researchers were here. The little girl Amy has been seen and interacted with, but she too stayed away for several months. As a point of interest, they photographed many orbes the night the researchers were here.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

paranormal researchers

Iheartmaytag, you brought up an interesting point. I've never had any paranormal researchers come here, nor do I intend to. I know what I know; know what I see; and most importantly, know what I feel. Fortunately, they only stayed away. There have been many instances where just the opposite happened: the spirits started getting destructive, etc.

For us, it is just part of living in the house.

I can't tell you how many times we have taken photographs at the house and having there be strange "orbs" or smoke in the picture ... interesting: it never happens with digital photography now.

 

[oldhouseman]

Something extra

in the picture. I have to ask, does anybody else have a problem with white spots showing up on pictures taken with a digital camera. From time to time this spot shows up but only on pictures of the house. I take hundreds of shots every month with the camera and this spot only shows up on interior shots of the house, never outside or in other interiors. This has to be something in the camera or lighting in the house. Anybody have any ideas? This is a shot of the parlor door when I was grain painting it a few months ago.

 

[rp2813]

I told my partner when we moved into my parents' place that if we heard the mixer running in the middle of the night, we'd have issues. My mom was an avid baker. So far it appears that she made a clean break.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Ahem... those white spots in the picture are ORBS (when they are not dust and dirt) and said to be spirits.

When my father was deathly ill on his last visit, the camera lens was absolutley clean and there were many orbs in the pic. A psychic friend told me (without asking) that the orbs were his passed-on family member and his angels helping him choose to transition or to heal.

 

[iheartmaytag]

it never happens with digital photography now.

These were digital pictures. And the researchers did say that dust will in reflect light and make the orbs so they have to analyze the other informaton to put it all together.

What was interesting was two researchers took a picture of my daughter's swing set, specifically the swing that Amy always swings in. This pictures were takens several seconds apart, in the Kansas wind and the orbs were in the same place in both pictures. This was a little more convencing to them, as if it were dust it would have been in Nebraska by the time the second picture was taken. (The Nebraska/dust reference is for those of you that have never experienced a Kansas breeze of about 70MPH gusts, and this is not during a storm)

 

[oldhouseman]

Maybe someone

is watching over me then Steve, they only appear in pictures in the room I'm in. They don't show up in pictures taken when I'm not in the house. I was just out of sight when my partner took that picture. He takes pictures of me working in the house (to document the restoration work) and one usually shows up. There is one by me in this shot. And two more small ones over the fireplace if you look close. I figured it was light reflecting from the old wavy glass in the windows.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Something extra

Hmmmm, after seeing that picture I realized that I had to take back what I said in my previous posting about things like this never happening in digital photography.

Greg, what do YOU think it is?

This type of "thing" happens to me lots when I take pictures of/or in the dining room (the oldest part of the house). What I've learned to do is to take two or three pictures of the same image: usually the spot moves or disappears.

In all honesty, I don't know what it is. I'm not that well-versed in digital photography so I can't comment. Sometimes, but not always, there is that accompaniment of a "chill" in the air, sometimes the dogs bark and the cat's fur stand on end ... sometimes, nothing.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Here is a link

To the group that investigated my house.

If I didn't have a small child involved I probably would have stuck it out. I was concerned about a possession, or something like that with a vurnable.

I am going to have the house blessed, but I live in a different parish that the one I attend. The Pastor at my church is a bit of a stickler for protocol, and I don't want to ask the Priest in the parrish I live in because I don't attend mass there.

I just have to motivate myself to switch membership from a church I have attended for 25 years which is hard.

http://www.wichitaparanormal.com/

 

[toggleswitch2]

The chill one feels is said to be the drawing of physical heat out of the air to help manifest itself to our senses. (It has to slow down its vibration so we can sense it, just as we have to raise ours to reach them). This is proablay what the heat energy is used for.

Eastern Orthodox (Christian) demonolgy also teaches that there should not really be stuffed ("plush")animals or statues around in that demons can animate them using our own (heat) energy.

How's this for a tonic?
A DROP of Holy Water in any vessel (containing water) converts it ALL to Holy Water. When in doubt stick some in your Brita filter! If your friends say the water burns, change friends!

 

[mielabor]

Lamps

Greg, I see that you have a pair of argand style lamps on your mantelpiece. Are they still oil-burning?

 

[oldhouseman]

Yes

Theo they are still working. I bought them at an estate sale and they had candles in them. I ran boiling hot water through them to get all the wax out and they work fine. For safety reasons I just put a small enclosed oil lamp inside the glass shade. There are no overhead lights so I installed electric outlets for lamps. I have several lamps that date to the 1850's that were electrified. I hate to see that done to them but if it's done tastefully and in a way that can be reversed I'm ok with it.

 

[oldhouseman]

Here is

the front of the house, the guest room is the room to the left, an 1848 addition, my room is on the right side. There are doors that open onto the porch and another that goes into the house.

 

[oldhouseman]

And the

back of the house.

 

[mielabor]

Lamps (cont.)

I asked about your lamps because it is very rare to see argand lamps and other oil lamps from the pre-kerosene era in original condition. Most are electrified and others converted to kerosene.

 

[iheartmaytag]

A DROP of Holy Water in any vessel (containing water) conver

OH, NO, NO, NO!!!
The best way to make holy water is to take regular tap and boil the hell out of it.
hee-hee.
Old Catholic school joke.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Greg,

What a great looking house!!!!

It is interesting to note that the back of your house looks like the front of most 18th century "Cape Cod" houses in New England.

Rob.

 

[oldhouseman]

Rob

Good Spotting there! The back of the house was originally the front. The main road into town was moved in 1805 and the back became the front. You can see where the kitchen was moved up and attached in the early 20th century. The house was built by a man from Conn. I have several letters (copies) he wrote to family back home. He states that the town was a "community of New Englanders who are mostly Methodist".

I am glad to say that a new group of New Englanders are moving back to the area. We have had several residents move into the town. They all tell me it's become to expensive where they are from and middle Georgia is a good retirement area.