HGB Ep. 399 - Korner's Folly

Moment in Oddity - Titus Carvilius Gemello's Ring (Suggested by: Jenny Lynne Raines)

The tomb of Titus Carvilius Gemello was discovered near Rome at the Grottaferrata Necropolis in 2000. This tomb is known as Hypogeum of Garlands and is the final resting place of Gemello who died young at the age of eighteen. This discovery revealed a number of things, one of which was that the Romans embalmed bodies and so this is one of the few Roman Mummies. Another thing was that the Romans knew about microorganisms and did things with their burial practices to help with preservation. They had corporeal leakage drains under the body, air ventilation and a filtering cloth system to prevent necrophagous bacteria, spores and keep out moisture. But the most amazing discovery was a ring that was inside the tomb. Titus' mother was devastated when he died and she ordered the expensive marble sarcophagus in which he was buried. And then she had the ring made. It features a bust likeness of her son that is a gold micro-fusion on a wax model done via a technique called "a cera persa." Then a polished clear quartz crystal was set on top of this, giving the bust likeness a hologram effect. It's really quite creepy. His mother wore the ring on occasion, but mostly locked it away so as not to spoil it. She died a few years later at the age of forty and was buried next to her son and the ring was placed in the tomb. A ring dating back to the Roman Empire that has a unique hologram effect, certainly is odd!

This Month in History - Roanoke Colony Deserted

In the month of August, on the 18th, in 1590, the Roanoke Colony is found deserted. John White was the Governor of the Roanoke Island colony and he had left for England on a supply run, but was delayed by the war with Spain. He had led the second group of colonists to settle at the colony. And earlier group didn't fare well and ended up returning to England. White brought his group in 1587. What the group didn't know at the time was that they were arriving at the start of a two-year drought. There were 100 people in this second group and when White returned, everyone had disappeared including his daughter and his granddaughter who was the first English baby born in America. White and his men searched as much as they could, but the only clue as to what happened was the word CROATOAN carved into the palisade around the settlement. They thought perhaps this meant the colonists went to Roanoke Island, but no one was there. Most historians believe that the colonists were facing starvation and a lack of water and that the nearby Croatans took them in and absorbed them into their tribe.

Korner's (pronounce Kerners) Folly

The house that is nicknamed Korner's Folly is also thought to be one of the strangest houses in America. This is a large mansion with 22 rooms that was built in a whimsical way leaving some people scratching their heads in a similar way as the Winchester Mystery House. Jule Korner was a creative genius who wanted this house to be a visual experience and the house was under renovation most of the time to make room for new design ideas. Today, it is not only a museum, but the mysterious house harbors spirits. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Korner's Folly!

The first person to settle Kernersville was an Irishman named Caleb Story. He was given a land grant of 400 acres by the Royal Colony of Carolina. Eventually this acerage would make its way into the hands of another Irishman named William Dobson and he would buy more tracts until there were over 1100 acres. He would build Dobson's Tavern where President George Washington stopped in to have breakfast in 1791. Kernersville would get its name from Joseph Kerner who bought the land in 1817 and people started calling it Kerner's Crossroads. A village developed before the American Civil War and in 1871 it was incorporated as Kernersville. This town is considered the heart of the Triad in North Carolina. Julius Korner would be born here and build his mansion here eventually.

Julius Gilmer Körner was born in 1851 in Kernersville, North Carolina, a town his grandfather settled when he immigrated in 1785 from the Black Forest region of what would become Germany. The family would own 1,000 acres in Kernersville. The family owned slaves and when Jule's mother passed away when he was two-years-old, one of their slaves named Clara that the family called Aunt Dealy raised him. She came by that nickname because she called the Korner children “dearie” and one of them tried to call her the same, but had a hard time saying it and dearie usually came out as dealie, so they all started calling her Aunt Dealy. Jule was her favorite and she spoiled him and he considered her his second mother. She had been bought by the family after her original owner had died. Clara's family was facing separation at auction and her mother, Charity, quietly asked the community of Kernersville to buy her three daughters so they wouldn't be sold further south and separated. Some Quakers bought Clara's sister Mary and sent her North to freedom. No one knows what became of Clara's sister Ailse, but Charity unfortunately was taken by traders further South and Clara would never see her mother again. Jule went to Kernersville Academy and then attended a Quaker School in Indiana. He loved all forms of the arts and would carry this into his life and eventually the home he would build. He studied under J.E. Bundy, the noted artist and Civil War photographer. In 1869, he returned to his hometown and moved in with his brother Joseph where the two bachelors lived with Aunt Dealy. 

Kernersville had a chance for real growth in 1871 when the Western NC Railroad was looking to expand, but they weren't sure about this smaller town. That was until the citizens decided to a build a 4-mile section of track that would bring the railroad through town. The Korner family got in on the action and Joseph went to work for the railroad and he assigned Jule to supervise a group of thirty men set aside to build that section of track. Once that was done, Jule went to Philadelphia where he studied design and interior decorating and served as apprentice to Charles Fischer. When his father passed away in 1875, Jule returned to Kernersville and started a sign painting business. This area of North Carolina was becoming home to the tobacco barons. Blackwell’s Bull Durham Tobacco Co. in Durham, NC hired Korner to do their marketing under his company that he had named Reuben Rink Decorating and House Furnishing Company. Reuben Rink was his brush name or pen name if you will. 

At this same time in 1877, Korner started designing his future home. Construction on Korner's Folly began in 1878 and not only was his home, but also his studio and office. A farmer walking by one day noticed how haphazard the different stories appeared to be and he declared, "Surely this will be Jule Korner's folly!" The name stuck. The construction was said to be completed in 1880, but that was never really finished as Korner made this a place to showcase his design work for clients, much like an in-person catalogue. Describing the architectural style of Jule Korner's former home is difficult. The windows are long and narrow, framed by arcing shutters and no two are exactly alike. The same is true for the doorways, no two are alike. The exterior is brick, but even that is weird because there are eight different sizes of bricks. The roof rises in A-frame peaks on each side. A really odd thing is that the house appears to be three-stories tall, but once inside, one finds there are seven levels. There are twenty-two rooms of various sizes from little nooks to medium-sized bedrooms to a grand reception room and several of them have fireplaces. There are fifteen fireplaces in total, none of which were ever used, and each has a unique design. Some of the ceilings rise to six feet and others to twenty-five feet in height. The house had a unique air distribution system with pivoting windows and interior openings.

Aunt Dealy moved into Jule's house with him even though she owned her own property that had been gifted to her by Jule's father. She rented the property to make her own money. In 1885, Jule built a cottage in the back for her. That cottage still remains on the property and Clara lived there until her death in 1896 at the age of 76. Jule wanted her buried in the Moravian Church graveyard, but segregation prevented that, so Jule purchased the land next to the cemetery and made it a private Korner family plot and buried his Aunt Dealy there. He engraved her headstone with, "Clara Körner, Honest and faithful to every trust by the loss of our mother at an early age, she assumed the special care and training of we the children of Philip Kerner for which we all place this stone to her memory.”

Six years after Korner's Folly was completed, Jule married Polly Alice Masten of Winston, who went by Alice. The couple courted for five years before marrying and it was mostly long distance. They shared a love of the arts. Unfortunately, Alice contracted Typhoid Fever shortly after they wed and she would spend the rest of her life in ill health. She and Jule would have a son and a daughter, Jule Gilmer Körner, Jr. who went by Gilmer and Allie Doré Körner, who went by Dore. In 1894, the Korners co-founded the Kernersville Orchestra and then Alice created The Juvenile Lyceum, a drama club for kids. The first meeting of the club took place at Körner’s Folly and the group would produce plays and perform them in the long room of the house for two years. Alice wrote and directed the plays and made the costumes too. In 1897, Jule designed and built Cupid’s Park Theatre for Alice on the top floor of the house. The plays were performed from there and this came to be known as the “First Private Little Theatre in America.”

Julian Carr, who was a tobacco baron and head of the Bull Durham Tobacco Company, gave Jule more responsibility and an unlimited expense account. He also hired the artist to paint frescoes on the ceilings of his mansion known as Somerset Villa. On a side note, this place is reputedly haunted by a female ghost that is claimed to be the former lady of the house. The legend claims her son drowned in an irrigation canal and that she still mourns him by crying and screaming. Anonymous wrote in June of 2021, "When I was a middle school student me an my boy scout troop stayed the night here camping. Me and some buddies went out walking late one night down a trail near where the slave houses once were. We experienced a sudden scream or shrieking seemed all around us. And then he seemed to turn to wind and went through the trees all around us again. He all took off running and lucky it was the last night there for us. We never went and most of us to this day don't like speaking about it. Don't know what it was but it sure wasn't normal, animals, and no breeze except that sudden blast of wind." The Carrs had three sons who lived into their later years beyond forties, so we're not really sure how true this legend may be, but clearly this person heard something pretty creepy.

Jule was hired by other properties to paint frescoes in their homes too. He continued to work for Durham Tobacco until it relocated to New York in 1888. He was not about to leave North Carolina and said of his decision, "Better is one’s own path, though imperfect, than the path of another well-made." That decision would be a good one as his company prospered and landed ever bigger projects. In 1892, he renovated and decorated the Kernersville Moravian Church. Jule passed away in 1924 at the age of seventy-four. Alice would follow him in death ten years later. The Korner children were homeschooled and taught art and how to play the piano and violin. They participated in the plays their mother directed and adopted an abandoned racoon cub they named Bob. Gilmer went on to serve in the military and become a lawyer. Once he left Kernersville, he never returned. He collected artwork, which is on display at Korner's Folly. Dore went to college and then traveled throughout Europe. She married in 1916 and had two children. Her family would use Korner's Folly as a summer home and then eventually rented it out. It sat abandoned for a time and then a group of people in Kernersville formed the Korner's Folly Foundation and bought the property in 1970.

Major restoration would take many years to start. It wasn't until 2012 that the real work would begin with the foundation being repaired, the roof was replaced and the three porches were restored. Much of the interior is done, but there are several rooms that still need work. The foundation wants to restore the house to its 1890-1915 appearance. Ninety percent of the furnishings in the museum house are original. And perhaps some of the spirits here are original to the house as well. Groups who have investigated the house think there are three ghosts here: a man, a woman and a child. The hauntings are both intelligent and residual. A woman who cleaned the house when it was vacant claimed that she heard footsteps coming down the staircase. She was unnerved thinking someone had broken into the vacant house, but after looking all around, she found that she was indeed alone.

Winston Salem Paranormal Society investigated the house in October 2011 and had a reporter, Veronica White, from WXII 12 News join them. They started in the mini theater upstairs where an apparition had been seen previously. Two flashlights that they set up near the stage responded to requests to turn on and off as the video rolled. The master bedroom gave them the most evidence over the course of the evening. Veronica asked if there was more than one person with them to turn off the flashlight and it went off. She then asked for the flashlight to be turned on if there was a female with them and the light clicked on. One of the flashlights rolled off the desk later and there was no explanation for that since the desk appeared to be level. One of the camera batteries completely drained in the bedroom as well. The children's playroom also had activity and they caught an EVP saying "turn" after one of the investigators said, "You can turn the light out." Every one felt the atmosphere was friendly.

The little Cupid's Park Theater has been used by the Kernersville Community Theater for rehearsals and several actors have claimed to see the lights turn themselves back on after they have been switched off. This is usually after they have left the house and turn to see the lights ablaze again. Then someone has to walk up the seven flights of stairs to turn them back off, only to have the same thing repeat itself after they exit once again. A guy working on the air conditioning on that level also had an experience. He was tapped three times on the brim of his hat. It scared him enough that he left his tools and never returned. A male paranormal investigator had a similar experience only it was his shoulder that was tapped on three times while he stood on the stage. When the temperature was measured around him, there was a ten degree difference. The apparition of a little girl has been seen several times at the house. A local resident claims to have seen her several times standing on the front porch at night. Others have seen a little girl ghost on the stage in the theater. The giggling of a little girl has also been heard.

Deonna Kelli Sayed was the house's paranormal advisor and she worked with Haunted North Carolina and she joined an investigation in 2009 conducted by SPARS Paranormal and wrote, "One of the most distinctive EVP samples captured was in the Children's Play Room of a little girl saying "peek-a-boo." Interestingly, two digital audio devices shut off just before the only working device caught the EVP. Likewise, a light anomaly was recorded on IR cameras in the area at that same time. I have personally obtained EVP in the middle of the day and in numerous locations throughout the house. One was caught in the Children's Play Room and coincided with an EMF spike and one digital audio device failure. The working audio device recorded a male voice saying "haunted." This was in response to me jokingly requesting for new evidence to present at an upcoming public lecture." Deonna also shared another interesting EVP that was captured during that early investigation. They had just turned on a recorder and the investigators were saying to each other that hoped they caught some EVP and when they played back the tape, right after that is an soft voice asking, "What is EVP?"

The grand reception room has also had activity. The Haunted NC investigators were conducting a hunt in April of 2010. They had set up an EMF Meter in the room and started an experiment that worked great. They asked the spirits to spike the meter a certain number of times and the spirits obliged. So when they asked for it to spike 5 times, it spiked 5 times. During the time when the house was rented out, it served as both an antique store and a funeral parlor. Employees of the antique store would arrive in the morning to find the furniture all rearranged.Volunteers have never had the furniture rearranged for them, but maybe that is because 80% of the furnishings belonged to the Korners, so they are happy with the set-up. There was a separate room for smoking and often cigar smoke is smelled in there. But this sometimes happens throughout the house, so apparently a ghost is walking around smoking. An it's not just cigar smoke. There is cigarette smoke too. Apparently, Alice was a closet smoker and perhaps is still carrying that on in the afterlife.

Michael Renegar and Amy Spease wrote "Ghosts of the Triad, Tales From the Haunted Heart of the Piedmont" and in that Michael shares that he was interviewing Deonna for the book. He asked her how many spirits were thought to be in the house and they both audibly heard someone else answer "Five." The only other people in the house were upstairs and the voice had not come from there. Amy is a medium and she felt that the house was warm and friendly. She described the house as a "welcoming embrace."

Korner's Folly is open year round and they offer guided tours are offered by appointment or you can just pop-in Thursday through Saturday and wander around by yourself. Perhaps you will have your own experience to share. Is Korner's Folly haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 398 - Fort McClellan

Moment in Oddity - Cave of the Crystals

The Cave of the Crystals is also known as Giant Crystal Cave and is located Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. This is connected to the Naica Mine there and is a chamber of limestone with giant selenite crystals jutting out in all directions. And when we say giant, we mean giant. The largest one has been measured to a length of over 37 feet. These crystals were formed because there is an underground magma chamber below the cave that heated water full of sulfide ions, then mixed with cooled oxygenated water, gypsum crystals formed and then the temperature in the cave dropped and over 500,000 years, these crystals grew. The cave is a fairly recent discovery. Two brothers, Pedro and Juan Sanchez, discovered it in April of 2000 when they were drilling in the mine. The cave has been hard to explore because it is intensely hot in the chamber. Scientists designed their own exploration suits with reservoirs of cold water and ice that gave them about 30 minutes at a time of exploration. They explored the cave in detail in 2006. The cave was re-flooded in 2015 and can no longer be explored, but the crystals might grow more because the water is rich in the minerals needed to do that. A cave full of giant crystals, certainly is odd!

This Month in History - Son of Sam Arrested

In the month of August, on the 10th, in 1977, David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam, was arrested. Berkowitz had terrorized the people of New York City for over a year, starting on Christmas Eve in 1975 when he nearly stabbed to death a fifteen-year-old girl named Michelle Forman. He continued to fall deeper into paranoid schizophrenia and claimed that his neighbor's German Shepherd was talking to him, as were other neighborhood dogs. Berkowitz was convinced the dogs were possessed by demons as were his neighbors. The dogs ordered him to kill attractive young women. He moved to a new apartment with a neighbor named Sam Carr who had a black Labrador that also told Berkowitz to kill. When Berkowitz started referring to himself as the Son of Sam, he was referring to Sam Carr. His killing rampage left 6 people dead and 7 others wounded. He plead guilty to eight shootings and was sentenced to six life sentences, which he continues to serve at Shawangunk Correctional Facility. Berkowitz later claimed that he was part of a violent Satanic cult and that he had been helped with some of the murders, which were rituals. No evidence of this was ever proven and Berkowitz now claims to be a Christian.

Fort McClellan (Suggested by and Research Assistance from Jules Schlosser)

Fort McClellan is located in Anniston, Alabama at the foothills of the magical Appalachian Mountains. We've always found these mountains to harbor a supernatural energy and that seems to be the case here at the Fort, which closed in 1999. The Fort had a strong presence during World War II, training half a million troops and was home to the Women's Army Corps. Several people have died on the former base, including several foreign prisoners of war who are buried on the property, and ghost stories abound. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Fort McClellan!

The town of Anniston was originally founded as a company town for the Woodstock Iron Company in 1872. This area had many advantages for manufacturing with endless supplies of coal and timber and railroad lines branching out into all directions. Furnace No. 1 was started in 1873 rising forty-three feet high. Furnace No. 2 was completed in 1879 with Furnace No. 3 and 4 being added quickly thereafter. The Brown Hematite Woodstock ores produced were considered the best and strongest iron for all purposes, made in the South. By 1883, Woodstock was renamed Anniston and opened to the public and grew to a population of 10,000. The Spanish–American War ended in 1898, but there were concerns that hostilities would erupt once again and the government felt they needed a military reserve force in Alabama. Because of its great location, Anniston was chosen to establish Camp Shipp.

Camp Shipp was named in honor of Lt. William E. Shipp who had bravely led his troops in a charge in the Battle of San Juan Hill and was killed during the skirmish. An artillery range was placed on the nearby Blue Mountain and 10,000 troops of the 3rd Alabama Volunteer Infantry were stationed here by October 1898. An influenza epidemic turned parts of Camp Shipp into a makeshift hospital for a time. There was no action for the camp and by March of 1899 the post was phased out. And that was it for a decade. The Choccolocco Mountain range of the Appalachians was such a great area for training though that in 1912 Alabama's Third District congressman Henry D. Clayton Jr. petitioned the Department of War to set up a new military training facility in Anniston. As a trial run, 20,000 National Guardsmen were sent for artillery training. The government was so pleased with the results that they purchased 18,952 acres in March of 1917 and it was perfect timing because America would declare war on Germany on April 6, 1917. 

Camp McClellan was officially established on July 18, 1917 and named in honor of Major General George B. McClellan, General-in-Chief of the Union Army from 1861 to 1862. The duty of the base was to quickly get men ready to fight in World War I. For this reason, all the early buildings were constructed from wood and rows of wooden floored tents were used to house the troops. This hasty building didn't mean that few buildings were erected. Quite the opposite. There were 1,500 buildings with 118 of them alone reserved for the base hospital. A terminal piece of the railroad was extended right into the camp. Men arrived from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and Washington, D.C. These men would become the 29th Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Charles G. Morton, and they would fight in France. On a side note about the 29th Infantry Division, they would be part of the first Allied assault on Normandy on D-Day during World War II and would be one of the 36 divisions recognized as liberating units because they liberated Nazi Concentration Camps. And Fort McClellan is where they were created.

There were other troops here as well including the 157th Depot Brigade, the 11th and 12th Training Battalions, the 6th Division, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Development Regiments and the 1st Separate Negro Company of Maryland. This latter group would later be absorbed into the 372nd Infantry Regiment and fight in the Champagne region of France during World War I. This was a black regiment with white officers. The unit was extremely well decorated. Urbane F. Bass was their black medical officer who was killed in action on October 6, 1918, and received the Distinguished Service Cross. After the war, most mobilization camps like Camp McClellan were closed, but it managed to make it onto the "caretaker status" list. This led to Congress approving funds to update the buildings at the camp in 1926 and these structures included barracks, a headquarters, officer quarters and a central hospital. On July 1, 1929, the post was officially designated as Fort McClellan and it would be permanent. 

In 1933, more funds were allocated and the Fort McClellan Army Airfield was built along with a radio facility featuring the call letters WUR and this mostly was used for Morse-code communications. Additional buildings were added and these featured Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Troops that trained here were the Alabama Army National Guard, the Army's Reserve Officer Training Corps, the Army 22nd Infantry Regiment and District "D" of the Civilian Conservation Corps. This group was known as the CCC and it was a voluntary public work relief program for the unemployed during the Great Depression. It was advertised as "a young man's opportunity for work, play, study and health." This was a key part of Roosevelt's New Deal. Towards the end of 1940, the 27th Infantry Division of the New York National Guard was activated and sent to Fort McClellan. A year later, these men would be deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations because America had entered World War II.

The new war prompted more construction at the base and any remaining buildings from the previous war were upgraded. The base also acquired more land, buying part of the Talladega National Forest and growing to over 42,000 acres. Fort McClellan was now able to house up to 50,000 troops. Hundreds of hutments were set up for those troops and as creature comforts, five theaters and an amphitheater were built. A firing range for mortars, artillery and tanks was set up and called Morrisville Maneuvering Area. That name was later changed to Pelham Range to honor a local hero named John Pelham, from the American Civil War. During World War II, 500,000 men were trained here and the basic training included handling live artillery fire, fighting from foxholes and hiding from tanks. Fort McClellan became unique among bases as it welcomed two detachments of the Women's Army Corps, also known as WAC. And they also trained special black troops that were sent to fight in Italy.

Fort McClellan had another designation during World War II and that was prisoner of war camp. This part of the base was built in 1943 and could house 3,000 prisoners. Unlike previous wars that featured harsh conditions for prisoners-of-war, the Prison Internment Camp here was really quite nice. The 1929 Geneva Conventions laid out rules for prisoners-of-war. There were plenty of provisions and there was lots of recreation. One German prisoner found the prison so comfortable that he wrote home and described Fort McClellan as a "golden cage." And as hard as it may be to believe, the nearby residents were having to ration food, so they began to resent how good the prisoners had it at the base. There were prisoners who made a run for it and did attempt to escape and they were killed. There is a cemetery here for the dead prisoners that includes 3 Italians and 26 Germans. Fort McClellan had 2,546 prisoners in total.

When the war was over, Fort McClellan trained occupation forces and then became a Recruit Training Center. By 1947, the base was moved to inactive status with just a small group left behind to maintain everything. A new war, the Korean War, would breathe new life into Fort McClellan and it was once again used for National Guard training. More funds brought more restoration and Brigadier General Theodore R. Wessels became the Commander and was nicknamed the "Father of the New Fort McClellan." A Chemical Corps would be formed and trained here. The training was made up of basic training for 8 weeks and then 8 weeks of chemical warfare training. Operation Top Hat was started in 1953 and the highly secretive operation tested nerve agents, biological warfare and sulfur mustard gas. The Chemical Corps name would change in the 1960s and be expanded with the U.S. Army Combat Development Command Chemical Biological-Radiological Agency moving to Fort McClellan. One can imagine that having all this chemical stuff on the base would not be a good thing and that will prove to be true when the base is closed. As a matter of fact, H.R. 3666 was introduced in Congress in 2017 and was called The Fort McClellan Health Registry Act. This was to register people exposed to chemical agents during their military service at Fort McClellan.

A Military Police Corps was trained at the base in the 1970s. Around the same time, the WAC that had Fort McClellan as its beginning and home, would officially be disestablished and its flag retired. The last director of the Women's Army Corps, General Mary E, Clarke, became the first female Commanding General to command any major U.S. Army installation and that was at Fort McClellan. She was in charge from 1978 to 1980. So this was a very important place in women's history. During the Vietnam War, the base would again train men for war. This training would be deactivated in 1970. A small satellite academy for the Border Patrol would call the base home in the 1980s for a very brief time. The end for the base would come in 1995 when the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to permanently close Fort McClellan. The closing ceremony took place on May 20, 1999. Major General Ralph G. Wooten summed up Fort McClellan in his speech during that ceremony saying, "For more than 81 years, Fort McClellan set the standard of excellence in training America's sons and daughters to defend freedom in two world wars and a myriad of conflicts and operations. In the last generation, we were singularly responsible for providing our Army with the world's finest military police and chemical soldiers. Our pride is justified by our spectacular success!"
  
The Alabama National Guard still trains at Fort McClellan and the Center for Domestic Preparedness headed by the Department of Homeland Security is here. Something that started up in the 2000s was a huge clean-up project so that the base could be used for other purposes. This place is sometimes referred to as "the most toxic place on the planet." It would take 11 years for that clean-up to be completed. Fort McClellan has over 900 residents, has become a workplace in industrial, retail, education and technological fields and the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge has been opened. An important part of Fort McClellan's history came in the form of a race riot. Although Fort McClellan has always been a smaller base and fairly peaceful, there was a moment in time in late 1971 when a race riot started here. It was the largest WAC base in the world at the time and 20% of the WACs were black. Some of them were run down one evening by a white driver. They were not seriously injured, but major trouble followed. Tensions had already been building on base with a few racial disputes on both sides. A list of black grievances was submitted to the race-relations officer and this was followed by a mob gathering on an athletic field. The group of blacks shouted down a white race-relations officer and a black major and MPs were brought in to break everything up and 140 people were arrested.

There have been deaths at the base. An article in the New York Times published on May 29, 1983 reported a horrible accident at the base. It reads, "A tank resembling an oxygen container but faintly labeled "argon," a gas used in welding, was examined by investigators today after the deaths of two patients who breathed the gas at the Army hospital here. Military officials confirmed early today that two patients died and a third lapsed into a coma Wednesday because the argon tank was connected to the main oxygen supply system at Noble Army Hospital on Fort McClellan in Anniston. The 100-bed hospital's operating and delivery rooms had been closed for three days while investigators determined what killed a sergeant and a premature infant and left the wife of another Army sergeant near death.
"It is apparent that we were supplied argon in place of oxygen in a tank normally used for oxygen," said Col. Edward M. Johnson, a doctor and the commander at the hospital. "Subsequent administration of argon to the patients resulted in suffocation." The patient who lapsed into a coma was Charlotte Huddleston and she ended up dying the following day from a heart attack. She was only 28 at the time. A person wrote in 2019 on the Internet that, "Inside this Hospital a ghost named Charlotte lives. She is not hostile or friendly. There is a video of “Charlotte” appearing on YouTube. This is a real story and Charlotte is real, however do not look for Charlotte because she does not like to be hunted or filmed." Charlotte really likes to mess with lights.

There are parts of Fort McClellan that are like a ghost town and that is an appropriate term because Charlotte is not the only spirit here. There are a lot of spirits that seem to surround the area at Fort McClellan. Visitors to the area have reported some strange sights, including shadowy figures, apparitions, and odd lights. Others have felt cold spots and seen doors closing by themselves. Footsteps have also been heard in the old Patton Building. The most frequently seen ghost is the spirit of a soldier who committed suicide in one of the lodging buildings by hanging himself. He is known to be a full apparition or a dark shadow figure always standing by the water fountain on the top floor of the building. He has been seen by employees, and his death does have documentation. Another spirit here is one belonging to a young girl who is wearing an old fashioned white nightgown and she likes to wonder the grounds after dark.  

The most haunted location on the base is around Buckner Circle. Buckner Circle is the street where all of the officer mansions were located. These homes have a very high turn over rate. One of those places was the home of Jim and Sandra Coxwell who moved into their house in 2005. During their first night in the house, they had a weird experience and a type of bizarre light show. Sandra said, "There was a circle of crystals that dropped down from the ceiling and it was just spiraling, spiraling and spiraling. We didn’t know what that was. We heard stories about ghosts and so we just assumed that was the ghost saying hello."

Our listener Jules who suggested this location wrote, "The spirits that Peyton and I are most familiar with are the German POWs. They actually constructed the rock cottages as part of their "imprisonment" while at the Fort. On base families have lived in these cottages. I've heard whispering in German. I was an opera major in college so it was pretty easy to recognize the voice was speaking German. When Peyton was one and a half, I walked in to check on him and he was fully engaging in a conversation and pointing at someone I couldn't see.  I've seen doors open and close, and the TV turn on and off. I always felt a presence with me more than anything."

From 2016, "In September of 1991, I was undergoing basic training at Ft. McClellan, AL. Our platoon/company was outside conducting P. T., at approx 6 or 7 pm. I clearly saw a younger woman in a white, tattered dress move across a field directly in front of us. She was semi-transparent and was no more than 100 ft away. One distinct fact that I remember is that the woman was moving, but had no legs/feet. It was the kind of thing that you shake your head at and keep going. I never asked or told anyone while I was there because I was scared of what they would say (especially during basic training). I share this story often with friends and family. It was the one and only time that I have ever experienced anything like that."

From 2019, "My friends and I come to Fort McClellan to take pictures. We’ve had previous experiences here. Once we heard the voice of a woman. Today while taking pics there, the door behind us squeaked open and there was not the slightest breeze out so we left because we got creeped out and moved on to another spot there. At that spot, almost as soon as we got out of the car, we heard things falling from the higher levels of the building. Creepy!"

Anonymous wrote in 2021, "On 18 September, 1972 while attending Basic. I woke up to go to the Latrine at midnight. It was thunder and lightening storm that night. I heard a strange sound like someone was singing. I could not figure out where it was coming from. Then I saw a white figure standing at the end of the hall. I think it was looking at me, then it disappeared into the darkness. I decided to get the hell back in bed! I remember this because I kept a journal. I was in Alfa Company, 2nd Bn. What ever building that was back then."

As we've said before, it's always great when our listeners have actually had experiences at these locations that we share. Did Jules and her Spooktacular toddler really experience ghostly activity? Is Fort McClellan haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 397 - Ghost Hunting New Orleans and Beyond

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Moment in Oddity - Corpse Flower at Abandoned Gas Station (Suggested by: Scott Booker and Paula Mitchell)

The Titan Arum is most famously known as the Corpse Flower and first became known to the world in 1878. It is thought to be the world's largest flower and it most definitely is the stinkiest. This is a tropical plant that is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. The Corpse Flower starts as a bulb that likes lots of water and to stay above 60 degrees. The nickname comes from its foul stench it exudes that is similar to rotting meat. The plant gives this off to attract nighttime pollinators like sweat bees, flesh flies and carrion beetles. The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in California has several plants that it brings out on occasion so everyone can enjoy seeing a very rare sight. There is no predicting when these flowers will bloom. One of these Corpse Flowers recently caught some attention in May of 2021. A gardener named Solomon Leyva lives in Alameda, California and he raises succulents and rare plants, one of which was a Corpse Flower. He noticed one day that a stalk had shot up and he knew that soon the flower would bloom. He decided he wanted to share this delight with people, particularly because of the Covid Pandemic. He loaded the huge plant onto a wagon and wheeled it through town. He found a patch of asphalt in front of an abandoned gas station and off-loaded the plant for people to come see. It was quite a treat since this only happens every few years and the bloom only lasts for a couple of days. It really is quite beautiful and extraordinary, but it certainly is odd!

This Month in History - Maggie Kuhn, Gray Panther founder, Born

In the month of August, on the the 3rd, in 1905, elder rights activist Maggie Kuhn was born. Kuhn was born in Buffalo, New York and she never fit into the social norms of her time when it came to women. She began her social activism in the 1930s and she started teaching some controversial stuff at the YWCA. This included unionizing and women's issues and then she really pushed the limits by starting a human sexuality course that discussed mechanics, birth control, pregnancy and she also promoted that being single was okay in a society that pushed marriage. But her real claim to fame came when she hit the age of 65 and was forced to retire. In 1970, there was a mandatory retirement law. Kuhn was so angry she formed the Gray Panthers. Their motto was "Age and Youth In Action." This was because they welcomed teenagers into their movement to help with the activism. The group advocated for nursing home reform and fought ageism. She died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Ghost Hunting New Orleans and Beyond

One thing History Goes Bump knows is ghost tours. We've been joined by several tour guides on the podcast and on this episode, we are joined by our favorite, Cedric. Cedric has served our country in the military, worked as a Firefighter/Medic and founded a company creating leathercraft for the movies. He and his wife Eevie are also tour guides in New Orleans and he is an amazing storyteller. On top of that, Cedric and Eevie have their own paranormal investigation group called N.O.P.E. Cedric joins us to share his techniques and experiences while ghost hunting and to talk about some of the haunts in New Orleans, particularly in the French Quarter. Join us as we discuss ghost hunting New Orleans and beyond!

We may not know until we ourselves are spirits how all of this works, but the questions and the search for answers is interesting and fun. Are any of these places that Cedric talked about haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 396 - Westminster Abbey

Moment in Oddity - Rivers of Mercury in Tombs

In 2016, archaeologist Sergio Gomez representing Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History found liquid mercury in three chambers of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Liquid mercury is a rare find in tombs. When mercury is found in Mesoamerican tombs, it is in the form of cinnabar, which is a powdery red pigment. Mercury in a liquid form would have been rare at this time as the cinnabar needs to be crushed and heated to a high temperature and then the vapor collected, which is the liquid mercury. Mercury was found in Egyptian tombs dating to about 1500 BC and it is believed that the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who had the terra cotta soldiers built for his tomb also had rivers of mercury in his tomb. Sergio Gomez believes that the mercury in the tomb in Mexico was there as a representation of the geography of the underworld. The mercury would have indicated where lakes and rivers were in the realm of the dead. There are some who think that leaders like China's emperor would drink the mercury thinking that it led to long life or even immortality. Clearly they didn't realize the toxicity of mercury. The humidity and lack of oxygen in the tombs helped to preserve the mercury in liquid form. Flowing rivers of mercury in tombs, certainly are odd!

This Month in History - Woodstock Starts

In the month of August, on the 15th, in 1969, Woodstock began. Woodstock was a three day concert billed as "An Aquarian Experience: 3 Days of Peace and Music" that was hosted in a field near Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm at Bethel, New York. The event almost didn't happen with multiple venue changes as promoters scrambled to find somewhere willing to host the concert. Bad weather turned the field into a giant mud pit. There were 32 rock bands and singers that participated including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Iron Butterfly, Joan Baez, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Grateful Dead. More than 400,000 people showed up for the event. This was a defining event for the counterculture. This was a concert to promote peace and it was remarkably peaceful considering its size. There were two deaths during the three days along with two births and 742 drug overdoses.

Westminster Abbey (Suggested by: Leah Barnes and her sister Liz) 

Westminster Abbey is an iconic structure that has stood for hundreds of years. More than 3300 people are buried here, seventeen of which are monarchs and this location has hosted royal weddings and every coronation since 1066 AD. There are hundreds of memorials, statues and art pieces inside this once stronghold of the Catholic Church that is now a Protestant and British symbol recognized throughout the world. Not surprisingly, there may be a few ghosts lurking in the shadows. Join us as we share the history and hauntings of Westminster Abbey!

Starting in the 6th century, a Benedictine monastery was built here. King Serbert of the East Saxons had just converted to Christianity and he had it dedicated to St. Peter and consecrated by the first Bishop of London, Mellitus. A legend claims that St. Peter dedicated his own church himself. He appeared as a cloaked stranger and asked a fisherman to row him across the river. As they neared the church it lit up with a celestial brilliance and angels appeared in the sky singing. Then St. Peter anointed the church's walls with holy water. And yeah, that probably didn't happen, but the monastery here would be an anchor for 500 years.

The first version of the Abbey dates back to 1065 AD. Only parts of it still exist within the present Abbey. That first structure was an enlargement of the small Benedictine monastery that was re-endowed by King Edward and dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle. There was a cathedral on the eastern side of London that was known as East Minster, so this church became West Minster. King Edward died a few days after it was consecrated and he was buried in front of the High Altar. Harold would be crowned king, but that didn't last long as he was defeated by William the Conqueror and he would be the first monarch to be coronated in Westminster Abbey. This happened on Christmas Day in 1066 and that started a tradition of coronations that continues today. The parts of this original Abbey that remain today are the large supporting columns of the undercroft, some of the round arches and the Pyx Chamber in the cloisters. The undercroft was where the monks had their quarters.

After 200 years, it was decided to rebuild the Abbey and this was undertaken by King Henry III who wanted Westminster Abbey to represent the Gothic style of architecture. This new church was consecrated on October 13, 1269. The next thing King Henry III did was to move the body of Edward the Confessor into a grander tomb behind the High Altar. Over the years, this tomb has been joined by the burial of several medieval kings like Henry III, Edward I, Edward III, Richard II and Henry V. There are many memorials in the Abbey made up of 600 monuments and wall tablets. The ancient coronation chair is still here, which is remarkable considering its age. But its not the only real old item still at the Abbey. Britain's oldest door is here in the Abbey in the passage leading to the Chapter House and dates to 1050 AD. It was one of the things that King Henry III retained in the rebuild and scientists who have studied the door believe it came from a tree that grew in eastern England, maybe from Essex. The door is constructed in a unique way, not typical of the medieval period, with five vertical oak planks held together with three horizontal battens and iron straps in a flush manner. It is thought that it was originally nine feet high, but has been cut down to 6.5 feet and the rounded arch at the top was removed. There is still cow hide that is part of the door and an old legend claimed that it was human skin that had been flayed from someone robbing the church and it was nailed to the door.

King Henry VII was the first of the Tudors and he added the Lady Chapel to the Abbey, which is a magnificent space. For people who don't know, many cathedrals have a Lady Chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The most spectacular part of this space is the ceiling. This is described as fan-vaulting and we've never seen anything like it, but it really does look like lace fans that have been carved, coming out of the ceiling. The floor is black and white checkered with carved wooden seats lining the walls. Banners of the current Knights Grand Cross line the walls above the chairs. There is lots of stained glass in here too with the Battle of Britain memorial window, along with other themed windows. Speaking of the stained glass, there had once been many medieval pieces in the Abbey, but little of that remains. A few can be seen in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries. The King's tomb is here and was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano who crowned the tomb with gilt bronze effigies of the king and his wife. The tomb is encircled by a bronze screen made by Thomas Ducheman. The chapel was consecrated on February 19, 1516. There are fifteen kings and queens buried in here as well, including Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I and from the Stuart line, William and Mary and Queen Anne.

In 1540, King Henry VIII dissolved the Catholic hold on the Abbey and set-up a bishop, the first of who was Thomas Thirlby. Westminster Abbey was made a cathedral by an Act of Parliament in 1550 and Queen Elizabeth I refounded the church as a Collegiate Church, which is a Church of England outside of the jurisdiction of the diocese and under the direction of the monarch. The Westminster School is here as well. And speaking of Elizabeth I, her tomb is creepy as hell with her likeness carved into the marble that makes it look as though she is lying down on her tomb with her eyes open. There is a bejeweled crown on her head. 

The two western towers were designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and built between 1722 and 1745 out of Portland stone in the Gothic Revival style. An earthquake in 1750 damaged one of the piers on the north side of the Abbey and crushed several houses and the Abbey suffered damage during the Blitz on November 15, 1940. There was also damage by some bombs in 1941. Notable things connected to the Abbey in our lifetimes are the wedding of Prince Andrew and Fergie in 1986, the funeral of Princess Diane in 1997, Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in the Abbey in 2011 and Pope Benedict XVI was the first pope to set foot in the Abbey and he did that in 2010.

There are ten change ringing bells that were cast in 1971 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The first bells here were installed in the mid 1200s. King Henry III ordered that a bell be made for the Abbey bigger than any bell that had been made before and this was joined by a small bell that was in tune with the great bell. By 1255, there were five bells in use. Eventually there would be six bells and that number would remain constant until the twentieth century. A bell from 1310 is on display in the Jubilee gallery. The bells are rung during coronations, major church festivals, saints' days, Royal and Abbey anniversaries, civic events, special occasions and chimed daily prior to evening service. The tenor bell is tolled upon the death of a member of the Royal family. The Westminster Abbey Company of Ringers are responsible for ringing the bells. When the bells ring out in a peal, there are 5,000 changes without a break.

The Nave is at the western end of the Abbey and took 150 years to complete. It was completed in 1517 and features the graves and memorials of many famous people. One of those people is Sir Isaac Newton and his burial is right in front of a decorated screen leading into the Quire. The Quire has stalls for the choir, who sing daily during choral services. And that makes sense because quire is just another spelling for choir. Other stalls in here are for clergy. There is a black and white checkered floor that dates to 1677. Another famous person interred here is Geoffrey Chaucer and his burial would be the start of Poets' Corner, which houses the burials of other poets, writers and musicians like William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy who Diane has an affinity for. Abolitionist William Wilberforce was buried here in 1833 and Charles Darwin was buried here in 1882. Stephen Hawking's ashes were interred on June 15, 2018. The majority of interments at the Abbey are of cremated remains. The Deans of Westminster decide who gets buried. There are also memorials dedicated to C.S. Lewis, Sir Winston Churchill and President F.D. Roosevelt. The western window is stained glass featuring Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and fourteen prophets. There are beautiful Waterford crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and glass doors were installed in 1990 and have various inscriptions and shields.

Clearly, Westminster Abbey is not only a location of significant historical value, but this is a graveyard. A burial ground for well known creators and royalty. So it's not surprising there are many ghost stories to go with this location. John Bradshaw presided at the trial of King Charles I and ordered his execution. He was buried here and his spirit is probably at unrest because of something King Charles II did. He disinterred the bodies of all those responsible for the death of Monarchs and Bradshaw was one of those people. His decomposing body was taken to the Tyburn Gallows and hung up. His head came off and stuck on a spike outside of Westminster Hall to serve as a warning. People claim to see him walking Westminster Abbey's Triforium where he had an office. This usually takes place on the anniversary of Charles I execution.

There is a statue of Daniel Pulteney in the South Cloisters that is holding a book and visitors sometimes think they see it turn a page.There is a Tomb to the Unknown Warrior here. This is dedicated to soldiers who died during World War I and was dedicated on November 11, 1920. An unidentified soldier was given a royal funeral and buried beneath a marble stone from Belgium. Soil was brought from the battlefields of France as well. Visitors have sometimes spotted a see-through soldier standing near the tomb with his head bowed before he dematerializes. 

One of the specters that has been seen here many times belongs to Father Benedictus. He was a monk and even though he is now a spirit, many people think he is still alive because he appears very solid and carries on conversations. Many times he is seen floating off the ground and that is for a good reason. Over time, the floor of the abbey has lowered, so it Father Benedictus is walking on where the floor had originally been. He usually appears in the evenings around five or six. One of the first recorded interactions with the monk came in 1900 and the story goes that a group of visitors saw him and watched him for twenty-five minutes before he backed into a wall and disappeared into the fabric there. Two Americans were visiting the abbey in 1932 when they got lost. It was close to closing time and they feared they wouldn't be able to work their way back out of the hallways when they ran into a helpful monk. He helped them find their way and told them he was Father Benedictus as they left. The next day they decided to return to thank him for his help and when they asked after him they were told that no monks were living in the Abbey.

A woman named Lilian Carpenter was in the Abbey one evening when she saw the solitary figure of someone in the robe of a Benedictine monk. He had his head bowed as he walked as though in prayer and she immediately wondered if this was the ghost she had heard about because no Benedictine monks should be here. The spirit made its way through the deanery and into the Nave before passing under the organ screen. Lilian followed it and saw it go into the Quire and as it entered a stall, it faded away. In the Quire, she knew she had seen a spirit because the figure was floating eighteen inches above the black and white pavement. The floor hadn't been at that height since the Reformation.

The On The Tudor Trail Blog shared an experience a reader named Katherine had here in 2009, "I had gotten there early and had to wait about half an hour. Eventually they opened. I paid my admission fee and was actually the first visitor in that morning. Those who have been there know you enter through the north transept door and are kind of channeled around up through Henry VII’s Chapel, back down again, out through the cloisters, then back through the nave and out the west door. I usually just follow the flow as it goes to all the places I want to go to anyway. That morning though I wanted to see Frances Brandon Grey’s tomb. She is buried in St. Edmund’s Chapel on the south side of the Abbey, just east of the south transept. I had found the tomb on a previous visit, but had neglected to write down the inscription on it. I decided to do that first, so I went directly there. St. Edmund’s Chapel is very small and nobody famous (e.g. anybody whose name would be known to the general public) is buried in it. Like most Abbey chapels, it has gates that can be shut to close the chapel. The best way I can describe the gates is that they look like the saloon doors in every western movie you’ve ever seen — two small doors that could pushed open to enter. Unlike the saloon doors though, they aren’t on springs. Instead they could be pushed all the way back to lock on the wall so they would stay opened. When I got there, they were already open. I found Frances’s tomb again against the far wall of the chapel from the doors, wrote down the inscription, and then spent some time studying the decoration and design. I was there for maybe 10 minutes total. During that time I believe only two people came in. Both stayed only seconds before wandering out again. When I was ready to leave, I turned around to walk to the door and noticed that the gate that was closest to me was closed. And even as I watched, the other gate lifted up from the wall and very slowly started closing! I was too astounded by this to even move. I just stood and stared at it for about fifteen seconds or so until it was completely closed. The hair on the back of my neck and on my arms was standing up. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so creeped out by anything in my life. Finally I scooted over to the gates and pulled them both open. Fortunately they weren’t locked — I’m sure I would have screamed bloody murder if they had been! I wasn’t about to stay around long enough to try to lock the doors back in place. I just rushed out and made sure I didn’t go near there again during that visit. I can’t say I really believe in ghosts. I’m pretty much an open-minded skeptic on the subject. But I did make sure before I left the Abbey to stop and light a candle for poor Frances. I doubt she gets many visitors."

Leah and Liz's experiences: "My twin sister and I are definite believers of the paranormal, with my sister being more of an empath than I, but it doesn’t make me any less of an enthusiast. We visited England and Scotland back in March 2017. This was the first time we had ever been overseas, and man, was this the trip of a lifetime. We got to visit so many beautiful palaces and castles during our trip, including Hampton Court and Westminster Abbey. While we were visiting Westminster Abbey, (which by the way, is MIND BLOWING!) we were walking down to the older portion of the abbey and walked into what used to be a prayer room/classroom and my sister instantly felt a presence. A very OLD presence. She said it was probably the oldest spirit she’d ever encountered, older than old from her words. She felt a sense of immense peace and clarity in that moment, and she said, "It’s a monk. It’s definitely a monk.'"

We love it when listeners have personal experiences at some of these historical locations that we feature because it makes the ghost stories more real. Many people have had unexplained experiences here. Is Westminster Abbey haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 395 - Haunted Taverns of Annapolis

Moment in Oddity - Wojtek the Bear (Suggested by: Bill Richardson)

If we told you that there was a World War II hero that you had probably never heard of that was a beer drinker and cigarette smoker, you'd probably just shrug your shoulders. But what if we told you that the hero was a brown bear? His name was Wojtek and he served with the 22nd Transport Company's Artillery Division in the Polish 2nd Corps. The Polish soldiers found Wojtek as an abandoned cub in the mountains of Iran. They nursed the bear with a bottle of condensed milk. He learned to imitate the soldiers and could carry heavy supply boxes that usually took at least two men to haul. He would play fight with the troops and they taught him how to salute. Soldiers would snuggle with him for warmth and taught him some of their bad habits like drinking coffee and beer and chewing on cigarettes. Wojtek fought alongside the troops in the Battle of Monte Cassino. He carried live ammunition to help load the guns. Wojtek ended up on a farm in Scotland, in a village called Hutton in Berwickshire. He died in 1963. Princes Street Garden in Edinburgh has a tribute to Wojtek in the form of a bronze statue that was dedicated in 2015. A brown bear as Polish soldier, certainly is odd!

This Month in History - First Test Tube Baby Born

In the month of July, on the 25th, in 1978, the first test tube baby was born. We don't call them test tube babies today. People are more familiar with the term in vitro fertilization. Lesley and Peter Brown had trouble getting pregnant because Lesley had blocked fallopian tubes. British gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and scientist Robert Edwards removed a mature egg from Lesley's ovaries and fertilized it with her husband's sperm in a laboratory dish and then implanted the embryo into Lesley's uterus. It was very controversial at the time. The experiment worked and Louise Joy Brown was born via caesarean section, weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The Browns had a second daughter via IVF a few years later. Louise, the original test tube baby, would have her own baby in 2006, naturally.

Haunted Taverns of Annapolis (Suggested by: Amanda Prouty)

Annapolis, Maryland has hundreds of years of history behind it. First settled by Puritans in the mid-1600s, it grew into an important coastal city of historical significance and is today the capital of the state of Maryland. The city has more 18th century structures still standing than any other city in the United States. Some of those structures are taverns and several of those are said to be haunted. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the taverns of Annapolis!

Annapolis was settled in 1649 by Puritans who had arrived from Virginia. They named their new town Providence. Lord Baltimore later owned the colony started here and had the town named after his wife, Anne Arundel Towne. Sir Francis Nicholson was Royal Governor of Maryland from 1694 to 1698 and moved the capital to Annapolis and named it after Princess Anne who was to be heir of the throne. Anne became Queen in 1702, and in 1708 she chartered Annapolis as a city and this bit of history can still be seen in Maryland's very unique state flag, which features her royal badge. In 1783, the city became the temporary capital of America after the signing of the Treaty of Paris and it would be here that General George Washington would resign his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

The design of the now capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., was inspired by the plans laid out by Sir Francis. President Washington liked the baroque streets that were laid out with focal point circles that had radiating streets, giving Annapolis centers of importance like the State House and St. Anne's Episcopal Church. The town became wealthy thanks to shipping and the United States Naval Academy would be established here in 1845. *Rabbit Hole: Lt. James Sutton was serving at the U.S. Naval Academy when he shot himself in the head in front of several witnesses. At least that is what a group of naval officers testified to in 1907. The spirit of Lt. Sutton would not rest though because that was a lie. His ghost appeared to his mother and sister in Portland, Oregon and told them that he had not killed himself, but that he had been severely beaten before he was shot. The Sutton Family demanded an investigation and the body was exhumed and it was true that he had been badly beaten. No charges were ever filed though.* Like all towns, Annapolis was full of taverns and many of those still exist today and several of them have ghosts.

Rams Head Tavern

Rams Head Tavern is located at 33 West Street. This is a dark bar connected to a restaurant. The bar has a low ceiling with rows of hanging pewter mugs. The walls are brick and there is a fireplace off to one side. Also, in the back half of the bar, one will find a bed leg sticking through the ceiling. The building has been here a long time and hosted a number of businesses. During the 1700s, the property here was owned by the St. Anne’s Parish. William Reynolds, who was a venture capitalist, hatter and dry goods salesman, rented the building for one of his businesses. By 1769, Reynolds had turned his sights elsewhere and he sublet the building to Samuel Chase. Chase represented the state of Maryland when he signed the Declaration of Independence and went on to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court for 15 years. He faced impeachment for being too biased in his judgements on the court, but was acquitted.  William Faris would be the next entrepreneur to take over the building and he opened a clock and silversmith shop called the "Crown and Dial." 

In 1794, the “Sign of the Green Tree” opened in the space and we're not exactly sure what this was, but it would seem that a brothel was involved in some way. One of the women who worked there was supposedly named Amy. Remember that name. The Farmers Bank of Maryland acquired the property in 1812. Other businesses named this address as home, including a boarding house and other taverns. The next most prominent business would be the one that opened in 1989. Bill and Paula Muehlhauser bought the building and refurbished it into the Ram's Head Tavern. And it has remained family-owned under that name ever since. Through the years, Ram's Head Tavern has expanded. The Muehlhauser's bought the dry cleaners next door in 1992 and opened a restaurant and in 1993 they bought the barber shop next to that to increase capacity. 

The legend connected to this property is connected to Amy. There is not a lot of historical proof behind the story. This is a typical story for a young woman in the 18th century without many options. She was only 16 years old when she started working at the brothel. No one knows for sure how she came to her demise, whether it was an accident or murder, but her bed came crashing through the floor and her neck broke. One bed post from that bed went through the floor and now sticks out of the ceiling of the bar. The apparition of Amy started showing up almost immediately after her death. A woman named Beverly Litsinger was investigating the Ram's Head and she captured a shadowy image in a picture that is believed to be Amy. 

During renovations, workers found the name "Amy" written in the concrete of one of the pillars. Amy's perfume is smelled and people claim she is a fun-loving and flirtatious specter. She giggles often, ruffles hair, touches faces, spills the drinks of women and knocks women off their chairs.  Many female employees feel that Amy sees them as competiton and she often causes them to spill plates and turns off equipment they are trying to use. There are other spirits here as well. There is an elderly woman that has been seen and a Civil War soldier in a Union uniform. These spirits move furniture and the electric receipt calculator has worked when not plugged in to an outlet. The phone would ring over and over with nobody on the other end of the line. The soldier has been seen standing or sitting at the bar, drinking a beer. And if a beer is left unattended for too long, the beer will disappear from the glass.

O'Brien's

O'Brien's is located at 113 Main Street and was built in 1774. It was first opned as the Rose & Crown, that was a watering hole for both rebels and loyalist tories.The upstairs was a brothel for a time and the storage rooms had been tiny bedrooms or probably cribs. In 1836, the building became Sam’s Café, the only place at the time to eat and dance in downtown Annapolis. Sailors and merchants loved to hang out here. The first Cabaret Theatre was established here in 1964. In the 1970s, Fran O’Brien opened a restaurant that he named for himself. He had played for the Washington Redskins as a defensive lineman. O'Brien's Oyster Bar and Grill opened here in 1999. They refer to themselves on their website as "Your favorite haunted banquet house" and claim to have spirits. A newspaper article also claimed there were ghosts here. They didn't share any stories in those places, but on their Facebook Page they said "Ours like to stack chairs at night in odd places. This has happened more than once." A local ghost hunter named Beverly Litsinger claims that O'Brien's is "so haunted its ridiculous." 

Reynolds Tavern

Reynolds Tavern is located at 7 Church Circle, facing St. Anne's Episcopal Church, and this is also home to the 1747 Pub. The building was constructed in 1737. We don't know by who, but by 1747 a man named William Reynolds was leasing the property as a tavern and a hat shop named “Beaver and Lace’d Hat.” This was a place where business was conducted. Mary, his third wife, took over the property when William died in 1777. William's son-in-law took over the tavern after Mary passed away in 1785 and he opened it as a boarding house. A John Davidson then bought the house and his widow would run it as a boarding house until 1811. The Farmers Bank of Maryland bought it in 1812, but realized it wouldn't work well as a bank. They built the bank next door and used the tavern as the cashier's private residence. The building was bought 1935 by Standard Oil Company and it hoped to demolish the structure and rebuild it as a filling station. There was an outcry over destroying the historic building and the location really wasn't suited to a gas station. 

The next main owner of the building would be the Female Orphan Society who bought it in the 1950s and converted into the Annapolis Public Library. Ironically, the 1747 Pub that is currently in the basement here had been the space used for the Children's Library. The library outgrew the space and in 1974 the National Trust for Historic Preservation took over the space and leased it to the Historic Annapolis Foundation. There were many tries at restoring the building back to its original purpose of a tavern, but that really didn't take off until 2002 when Jill and Andrew Petit bought the building and in a tip back to the original owner, they named the new tavern Reynolds Tavern.

A fun legend connected to the tavern claims that George Washington liked to frequent this pub. He apparently took a liking to Mrs. Reynolds and when he professed his love to her, Mr. Reynolds ran him out of the tavern. We don't know if there is any truth to this, but its fun to imagine Reynolds chasing Washington down the street. The pub has quotes from the Founding Fathers on the wall, perhaps to recognize that some of them were patrons of the tavern. Other stories include ghosts. Items in the kitchen would be moved by things unseen and once an employee heard a female voice singing Christmas Carols in a room they found to be empty. Other things experienced by the Petits were finding indentations in the beds upstairs, a spiral notebook in the office moved on its own and seeing shadowy figures.

The Petits and their employees experienced so many strange things that in 2004 they brought in paranormal investigators. This would be the Maryland Ghost and Spirit Society and sensitive Beverly Litsinger was their leader. The group thinks they interacted with at least five spirits in the tavern. One piece of evidence they gathered was an extreme temperature change in a corner of the room. The temp gun registered a sudden drop in the temperature followed by a spike in heat. Later, a dish suddenly broke in the kitchen where nobody was located. Litsinger claimed to see Mary Reynolds and said, "When I saw Mary, I just stood there dumfounded. She was a tiny woman - very thin - and she was lying on the bed, where I saw the covers move by themselves." There was quite a bit of evidence collected, but so much hype was drummed up and the activity started to amp up that the Petits decided to stop any further investigations.  

Mary has proven to be a helpful ghost. One day, an employee had filled a rucksack with frozen Filet Mignon. Before he was able to leave the tavern, the strap on the bag broke and when it hit the floor, the top opened and spilled out the stolen meat. If patrons get drunk and disorderly, Mary dumps drinks on them or knocks food over onto them or if they go to the restroom, she'll lock them inside.

Middleton Tavern

Middleton Tavern is located at 2 Market Place. Much like Reynolds Tavern, Middleton Tavern hosted some of the nation's earliest leaders. Guests included Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and members of the Continental Congress. The building was here starting at least by 1740 and was owned by a wealthy widow named Elizabeth Bennett. She sold the property in 1750 to Horatio Middleton probably because the stockades were nearby and it would get to be a bit much. There was also a gibbet there, which was a type of gallows where bodies would be wrapped in chains and left to be picked over by birds. Horatio opened an inn that catered mainly to seafarers. Middleton himself owned a ferry that went between the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and Annapolis. One person who was carried on this ferry in 1781 was Tench Tilghman who was delivering the news that General Cornwallis had surrendered. When Horatio died, his widow Anne ran the operation and then later, their son Samuel took over the tavern and continued to run the ferry. His son Gilbert would take over later. By 1818, Annapolis mayor John Randall owned the tavern and he invited President James Monroe to stay and he did so from May 28th to 30th in 1818. At the time of the Civil War, this operated as the Marx Hotel, named for owner Frederick Marx.

This was a beautiful tavern that hosted community events, the Maryland Jockey Club, the Annapolis Masons and the Tuesday Club, which was a group of what was described as the town's most "distinguished wits." People came to enjoy the gardens that spread from Prince George Street to the waterfront, to drink, eat, smoke and gamble. Cleo and Mary Apostol operated the Mandris Restaurant starting in 1933 and they continued that for thirty-five years. In 1968, Jerry Hardesty bought the property and he restored it back to its prior glory and named it Middleton Tavern for the family that had operated it at the very beginning. There were two fires, one in 1970 and another in 1973, but Jerry pushed forward. An upgrade came in 1983 when the tavern was expanded to add an oyster bar.

There are supposedly three spirits in this building. One is a Revolutionary War soldier who hangs out in the first floor dining room. Another is a shadow figure that flits about the first floor and the third is a man dressed in 18th century seaman's attire who likes to look out the windows. Bartender Mike Conroy told The Ghost in My Room Podcast some of his experiences while working at the tavern. He was serving the manager Josh at the bar and wiping down bottles when he saw a dark figure moving behind Josh and he described the figure as coasting out of the bar as if on wheels and he thought it was almost floating. He tried to put it out of his mind, but then Josh told him that the hair on the back of his head felt like it was standing up with an electrical charge. Mike thinks this was Roland who is the most well-known ghost at Middleton Tavern. 

When Roland is around, there is usually the smell of cigar smoke. He likes to knock glasses over and pushes plates off shelves. He likes to move bottles and even sneak alcohol, which is why many believe he had been a patron here in the late 1770s and he was said to have mooched drinks from people. An employee saw him once and he was wearing colonial clothing. He at first thought he was a real person, but when he turned back to ask if he could get him a glass of water, he had disappeared. Melissa Huston who is a guide with Annapolis Tours and Crawls claims to have had Roland mess with her too. She was standing up telling stories to her tour group when a full water glass slid across the table and fell on the floor behind her. It took her a minute to compose herself. The group was all looking at the glass very shocked and they would have seen if a human had done it.

There is a fourth ghost connected to the tavern, but this one is seen outside. This spirit is seen on Franklin Street and people think this is Alexander Hastings who was beaten to death during a robbery outside of the tavern in the late 1700s. Witnesses claim to see the shadowy figure of a man running through the alley and yelling for help, usually being chased by other shadows. So this is probably something residual.

These taverns are some of the oldest bars in the country. Do they still host patrons from another time? Are these taverns in Annapolis haunted? That is for you to decide!

*Fun Fact: Many bartenders will do a toast to the house by tapping their drink on the bar twice.*

Ep. 394 - Quebec City

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Moment in Oddity - Devil's Throat Cave

There are many places in the world that have the word "devil" in their names and we have talked about many of them on the podcast. One that we recently learned about is the Devil's Throat Cave in Bulgaria. This is hidden deep in the Trigrad Gorge in the Rhodope Mountains. The cave dates back around 175,000 years. There are a few legends connected to the cave and one of these is about Orpheus, the Greek poet and musician who was taught to play the lyre by Apollo. Orpheus descended into the underworld through the Devil's Throat to find his beloved Euredice. He found her, but Hades wouldn't let her go unless Orpheus promised not to look at her until they were on the surface. Unfortunately, he did look back once to make sure she was still with him and her shadow slowly faded. Orpheus wept for seven days and those tears created a spring in the cave, which reputedly has healing properties and can grant wishes. There is a waterfall inside the cave in this area that is so loud, the room is called the "Booming Hall" and this is the highest underground waterfall. This room is big enough to fit a two-story building inside. The natural entrance to the cave resembles a devil's head and inside there is a devil's head carved near the entrance. There is also a relief of a man and people claim that the figure of the Virgin Mary can be seen in the spring. A really scary thing about the cave is that anything that falls into the spring is lost in a 492 foot tunnel. Nobody has been able to figure out or map the water labyrinth and one attempt to do this in 1970, killed two scuba divers, whose bodies were never found. To get out of the cave, visitors have to climb down 301 steep steps. The Devil's Throat Cave has some very unique features and it certainly is odd!

This Month in History - Hank Aaron Hits 500th Home Run

In the month of July, on the 14th, in 1968, Hank Aaron hit his 500th home run. Last week, Kelly and I watched baseball's All Star Game and they started with a dedication to Hank Aaron who was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Unfortunately, Aaron passed away at the beginning of this year, which at the time of recording is 2021. He was born in Alabama in 1934 and was a star athlete in school. He was still a teenager when he signed with the Negro League's Mobile Black Bears. He moved onto the Indianapolis Clowns and in 1953 he got a contract with the National League's Milwaukee Braves. When he debuted with them on April 13 in 1954, he was the last Negro league baseball player on a major league roster. Aaron mostly played right field and he played for 23 seasons, 21 of them with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. He and his family endured racial threats throughout his career and he became active in the Civil Rights Movement. Aaron went on to hit 755 home runs in his career, breaking Babe Ruth's record along the way. He retired in 1976, but continued with baseball in the front offices. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

Quebec City

Québec City is the capital city of the province of Quebec and sits along the Saint Lawrence River. The city is mostly French speaking as it was established by the French. This is an area of natural beauty and centuries of history. Several locations here that incorporate those two elements are reputedly haunted. These locations include Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Plains of Abraham, Chateau Frontenac Hotel and Montmorency Falls. Join us as we explore the history and haunts of Quebec City in Canada!

The Algonquian People called this area Kebec, meaning "where the river narrows." This was the Saint Lawrence River and it brought Explorer Jacques Cartier here in 1535. An Iroquoian settlement was already here and Cartier would return in 1541 to establish the first French settlement in North America, Fort Charlesbourg-Royal. The settlement didn't last long. It wouldn't be until 1608 that French explorer Samuel de Champlain would establish another settlement. He would build fortified city walls that still stand today and are part of a World Heritage UNESCO site. English privateers captured the fledgling city in 1629, during the Anglo-French War. Champlain would manage to negotiate a return to French hands with a very unique agreement. French King Louis XIII had to pay the dowry of English King Charles' wife. Despite being the large capital city it is today, Quebec City grew slowly and was dominated by members of religious orders in those early years.

Quebec City would face more conflict. The French and Indian Wars would use the city as a launching point for raids on New England, the English would attack in 1690 and the Seven Years' War would leave the city captured by the British in 1759. One of the battles of that war, Battle of the Plains of Abraham, would leave spiritual residue behind, which we'll cover in a bit. The city would be lost permanently by the French. The British would later agree to let the original Quebecois to maintain their Catholic roots and to speak French. This would be a good move because it kept these original citizens from joining the American rebels during the American Revolution. That didn't stop the Americans from trying to take Quebec City in 1775. The British Regulars and Canadian Militia held them off and the Americans would not attack again, not even during the War of 1812. The Citadelle of Quebec was built in 1820 to further protect the city. Quebec City eventually grew to the third largest port city in North America in the early 19th century. 

The city would take center stage during World War II with two meetings between the Allied leadership as they planned the D-Day invasion. The Chateau Frontenac was one of the locations they used for these meetings. It's one of our haunted locations as well. With such a long history and battles being fought here, it's not surprising that some of the historic locations in Quebec City have ghost stories. There are several ghost tours offered here, one of which looks like a fun scavenger hunt.

Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was the first Anglican cathedral built outside of the British Isles and it is located here in Quebec City. The cathedral was built between 1800 and 1804 under the direction of King George III, who donated religious objects to the church. A special pew was made for him in the cathedral. The architects were William Hall and William Robe and they used London's Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields as their model. The spire atop the cathedral made it the tallest structure in Quebec City for many years. The building was constructed from grey stone and in the shape of a parallelpiped, which has three sets of four parallel edges. There are oval-shaped windows that had once been cartouches bearing the royal coat of arms. Bells were added in 1830 and these are the oldest change-ringing bells in Canada. These kinds of bells are very unique and rare in Canada and are rung in elaborate changing sequences. The same foundry that cast the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Big Ben and the Jean-Baptiste bell of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal - Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London - cast these bells. The spirit that haunts the cathedral is thought to have been attached to a body that was supposedly buried underneath the building. This spirit likes to play the organ. People will be sitting in the church and hear organ music when no one is sitting at the organ. There is another legend that claims that the body buried under the cathedral was a baby and that the spirit is that of the mother looking for her child. A female spirit is sometimes seen floating in the balcony. Organists claim to hear a woman crying when they practice. If a toy is placed on the organ, the church stays quiet.

Plains of Abraham

The Plains of Abraham was the setting of the battle named for it during the Seven Years War that took place on September 13, 1759. The name of the area came from the farmer who owned the land, Abraham Martin. This was a battle between the British and the French and didn't last long. American colonists, Canadian militia and First Nation tribes also took part and those of us in America are more familiar with the name French and Indian War. James Wolfe was the commanding officer of the British forces and he and his men arrived in June of 1759 and held positions along the St. Lawrence River. This wasn't going to be easy for the British. In order to attack the French, they would have to cross the strong flow of the St. Lawrence River and get past the battery of guns at the fort. Wolfe led his men in their first attempt in July, but were quickly rebuffed. 

The leader of the French was Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm. He was resistant to coming out in open attack and Wolfe thought perhaps he could get him to move if he cut off supplies to the city. When that didn't work, he had his forces start hitting spots in the countryside around Quebec City. This still didn't work, so he made a bold move  to sail several ships past the fort batteries and it worked. They made it upriver and this gave Wolfe the opportunity to attack from a better position. In the wee hours of the morning on September 13th, Wolfe's men quietly made their way to a plateau and stretched across the Plains of Abraham in a horseshoe formation.

The French made their move and started firing as they approached the British, while the British waited until the French got closer and released such a volley that the French quickly retreated. Wolfe was hit three times in the exchange and reputedly said that he would have peace since he knew the French were in retreat. He then died, as did several other British officers, leaving the battle without much direction. The French countered with a relief force, which quickly pulled back as well. Montcalm's army was allowed to escape, but he had been mortally wounded and died the next morning. In total, the battle lasted about an hour, but would be one of the most significant of the war as the British captured Quebec and would never lose it again. About 180 men were killed with over a thousand wounded.

Like so many other battlefields, this one is said to be haunted and some even claim that this is the most haunted site in Quebec. The battle had been fought at midday and this is when many apparitions have been seen, mostly as residual troops still carrying on a battle. There are also solitary spirits of soldiers from the British and the French seen. They are usually wearing battle-scarred uniforms. There are tunnels near the field and these are particular hotspots for paranormal activity. People claimed to be touched by something they can't see in the tunnels and there is the strong smell of gunpowder sometimes detected. One person recounted a tale of walking in the tunnels and all of a sudden a soldier appeared and started running toward him, brushing past him with such force that he was nearly knocked down. The date of the battle, September 13th, is when many experiences are reported and these include not only the smell of gunpowder, but sulphur and there are also strange noises like gunshots, cannon fire and screams.  

Montmorency Falls

Near to the Plains of Abraham are the Montmorency Falls. These falls are on an ancient continental margin that is about 7.5 miles from the heart of old Quebec City and are part of the Montmorency Falls Park. They are sourced from the  Montmorency River and drop over a cliff into the Saint Lawrence River and are 272 feet high, which is nearly 100 feet taller than Niagara Falls. Samuel de Champlain named the falls for the Duke of Damville, Charles de Montmorency-Damville, Admiral of France and Brittany. There are many things to see and do at the park. General James Wolfe had built installations near the falls that can still be seen today. There is a cable car that visitors can ride from the foot of the waterfall to the top. A suspension bridge stretches across the entire width of the falls that people can walk across. This is with the water roaring just below your feet. To get back down, people have the option of going down a 487-step panoramic staircase that is along the cliff. There are also zip lines and something called the Via Ferrata, which is a hybrid of hiking and rock climbing. Hikers use metal holds and a steel cable to traverse the rock and there are different levels of difficulty so even kids as young as eight can get in on the fun.

The ghost that is seen here is a Lady in White that is also referred to as the White Lady. She dates back to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The legend connected to her claims that her name was Mathilde and she was engaged to marry a young man named Louis in July of 1759. This was at the same time that the British launched their attack near the falls. Louis was a member of the militia and he was killed in the battle. Mathilde was so devastated by his death that she put on her wedding dress and threw herself over the falls. People who see her spirit, claim to see her walking near the top of the falls and others actually see her throw herself into the churning waters at the base of the falls.

Chateau Frontenac Hotel 

One of the most famous hotels in Canada is The Fairmont Chateau Frontenac Hotel. This hotel was one of Canada's railroad hotels, built to attract wealthy tourists to ride on the Canadian Pacific Railway. The building is gorgeous and rises 262 feet and sits prominently on a hill in the historic district of Quebec City, which had once been home to another hotel built in the 1780s. The chateau was named for a former governor of the colony Louis de Buade, count de Palluau et de Frontenac.The hotel was built in 1892 and designed by American architect Bruce Price. The part that catches one's eye right away is the central fortress-like tower that was inspired by medieval chateaus found in France. There are tall chimneys, ornate gables, fancy dormers and large circular and polygonal towers and turrets. The exterior was fashioned from Glenboig bricks out of a region in Scotland and grey stone ashlar. Interior embellishments are just as fancy with wrought iron, carved stone, mahogany panelling and marble staircases. The whole place is just very Gothic.

The Chateau Frontenac opened in 1893 and is one of the most photographed hotels in the world. The Citadel Wing was added in 1899. Several modifications would be done in the twentieth century with a 1926 addition of the central tower designed by architects Edward and William Maxwell. The rue Mont-Carmel was added in 1908. In 1993, the Claude-Pratte Wing was built and this added an interior swimming pool and fitness center. Today, the hotel is run by the Fairmont Hotel chain and features 611 rooms on 18 floors. This hotel also features several ghosts. Apparently, the second floor has the most activity.

It seems only fitting that the namesake of the hotel would be banging around in the hallways. Louis de Baude de Frontenac could be one of the specters you run into if you stay here. He was the third Governor General of New France, which is what they called Quebec. He did this for ten years from 1672 to 1682 and his former home was close to, if not on the actually spot, where the hotel was built. That is why people think he is haunting the place. Either he is mad they built over his home or maybe he just is sticking to the place near his home. He is most often seen in 17th century garb, pacing in the hallways. He had died in his home and before dying, he asked that his heart be mailed to his fiance who was still in France. You can imagine that the poor girl was horrified and had it sent back. And that's why they think Frontenac is at unrest. He is most often seen on that second floor and in the ballroom.

The hotel is near the Plains of Abraham, so as you might suspect, some of those battle-torn spirits from the battlefield have wandered over to the hotel on occasion. They have been spotted both inside and outside of the hotel. And there is a Lady in White here. Not much is known about this spirit other then she wears a white nightgown and is very sad. Her favorite thing to do is to join guests in bed. She just needs a little comforting. Sometimes people wake up and find her just staring down at them from the side of the bed. She is not attached to any particular room, so she could pop up anywhere. 

Someone posted on TripAdvisor, "I am just wondering if anyone has seen a ghost in this hotel. I am staying in the Roosevelt suite and it has a presence I'm sure of it. I've never even believed in ghosts until today as I'm sure I saw I saw a man pass by our living room area!! Let me know if anyone else had anything similar please?"

Quebec City is a very old city with wonderful historic buildings. Are these particular historic spots haunted? That is for you to decide!

Ep. 393 - Old Baraboo Inn

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Moment in Oddity - Chand Baori Stepwell (Suggested by: Jenny Lynn Raines)

Stepwells are a type of well or pond found in countries like Pakistan or India. They have served a utilitarian purpose for hundreds of years. The first rock-cut stepwells in India date back to 200 AD. Many of these stepwells are many storied and go down several feet into the ground. That's why they are called stepwells, because steps are used to get down to where the water is held. These became places for not only getting water during times of drought, but social gatherings and religious ceremonies were held at these wells also. Some wells had particular goddesses connected to them and gifts or prayers would be offered. The most amazing stepwell is called Chand Baori and it is found in the Indian state of Rajasthan. This is dated to the 8th or 9th century. There is a temple that is part of the complex, along with sculptures and carvings. This stepwell has 3500 very narrow steps that look quite dangerous, leading down thirteen stories. That makes this one of the largest and deepest stepwells in India. This is an amazing man-made structure, but having to take such a treacherous journey to get down to water, certainly is odd!

This Month in History - Yul Brynner Born

In the month of July, on the 11th, in 1920, actor and director Yul Brynner was born. He was best known for his role as King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein play "The King and I." The story follows the memoirs of Indian born British writer Anna Leonowens who was hired as the governess for the children of the King of Siam. This life-changing role for Brynner almost didn't happen because acting wasn't going well for him and he had decided to go into directing, but once he read the script for the play, he was fascinated by the King. He would go on to play that role 4,625 times on the stage. Those stages included London, touring productions and, of course, Broadway which had two revivals after the original production. He reprised the role in a film version in 1956 for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Brynner also won two Tony Awards for the role, making him only one of ten people to have won a Tony and Oscar for the same role. For the role, he shaved his head and since he was Russian born, it gave him an exotic look. Many men copied it, which was a thing at the time because bald heads weren't "in." They called it the "Yul Brynner look." The actor went on to play the role of Ramesses II in "The Ten Commandments" film and a Russian general in "Anastasia." Brynner was a philanderer who was married four times and had numerous affairs throughout his life, one long-term one with Marlene Dietrich. Yul Brynner died of lung cancer on October 10, 1985 at the age of 65. He had given his final performance of the King just a couple months before.

Old Baraboo Inn (Suggested by: Brad Brancel) 

The Old Baraboo Inn is located at 135 Walnut Street in Baraboo, Wisconsin. This location has housed a brothel, a brewery, a boarding house, a speakeasy, saloons, bars and restaurants over nearly 157 years of existence. The building has suffered fires on more than one occasion. There have been deaths here, some because of murder. The historic building has a wild history that has now led to even wilder stories of hauntings. There may be as many as thirty spirits calling this place home in the afterlife. Join us as we explore the history and haunts of the Old Baraboo Inn!

We've visited Baraboo in an episode before because this is one of the homes of the circus. Several circuses got their start here. This would also become the launching place of syndicated newspaper stories and such. Ansel H. Kellogg was editor of the Baraboo Republic and since he was working with minimal staff due to the Civil War, he ordered two pages of printed war news from a Madison newspaper every week and then he would print local Baraboo news on the blank sides in his shop. Pretty soon, other newspapers were running with the idea and now every newspaper in the nation subscribes to articles this way. The technical term for these sources is boilerplates. The Kickapoo and Ho-Chunk tribes were some of the first in the region and the Ho-Chunk still maintain a strong presence here. Evidence of an early group known as Effigy Mound Builders can still be seen in Baraboo. One of the many mounds they built still exists and is known as Man Mound. Because so many of these ceremonial mounds, and possibly burial mounds, have been disturbed and destroyed, it is thought that the area carries paranormal energy that might not be very positive.

Since this was near a river, settlers eventually made their way here. Abe Wood established the settlement in 1838. By 1866 it was an official village and grew big enough to become the county seat of Sauk County. In 1882, Baraboo was incorporated. The city had originally been called Adams, but changed to Baraboo since that was the name of the river. As to the origin of that name, it's hard to know. Some say it is a derivative of the French term for catfish while others maintain its a French surname. It would be here that George and Anna Bender would emigrate from Germany in 1848 and have nine children.

George Bender was a brewer and he brought his knowledge of German lagers with him. Lagers are light and malty and cold-brewed. He and Anna opened the first saloon in Baraboo in 1859 and called it Bender's Saloon. They moved to the South Bridge Street location a few years later, probably in 1864 since a sign on the Baraboo Inn says that it was established in 1864. The Benders built the Miller-Bender Brewery in 1868. George died in 1874 and his son Robert stepped up to help with the brewery operations. Anna decided to turn one of their properties into a boarding house. She opened this on the second level of the saloon in 1876 and called it the Bender Boarding House. Another brewer named Effinger helped with brewery operations and these thrived until the building burned down in 1884. The Benders would no longer brew lager, but they kept the boarding house going, which was thriving as a new train depot started bringing more people to Baraboo.

Anna died sometime around 1890. We searched for a death year, but couldn't find one. She did die at the Bender House and another son named Frank took over the operating of the boarding house and saloon. Frank died in 1904 and a man named August Reineke bought the saloon and renamed it for himself. Legends claim that a brothel was on the upper floor, but we couldn't find when this would be, so perhaps it was at this time. Baraboo was ahead of the curve when it came Prohibition and went completely dry in 1917, forcing Reineke out of business. He offered to sell back the saloon two of the Bender brothers and they reopened as a restaurant. This was a brewery family, so we can imagine that all that went on here was a restaurant. Certainly no speakeasy, no sir! A raid in 1929 would back up our suspicions as the police padlocked the doors afterwards. There is a portion of the place today called the Gangsters' Back Bar where Al Capone would reputedly hang out with his buddies, which lends credence to the speakeasy rumors as well. That raid would be it for the Bender family. They sold the property in the 1930s. 

In 1939, Pierce's Cafe was opened in the location and the history is murky after that with a series of restaurants and bars calling the space home. It was the Strikeout Club when John and Rose Dombroski bought the building in 1962 and they ran it as a bar and store. They changed the name to Old Baraboo Inn in 1964. John died in the front bar area in 1979 when a bowling ball came flying through a front window and scared him so bad, he had a heart attack. So two owners of the property have died on the premises, George Bender and John Dombroski. John and Rose's son, Jack, bought the business at that point and opened Bombo's Pub. Things were good for several years, but eventually a fire burned the building fairly badly and Jack had to help his patrons escape. The last person out of the building would become the eventual new owner, BC Farr. The bar and restaurant sat vacant for 14 years before reopening in 2002 under the ownership of B.C Farr. Farr bought the property in 1998 and spent years and thousands of dollars renovating it. He is still the owner today and he embraces the ghosts at his establishment. 

There are four parts of the bar that are haunted. There are the upstairs apartments, the front bar, the back bar and the basement. It's important to note that much of what is known about the spirits here and even the history, comes from psychics and mediums. As is the case with many haunted locations, the first unexplained happenings started as renovations began. Workers claimed to see shadows moving in rooms out of the corner of their eyes. Music started to be heard and there was nothing that could play it other than radios and this was not radio music. It sounded live. As did the clinking of glasses. There was disembodied laughing and talking too. The crew would turn all the lights off at night before leaving and when they returned in the morning, they would find the lights on.

The new owner Farr witnessed many things. A Wisconsin State Journal article by Doug Erickson from July 2005 featured many of his experiences. He said, "I don't really care what people think, I know what I've seen." He claims to have seen a broom float across the kitchen, seen dishes fly off racks by themselves and his tools would go missing or get moved around while he was renovating. When it comes to the walk-in refrigerator he says, "If (the ghost) doesn't like you, it will shut the door on you and turn the light off."Many times he would hear someone call out his name and when he would answer, there would be no response. If he went to investigate who had called his name, he would find no one else in the building. At first, he was really annoyed thinking someone was playing tricks on him. He would tape the windows and doors shut to see if someone was sneaking inside. He never found anyone and finally had to admit that the place was haunted. Farr feared that patrons wouldn't come to his bar if it was haunted, so he kept quiet about the unexplained things that were happening.

After opening, many of the employees claimed to have paranormal experiences and the cat was out of the bag as they say. Waitress Peggy Tobias claimed to see a full-bodied apparition behind the bar. This is a spirit that everyone thinks is Mary. The story is that Mary once worked in the brothel upstairs and bled to death in the building in the early 1900s. A customer named Char Lotte has seen Mary's ghost on the dance floor. She seems to really like a certain song that plays on the jukebox by Stevie Ray Vaughan called "The House is Rockin'." It is thought that two other women who worked in the brothel also died here. So we have at least three former brothel workers and two owners who have died here. But there could be as many as thirty ghosts as Farr claims.

There are two apartments upstairs. The first tenants in one of the apartments complained to Farr about hearing the loud sound of a piano playing honky tonk music and loud laughter. This was before the bar had opened. A man named Johnny Flores had rented one of the upstairs apartments and he told Erickson that he fled the apartment because he couldn't take this ghostly female voice calling his name in the middle of the night anymore. A female tenant named Brooke Schonenberger claims to have been pestered by a dribble of water that comes down from a kitchen cabinet where nothing is stored. One resident was really startled when a light fixture came crashing down onto a bed from the ceiling.

Food Network, clearly not known for their specialization in hauntings, has declared this location one of the top ten haunted places in America. Other spirits that have been seen here include a cowboy named Jed, an elderly woman, an elderly man, a saloon dancer and a ghost cat. And Al Capone has been seen and caught on EVP, according to some investigators. And then there is Cybil, the Lady in White, that has been seen here. Scents like roses, cigars and old lady perfume have been detected through the years. The bar stools seem to have minds of their own. They spin around and sometimes tip to the side as if asking patrons to hop aboard. Do they charge for rides here? There is a spirit who has been nicknamed "The Whistler." He whistles, of course, and it is usually a happy tune. Of course, the female restroom here is haunted. Former owner Rose Dombroski has been detected by mediums who investigate the restroom. Women who visit the restroom claim to smell her old-fashioned rose perfume. The cowboy Jed is sometimes seen in the restroom too. Mediums claim he died from a fall on the stairs.

And probably the strangest spirits here belong to a boy and a dog. One would not expect to find children spirits in a bar. Apparently, some patrons bring their children along who play in the back bar area. Occasionally they claim to have been playing with other children, even though nobody else has brought children with them. It's assumed they were playing with children ghosts. A little boy ghost and a dog have been captured in pictures. Kelly knows this sensation well from her experiences at the McPike Mansion, patrons claim to feel as though children are climbing up on their laps at the bar.

The Travel Channel Series "Hometown Horrors" featured Baraboo, Wisconsin in one of their episodes and the Old Baraboo Inn was included on that episode. Brenda Block is a resident who appeared on the show and she claimed to have felt something she couldn't see, touch her hair one day as she sat at the bar. When she turned to look behind her, she saw no one. BC Farr appeared on this show and explained that many people were killed in the basement and that there was even an execution pole down there. He also claimed that early gunfights at the saloon took some lives and bullet holes in a couple of walls seem to indicate that this is true. The basement is said to be full of dark energy. In 2016, Dennis Catencamp went down to investigate the basement and got the scare of his life. His flashlight stopped working and he felt like something was crushing his entire body. He ran terrified from the basement. During the episode, a group that included BC, BC's sister, Dennis, Brenda and a psychic went down to explore and, of course, they all felt weird and such, but there was no evidence collected. 

BC Farr also made an appearance on Fright Club with Jack Osbourne and The Ghost Brothers. They were interviewing him about a video that was made there during an investigation. The video featured SLS footage that looked like a couple of spirits get amorous in the former brothel area. While Farr was talking about this, a distinctive shadow is seen behind him. Jack immediately got excited and everybody asked Farr to flip the camera around so that they could see who was in the bar with Farr. There was no one there and on top of that, there was no light source or a window to the outside where the shadow of a human could be made and projected. Then a couple minutes later, a weird shimmering light anomaly appeared over the top of Farr that again, could not be explained. Everybody was real excited and Farr was befuddled as to what happened because he, of course, couldn't see any of this. He just heard the guys all going crazy.  

Poor delivery drivers and salesmen for different products have experienced some weird things. Many of whom have changed their routes to avoid the inn. The Budweiser guy witnessed the apparition of an elderly woman in the front bar and some people think that this is Anna Bender. The man said she was standing in the doorway and glaring at him. He said she was wearing a dress straight out of "Little House on the Prairie." He never returned. Delivery people from Sysco have also been spooked by unexpected encounters. These took place in the kitchen and front bar area and on one instance the kitchen doors were witnessed swinging open and closed on their own.

Many paranormal investigation groups have visited and collected evidence. There have been videos of shadows and orbs and many EVP have been recorded. Creepshow Paranormal has investigated here a couple of times. Rocks have been thrown at them and they've seen shadow figures. Paranormal MD, Mary Marshall said, "I've been investigating in the paranormal field for 18 years. I consider my paranormal experiences at the Old Baraboo Inn some of the most profound and exceptional ever. This property is definitely in my top two favorite haunted locations to visit. In addition, the staff is another top reason for continuing to return to Old Baraboo Inn!"

Melinda Hollis had participated in a ghost hunt here and she told author Amelia Cotter in her book "Where the Party Never Ended: Ghosts of the Old Baraboo Inn, "I visited the Old Baraboo Inn and participated in a ghost hunt. Within the first 30 minutes, I captured what I think was a ghost or spirit on video. Within minutes of capturing the ghost, I suddenly felt hot, my face felt flush and turned red, even my ears felt hot! I became dizzy and had to sit down. I was brought a glass of water and it soon passed. I was told I was possibly hugged by a ghost. The experience was amazing!" Farr also shared many stories with Cotter and one of particular interest seems to be connected to the circus. He told her, "I looked over and there was a guy standing there, a full-body apparition with a blank, death-stare face. He was wearing what looked like a circus shirt. It had blousy sleeves and orange stripes with ruffles. I remember just looking at this guy, and he just looked back at me. Then he slowly disappeared. I pictures him as a juggler or riding a unicycle. He was a fairly stocky guy. Maybe he was attracted to the smell of the prime rib I was preparing. I could tell he liked it."

Cotter also describes a terrifying incident that Farr had with a group of ghost hunters up in the old brothel, "We were hearing babies crying and I was walking down the hall. We had one flashlight on. I had a weird feeling all of a sudden and when I turned around, I looked up and there was a freaking orb - closed to basketball size - just hovering near the ceiling. It started coming at me, and then it stopped. I said, 'I see you. I'm not afraid of you. What's going on? Come talk and try to communicate with us, come on. I know you hear me, come on.' It started growing immensely, like a great big white mist, and then it turned into a black-bodied form, kind of like a bear. I said, 'I'm not afraid of you, come on. Come on.' And it stopped like ten feet away from me, and all these people were just completely freaked out. I stood there looking at it for what felt like a couple of minutes and then it just slowly faded backwards, straight back into the wall. My heart was pounding and the people in the group were like 'Let's get the hell out of here now.' And it felt like something wanted us gone, but like it was just kind of shooing us away. It was just huge and so dark, darker than the darkness around it, and had a kind of a glow, like a shadow figure, but it was a real monster - just huge and black. And you could see through it. We weren't sure if it was Ma Bender up there with us or not. It could have been her though, and could have been Rosie Dombroski, too."

Many photos you can find online feature people posing in front of a sign that reads, "I got ghost bombed at the Old Baraboo Inn." This references a drink one can order at the bar and also the fact that many people entering have some sort of weird experience whether it is a strange feeling or an actual interaction with a ghost. This location sounds like a fun place to get ghost bombed. Is the Old Baraboo Inn Haunted? That is for you to decide!

Show Notes:

Amelia Cotter's book "Where the Party Never Ended: Ghosts of the Old Baraboo Inn"