HGB Ep. 626 - Thistle Hill House

The Moment in Oddity - Security Geese (Suggested by: Michael Rogers)

Home security is important. Many of us utilize home alarm services to give us peace of mind that we will be alerted to an intruder. There are various brands at varying price points available on the market. Some people have large dogs for the sole purpose of protecting their property. But what about a flock of geese for your home protection? If you have ever visited a local pond to feed the ducks, you would have been made quite aware if there were geese in the vicinity. Geese are highly territorial animals who will fiercely protect their domain, squawking and chasing any person they perceive as an intruder. Many animal lovers, like myself, have experienced the wrath of a goose that doesn't want you near them. They often will chase, hiss and bite at you. They are alert at night. Although they are diurnal, geese have excellent hearing and vision, and they will often sound alarms at night. The earliest recorded use of geese as a security measure dates back to 390 B.C. in Ancient Rome. Historical accounts state that sacred geese were kept at the Temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill. They famously honked and flapped their wings, alerting Roman soldiers to a surprise, nighttime attack on the Temple by the Gauls, thus saving the city. Geese have been used to patrol the Ballantine's Scotch whiskey warehouses since 1959. They are also currently used in prisons in Brazil as a supplementary 'goose patrol' to detect intruders or escape attempts. Although using a flock of geese for home security is unconventional, it sounds like a very efficient option, and it certainly is odd.

Thistle Hill House 

Thistle Hill House is also known as the Wharton-Scott House and was built back in the early 1900s in Fort Worth, Texas. This historic mansion goes back to the cattle baron era of the city and indeed, it was home to a cattle baron's daughter. This is a gorgeous and unique home, so its not surprising that previous owners would stick around even after passing away. Join us for the history and hauntings of the Thistle Hill House. 

Fort Worth would attract many cattle barons as it came to be known as "Cowtown."  Four million head of cattle would come through the town and its stockyards in the late 1800s. These barons and the other rich and influential in the city would make Quality Hill their home. Quality Hill was on the west side and sat on a bluff that overlooked Fort Worth and the Trinity River. Some of the greatest architects of the time designed homes for this neighborhood with the latest amenities and manicured landscapes. The neighborhood defined fine living throughout the Gilded Age in Fort Worth. Many of those Victorian mansions that were built no longer remain, but the Thistle Hill House is still here. The mansion looks almost out of place as it is situated in the middle of the city's Medical District at 1509 Pennsylvania Avenue. The Fort Worth Telegram reported on December 31, 1902, "Plans are being prepared by Architect M.R. Sanguinet for the erection of a magnificent residence on the old Zane Certi estate, fronting on Pennsylvania Avenue, which was recently purchased by E.B. Wharton. The house will be built in the old colonial style, which has grown in popularity of late, and is to cost between $25,000 and $30,000. Work has begun on the specifications today and they will be completed before the end of January. Mr. Wharton recently came to Texas from the east. He has extensive live stock interests near Decatur, in this state, and is reckoned a millionaire. He paid $30,000 for the land, which comprises six and one-half acres in one of the choicest residence districts of the city." 

Sanguinet - and we just love that name - had worked in Fort Worth as an architect since 1883 and in 1903, he formed the architectural firm Sanguinet & Staats with draftsman Carl Staats. The firm specialized in steel-frame construction and would go on to build several skyscrapers in Texas, but they also built several mansions. The Wharton-Scott House was commissioned by William Thomas Waggoner for his daughter Electra and her husband Albert Buck Wharton as a wedding present. 

Waggoner had been born in Texas in 1852 and he learned ranching from his father. When he was 18-years-old, his father gave him $12 to drive 5000 steer to Abilene, Kansas and he not only successfully got the herd to their destination, but he sold the herd for a profit of $55,000. He married Ella Halsell in 1877 and the couple had five children, two of whom died as children. When his father died in 1902, he inherited property in several Texas counties. Waggoner was a big proponent for open range and he tried to convince President Theodore Roosevelt to support that by bringing him out to some land he leased from the Comanche in Oklahoma. The men went wolf hunting and while the President had a great time, he didn't support keeping the range open. And like the Beverly Hillbillies, Waggoner was drilling for water on his main ranch and struck oil. He founded Waggoner Refinery in 1911. Cattle weren't the only animals that he specialized in, he also raised thoroughbreds. With his two sons, he founded what would become the colossal Three D's Stock Farm that grew to a million acres. He also built Arlington Downs racetrack that is between Fort Worth and Dallas. They had several horses race in the Kentucky Derby, but no good finishes. Waggoner died in 1934. 

Electra was born in 1882 and she grew up on both the Waggoner Ranch and at the Waggoner Mansion. She was named for her grandfather Electius and Electra, Texas is named after her. The Waggoner Ranch was one of the largest ranches in the United States. She had met her first husband, blueblood Albert Wharton, when she was traveling in the Himalayas and they married in 1902. 

That marriage only lasted 19 years, but it did produce two sons, who seemed to have real marriage issues. Albert Jr. married four times, but his brother lived a very crazy and short life. Tom was married eight times and died of syphilis when he was 25-years-old. Electra loved to spend money and once ran up a $20,000 tab at Neiman Marcus in Dallas in one day. She never wore any outfit more than once and she had one closet filled with fur coats, another with 350 pairs of shoes and another held all her gowns.But she was also kind and when she heard that a favorite salesgirl had gotten sick, she went to her house and cleaned it and prepared her a good meal. Electra married two more times before dying at the age of 43 in 1925. She loved the home her father had built her in Fort Worth. Thistle Hill was built in the Colonial architectural style in 1903 and stood two and a half stories with a sloped gambrel roof made of green tiles and six chimneys. The sides of the house have semi-circular elements above the porticos that have six limestones columns holding them up. The house was built from brick and has cast stone along the corners and above the windows as trim. The interior had a grand staircase, elaborate woodwork and 18 rooms. There was a library, parlor, music room, dining room, sunroom, six bedrooms, attic ballroom and three restrooms. Floors were made from maple, oak and longleaf pine.

Thistle Hill was purchased in 1911 by one of the richest men in Texas, Winfield Scott. Scott was a self-made millionaire from extremely humble beginnings. He was born in 1849 in Kentucky and grew up never learning to read or write. When he arrived in Texas, he worked as a wood chopper along the Trinity River. He worked hard and saved his money and approached some friends to loan him some money to start a cattle business on 160 acres. 

He married Adelia Ann Colley in 1876 and she unfortunately died 2 years later. They had one daughter together named Georgia. In 1884, he married Elizabeth Simmons and they had one son, Winfield Jr. After a very successful cattle drive from Texas to Oklahoma, Scott was able to start buying property in Fort Worth and he got involved in banking opening the Fort Worth State Bank and becoming director of the Fort Worth National Bank. He also was also a major investor in the Mutual Cotton Oil Company of Fort Worth and he was director of the Protestant Sanitarium. All of this made him very well known  in Fort Worth and he was good friends with the Waggoners, which is why he bought their former home. He decided to make some changes - well, a lot of changes - at a cost of $5 million in today's dollars. The Colonial Revival style was changed to Georgian revival by the Sanguinet firm. Ornate features were removed and the landscaping was upgraded with ornamental fencing and brick walls. The interior was renovated too. Scott had been ill for several years and he eventually needed surgery and he wouldn't survive long after that. he never had the chance to move into Thistle Hill. His wife Elizabeth moved into the house with their son Winfield Jr. and she remained in it for the next 26 years. She added a tea house and pergola to the grounds and loved to throw parties. Georgia, Scott's daughter from his first marriage, got into an inheritance battle with Elizabeth after her father's death. The papers made it into a Cinderella against the evil step-mother fight. Georgia eventually won in court and got a fourth of her father's estate. Elizabeth passed in 1938 and her son Winfield Jr., who had managed to squander all of the family's money with a costly divorce with a settlement in the millions of dollars and he also had issues with alcohol and drugs, sold the mansion to the Girls Service League for cheap and they used it until 1968 and then they basically abandoned it and it fell into disrepair. A group of concerned citizens watched as many of the historic mansion in Quality Hill were demolished and they believed that Thistle Hill would eventually meet the same fate, so they formed a committee called "Save the Scott Home." They raised enough money to purchase Thistle Hill in 1976 for $240,000 and opened it as a museum and event space.
 
In 2005, Historic Fort Worth was gifted the property and they worked on restoring the property. They made the house accessible to disabled people, but here was still work that needed to be done with the carriage house and a perimeter wall. With the mansion sitting in the middle of the Medical District, it only makes sense that it would eventually be absorbed into that in some way. In March of 2023, Cook Children’s moved into the mansion and the hospital system has taken over the stewardship of the home after receiving it as a gift from historic preservation non-profit Historic Fort Worth. They turned the former carriage house into a discovery zone for kids.  

And through all of these years, people have reported strange occurrences. Electra insisted on having fresh flowers delivered to her mansion daily and staff at the museum had claimed for decades that they would catch the unexplained whiff of fresh flowers. Her full bodied apparition has been seen wearing one of her many elegant gowns. Guests and staff have reported the sounds of a party coming from the third floor ballroom. Much of this seems to be residual as Electra didn't die at the mansion and she only lived there for a few years. Those parties really must have been something! A different female spirit has been seen wearing a flowing white lace gown and she likes to appear on the landing of the mansion's main grand staircase. She has also been seen sitting by the window in the upstairs changing room. A photographer taking pictures during a wedding, captured a female ghost in a photo. The picture was shared on Facebook and reveals that there is a wedding dress on display in the room and it is to the right of a mirror and in the reflection of the mirror, there appears to be the silhouette of a woman sitting on a pink bench and she is wearing a long period dress. 

Elizabeth suffered from multiple burglary attempts so she brought in a roommate for security. This was someone who worked in Fort Worth as a bank clerk and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram interviewed this person and he claimed that strange stuff happened in the house. After Elizabeth died, he had lived in the mansion alone until 1941 and many times, this big oriental gong on the lower floor would vibrate and make noise all on its own. 

Other people have claimed to see the full-bodied apparition of Winfield Scott Jr. wearing 1940s attire. Many times this was seen by workers who were renovating the mansion. They claimed to see the apparition on the staircase and he was always wearing a grey sweater and white wing-tipped shoes. Staff would report that objects would move on their own. Large cardboard boxes that were really heavy just seemed to move to other spots on their own and one day, workers found all the contents of one of the boxes emptied out onto the floor. In 1997, a group of ghost hunters stayed overnight at Thistle Hill and they focused on the third-floor ballroom. They found an antique rocking chair in the middle of the ballroom with a sheet crumpled up next to it. More than likely a sheet that had once covered the chair. They left it and explored some other rooms and when they returned, they found the chair covered by the sheet. Belongings that they had brought were moved around to different rooms. A bridesmaid was helping to get things ready in the mansion and on her way to the bridal room upstairs, she passed a woman dressed in a long lace gown. This woman nodded at her. A little later, the bridesmaid was talking to the event manager and she mentioned that she thought it was a nice touch to have the actress in the wedding gown hanging out in the house. The manager gave her a funny look and replied that no employees dress in period clothing or any other kind of costume for events. 

Just two-and-a-half miles away is the Log Cabin Village, which is a collection of log cabin homes from actual Texan homesteads dating back to the 1800s. There is also a blacksmith shop and a schoolhouse. Some of the furnishings are original to the homes and perhaps that is why several of them are rumored to be haunted, particularly the Foster Cabin. 

The Foster family had been cotton farmers and enslaved people had built this two-story cabin for them. Logs were fashioned from oak and cedar trees. The cabin was moved from its original spot in 1974. The main ghost here is thought to be Martha Foster who died in the cabin in 1870. People have felt cold spots, smelled the scent of lilac perfume and seen her full-bodied apparition, particularly on the second floor which is the most active part of the house. Managers closed down the upper floor because people were tearing down the stairs in fear and they were worried someone would get hurt. A guide in the house said, "It was very strange. The fire alarm started going off, and it smelled like smoke. We called the fire department, but there was no fire." A Director at the village said she had experiences in the Foster Cabin, but she wouldn't share them because she wants people to focus on the history.   

Thistle Hill House has managed to outlast all the other mansions that had once surrounded it. The mansion stands as a reminder that this spot had once been a place for the rich and influential of Fort Worth. Perhaps that is why the spirits have held onto this location. Some of the ghosts may have come here from other locations that are now lost. Are the Thistle Hill House and the Foster Cabin haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 625 - Legends of the Caucasus

This Month in History - The Sinking of the USS Maine

In the month of February, on the 15, in 1898 The USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor. The USS Maine was a battleship that was anchored at the time of the sinking. The ship was sent to Havana to protect American interests during Cuba's revolt against Spain. A massive explosion in the forward gunpowder magazines destroyed a third of the front of the battleship, causing it to rapidly sink at approximately 9:40pm. The disaster killed 260-266 crew members. The U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry originally determined that the explosion was caused by a mine in the water, but later investigations revealed that the likely cause was internal spontaneous combustion in a coal bunker that was situated near the ammunition magazines. At the time, yellow journalism fueled American outrage and the sinking of the USS Maine was a key contributor to the start of the Spanish-American War later that year.

Legends of the Caucasus

Many years ago, we did an episode about the legends of the Balkans. We thought it would be interesting to go across the Black Sea and explore the legends of the Caucasus. The Caucasus is a region of Eastern Europe and Western Asia that includes the countries of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) and Southern Russia. This region is steeped in folklore, mythology, and legends and that isn't surprising because the history here is one of struggle, war, conquest and the precarious victory of independence. Paganism gave way to Christianization and cultural beliefs mixed. Join us as we explore the legends of the Caucasus!

The Caucasus name comes from the Scythian name Croucasis, which means "shimmering with snow." The Caucasus Mountains are a natural barrier between Europe and Asia and contains Europe's highest mountain, Mount Elbrus. The Caucasus region borders Turkey, Iran and Russia and has a centuries old history of cultural rivalries, religious differences and expansionist wars. On this episode, we are going to focus on the three main countries of the Caucasus. Let's look first at their histories.

Georgia History 

The Republic of Georgia has a history of struggling for independence between regional powers and occupation by the Soviet Army, forcing it to become part of the Soviet Union. Georgians call themselves "Kartveli" and trace their ethnicity back to around 500 BC. Much of that early history had the country divided into two regions, one in the east and one in the west. Greeks settled both regions in 300 BC and during the Christian era, the Romans held the western region. During the Arab-Byzantine conflict, Georgia was invaded by the Khazars and what followed was an even furthering breaking apart of the region under several states run by feudal lords. A "Golden Age" (10th–13th centuries) occurred under the Bagrationi dynasty from the 10th to 13th centuries and the country united for the first time. Great leaders like King David IV (also known as David the Builder) and Queen Tamar built Georgia into the most powerful state in Transcaucasia. And things were great for a while, but then the Mongols invaded and subjugated the country. Georgia broke apart in the 15th century and then war devastated the region throughout the 16th and 18th centuries. In 1783, Georgia was seeking protection under a Christian ally and they turned to Russia and signed the Treaty of Georgievsk. This resulted in the annexation of parts of Georgia that became all of Georgia by the mid-19th century. Russian control helped Georgia to flourish until the Russian Revolution and Georgia separated from Russia during the Civil War in 1918. In 1921, Georgia was Sovietized and brought into the USSR officially in 1922. By 1936, it was a separate constituent republic of the USSR and remained culturally distinct and, by the 1980s, it was growing into a strongly nationalistic republic. On April 9, 1991, Georgia declared independence from the USSR. Things were turbulent for the country after that, but today Georgia is still a strong independent country. 

Armenia History

Armenians trace themselves back to the 7th century BC and call their country Hayk (hike), after the legendary founder of the nation, Hayk Nahapet. He was a chieftain who was a mighty archer and led his people out of captivity under the Babylonian ruler Bel. Independence for Armenians would come and go through the years as they were annexed to form a part of Persia in 550 BC and would remain under Persian rule until Alexander the Great absorbed it into his Macedonian empire. Upon his death, Armenia received a lot of autonomy, but paid tribute to the Seleucid (suhloo suhd) Kingdom. After Roman conquest, the nation was allowed to become Greater Armenia and at that time, rose to what is probably its most powerful time. Armenia was very much a mixture of Iranian and Roman influences at this time. But by 66 BC, Armenia was a large battleground. Armenia would go on to Arab domination and then it was under Turkish and Mongol domination. The late 1800s would bring an attack from Kurdish and Turkish forces under orders from Constantinople and 200,000 Armenians were killed. This would just be the beginning of death for Armenians. When World War I started the Ottoman Empire had two million Armenians living within it. The empire wanted to cling to what they had so they adopted a policy of Pan Turkism and the goal was to extend the empire all the way to China and Armenia stood in the way of that. Between 1915 and 1923, one and a half million Armenians were genocided. Parts of Armenia ended up as part of the Soviet Union. Armenia voted for independence in 1991 and the country remains a sovereign nation today. 

Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) History 

Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) has one of Eurasia's oldest archaic-human habitations and petroglyphs date back to 8,000 years ago. One of the first names for this area of land was Atropatina. The Kingdom of Armenia ruled portions of Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) from 190 BC to 428 BC. As was the case for Armenia, empires rose and fell here. Russia and Persia both ruled over the country and it was officially cut in half in the 1800s with Russia taking the north and Persia taking the southern part. Islam became a major influence in the south. Russia moved Armenians into the north to bring more Christianity. A 200 year conflict would follow with the Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) people seeking independence. In 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was formed. That was brief as the Soviet Union absorbed the country and killed anyone part of building the new republic. The break up of the Soviet Union seemed promising, but old conflicts returned and there was war between Armenia and Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) and the most recent conflict with that happened in 2020 with Azerbaijan (As er bai jah nee) getting back its territories. Fun Fact: The world's biggest lake is on Azerbaijan's coastline. 

(Kelly) As one can see from the political histories of these countries, their culture has been influenced by many other countries and cultures through the years including Greece, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, various Iranian empires, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. This culture incorporates a rich blend of supernatural beings, spirits and tales of the afterlife. Early pagan beliefs gave way to religious influences from Zoroastrianism and Christianity and these beliefs mixed over the centuries. There are gods, monsters, good spirits and evil spirits. The pantheon of gods in each of these countries is vast and some were incorporated into their Christian beliefs. 

Georgian Spirits and Monsters 

The first demon that shows up in Georgian legends, goes all the way back to a creation myth in which the head god had a sister that made him really mad, so he cursed her which cause her to become a demon and the two siblings competed. When the creator god made something good, his sister would make an evil thing. So we clearly have a strong duality occurring here. Women were apparently a creation of the Demon as well and they just couldn't resist the demons - or rather - women. So the creator god had all these other lesser gods he had made and they went to hunt down the main demons and all her demonic creations and they drove the evil ones down into the netherworld called Kveskneli (vesk nelly). But the women were left behind. Those early pagans thought of humans as being reflections of the gods and demons in this middle world where we live. Georgia has a variety of evil spirits. Ali (ah lee) were evil spirits described as being Lilith-like that haunted travelers, pregnant women, and infants. They often inhabited remote woods, caves, or ruins, and female Ali can appear as golden-haired women in white dresses. Kadji (kah jee) were demonic beings who lived in ruins and desolate places, often described as magical metalworkers. They gathered in magical tribes and used their powers against humans. There were both water and land Kadjis. The land ones were bad, while the water ones could be benevolent. Female kadjis were beautiful and liked to seduce heroes in myths. Devi (day vee) were these many-headed ogres or giants that lived in the underworld or remote mountains. They liked to abduct people and would hoard treasures. Chinka (chin-kah) were small, devilish spirits that resided in forests and near riverbanks, often pretending to cry like a baby to lure people towards them. Ochokochi (Oh-koh-KOH-chee) were forest deites like a "goat-man" who would attack travelers in the woods. These creatures didn't have hair on their chest, rather there was a pointed bone and this goatman would hug people to kill them. In myths, he often chases the beautiful Queen of the Forest. A disease spreading spirit that appeared as anything but a male was called a Dobilni. A group of early Georgians were called Khevsurian and they would build special towers in their shrines to ward of the Dobilni. Not all of them were bad and were called upon to bless livestock and give easy childbirth.

(Kelly) This next one is right up my alley because this next monster is an evil serpent. It was called Gveleshapi (gveh-leh-SHAH-pee), which kinda translates to snake whale and this creature lived in lakes and rivers and generally was blamed for any water disasters. The Matsil (Mot sill) are evil spirits from the underworld that plague travelers and hunters. The Rashi is a magical winged horse like Pegasus and there are three kinds: land, sea and heavenly, which can breathe fire. 

A Kudiani is a hideous hunchbacked witch that has a tail and these really large teeth. They like to wear disguises so they can deceive humans and bewitch them. They have a leader named Rokap and he calls them all to a special mountain where they hold a festival similar to the European Walpurgis Night. Rokap was evil and he was punished by being chained to a column under the earth and while he is there, he devours human hearts brought to him by the Kudiani. He tries to free himself, but he always fails. There is a forest entity that is similar to the lady in white that is named T'q'ashmapa (Tikashmapa) and she appears as a pale woman in a white dress with very long white hair. She can be very violent when displeased and likes to go after virginal men. If they refuse her, she beats them. The Paskunji (pas-KOON-jee) would be good for going up against the evil serpent  as this is a phoenix-like being who fights serpents. He lives in the underworld and would rise when a hero would burn one of his feathers and he would heal their wounds or transport them to another location. And then there is the Q'ursha (KOOR-shah) which was a legendary hunting dog. 

Ghosts in Georgia and Haunted Locations

The Mgebri (megobari) is like a ghost for the people of the mountain regions of east Georgia. This is the spirit of a male relative who has passed and it will appear to a dying relative and they are the first to greet their dying family member when they pass. They lead the way into the spirit world and the dead person can only enter if the Mgebri is with them. That word is actually a variation on the Georgian word for "friend," so that's pretty cool. The Khevsureti (Khev-soo-reh-tee) Region is a mountainous area of the Caucasus and described as a "land of ghosts and legends." The Anatori Crypts are here and are stone burials that contain the remains of villagers who supposedly quarantined themselves during a plague. Tbilisi (Tuh blee see) is the capital of the Republic of Georgia. There are various areas that are creepy because many places dating to the Soviet-era have been abandoned and stories are told of strange noises coming from these locations. There is a ghost street that becomes utterly silent, almost as though one as entered another world. The birds don't sing here. The Saburtalo District is said to have a witch tree right outside of it. The Svaneti Defensive Towers had a real purpose but seem weird today. They date to between the 9th and 12th century and are these stone towers, built for protection. The mountain people told tales of shadow figures lurking inside and outside of these structures.

Armenian Spirits and Monsters

(Kelly) Armenia has some pretty weird creatures. Demons are generally the Armenian Dev, which is similar to the Iranian Devk and are influenced by Zoroastrian mythology. Devs are spirits of the air, so similar to angels. They also hang out in stony places like old ruins. There is a little spirit that is evil and likes to attack pregnant women and steal newborn babies that is called an Al. This creature is half-human and half-animal with teeth of iron and nails of brass or copper and a cute pointed hat covered with bells, so you can hear them coming. They can become invisible. We're not sure if the bells go silent. The kaj are storm and wind spirits that hang out in temples and in the mountains. They like to steal wheat and wine and can only be stopped by striking them with lightning.

The Kourkik Challaly are magical, fiery, winged horses. The Aralez is a dog-like creatures that can be a good thing to see, especially if on the battlefield. The licks from this entity will clean wounds and they can resuscitate fallen warriors. There is a vampire creature with a weird fetish we would say. this thing, the Dakhanavar, sucks people's blood from their feet. One legend features two men who are traveling that know they are being stalked by the vampire, so they make a bid to outsmart it. They slept with their feet under each other's heads and so the vampire thought they were some kind of being that had two heads and no feet and it got scared and ran away. According to Jonathan Maberry's Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us and Hunger for Us, "The Dakhanavar is ferociously territorial and will assault anyone who tries to make a map of its lands, or even count the hills and valleys in the region, correctly fearing that a thorough knowledge of the landscape would reveal all of its secret hiding places. Even today some travelers in Armenia, particularly those going into the region of Mount Ararat, generally take precautions against evil beings such as Dakhanvar. Often, they put small cloves of raw garlic in various pockets or mash it up and rub the paste on their shoes. At night, if camping out of doors, these travelers build a large fire and toss garlic bulbs into the flames. The combination of garlic aroma and a blazing fire will drive almost all of the world's many species of vampires away."  

(Kelly) There are these elderly female looking beings that dress all in black that creep about at night called Gishervan Merer. That name means "mothers of the night." The myths about them have them usually trying to steal the sun with the goal of causing eternal darkness and killing all the humans. They live in old mills, dried wells, mountain gaps and sometimes in the sea.

The Shahapet are friendly guardian spirits that appear as serpents and lurk in forests, orchards and graveyards. Here in the month of February is when Armenians conduct a ritual that is meant to banish these spirits. This ritual is called Švot-outing or Švotahan and takes place on the final night of February. There is a chant of "Out with the Švot; in with Adar (March)!" and then there is banging on the walls with a broom. They try to sneak back in by changing into cats or someone familiar to the inhabitants. And keeping with serpents, there is a river-dwelling serpent-monster with shape shifting powers called Nhang (nawng). They are similar to dragons and can shape shift into seals or beautiful women. They drown victims and drink their blood. Another sea monster that is compared to Leviathan is the Vishap. A wingless griffin-like creature is the Piatek. And finally, there is the Grogh (grog), which means writer. This ancient spirit records people's lives and keeps track of their good and bad deeds. The Grogh claims the human's soul and does a life review during their final judgment. Armenians open their windows to allow Grogh in when someone is dying, especially if they are in pain.

Azerbaijani Spirits and Monsters

We don't have as much information about the legends of Azerbaijani. The most popular tales incorporate Jirtdan who is said to be a small person or creature that usually confronts Div, who is a giant monster. Jirtdan is brave and witty and is able to defeat Div. Most of Azerbaijani supernatural beings come from Turkish myths. A spirit that lives in forests in Meshe (mesh)Adam, which is also said as Ağac Kişi, meaning tree man. This presents as a hairy creature with a human face and it is very stinky. Many compare this to the Yeti. A monster of the desert is Gulyabani (gool yay bonnie) that appears as a giant with a long beard and reversed feet who eats people. This thing sleeps in forests or graveyards during the day and prowls at night. This is an evil spirit even though it is sometimes depicted holding a rosary. It has haunting eyes and long nails. There is a cyclops monster called Tepegoz (Tep ay goz) that is a destructive being with impenetrable skin, so weapons don't work against it. 

(Kelly) The Caucasus are a beautiful region with a history that is full of strife. The rich culture and diverse influences have made for some very interesting legends of mythical creatures. And there may even be a haunted place or two. Are any of these legends real and are the Caucasus full of spirits? That is for you to decide! 

HGB Ep. 624 - Haunts of Fredericksburg, Virginia

Moment in Oddity - Situs Inversus

We recently lost a wonderful actress, Catherine O'hara. While her body of work is expansive, there are some roles that she is best known for. She played Kevin's mother in Home Alone 1 and 2, Cookie Fleck in Best in Show, Sheila Albertson in Waiting for Guffman, Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice 1 and 2 (and who can forget the scene in the first Beetlejuice when she starts singing the Banana Boat Day-O song). She was also the original speaking and singing voice of Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas, along with so many other memorable characters that she played during her lifetime. But one thing she is not well known for, is the fact that she had situs inversus which was discovered prior to 2020. Situs Inversus is a rare, typically harmless, genetic condition where a person's organs in the chest and abdomen cavity are flipped to the opposite side than a typical human. There are variances to the condition. Situs Inversus Totalis is a complete and total reversal of all thoracic and abdominal organs. While Dextrocardia, is specific to just the heart being located on the right side of the chest. Most affected people live a normal life and are often not aware of their condition unless they have had a chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, CT scan or MRI. Situs Inversus affects 1 in 10,000 people. Once a person is made aware of the condition, most decide to wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace in case of a medical emergency. While nearly everyone who has had this opposite organization of organs has lived a healthy long life, it certainly is odd! 

Haunted Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg in Virginia has seen a vast amount of American history with roots reaching back to the 17th century. There are centuries old buildings here and blood-stained battlegrounds that lend themselves to paranormal activity. Many locations in the city have ghost stories connected to them. Join us for the history and hauntings of Fredericksburg, Virginia. 

The canal that runs through downtown Fredericksburg is a favorite spot for people to jog and bike along. The canal holds a significant place in the local history, not only as a part of the mill industry, but Fredericksburg found itself in a precarious position during the Civil War as a prominent port that sat midway between the capitals of the North and the South. Two Civil War battles would be fought here. This area of the Piedmont was first inhabited by a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac. This strategic place for the indigenous people would also be strategic for the colony of Virginia. A fort was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1676 along the Rappahannock River. The town of Fredericksburg was founded several decades later in 1728 and named for the Prince of Wales, Frederick. George Washington's family moved to a town across the river from Fredericksburg in 1738 and his mother Mary would eventually move to Fredericksburg later. As a matter of fact, her home here still stands and is one of the haunted locations we'll talk about a bit later. Naval war hero John Paul Jones also called this city home, as did President James Monroe. After the war, Fredericksburg lost a chunk of its population, but it still remained a center of trade, finally incorporating in 1879. Today, tourism is one of its key economic engines and GEICO's headquarters is here! Fun Fact: Musician Link Wray invented the power chord of modern rock guitar in Fredericksburg.

The Battle of Fredericksburg

There were two battles in Fredericksburg. The second one is nicknamed the "forgotten battle of Fredericksburg." The more well known first battle took place from December 11th to 15th, 1862 and had General Ambrose Burnside leading the Union forces and Robert E. Lee leading the Confederate forces. This would be one of the largest battles - with 200,000 combatants - and deadliest of the Civil War. 

The Battle of Antietam had taken place before this and Union General McClellan had failed to pursue General Lee so he was removed from command of the Army of the Potomac. When Burnside became the replacement, he knew he needed to come up with an amazing plan to get to Richmond before General Lee. When he surveyed the route, Burnside decided that going toward the lower Rappahannock River was the best idea and then he could cross the river and get into position. There, he would cross quickly and position himself between Lee and the direct route to Richmond. The plan had great promise, but, to accomplish it successfully, speed was essential. General Burnside's group of 100,000 men arrived on November 15th. They found the bridges all destroyed, so they ordered pontoon bridges to be sent, but they were delayed until November 25th, giving the Confederacy time to prepare.

This would prove very beneficial to the Confederate side. Union engineers attempted to assemble the bridges, but Confederate snipers made it hard to get the work done. General Burnside decided to shell Fredericksburg and he hit it with 150 Federal guns. They did a lot of damage and the engineers got back to their work, but eventually the Confederate riflemen started shooting again. 

Burnside needed a new plan, so he sent a regiment with men from Michigan and Massachusetts to row across the river and stop the snipers. They managed to cross under fire and drive the snipers away. On December 12th, Burnside got the rest of his army across the river. They occupied Fredericksburg and Burnside plans to have 60,000 men in Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin’s Left Grand Division to crush Lee’s southern flank. That flank has General Stonewall Jackson heading it up and the initial assault on him is successful. But then both sides suffer heavy losses in what was called the Slaughter Pen. The Slaughter Pen Farm is a 208 acre area on the southern end of the Fredericksburg Battlefield. The Union was gallant, but outnumbered. Burnside had said of his plans, "I wanted to obtain possession of that new road, and that was my reason for making the attack on the extreme [Federal] left." This road that he spoke of had been built by the Confederates to connect the two wings of the Confederacy. Burnside hoped that cutting this road in half would disorganize Lee's side and they could pursue them and cut them off from Richmond. However, the Union was unorganized and orders were misunderstood and Stonewall had a powerful counterattack. The Union put forward only a fraction of what was needed. There were 8,200 Union to 38,000 Confederate. The Federals ended up in an open plain as easy targets and they eventually made there way into the woods, but Lee's best men were there to meet them.  

By 3pm on December 13th, the fighting at the Slaughter Pen was over with 5,000 soldiers dead and neither side had gained anything. Another area on the battlefield that had intense fighting was the Sunken Road. This lane had been a simple wagon road that had been worn down into a trench from all the years of use. It sat at the base of five hills known as Marye's Heights and Confederate General James Longstreet had his group of men here. Fighting at this location began around noon. 

Union General Edwin V. Sumner initiated repeated attacks on the Confederate lines. The Sunken Road that the Confederates were on gave them the ability to beat back each assault as it came and despite seven Union divisions trying to make 14 charges, none of them was able to enter the Sunken Road. Nearly 1-in-3 Federal soldiers became a casualty at Marye's Heights. General Lee was appalled by the carnage and he said, "It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it." The armies stayed where they were on December 14th and there was a lull in the fighting. General Lee allowed Burnside to attend to his wounded that day. Burnside told his generals that he wanted to retreat back over the river the following day, but they opposed this decision and said that they felt they should remain in the town and prepare another thrust. Almost as sign, the Northern Lights made an unexpected appearance over Fredericksburg that evening. Burnside knew as he surveyed the damage dealt to his side that this was a Confederate victory. The following morning, he instructed his troops to retreat across the Rappahannock. There were 18,500 casualties with 12,500 on the Union side and 6,000 on the Confederate side. Six weeks after this bitter loss at Fredericksburg, President Lincoln removed Burnside from command and appointed Maj. General Joseph Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac. This win gave Lee a big boost and he went on to victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863.

We want to share an interesting side note to this battle Pvt. George Heiser of the 136th Pennsylvania was a prisoner of war after the battle because he refused to leave a wounded comrade. Heiser survived this battle and a stint as a prisoner of war at Libby Prison. He would later participate in memorial parades through the years and opened up a store in Johnstown Pennsylvania and he was very generous letting people take what they needed and paying later, He and his wife would be swept away and killed in the Johnstown Flood in 1889.  

The Second Battle of Fredericksburg took place on May 3, 1863. General Lee had left Fredericksburg for Chancellorsville at this point and left Major General Jubal Early in charge. He was joined by other brigades bringing the Confederate side up to 12,000 men and they had 45 cannons. Major General John Sedgwick was leading the Union and he had a force of 27,000. Sedgwick's plan was to attack both ends of Marye's Heights, but a canal and stream were in the way, so he decided to hit the center. The initial assault was repelled, but a second one drove the Confederates off the ridge and they retreated to Lee's Hill. They tried to make a final stand and were defeated again so they ran southward. There were 700 Confederate casualties and 1,100 Union and the Union held Fredericksburg. Union General Joshua Chamberlain had a real way with words and he wrote many letters home. We want to share this excerpt from one of his letters, "At last, outwearied and depressed..." (Pg. 203) Many historians have wondered why Burnside sent wave after wave of troops up against the stone wall that the Confederates were barricaded behind at the Sunken Road. This had nearly been a massacre. The Sunken Road is the most haunted section of the battlefield. Visitors claim to hear the distant echoes of war cries and sounds of battle. And much like Gettysburg, people see ghostly soldiers marching in formation and even fighting each other and ghostly horses sometimes thunder across the field. 

Just up from the road, Marye's Heights gives a feeling of dread and has the apparitions of soldiers and spectral lights. The smell of gun powder can be strong at times. Cold spots have been reported along the stone wall. Some have claimed that the aurora borealis appearing as the two sides buried their dead in the field was a paranormal event. Away_Meringue wrote on Reddit, "When I moved here from Alexandria in 2018 I felt a very strong supernatural pull. I was coming down the road around twilight and saw a Confederate soldier figure standing under a tree behind one of the old battlefield fences."

Rising Sun Tavern (Suggested by: Kim Harmon)

The Washington Heritage Museums include three of our haunted locations: Rising Sun Tavern, Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop and the Mary Washington House. President George Washington’s youngest brother was named Charles. When he reached adulthood, he inherited 750 acres of land in Spotsylvania County, Virginia from his father who had died when he was five-years-old. He purchased two lots in what was the county seat at the time, Fredericksburg, and he built a home for himself there in 1761. This was a wood frame, one-and-a-half story building covered with broad hand-beveled clapboards. There was a gabled roof with three tiny dormers and several chimneys. There was a large ballroom that would burn down later and a banquet room with a paneled corner fireplace and built-in cupboard. The home hosted a Peace Ball celebrating the victory at Yorktown in 1781. Charles Washington would live there with his family until 1781 and was sold to a Larkin Smith in 1791 who sold it again in 1792 to Colonel Gustav Wallace. 

Wallace rented the building to John Frasier who opened it as a tavern he called the Golden Eagle in 1793. This operated for 35 years, but John would die just a few months into running the tavern. The post office was also located here. Preservation Virginia acquired the Rising Sun Tavern in 1907 and completed a series of restorations that included the front porch and the original railings from the 18th century bar were found under the plaster and the entire bar was rebuilt. Chair rails, cornices, paneled wood and fireplaces and the unique stairway were all repaired and painted in their original colors. 

The ghost that hangs out here is said to be the first proprietor, John Frasier. Frasier died in 1793 after going upstairs and taking a nap. He has stayed on to watch over the tavern in the afterlife. His spirit is said to move items around, he likes to play with the lights and staff and visitors have all heard his laughter and some even say they have seen his apparition. His disembodied footsteps are heard upstairs. An employee was going upstairs and she heard the disembodied footsteps and she scolded John for scaring her and she felt a tug on her dress. Tricorne hats in the gift shop have been found aligned in the middle of the floor. Wilson was an employee and he said one night they were closing up and they put the bar that they placed across the front door in its place and when they turned around, they heard a loud clunk behind them and the bar had flown off from the door and just landed a couple inches right behind Wilson and his fellow tour guide. He didn't believe in ghosts until he started working here. Some people also claim that John's wife Elizabeth is here too.

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop

The Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop is located at 1020 Caroline Street. The house was built in 1772 as a home and apothecary for Dr. Hugh Mercer. He had left Scotland after the Battle of Culloden and settled in Pennsylvania. While there, he got involved in the French and Indian War and met Colonel George Washington who encouraged him to move to Fredericksburg to open a practice. More than likely because his mother lived there. Mary Washington would be one of Dr. Mercer's patients. He used a variety of remedies including leeches, lancets, snakeroot, and crab claws. The practice ran for 15 years and then Dr. Mercer joined the Revolutionary Army and he died as a Brigadier General at the Battle of Princeton. Preservation Virginia took ownership of the house and restored it and then passed on ownership in 2013 to the "Washington Heritage Museums" group. Docents give guided tours of the first floor and visitors can tour a self-guided tour of the second floor and gardens on their own. Staff has reported some strange things happening in the museum. There is a child ghost here. A guide once saw the single bare foot of a child going up the stairs. 

Mary Washington House

The other museum that is part of this collection had belonged to George Washington's mother. The Mary Washington House is located at 1200 Charles Street. Mary had moved to Fredericksburg to be near her children, Charles and Elizabeth. Her son George bought this house for her in 1772 from Michael Robinson because it was near Elizabeth's home, Kenmore Plantation. The wooden house was originally a three-room cottage with a detached kitchen. There was a bedroom upstairs for guests that is referred to as the George Washington Room. One bedroom downstairs was Mary's bedroom and then she had a room for entertaining. 

Mary would spend the last seventeen years of her life in the house. Her youth had been tough. Her father died when she was three and by the time she was thirteen, her mother and step-father had also passed, so she was an orphan. Mary met the widower Augustine Washington when she was 23 and the two married in 1731. The couple would have six children. Augustine died in 1743 and Mary would never remarry. (This wasn't because she was heartbroken - explain the law at the time.) Before she died from breast cancer in 1789, she got to witness her son lead the Continental Army to victory and become the first President of America. Many famous people visited Mrs. Washington, and a legend claims one of these people was General Lafayette who came by the home seeking a visit with Mrs. Washington during the Revolution and he found her working in her garden. The President-to-be came to this home to receive his mother's blessing before attending his inauguration in 1789. Mary's granddaughter Betty moved into the house with her husband after Mary died. They added a central hall, a fancy parlor with carved woodwork and added additional rooms to the upstairs. The couple had seven children and two of them died in the house as infants. In 1806, the first Presbyterian minister in the town moved into the house and he also ran a boys' school out of it. A north wing was added to the house at that time. He lived at the house for 34 years. The house then was divided into a duplex. Jane Dickenson bought the house and lived in it during the Civil War. She nursed Confederate wounded there. A Union cannonball struck the house in the attic. Dickenson left in 1864 and the house became a hospital for the Union. The bodies of six Union soldiers were buried in the backyard.

Preservation Virginia acquired the Mary Washington House in 1890, saving it from being disassembled and shipped to the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. They restored the house and opened it as a museum in 1900. In 2012, the Washington Heritage Museums would acquire the house. Starting in the 1970s, ghost stories started to be told about the house. Mary never left her final home it seems. Her apparition has been seen tending to the garden. She is sometimes seen sitting by a window and people claim to hear the rustling of a dress. The hem of a petticoat has been seen swishing past a door. It is also thought that there is some activity from formally enslaved people who had worked here and maybe even a couple of boys from the boys' school days.

Michelle Hamilton is the manager of the Mary Washington House and she wrote the book "Ghosts of Fredericksburg." She said of the ghost at the house, "It's very gentle. It is very like a tea drinking spirit in here and usually pulls pranks. Things get knocked off the shelves in the gift shop and papers on my desk get messed up every once in a while. A former employee had her soda bottle turned upside down on her desk. It's just very gentle, very playful and very whimsical. We once heard this giant slamming sound coming from upstairs. I realized I have to be the brave one to go upstairs. I'm like, okay guys whatever you've done you better put it back." She wrote in her book (pg. 21 and 23)

Richard Johnston Inn 

The Richard Johnson Inn is a bed and breakfast located at 711 Caroline Street. John Taylow had been an original signer of the Declaration of Independence and he built the original row house here in 1770. This row house was combined with the row house next to it to make it a larger house. A kitchen house was in the courtyard and there were slave quarters. The inn is named for the man who bought it in the early 1800s, Richard Johnston, who served as the mayor of Fredericksburg from 1809 to 1810. There was no running water or central heat in the house until after the 1930s and by 1970, it was in such a state of disrepair it was only good for use as a warehouse. A man named Hunter Greenlaw bought it in the 1970s and renovated the property into office space, a restaurant and shops. Greenlaw sold it in 1986 to Libby Gowin, who turned the home into The Richard Johnston Inn that it is today. The tradition of running it as an inn continued in 1993 when Susan Thrush bought the property. L&L Hospitality bought it in 2001 and did some modernization and continue to run it today. The house survived the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, only suffering minor fire damage during the Civil War. The inn being over 245 years old, lends itself to ghosts stories and there are said to be multiple spirits here. There is at least one child spirit and it has been heard talking and laughing. The most well known spirit is a former enslaved man named Toby who was tasked with keeping the eleven fireplaces clean. When he is around, people smell the scent of smoke. 

There are stories of Confederate sharpshooters firing from the windows during the Battle of Fredericksburg and there could be spirits connected to that. legatedomitor wrote on Reddit, "The Richard Johnston Inn downtown Fredericksburg is very much haunted. I was in there doing work along with another person. My coworker kept asking who was watching us and following us around. Asked the employee on duty and was advised no one was staying at the inn, the figure pretty much stayed staring and following us until we were gone. Not threatening just very very weird, cold spots randomly in there too."

The Chimneys

It is uncertain who originally owned The Chimneys. Scotsman John Glassell was a local merchant and he is credited with building The Chimneys, located at 623 Caroline Street, and named for the chimneys on either side of the house. He arrived in Fredericksburg in the 1770s and purchased land from Englishman Charles Yates. Some historians believe that Yates actually built the house, which is estimated to have been built between 1771 and 1773. Yates had been a Mason and would've had the skills needed for the meticulous craftsmanship found inside the house. Whatever the case, when the American Revolution started, Glassell headed back to Scotland in 1775 because he was a loyalist and he never returned. He turned the house over to William Glassell who he had given power of attorney. The house was two stories, built in the Georgian style and framed with mortise and tenon joints, secured by hardwood pegs. The hipped roof was designed after the construction of ship hulls at the time and is was supported by three heavy king post trusses. The interior featured a central hall plan with two rooms on each side of the hallway. There was decorative carving on the woodwork of the moldings, paneling and mantelpiece. 

The house changed hands throughout the 1800s and no one knows for sure who started calling it The Chimneys. President Chester A. Arthur's wife, Nell, had lived in the house when she was a child. The president of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation bought the house in 1966 and rented it out until the foundation turned it into a museum and office space in 1975. A man named William Vakos purchased and renovated it in 1982 and he opened it as a restaurant. In 1985, Robert Mitchell III became the new owner and he held onto it until 2000, when Tommy Mitchell bought it. In 2014, The Chimneys opened as Billikens Smokehouse, a family-owned BBQ restaurant with great food, live entertainment and stunning views. 

Billiken is not a family name, so we had to ask, what is a billiken and the restaurants website says, "The Billiken is believed to be the creation of Ms. Florence Pretz, a Kansas City art teacher and illustrator. In the early 1900s, she dreamed of this whimsical figure and brought it to life. Ms. Pretz initially produced the Billiken as coin banks and statuettes, later expanding to dolls. This charming good luck symbol quickly became a national craze, with its likeness appearing on everything from postcards to hood ornaments. Around 1908, the Horsemen Doll Co. manufactured the Billiken doll, selling an impressive 200,000 units within the first few months. During the Great Depression, the Billiken gained a reputation as a beacon of good fortune. Poems were written celebrating the luck he brought to those who owned him. Described variously as a fairy, an imp, a charm, and even a god, the Billiken’s appeal transcended borders. In China, he is known as the “God of Things as They Should Be,” and he has left his mark in places as far-flung as Alaska and Canada. The Billiken exists to amuse, make you laugh, and bring you luck and happiness. Most importantly, he invites you to ask the timeless question: What is a Billiken?" 

Patrons and staff have claimed to hear strange sounds, they feel cold spots, door knobs turn on their own and rocking chairs rock on their own. The spirit of a young boy is said to haunt the house and he was seen by a woman who was putting her son to sleep. She thought his friend who was laying in the bed with him was over for a sleepover and that her husband hadn't told her about it. She put both boys to sleep and then asked her son who the boy was the next morning. her husband had no idea what she was talking about and her son had no idea who the boy was either. 

There may be a couple of female ghosts as well. One of these female ghosts was seen by a family living in the house in the early 1800s. She was a full-bodied apparition and she was playing a harp in the house. She also joined a little girl sitting at a piano playing, several years later. Author Mark Nesbitt claims to have interacted with the spirit of a former enslaved man named Nicodemus. He was coming through the Underground Railroad in Fredericksburg, but was left behind and died in a fire while he waited for a fellow traveler to return for him. Nesbitt had been accompanied by a medium named Julie Pellegrino and she is the one who relayed this information. 

Chatham Manor 

Chatham Manor is located at 120 Chatham Lane and was completed in 1771. It was designed in the Georgian architectural style and was constructed for farmer and statesman William Fitzhugh. He had named his house for his friend William Pitt who was the Earl of Chatham. The plantation stretched over 1,280 acres and included an orchard, mill, slave quarters, a dairy, barns, and ice house, stables and a race track for horses. Fitzhugh regularly raced his horses here against his neighbors. Chatham had a slave rebellion in 1805. Tired of being abused, the slaves overpowered the overseer and a couple other men and whipped them. An armed posse arrived at the plantation later in the day and they killed three slaves and deported two others. Fitzhugh decided to sell and he sold the property Major Churchill Jones. His brother William inherited the property when Churchill died and he deeded the property to his eldest daughter Hannah Jones Coalter as a wedding present in 1825. Hannah had always wanted to free her slaves, so she set up her will to manumit her 93 slaves. Manumit meant that the slaves were freed, but that there was an arrangement as well. The slaves could decide to remain enslaved in the state of Virginia or they could be freed with enough money to help them get established in another state. They had to leave Virginia if freed. Hannah's relatives sued and claimed the Dred Scott decision meant that slaves couldn't make that kind of decision. A local court said the slaves could be freed, but the Virginia Supreme Court divided and the relatives won. The property was sold to Hannah's younger sister Betty and her husband J. Horace Lacy in 1848. 

Lacy joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War and rose to the rank of major. When the Union came to Fredericksburg, they took over Chatham Manor and forced Betty and the children to leave.

The property served as a U.S. Army headquarters and later became a Union hospital. After the war, the house fell into disrepair and the Lacys had to sell it to pay taxes in 1872. The property had several owners, but no one did anything with it until General Daniel Bradford Devore and his wife Helen bought the manor in the 1920s and they renovated it and made the place into a real showpiece. They added a beautiful English-style garden. In 1931, General Motors executive John Lee Pratt and his wife, purchased the Chatham estate. Upon Devore's death, the estate was willed to the National Park Service in 1975 and now serves as the headquarters for the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. It sits on only 85 acres now and offers tours of five rooms that were turned into a museum. The property has the distinction of being visited by both President Washington and President Lincoln. 

The ghost story here is about a lady in white. Her story goes all the way back to Fitzhugh's ownership. She was a young woman when she visited the manor. This woman hadn't come because she wanted to, but because her father had sent her away from England because she had fallen in love with the wrong young man. He hoped to break them up. However, the young man had followed her across the ocean and he met up with her at the manor. During their meeting, they discussed eloping. A servant heard the plans and reported them to a guest at the house, General George Washington. Washington agreed to stop the elopement, so when the young woman climbed out of her window, she found Washington waiting for her. The girl was sent back to England and forced into another marriage with a boy from the right side of the tracks with the right bank account. Before she died on June 21, 1790, she vowed that she would return to Chatham Manor each year on the anniversary of her death. Many visitors to the manor have claimed to see the glowing lady in white. She is usually seen wearing a white period dress. She made her first appearance on her death. Legend claims that she actually appears every seventh year on June 21st. She is normally seen walking a path along the river and she seems to be looking or watching for someone.  

Fredericksburg has a history intertwined with the Antebellum period and the Civil War, which seems to feed the paranormal side of things. Are these locations in Fredericksburg haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 623 - Haunted Hanoverton, Ohio

This Month in History - Fold-Out Piano  (Suggested by: Michael Rogers)

In the month of February, on the 18th, in 1935, the fold-out piano for invalids was debuted. The compact instrument was designed for bedridden patients. The piano extended towards the patient's hands, with the keyboard often slanted at an angle. One of the first models made an appearance at the British Industry Fair in 1935. These pianos were created to allow long term patients with limited mobility to play the instruments while lying down. Many of the patients that initially played the fold-out pianos were convalescing from polio. The design of the instruments was very unique. They looked like a traditional upright piano, but the keyboard portion would fold out and extend.  The base was situated at the foot of a patient's bed with the keyboard stretching all the way up to the players hands as they reclined on their pillow. Music can have a very soothing and therapeutic effect. We are certain that for many bed-bound patients, having access to a fold-out piano was cherished. Today we have much smaller piano options for patients to enjoy, but for the 1830s, the fold-away piano certainly was a wonderful invention. 

Haunted Hanoverton, Ohio (Suggested by: Anthony Wallace)

Hanoverton is a village in Ohio that is over 200 years old and has a deep connection to the canal systems. The village was a safe haven for runaway slaves and a thriving port. The most historic street in the town is Plymouth Street, which features many century homes and twenty-two buildings that date back to the very early years of the village. There are legends about a witch, haunted houses and a haunted tavern. Join us for the history and hauntings of Hanoverton, Ohio!

James Craig was a Quaker abolitionist when he arrived in the future Hanoverton, Ohio. Craig founded the village of Hanover in 1813 and named it for the city of the same name in East Pennsylvania. Incorporation would come in 1836. Major D.B. Douglas came through the area in 1828 to survey a new canal route and the Sandy and Beaver Canal was chartered that same year. This canal would wind its way from the Ohio River near Pittsburgh west through Hanoverton, to the Ohio and Erie Canal, which connected to Cleveland for seventy-three miles. The canal had a lock system with ninety locks and was completed in 1848. Construction took longer than expected due to the Panic of 1837 causing financial difficulties. The mid-section of it had lots of issues and fell into disrepair and eventually operations completely ceased in 1852. A lot of work for very little reward. The main downfall for the canal came when a dam outside of the nearby city of Lisbon failed and a big section of canal was ruined. But while the canal was running, commerce thrived for Hanoverton. Population in the village reached its peak in the late 1830's of 2,000 inhabitants. Not only did the village lose its canal system, but in 1854, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad opened up, which bypassed Hanoverton. That was a death knell for the industry here and the boom was gone and people left. Even today, the village has a population below 400. There are several locations in town with legends and ghost stories.

Dr. Robertson's Home 

Dr. James Robertson's home is located at 10181 Plymouth Street and is the oldest home in Hanoverton. The original half-house was built in 1817 and today is three "Western Reserve Half Houses" with a total of six bedrooms and six baths. It has been taken down to its bare bones and rebuilt and found a new owner in 2020. Dr Robertson had come over from Scotland and he was the only doctor in the county, having settled in Hanoverton in 1823. James married Anna Eliza in 1827 and they had eight children. 

He had studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, but some of his medical training came at his own hands and he, uh, well you know, got into that grave robbing thing apparently, so he could practice. He would dig up bodies from the nearby cemetery and bring them up to the upper room of his home in the middle of the night. People say they see him in the window of that room and they have captured some weird images in the window. The house has a secret room that was discovered during renovations that is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad because Dr. Robertson was an abolitionist. There are remnants of a tunnel passageway that connected the doctor's house to his brother-in-law George Sloan's "Brick Row" that was across the street. A canal boat would be used to whisk the runaway slave to safety in Canada. Visiting clergy would stay here and the house got the nickname "Presbyterian Minister's Hotel." It made sense that the home was inviting to clergy because the doctor's father had been a minister. The doctor died in 1868 at the age of 68 and was buried in the Grove Hill Cemetery. Everything we read about him revealed that he was a highly respected man who had a warm heart and sacrificed to bring the poor medical care. So even though he might have done a little grave robbing, he was a good man.

The Witch of Hanoverton 

And speaking of Grove Hill Cemetery, there is a legend of a witch buried here. Even though this is a small town, there are at least four cemeteries here. We couldn't find much information on its founding, but it is fairly large and very well kept. There are several legends connected to this woman who is named Christina Sloan. She is buried in the family plot at the cemetery and there used to be chains and medallions all around the family plot, supposedly as protection, and the last of these fell away in 2019. People claimed she would rattle the chains if you got too close. 

Christina's headstone reveals that she died at the age of 22. The stories about her claim that there were actually two Christinas in the family, a legitimate one and an illegitimate one. Obviously, the illegitimate Christina is supposed to be the witch. So, George Sloan was a man from Ireland and he settled in Hanoverton and worked in the local mercantile. He married Jessie Robertson in 1825 and they had five children, one of whom was Christina. Christina was beautiful and had many admirers. One of these men was the town's pastor who became quite taken with her and obsessed. When he confessed his feelings to her, she didn't reciprocate. He approached her a second time with the same results and this time he got very angry and told the townspeople that Christina was a witch and she was bewitching the men of Hanoverton. The townspeople formed a mob and they apprehended Christina so they could hang her and she threatened that she would return from the grave to get vengeance. They killed her, buried her in Grove Hill and put the chains and medallions up. Some people equate the towns boom turning to a bust and becoming a ghost town to Christina. But there is another story told about her. Her father George was said to be a man who had trouble with infidelity. He got a mistress pregnant who named the child Christina also. George never took responsibility for this illegitimate daughter and Christina grew up poor. She knew George was her father and she approached him one day looking for money. George didn't want to lose his good reputation and he hired a couple of Irish friends to threaten her and one thing lead to another and Christina ended up dead. George felt guilty and had her buried in the family plot without a marker. Are either of these stories true? Probably not. Some people believe that Christina died during the cholera epidemic that came through. It's hard to know because Christina's headstone has very little information on it. Ground penetrating radar has indicated that there is indeed an unmarked grave in the plot as well. So who knows, maybe the stories are true. Did these women possibly curse the town? 

Spread Eagle Tavern 

The Spread Eagle Tavern is located at 10150 Plymouth Street and is an inn and restaurant that has stood for over 180 years. Now, we aren't sure what the name meant back in the early 1800s, but it is a tad, um, unique in our modern day vernacular. LOL! 

A man named Will Rhodes built the tavern in 1837. I tried to find out more about this person and I hit a major wall. The only Will Rhodes I could find connected to this city was William P. Rhodes, the oldest son of Capt. John and Mary Jane Rhodes, but he was born on Sept. 6 1850. Capt. John's family was from Hanover County in Ohio and said to be early settlers there, but I couldn't find his father's name and he had no siblings named William. So I believe this Will Rhodes was connected to this very successful family in Savanna, Illinois and the strange thing is that William P. Rhodes does end up in Hanoverton where he marries Hattie Pearce on Sept. 7, 1887, who had been born in Hanoverton in 1863. I don't know if they lived in the town at all or just married there. The Rhodes mostly had their business in Illinois and Will eventually ends up in California where he dies. Anyway, whoever this Will Rhodes is, he has the tavern built by canal artisans who lost their jobs in the Bank Panic of 1837. Basically, they needed something to do and so they were put to work building the tavern. 

The architecture is Federal style, so its a large rectangle and was built from brick. Basically, it is architecturally boring. It has three stories, eleven rooms and twelve fireplaces. There was a really well known 18th century architect named Asher Benjamin and much of the design of the tavern was inspired from his pattern books, particularly interiors like the windows, raised paneling, intricately carved mantles, door casings, fluted column frames and raised linters above the front door and windows. 

There is a wood-framed saltbox that is next to the tavern and was built before the tavern. This was home to Hanover's Justice of the Peace. The next owners of the tavern were Oliver Perry Nicholas and his wife Susannah Zepernick. The couple had married in 1839 and had five children. Unfortunately, a disease epidemic hit in 1854 and killed Oliver and two of the couple's sons. The tavern started serving as a meeting place for the Sandy Valley Order of Free and Accepted Masons in 1863. They would gather on the third floor. By the late 1800s, the tavern had become a private home and it changed ownership through the years until Peter Johnson bought it at auction in 1988. At the time, Johnson had no idea of the history behind the building and he planned to use it as a guest house. He had regular visitors to his brick and tile manufacturing firm, Summitville Tiles, and he figured the tavern would be great for housing them since this was a remote area without lodgings. Peter researched the history and as he pieced it together, he decided to restore the building and mapped out a two-year plan. Peter's son David shares about the work his dad did, "The rooms were stripped down to the stud walls so we could rewire and replaster. Every piece of woodwork was removed, numbered, restored, and then replaced...My dad salvaged weathered beams, siding, hand blown window glass, and foundation stones from demolished area barns and incorporated them into the reconstruction of [the] outbuildings." those outbuildings included a smokehouse, livery, and country kitchen with walk-in fireplace hearth. The fireplaces have these neat tiles all around them that feature local historic scenes and these tiles were made by Summitville Tiles. The basement is absolutely amazing. Remember that rathskeller from the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville? Peter added a rathskeller to the basement with 12-foot vaulted ceilings made from bricks. These bricks came from a 190-year-old house. The dining space was expanded by taking down a wall between the tavern and an 1820s house that was next door. 

Peter put his wife Jean in charge of decorating the interiors and Jean wanted to wind back the clock and complement the history and architecture of the building. Jean asked for help from J. B. Ayers III and Paul Dolrea of Antiques & Interiors of Willoughby, Ohio. These antiques included old candlesticks, pewter ware, old photographs, historic documents, mirrors, reproductions and actual antiques and an original Revolutionary War flag.

The Johnsons decided to name the rooms and dining areas and bars for local or national historic figures. They wanted to honor the man who inspired the architecture so the parlor is named for Asher Benjamin. The bedrooms are named for Abraham Lincoln, George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Dolley Madison. Marcus Hanna was a local industrialist who funded the presidential campaign of William McKinley and a room is named for him. Two dining rooms are named for Presidents McKinley and Taft because they were Ohio natives. Barbara Bush was the First Lady when the tavern reopened in October of 1990, so a dining room is named for her too. There is also the Patrick Henry Tavern Room. When Peter retired, David took on the business and the running of the inn. Today, the inn offers five rooms for rent and meals are served in the seven dining rooms. President Lincoln gave a speech in Hanoverton and he dined or stayed at the tavern. A bill for the event was uncovered about 20 years ago. President McKinley had also stayed here. 

The tavern is said to be quite haunted. David Johnson said, "It’s just incredible history. This is remarkable; every neighbor on this street has a ghost story." He pointed out that the village was a place that runaway slaves ran to and it is believed that the ghost of an escaped slave is here. There was also an 8-year-old girl who died in a fire back in the 1800s that is here. The General Manager of the inn, Mike Ellis said of the little girl's spirit, "She’s happy-go-lucky, running through here playing like she doesn’t even know she’s dead." He didn't believe in ghosts until he started working at the tavern. This child spirit likes to hang out mostly on the stairs. Her full-bodied apparition has been seen multiple times and visitors say that she had blonde hair. Guests also have heard the sound of a piano playing in the Rathskeller (basement) area. 

The most haunted room at the inn is the Jefferson room. Olevia Nichols was the daughter of Oliver and Susannah and so she lived at the tavern as they ran it and it is believed that this was here room. The story claims that she left for a time to New York City to try to become an actress. All stories claim that she failed at that, but some say that she met a man in NYC and they became engaged and then he left her, so she came back home to Ohio. Other versions claim that she came back to Ohio and then met a young man who became her fiance and then broke her heart. She went into a depression and lock herself into the Jefferson Room and hanged herself in there. But we're not sure about the veracity of that story since there is no proof about the suicide. She died in 1907 at either the age of 59 or 60 - there are only years on her very simple stone. She never did marry, so that part is true. But remember, her father and a couple siblings died in 1854, so we aren't sure she was still living at the tavern in 1907 when she died. People do think she has returned to the tavern to haunt it. Guests who stay in the Jefferson Room say that it feels very depressing and heavy in there. The water faucets turn on by themselves. People who are staying in the room below will hear noises above them when no one is in the room. These noises sound like some kind of party or gathering. A sad looking female apparition has been seen looking out of the window. Olevia likes to pull the covers off of people. She doesn't like men in her room and when they shower she will turn the water ice cold. A maid reported that she was cleaning the toilet when the shower came on full blast all by itself. Now, as a cleaning lady, that would piss me off if I had already cleaned the shower. 

Michaela wrote on her blog Madame Whip, "My best friends parents actually stayed on the third floor once and said that they were awoken around 3 a.m. to the sounds of furniture being dragged across the floor like someone was rearranging. They also had their covers pulled off of them and saw their doorknob turn multiple times with no one on the other side. They said that they did not believe in ghosts before that, but now they definitely do." She continued, "Around 3 a.m., the four of us descended into the dark tunnels for another whack at hearing something creepy. We sat in a circle, knee to knee, lights off, no phones and not saying a word.  My friend Ashley and I both closed our eyes so that we could intensify the concentration.  Next thing I know, I heard a mans voice that sounded like it was underwater. It was just one quick muffled sentence, but it was enough to freak me all the way out. The weirdest part? Ashley heard it too. At the same exact time. The other two in our group did not hear it, but our dramatic response to hearing this was enough to make us all go back upstairs.  We could not believe that we just heard this crazy noise at the same time.  It was just unreal to have the reassurance that I wasn't losing my marbles or hallucinating...We ran into the current manager of the inn and he wanted to know if we experienced anything. We told him about the creepy muffled voice that sounded like it was underwater. He looked a little shocked. He told us that where we were in the tunnels by the restrooms is where the most paranormal activity happens. These tunnels are not there for no reason, they were used for the underground railroad as well. He also mentioned that the canal actually ran through there at one point and flooded the place and apparently a slave had perished in the water. Oh my word. Coincidence or paranormal experience? I can never be 100% sure, but I know what I heard."  

A man who had stayed at the inn told YouTube's Curious History that he was lying in bed when he heard a knock on the closet door. He thought it was weird, but he knocked on the bedside table to see what would happen and sure enough, there were two knocks on the closet door in response. He knocked on the table again and got two more knocks. So he decided to stop. Curious History also shared a story from a former general manager who was in the building alone one night and he was in the basement and he felt this very strong and ominous presence near him, probably about five feet away. He was so scared to his core that he ran through the building and out to his car. He got in and called the owner to tell him that he couldn't go back into the building. This dark presence tends to hang out in the basement and people say its a former runaway slave. This was a beloved manager who had worked there for some time, but this was it for him. A server went downstairs one day and saw a tall man sitting at the bar all dressed in black with a tall hat on his head. She went back up and asked why someone was seated downstairs because no one was supposed to be down there yet. She was told that no one had been seated downstairs. Her reply was, "Yes, there is." A couple other employees joined her in going downstairs and no one was there. There was no way anyone could have come up without them seeing the person. The host himself has heard the piano in the basement play by itself.

There is a long history to this little village, especially in regards to the Spread Eagle Tavern. Are these locations in Hanoverton haunted and is the legend of a witch true? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 622 - Nemacolin Castle

Moment in Oddity - Robert Liston, Fastest Knife in the West End (Suggested by: Jared Rang)

Anesthesia was first used during surgery in October of 1846. Prior to that, patients would often go into shock during surgery if it were not performed quickly enough. Blood loss was also increased if the surgery was not performed fast. A legendary Scottish surgeon, Robert Liston, was known as "The Fastest Knife in the West End", due to his incredible speed while performing amputations. He was famous for being able to perform leg amputations in under 30 seconds. Prior to beginning the amputations, he was well known for saying, "Time me, gentlemen". Robert Liston was a pioneer in his field, becoming the first Professor of Clinical Surgery in Europe. He performed Europe's first public surgery under anesthesia on December 21st, 1846. Due to Robert Liston's desire for speed during surgery, he did have a few mishaps. During a leg amputation, Liston reportedly removed the patient's testicles inadvertently. He also was infamously known for a speed surgery that he performed which resulted in a 300% mortality rate. How could this be, you ask? Well, during the amputation of a patient's leg, Liston accidentally cut his assistants fingers which lead to infection and the assistants death. The amputee patient also died of gangrene. And a nearby witness to the surgery suddenly believed he had been stabbed during the surgery and is said to have died from shock, most likely, a heart attack. Some accounts label this story as fabricated, but regardless, in today's day and age, the thought of speed surgeries and amputations, certainly are odd.

Nemacolin Castle (Neem ah colon)

The Nemacolin Castle is also known as the Bowman's Castle and is found in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. While the mansion itself dates back to the Victorian era, there are things on the property that go back even further than that with remnants from the former Fort Burd here and even before that from indigenous people. The Bowman family built the castle and three generations lived here before it became the museum it is today. There are claims that nearly a dozen ghosts haunt the property. Join us for the history and hauntings of Nemacolin Castle.  

The site where the castle would end up being built was prime real estate for the indigenous tribes near the Brownsville area. They left behind earthwork mounds, one of which was named Redstone Old Fort by the colonists who settled here. Brownsville became a gateway for westward expansion particularly because of its location near the Monongahela (muh·naang·guh·hee·luh) River. The name means "falling banks." Before the French and Indian War in the 1750s, the land was popular hunting grounds, but people weren't living here. The area was long reported as being empty and unpopulated when the indigenous people left. The Ohio Company of Virginia began a survey of the region in 1749 with a goal of bringing 1,000 families to the future Brownsville. The guide for the group was a Native American named Nemacolin. In 1759, Fort Burd was built on the future site of the castle, which was a high bluff above the Monongahela (muh·naang·guh·hee·luh) River, and named for Colonel James Burd who was the British officer that ordered the building of the fort. Burd is credited with fortifying the Pennsylvania frontier. Before we get into talking about the castle property, the city of Brownsville has had a rough time of it. The Rust Belt suffered greatly after the industrial economy failed. Brownsville was a port town that built keel boats and steamers and then the steel and iron industry was here and eventually there was coal mining. When all of this went away, the town's population diminished and the downtown area was practically abandoned. Revitalization has only begun just a few years ago. We imagine that many of the location could be haunted just from being abandoned. A lot of great buildings had to be demolished because they fell into such ruin. Some of the interesting location here that still exist include the following. The Dunlaps Creek Bridge was the first cast iron bridge built in the United States and this was from 1836 to 1839. The Historic Saint Peter's Church was built in 1843 in the Gothic Revival style and was the first Catholic parish in Fayette County and is the oldest continuously operating parish in Western Pennsylvania. The Flatiron Building was built in 1830 and is one of the oldest, most intact iron commercial structures west of the Allegheny Mountains. Another historic home in the town is the Thomas H. Thompson House, also known as Wayside Manor, which was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style in 1906. The house has a hipped roof with red Spanish tile, carved stone detailing and dormers on three sides of the roof. There is also a carriage house on the property dating to 1917. 

In 1783, John Bowman arrived in the future Brownsville and worked as a merchant and built a home. He was followed by his brother Jacob Bowman in 1786. Jacob was in the employ of a man named Robert Elliot who bought the first lot in Brownsville. Elliot bought that plot from Thomas Brown who was platting out the city that would be named for him, Brownsville. Jacob's parents had originally come to America from Germany. He was born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1763 and then he came to Brownsville.

In 1788, Jacob purchased the first parcel of land where the castle was built shortly after the American Revolutionary War from a man named William Lynn. Jacob built a trading post with a space above it for him to live, which was a perfect location because it was located at the Redstone Creek river crossing. This location near the river made Brownsville the perfect place for building flatboats for travelers and traders on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. This was a terminus for the Nemacolin's Trail. The first wagon load of merchandise for the trading post arrived from over the mountains on Cumberland Road in 1789. The following year, Jacob had enough money to buy a half lot next to the parcel he had already bought. Jacob had learned the mercantile business from his former employer Robert Elliot and Elliot went on to set up a string of trading posts with another partner named Colonel Eli Williams. And we bring that up because it leads into this interesting tidbit. Remember how we have talked about General "Mad Anthony" Wayne on other episodes? Well, Colonel Williams was carrying supplies to General Wayne in 1794 when Native Americans killed him on the way. The first nail factory west of the Alleghenies was started by Jacob in 1795. With the original trading post, Jacob had built a log addition that served as a kitchen and then in 1805, he rebuilt the kitchen out of stone. This is referred to as the trading post room at the museum today. The interior has a large fireplace that was used for cooking. The Nemacolin Castle is clearly a hodgepodge of different designs and materials and that is because this started out as that trading post and then the Bowmans added to it over the years as it became the large home it is today. The name Nemacolin Castle really fits because the mansion resembles a castle with a prominent front tower topped with a crenellated parapet and a battlement running alongside it. The site still holds part of Fort Burd, the well that was dug by the soldiers who served there. There is still water down in the well and it can be seen at the museum. The name Nemacolin for the castle came from the Lenape chief Nemacolin who helped to improve and mark the ancient Native American trail through the Alleghenies known as Nemocolin's Trail. 

The mansion was built up to three stories out of stone in 1822. Jacob married Isabel Lowry in 1787 and the couple had nine children, five daughters and four sons. Jacob had been the first president of the bank and his sons James and Goodloe followed in those footsteps. Another son named Nelson was a cashier and director at the bank. His son William became an Episcopal minister and Rector at Grace Church. The daughters were Mary, Anna, Louisa, Matilda and Harriet. Jacob died in 1847 and he left the house to his son Nelson. 

Nelson had married Elizabeth Dunn in 1856 and they had six children, but only two survived to adulthood. The couple added the east wing of the house, updated the nursery from a colonial style to Victorian style and added the brick tower that gave the house its castle appearance. As a matter, starting in 1859, local books refer to the house as being fort-like with a castle-like residence. Nelson died in 1892 and the obituary said he lived in a "castle shaped house." Charles Bowman was one of Nelson's sons and he inherited the house. He had been born in 1867 and lived his entire live at the Bowman Castle. He served as a Justice of the Peace in the area for many years and married Lelia Jacobs in 1897 and they had two sons. Charles and Lelia redecorated the drawing room, library, sitting room and other parts of the house. The couple enjoyed throwing extravagant parties in the house during the Roaring 20s. Charles died in 1945 and Lelia continued to live in the house until her death in 1959. The family decided that it would be best to turn the home into a museum and they hire Esther Brain to run it. Esther restored parts of the house and made some changes. In 1961, the Brownsville Historical Society formed and they leased the castle from the family. Charles Bowman Jr. died in 1962 and the house was put on the market after that. Fayette County ended up purchasing the house in 1965. The house was designated as a National Historic Site in 1975 and got some much needed funds to replace the roof and do extensive renovations. The balconies would be restored in 1986. The house really has been meticulously refurbished and features 22 rooms with gorgeous and unique fireplaces and mantles, colored glass, marble sinks, carved wood and hand-hewn beams. The Brownsville Historical Society manages the museum.

Many of the items in the house have been in the Bowman family for years and were donated to the museum. Other interesting items have also been added. One of mine and Diane's favorite things about visiting these old homes that are now museums are all the antiques that can be found inside and we always manage to run across some new things we haven't seen before. We did a virtual tour of the castle and added some more of these to our list. 

They have the original plate that Jacob brought with him and ate off of, as well as a folding chair that came apart for easy transport. They also have Jacob's original postmaster desk that is 260 years old and it has slots for keeping people's mail. The house holds many unique features including a chimney cupboard that got that name because this is a type of closet that is the size of a chimney, so the family wouldn't have to pay that extra room tax. There is also a one-spring horse and a child would sit on it and instead of rocking, they would bounce on it and it would scoot across the floor. This had real hair from a horse for the mane and the saddle on it was made from real leather. This particular toy is in great shape and even made an appearance on American Pickers. They have a Ben Franklin stove, which worked better than a fireplace because it kept the heat in the room rather than sending it up a chimney. The Bowmans brought some superstitions with them from Germany and one of those was that it was good luck to have a squirrel in the house, so they have a squirrel cage and there was an early form of a running wheel too. Later generations did a lot of traveling and they brought back many pieces of furniture and decorative items from Italy and France.

The town of Brownsville practically became a ghost town like many old towns in the Rust Belt. As industrial things like steel and coal left the region, so did the people. Many of the buildings in the downtown area were abandoned and fell into decay, but the town is striving to bring itself back and people coming to Nemacolin Castle are helping to do that. And that includes people coming for the ghosts at the castle. 

Paranormal claims have been made about the castle for many years and these include EVPs captured, the sound of disembodied footsteps and actual apparitions. The balcony doors have multiple locks and they are found open many times after they have been locked up tight. People claim to have identified ten distinct spirits here. Obviously, Jacob Bowman was very attached to this property and he is most often seen in the library of the home. His name has also been heard audibly by someone yelling it. Another spirit here is said to be Mary Bowman. Now, Jacob's daughter Mary lived to be 63 and this spirit seems to belong to a younger person. It's possible that Mary returned as a younger version of herself, but the Bowmans did lose four children before adulthood, so this spirit could belong to any one of them.  

A ghost dog is in the castle and one paranormal investigation group reported what felt like a dog nuzzling or pushing against a wrist in the nursery. The nursery seems to be the dog's favorite spot, but it has also been seen in the hallways. Amos was an indentured servant that worked for the Bowmans and he is said to walk the hallways. 

Nelson Bowman, who inherited the castle from his father Jacob, is said to haunt the library just like his father. Elizabeth Bowman, his wife, is also here in the afterlife and is seen often wearing a white dress and will run and scream down the hallways. The spirits of two little girls like to play hide and seek with investigators and hang out mostly in the nursery. One story claims that security sensors inside went off one night and when the police arrived, they saw a little girl looking down on them from a window. After they entered the castle, they found no one inside. The Lady of the Hall is seen wearing a dark colored Victorian dress with her hair pulled back and she is usually in the second-floor hallway. An elderly old woman's spirit has been encountered in the servant's quarters and so it is thought that this had been a servant to the family. Often, investigators feel as though their chest is tightening and they have trouble breathing in this space and it has been surmised that this ghost died from some kind of breathing issue like tuberculosis. The ghost is seen wearing a dark purple dress. 

The castle was featured on the Bio Channel TV show "My Ghost Story." Ghosts N'at did an investigation there in 2020 and they caught a knocking on their recorder and then and EVP right after saying, "I'm knocking." Arstatler did a ghost hunt in 2015 and wrote on TripAdvisor, "We did have some experiences to add to our ghost hunting adventures: voices, the piano playing by itself, and the always eerie feelings that occur. But aside from the ghost hunt, the place is just a wonderful historical site to visit." femmeforce wrote on reddit, "I've had many EVP's, creepy spirit box responses, and what appears to be a dark mist going down the hall. I cannot explain that so I keep going back."

JEB did a ghost hunt in 2017 and wrote on TripAdvisor, "Went to Nemacolin Castle on Feb 18th 2017 didn't know what to expect. Turned out to be a good night, Renee Kruse was Awesome with history of the property and her personal ghost stories of 15 yrs. Night started out slow but picked up quickly, had activity in the nursery with Mary. And the next room where Mr. Bowman bedroom was, someone saw a shadow figure on the mirror. Found artificial flowers in 2 doorways, got evp's from bishop's room. Heard footsteps and knocks in the bachelor room, also got words from the ovulus as affair and couple of names. When walking out of nursery sounded a pebble was thrown in my direction, nothing to be found. While checking my pictures got images of a woman in 2nd floor hallway twice. And a picture of a shadow figure in the nursery of a child, a woman with me heard her name called twice on the spirit box. Overall a good night." A couple years ago, the director from the castle was out walking his dog in the snow at night. He glanced up at the castle while he waited for his dog to do its business and he saw a young 20-something woman with dark hair looking out of a window at him. She faded away behind the curtain. He saw that there were no cars parked outside the castle, so there should be no one inside the house. The only footprints in the snow outside were his and his dog's. He called for another director to come out and they both searched the house to no avail. It had been locked up tight and no one was inside. Flash forward a few weeks and this same director was cleaning in the castle during the off season. He got to the library 
and he glanced at the portrait of Anne Bowman on the wall and he recognized her as the woman he had seen looking out the window. 

 Brownsville is starting its comeback and one of the key places helping with that is the Nemacolin Castle. There is no better example of the changes that have come to this area than this actual house, which unbelievably, was kept in the possession of just one family until it became a public venue. Is this why so many spirits have remained with the house? Is the Nemacolin Castle haunted? That is for you to decide!