HGB Ep. 135 - Tevennec Lighthouse

 
Moment in Oddity - The Ritualistic Burial of 12,000 Year Old Shaman

The skeleton of a woman measuring about 4 feet 9 inches tall and about 45 years old was found in a cave in Israel. The cave had served as a burial place for around 28 people and this diminutive woman seemed to be the most important figure of the group. She was more than likely a shaman and this was surmised because of the objects found buried with her. They included the bones of several animals: a wild cow tail, an eagle's wings, marten skulls, a leopard's pelvis, a boar's forearm and a human foot. Even more fascinating is the ritual that was involved with burying this woman some 12,000 years ago. Archaeologists were able to piece together the 6 step ritual based on items found in the grave. The first step entailed preparing the burial pit. An oval shape was marked out in bedrock and then the bedrock was broken up and pulled out. The floor and walls were then covered with mud. The second and third steps added on more preparation for the grave. Limestone blocks were used to line the pit along with unique artifacts like tortoise shells and gazelle horns. The artifacts were then covered with a layer of ash. The body was placed in the pit during the fourth step in a squatting position. Tortoise shells were placed under the head and pelvis. Animal bones were placed around the body. Stage five was a burial feast and the garbage from that feast was thrown into the pit, which included more animal bones and up to 86 tortoise shells. It is estimated that nearly 55 pounds of meat were eaten at the feast. The sixth and final step was sealing the pit with a triangluar shaped piece of limestone. This shaman's grave proves the theory that burials were an elaborate ceremony even several thousands of years ago. This way of paying respect to the dead is interesting and quite odd!

This Day in History - UFO Crashes in Roswell
by: April Rogers-Krick

On this day, July 8th, in 1947, a mysterious flying disc was reported to have crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico. The headline of The Roswell Daily Record read, “RAFF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.” A local rancher named Mac Brazel found a mess of metallic sticks held together with tape, chunks of plastic and foil reflectors and scraps of a heavy, glossy, paper-like material in his sheep pasture. No one was able to identify the objects. Brazel called Roswell’s sheriff. The sheriff in turn called officials at the nearby Roswell Army Air Force base. Soldiers called to the scene fanned out across the field gathering the mysterious debris and whisking it away in armored trucks. On July 9th, an Air Force official clarified the newspaper’s report. He claimed the alleged “flying saucer” was only a crashed weather balloon. But to anyone who had seen the debris or the photographs from the newspaper, it was clear that whatever this thing was, it was not a weather balloon. Some believed – and still believe – that the crashed vehicle had not come from Earth. They argued the debris must have come from an alien spaceship.

Tevennec Lighthouse (Suggested by listener Janet Sheppard, Research Assistant April Rogers-Krick)

A tiny, uninhabitable, rocky island sits off the coast of Pointe du Raz, in western Brittany, France in Raz de Sein. This island is home to Tevennec Lighthouse. Lighthouses are meant to prevent deaths by guiding ships through dangerous waters. But Tevennec has been the scene of death many times and even before the lighthouse was built, local folklore tells of a history of death and haunting on the island. Legend says that Tevennec was home to Ankou, the Breton name for Death himself. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Tevennec Lighthouse!

Brittany was known as Armorican peninsula in antiquity and its rich history is evidenced in the numerous Neolithic monuments found there. The standing stones of the region have perplexed historians for centuries.The burial chambers predate the Egyptian pyramids by a long time. These chambers are similar to the mounds we see in America and they consisted of a dolmen, or stone chamber, where the bodies were placed and then they were covered with an earthen mound called a tumulus. The strong Celtic culture that grew here was sujugated when the Romans came. Caesar ruled Brittany with an iron fist. As Roman rule faded, people immigrated here from Wales, Ireland and England and it became known as "Little Britain" or Brittany at that time. In the 17th and 18th century, the French monarchy took control of Brittany. Today, the area enjoys good relations with Great Britain.

Pointe du Raz is one of Brittany's most popular natural sites. The charming beauty of this area inspired Victor Hugo to include it in his works. Cliffs tower above perilous waters. The Baie des Trépassés or Bay of the Dead holds the remains of numerous shipwrecks that were overpowered by the currents here, which are some of the strongest in Europe. It only makes sense that this spot would need a lighthouse. But the spot chosen to build the lighthouse was remote, on a rocky outpost that was battered routinely by waves. The light was lit here for the first time in 1875. The first lighthouse had a little cottage attached to it and the first keeper, Henri Guezennec, took his post that same year. One can only imagine how difficult it would be to be stuck in a dangerous remote place with no human contact. It was that living alone on that desolate island with no outside communications for extended periods of time that lead to Guezennec going mad. He claimed to hear voices chanting “Kerz-kuit”, which is Breton for "leave her." Each subsequent keeper faced the same issues and many died.

In 1893, it was decided by the authorities that two man crews should operate the light and that keepers should only spend a maximum of one year at Tevennec. The hope was to keep these men from going nuts or killing themselves. It would seem that the keepers were never really alone before though, based on the stories of hauntings. Crucifixes were embedded into the rock on the island with the hopes of exorcising the ghosts and even a priest performed an exorcism of the island. It wasn't just that men were losing their minds and seeing things. There was a true basis in superstition. To understand those beliefs, we need to look at a terrifying creature named the Ankou.

In the Celtic folklore of Brittany, the Ankou is a death omen that collects the souls of the dead. It travels the lanes of Brittany, preying on unsuspecting individuals. This creatures reveals itself in many forms. One of the more common is for The Ankou, or King of the Dead, to inhabit the last person to die in a certain area in a calendar year. So don't die on New Year's Eve. For the following year he or she assumes the duty of calling for the dead. The other common depiction of the Ankou is as a tall, haggard figure with long white hair, usually skeletal in nature with a revolving head able to see everyone everywhere. It drives a spectral cart accompanied by two ghostly figures on foot and stops at the house of the one who is about to die. It knocks on the door – making a sound that is sometimes heard by the living – or gives out a mournful wail like the Irish Banshee. Sometimes it's reported to be seen as an apparition entering the house. It enlists the help of its two ghost companions to load the dead person onto its cart. As one can see, the Ankou is a powerful figure that dominates Breton folklore.

When Christianity arrived in Brittany, the story of the Ankou was amended, including St. Peter as a type of hero, blinding the Ankou. The story as told by the website Mysterious Britain tells it this way:

"St. Peter came down to walk beside the Ankou in his grim task. As the darkness grew, they passed by a farmer and his servant still working in the fields by the side of the lane. The creaking of the Ankou’s cart startled the farmer who fell to his knees and hid his face from sight. The servant however continued to cut the hay, singing all the time in his strong melodic voice. The Ankou stopped the cart and shouted that the servant would be dead within 8 days, but the servant kept on singing defiantly. At this challenge to authority, the Ankou’s eyes lit up like fire and he readied himself to strike down the servant, but St. Peter jumped between the Ankou and his prize, blessing the servant with long life and taking the fire from the Ankou's eyes. Thus the Ankou was left blind and less able to strike down souls in the dark leafy lanes of Brittany."

So we have the first pair of keepers taking their post in 1893. And then one of them died unexpectedly. In 1897, it was decided that lighthouse keepers could let their wives accompany them to this formidable post. This did not seem to solve the problem of death visiting the lighthouse. One keeper died, leaving his wife to salt his corpse until he could be collected. The third keeper, a man called Meliper, was found dead in his bed. The fourth, Roperts, kept the light with his elderly father. One day Roparts found his father dead. He had slit his throat with his shaving-razor. Other tales of a keeper falling on a knife and a child of a keeper dying have been shared, but unconfirmed for many years. Louis and Marie Jacquette Quemere along with their three children and a cow, spent a significant amount of time at the post. The family had no documented encounters with ghosts or deaths.

The weather has proved to be a bigger problem than the hauntings. The waves crashing against the rock here have brought many a ship to its bitter end, but they have also brought an end to the cottage on three occasions. It was rebuilt each time. Things came to a head when a horrible storm destroyed the wall of the living-room while the last lighthouse-keepers wife was in the process of giving birth. It was decided that something had to be done and the lighthouse was fully automated in 1910. And the lighthouse was basically abandoned. For over a hundred years, no keeper has resided at the lighthouse.

In 2015, on the 140th anniversary of the building of Tevennec Lighthouse, the founder of the National Society For Heritage, Marc Pointud, announced he was planning to spend two months alone at Tevennec. He wanted to raise awareness for the restoration of France’s forgotten lighthouses. Pointud's goal was to turn the lighthouse into an artist retreat. The lighthouse had no furnishings so he would have to take the bare basics with him and he said he would be living like a prisoner. He started a fund to help raise the money needed to restore the lighthouse. Pointud pointed out that he was not worried about the ghost tales because he did not believe in ghosts. And he figured he would keep madness at bay because he would have a telephone and Internet communication with the mainland, something that the early keepers were denied.

Due to bad weather, the 2015 project was delayed. Pointud is quoted as saying at that time, “ There is too much sea and we cannot dock or unload the material.” A French newspaper reported at the beginning of February 2016 that another attempt would be made on February 27. There is little information about his stay on the island, but we did confirm that he spent two months on the island with no incident of ghosts, hauntings, or otherwise.

The Tevennec Lighthouse keeps watch over the ships in the sea, but is there something else keeping watch on the craggy island? Do the spirits of shipwrecked crews haunt the island. Are the ghosts of dead keepers still doing their job in the afterlife? Does the King of the Dead reign here? Is Tevennec Lighthouse haunted? That is for you to decide!

Bel Air Cemetery at Seychelles Island by Joerg Nagorski:

HGB Podcast 32 - Seguin Island Lighthouse

Moment in Oddity -  Self Mummification

The term self-mummification probably inspires some weird images, thoughts and questions. How does someone self-mummify and why? Monks in the countries of India, China and Japan have practiced self-mummification as far back as the 12th century. The process is arduous and takes a long time, around 3,000 days. The monk will eat a diet of nuts, bark, roots and seeds and exercise strenuously all in an attempt to basically starve himself. The monk's desire is to rid his body of fat and moisture. When the desired effect was obtained, the monk would drink a poisonous tea that would help him vomit up bodily fluids that would help prevent maggots and bacteria. He would enter a tomb and assume the lotus position. A tube would be run into the tomb to provide air and a bell would be installed for the monk to ring every day that he was still alive. When the bell rang no more, the tube would be removed and the tomb sealed. Once 1,000 days had passed, the tomb would be opened again and if the monk was found in a perfect state of mummification, it would be declared that he was only in a trance and he would be placed in a temple for worship until he re-awakened. Self-mummification recently made the news when a 1,000 year old Buddha was given a CT scan. The scan revealed something extraordinary. Inside the statue was the mummified body of a Chinese monk from 1100 AD. Inside his body were scraps of paper with Chinese writing instead of organs. We imagine more Buddha statues will be facing scans. Self-mummification is not only a horrible way to die, but quite odd. 

This Day in History - Remember the Alamo

"Remember the Alamo." Those three words summon visions of heroism and call people to stand up against insurmountable odds. On this day, March 6th, in 1836, the final assault on the Alamo was conducted. The Battle at the Alamo lasted thirteen days. It began on February 23, 1836 when Mexican dictator General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his troops arrived in San Antonio. Santa Anna's force numbered 1500 men. The Alamo had only a little over 100 men to defend it lead by co-commanders William B. Travis and James Bowie. Travis sent out letters pleading for help, but no extra reinforcements were sent. For several days, the Alamo withstood cannonade from artillery batteries. On March 3rd, Travis sends out one final appeal for more men and declares in the letter, “I am determined to perish in the defense of this place, and may my bones reproach my country for her neglect.” In the early morning hours on March 6th, Santa Anna orders his troops to attack the Alamo and a 90 minute bloody battle follows with the Alamo falling in the end just before sunrise. Santa Anna ordered the bodies of those killed to be burned. Between 182 and 257 defenders were killed including folk hero Davy Crockett. The cruelty of Santa Anna's attack outraged Texans and drove many of them to join the fight in the Texas Revolution. Today, the Alamo is now the most popular tourist site in Texas.

Seguin Island Lighthouse

Seguin Island is an island off of Maine, which can only be reached by boat, and is home to Maine's tallest and second oldest lighthouse, Seguin Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse is known by its more common name, Seguin Light, and not only dates back to the birth of America, but it carries a rich history that includes a gruesome tale. What has happened at this lighthouse seems to live on, not only through stories, but through spirits as well. The light is always on at this lighthouse. Come with us as we climb the spiral staircase of legend into the afterlife.

Seguin Island sits ten miles from Boothbay Harbor at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. The first English colony was established a few miles further down the Kennebec River in Popham in 1607. The colonists left after only a year because of hardships and returned to Europe. There is much debate as to how Seguin actually obtained its name. Most historians believe it is derived from both French and Native American, much like the name of Chicago. The Native American term was sutquin, meaning "where the sea vomits" because the ocean roils and pounds in this area. Originally, Seguin Island was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it was the Commonwealth that gave the United States ten acres of the island that later grew to include the entire island after Seguin Light was commissioned.

President George Washington commissioned Seguin Light in 1795. The original structure that served as the lighthouse no longer exists. It was constructed from wood and rose to 50 feet. Oil lamps and crude reflectors served as the first lights. Obviously, wood was a bad idea and a new structure was built in 1819 out of stone. It too deteriorated. The current lighthouse was built in 1857. The tower was made from granite blocks that were painted white and the height of the tower makes Seguin Light the tallest lighthouse in Maine at 53 feet. The keeper's house was built of brick.

The 1st Order Fresnal Lens was installed at that same time. This type of lens is extremely rare. Fresnal lenses are beautiful masterpieces that were developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnal. The lenses have large apertures and short focal lengths enabling them to capture more light from a light source and send it across a greater distance, up to 20 miles away. The lens has 282 individual glass prisms. Seguin Light has the only 1st Order Fresnal Lens still in use in the state.

The lighthouse is currently lit by a 1,000 watt electric bulb that is powered by a 17,000 foot underwater cable, but originally a kerosene powered incandescent oil vapor lamp lit the lens. Lighthouse keepers were needed to not only keep the lenses maintained, but to keep the oil lamps burning. The lamps burned through two gallons of oil an hour. The first keeper was Major John Polerecsky and he established gardening on the island. He was described as genial and "Frenchy." He was replaced by Jonathan Delano in 1804, who was a less then stellar keeper. The Delano family traded thirty-six dozen wicks for tin ware and so he was relieved of his position in 1825 and replaced by John Salter. Many keepers and assistant keepers would follow including three women.

In 1895, a tramway was installed to make the half mile steep climb up to the lighthouse easier. The railway was 1006 feet long. The cart on the tramway was used to bring up coal, supplies, people and furniture. It is believed that originally oxen or mules were used to pull the cart upward. Later the entire tramway was rebuilt and a mechanical engine powered the tram. Passengers were no longer carried on the line after an accident in which the cable that pulled the tram snapped and a keeper's wife was severely injured in 1949.

Family life at the lighthouse was difficult. The lighthouse was hard to reach and supply and self-sufficiency was a must. Children were schooled by a tutor who would come for about two weeks every three months. Boredom was hard to endure and would lead to a disastrous outcome for one family at the lighthouse that we will share in a bit. Wives were expected to keep the quarters spotless in case of surprise inspections. The 1950s would finally bring changes in the form of electric generators, radio and television. In 1963, families were no longer a part of Seguin Light and the lighthouse went "stag."

Sequin Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The station was automated in 1985 and decommissioned and the Friends of Seguin Island was formed to ensure the preservation of the site. The lighthouse is open in the summer and features a museum and tours. The lighthouse may not be open for business in the winter, but that does not mean that no activity is taking place at the location. Lighthouses around the world are famously haunted and Sequin Light is no exception.

Seguin Island was a treacherous place before the lighthouse was installed. The island is hard to see not only because of rough seas, but the fog that blankets the area on a regular basis is quite thick. Stories of shipwrecks near the island abound. There was the wreck of the Gondola in 1890. The Gondola was a Canadian schooner. A gale had trapped the ship and crashed it up against the rocky ledges. The crew left the ship in a small boat and despite their best efforts to reach the island, they were swept out to sea. Fortunately they were found and saved by another vessel. The Captain had stayed with the ship and witnesses watched helplessly as he clung to the hull of his destroyed ship. The Captain's body was never found. Could the Captain still be hanging around the island looking for his lost wrecked ship?

The most famous haunting at the lighthouse revolves around one of the keeper's and his wife, although no one is sure which keeper. As we mentioned earlier, life at the lighthouse could be quite boring. The keeper decided to buy his wife a piano to give her something to do. When the piano arrived, it came with only one sheet of music. The wife worked hard to learn how to play the piano and she practiced for hours with this one sheet of music. And then she practiced some more. And even more. The same melody droning on and on for hours and hours. Nothing, but that same endless melody. All Winter long. No supplies came that could have possibly included more sheets of music for different melodies. The constant banging of that music was driving the keeper insane. He couldn't take it anymore and he embraced his inner Jack from "The Shining" and took an axe to the piano, chopping it into bits. He then turned on his wife nearly decapitating her. His madness continued as he ran and threw himself off the lighthouse. The haunting tinkling of a piano has been heard over the decades. Former keepers have documented the occurrences in journals and people who visit claim to hear piano music. The keeper's apparition has been seen many times as though he were continuing to fulfill his duties as keeper at the lighthouse.

One such experience about the piano is reported at the Haunted Lights website:

"I wanted to mention to you that when I went out to Seguin Island, ME with the USCG a few summers ago, after going to two other lights, I did have an uncanny experience at Seguin Light. I should say first that I had heard nothing about any sort of ghosts, nor had I read anything at all about ghosts, and merely went along on this beautiful, sunny day with USCG while they did their repairs to the ATON. Just a few days before, a couple had moved in to be the keepers at Seguin for the season - they were from California as I recall. I was standing outside the tower at its base and casually speaking with the woman, and, as she was speaking, I heard a piano playing - a rather quick, Scott Joplin style tune - I thought perhaps it might be an unseen radio, although it did have an ethereal quality to it - almost more like a memory on the wind than music. Since she was speaking to me at the time, I did not think to question her about it, or say anything to her. We had just done a walk through the structures which are impeccably restored. When we returned to the USCG office, the Ex-O asked if his staff had told me about the ghost at Seguin which plays the piano!!....My heart literally stopped when I heard that question...There is no doubt that I had heard it. It is a true story and unforgettable - all the more so in a way, since it was a sunny, almost timeless day, so quiet yet with high winds on the top of that cliff, with the music like a memory more than a song."

Though not talked about much, it is believed that their were several suicides at the lighthouse. One of those was a keeper's daughter whose silhouette is seen walking near the cliffs on occasion. She was buried in the island near the lighthouse grounds. The spirit is seen inside the lighthouse as well. The girl has been reported by keeper's after they see her running up and down the stairs and her giggling is heard as well.

The Coast Guard has reported their own stories as well. Members have claimed that they heard and saw furniture move and that clothes would be moved as well. Ghostly sounds were heard also. When the Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1985, they went in to pack items up. After they had the boxes packed, they turned in for the night, but not for long. The Warrant Officer claims that he was awakened in the night by a male apparition that was shaking his bed violently. When the ghost saw that he was awake, he demanded that the men leave his home alone and leave the furniture. The Warrant Officer must have thought that he had only been dreaming or he decided not to listen to the demands of a dead man because the next morning the furniture was packed onto a boat and sent to the mainland. Only the boat never arrived. It sank before it could reach its destination. Did the angry ghost get his revenge?

Connie Small was the wife of a Head Keeper at the lighthouse from 1926 to 1930. In an interview she said that they had been warned that there were several ghosts at the lighthouse. She said that she knew a woman who had lived at the lighthouse and needed to be put in an asylum after her stay. A retired lighthouse keeper was convinced that there was a presence in the engine room. He would feel it many times whenever he entered that room. And then there was the first lighthouse keeper at Seguin Light, Major John Polerecsky. He had a hard time on the island with little food and his boat had been destroyed and so he could not get back to the mainland. He was older and he died on the island. People who pass the lighthouse claim to see an older man on the island when no one is suppose to be there. The figure sometimes climbs the stairs as if he is going up to maintain the light, which is now automated and so it does not need the daily care of a keeper.

Seguin Island is abandoned most days of the year...at least by the living. Are the keepers from years past still carrying on their duties? Can the haunting melody of a piano still be heard to this day? Is Seguin light haunted? That is for you to decide!

Show notes
*For further information and a more extensive history please see: http://www.seguinisland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Seguin-200.pdf