PHANTOM PLANES....HAUNTED SHIPS..... AND GHOSTLY LAND

When I think about ghost hunting...the first thing that comes to my mind is an old, creepy abandon house or a place where someone lived and died.  Well, there are soooo many things that have hauntings that sometimes I forget about the "not so common" places and things.

What about planes?  You have heard the stories about disappearing planes.  It is commonly theorized that some ghosts of people and animals are nothing more than residual energy, a non-reactive, pre-recorded event from the past that occasionally replays to witnesses much like a short movie scene.  We can therefore speculate that ghost planes, which are definitely not living, might also be a form of residual energy that is observed from time to time when the conditions are just right.

There aren't a lot of photos of ghostly planes.  This makes sense to me because this is just not something you can just look up and see.  Seeing something up in the air over 30,000ft might be a little difficult.  But there ARE plenty of people who have heard aircraft above, like propellers, pilots reporting radio signals of distress when there where no planes in sight or on radar, old planes being restored hearing voices and footsteps around the plane, planes that seem to appear then disappear and another common report is that parts that have been used from an aircraft from a crashed plane where there had been fatalities, all of the sudden on the new plane hear voices or feel like someone is watching them.

So, are there ghostly planes?  I certainly think there could be. Why not?  It seems that we are talking about something that is a little more difficult to investigate though.  Without a specific location you can drive or walk to, it's just a little harder to get evidence of it's existence.




From the air controllers tower

As seen on radar

 Taken out of the window of an airplane

Haunted ships.....what can I say.... but one of my favorite things to investigate.  There is just something about being on a ship that soldiers, passengers and crew lived for long periods at sea or even battled at sea...I love the feeling that they never really left the ship.

The USS Lexington-Since being commissioned in the year of 1943, this massive vessel has been called a number of things. The two most common names for the ship are “The Blue Ghost”,as well as “Lady Lex”. In today’s world, this haunted ship is docked and it serves as a museum for those that enjoy learning about history. In the world of yesterday, though, this mysterious water vessel served in twenty one battles out of twenty four in the Second World War. The Blue Ghost is said to be more than just a name issued based on the color, though. This particular ship is said to be an area that houses a number of spirits. Here, you will learn about one of the most haunted ships in the United States today, the USS Lexington in Corpus, Christi, Texas. 

Several residual hauntings are said to occur on the ship. Residual hauntings are like an energy, or a emotionally heightened time in a certain area. Many individuals claim that they hear voices, screams, and even cries. In some instances, people have indicated that they have heard noises that sound similar to distant weapons being fired while on board the USS Lexington.

I have been on this ship and loved it.  I posted a picture below, sorry it is not very good.  It was taken by my Mom a while ago and was not taken with a digital camera.  It had film that had to be developed in it.

Battleship Texas-  This ship finds its home in Houston, Tx.  I investigated this ship and got tons of orbs and what I believe is an Ecto mist.  For those who believe in the paranormal, the Battleship Texas has been one of their most sought-after sites for investigation. It is one of the state's leading historic attractions, a floating monument to those who fought and died in two World Wars.

The USS Lexington (photo taken by Lynnette Tolbert-my Mom)



Ecto Mist over a small cemetery in
front of the Battleship Texas

You may need to blow this picture up to see the orb in it.
I love this picture because it just is cool to catch an orb in the daytime.

The Battleship Texas


 

Cool Orb on Battleship Texas

And the last ship I investigated The Queen Mary.  It has been said that The Queen Mary is one of the most haunted ships in the world!!!  In particular, Cabin B340.  Alleged it is haunted by the spirit of a

person who was murdered there,(we found that room 340B was locked and the number was actually removed from the wall....hhhuummm so unless you know about the story of this room there was know way to identify that it was room 340B) and people have reported hearing sounds of children playing in the nursery. Other reported ghosts include a young sailor who was accidentally killed in the ship's engine room, crew members of the Curacoa who were killed when Queen Mary collided with her, and an unidentified "lady in white". And the most famous story is that of a little girl named "Jackie" that drowned in the pool on The Queen Mary.

 

If you get the chance to go stay on The Queen May, don't pass it up!! It is beautiful!!!!!

 

The Queen Mary

Inside this beautiful ship

We weren't the only Passengers...

The Swimming Pool where Jackie drown



The Pool area

 



And last what about Haunted Property/Land-  Battlefields, sites of plane crashes, locations of deadly accidents, property that has been handed down for generations, burial sites, etc.  Do these places "hang on" to spirits?  Do they have some kind of energy field that holds souls? Tragic places just tend to hold spirits.  Ghosts are people who, after their death, choose not to cross over to the Other Side, for various reasons. Sometimes they''ve died a tragic death and they don''t recognize that they''re dead. Other times they''re trying to work out unfinished business and on occasion they''re afraid they''ll experience judgment and punishment if they cross over - so they don''t. Unfortunately there are many ill-effects of this short-sighted decision.  

The Battle at Gettysburg is one of the most haunted battlefields.  The sounds of gunfire and the smell of smoke and gunpowder are just some of the strange happenings there. People have also seen strange blue lights, where many soldiers died.

The small town of Gettysburgg, gained tragic notoriety in July 1863 for the cataclysmic Civil War battle in which fifty thousand men died. There were more casualties during these three days than in any American battle before or since – a full third of those who fought were killed or wounded – and entire regiments were wiped out when the tide finally turned against the South.

Four months later, on November 19, Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the National Cemetery. His two-minute speech, in memory of all the soldiers who died, is acknowledged as one of the most powerful orations in American history. 

I have not yet got to investigate a battlefield but hope to get to go to Gettysburg sometime soon. 

 

 

GHOST AND ORBS......OH NO!!!!

So I thought I would just share with you some really cool pics that I ran across going through some old pictures.  The first two are one of my VERY FIRST photos of "faces" that I got.  This is at the McPike Mansion in Alton, Ill.  This place is supposedly very haunted.  Unfortunately, I was not able to go in this house because it is abandoned and no trespassing signs are posted everywhere. 

I was on my way back to the airport(after an American Ghost Society Conference) and was talking with the taxi driver.  I was telling him I was there for the Ghost Conference but was disappointed that I was unable to go to the McPike Mansion.  He said, "I know where that is, I can take you there".  So, like any good ghost hunter would do...I said "TURN THIS CAR AROUND AND LETS GO!". After a quick turn around, he took me to the mansion.  He pulled in the driveway and said, "well, this is it.  You can get out if you want to, but I'm not getting out of this cab because of all the stories I've heard  about this place".  Even though there were NO TRESPASSING signs posted everywhere, again like any good ghost hunter would do.....I jumped right out and and walked up to the mansion and started talking pictures. 

The first picture is the original and the second is it blown up. I believe it is a picture of a little girl and a woman standing behind her.  There are reported several family deaths and family suicides in this home...so what do think.....could it be.......

The next set of pictures are at the Old Alton Bridge in Hickory Creek, Tx.  This is the bridge that will be shown on a upcoming episode of My Ghost Stories on the Bio Channel.  I went to LA for filming and as soon as it airs I will post the evidence(And it's awesome!!!) that they used in the show.  I am not allowed to post it until after it airs.

But to be honest, these where taken years ago, so long ago,  that I don't remember taking them at all!!!  So it was really fun going back over these.  In the first one, it looks to me like a figure of a man.  I can't say for sure because it was so long ago I don't know what or who was there.  But it does look interesting.  And the others, I though were just cool orb pictures.

WAS THAT A SIGN FROM THE BEYOND OR WAS I JUST SEEING THINGS???

Now, you may be asking yourself what is the difference between "receiving a sign" and last weeks topic of  "contacting a spirit"?  Isn't it the same? NO. In my opinion, not at all.

When YOU are asking for a sign FROM a spirit it is about YOU and what you want.  When a spirit is GIVING YOU a message, it is about THEM and what THEY want you to know.  I know sometimes, the loss is so great that we automatically want a sign from our loved ones.  So, we start ASKING for signs, but here's the deal....It's not always up to YOU on WHEN you get a message from a spirit.  In other words, your loved one has to FEEL that you ARE ready.  If not, receiving a message could create a greater longing or deeper depression on your side.  I'm going to put like this (in Becky Terms)..... you are driving in your car.......and you are in a hurry......you come to a cross roads and a traffic cops gives you the signal to stop........you really don't want to stop or slow down because you are running late.....but you do anyway.(because that's what all good drivers do, right?  No defensive driving courses for us. LOL)  It seems like you are WAITING AND WAITING  forever for the cop to give you the go-ahead to continue.  And what is HE doing....he sees you.... BUT he doesn't let you go through because of other cars crossing the intersection(your not ready)....so he is protecting you from harm that could cause you pain and suffering if you were to cross to early. Right?  He is waiting until HE thinks it is safe for YOU to cross.  Then he motions for you to come on through, and you proceed safety.  Because YOU waited for HIM to give YOU a sign, you are able to continue FORWARD without any accidents. He kept you safe.  Ok.  Did that make ANY sense to you? LOL.  The point is......You have to be in a really good place in your heart and open to receiving a sign or message from a spirit and SOMETIMES not always, the spirit will KNOW when you are ready.... not you.

While nearly everything that the spirits do for us is done anonymously, without our ever even realizing that we've had their help (sometimes they do want us to know though). Because most of us are focused on what is right in front of us,today, right now, we just aren't used to thinking about the spirit world, so to be honest, I don't think the spirits have an easy job getting our attention.   In addition to any task or conversation we may be presently absorbed in physically, we're also usually occupied mentally with our thoughts running back and forth over the things we've done and things we need to do.  What options does a spirit have to get our attention?

Well, mainly, they tend to do pretty obvious things, sometime not so subtle.  They make loud noises, turn lights off and on, maybe turn water on in the sink, knock things over, tilt pictures at an angle, and sometimes send them flying through the air.  On occasion, they even touch us.

But each of us has another way that we most commonly get their messages, and that's our intuition.  That's when we get a "hunch" or we say, "I just had a feeling" or "Something just told me..."  Sometimes we get a feeling of anxiety, and it could be a warning, telling us to be careful or not to do something that could result in our getting hurt or even killed.  How often have you heard someone say, "I don't know....it was just a feeling that something wasn't right"....and lets just say....when they went outside something had happened to their spouse, family or friends....but because they came out just in time, it saved their lives.  Those are signs, maybe not as obvious as loud noises, etc but still signs.

Occasionally, you still may receive a clear and direct communication when you are in a relaxed, sub or semi-consicious state, or even a dream ( My favorite).  Sometimes, not always, it can be a message of extreme importance.  Many times, people question "was that just a dream or did I really see them"?  YES you did.  What is the difference between a "dream" and a "visit"?  A dream is usually long, rambling, convoluted, scenes change often, have people in them you don't even know, and don't make sense...you feel a sense of nothing when awakening.  A visit will usually be brief and to the point.  Sometimes, a spirit may speak without a single a word - all the meaning is conveyed just by their presence.  You may awaken feeling grateful, happy, sometimes even sad...but you feel like you have just spoken face to face with the person.

Obviously we don't have to be asleep to get a message from a spirit.....where there's a will...there's a way.  Spirits contact us through what we call "synchronicity"  that is arranging certain happenings or meetings in such a way that we see it as an AMAZING coincidence.  Maybe you see your Moms favorite flower on her birthday, maybe you find a long lost wallet of your husbands on your anniversary, maybe you find your "soul mate"(yes, you can have more than one) in such a way that normally your paths would have NEVER crossed.....like two people that leave in different cities, but SOMEWAY their paths cross and it's love at first sight!!!  Coincidence or help from beyond??? You tell me....

Everyone has spirits around them to help them and comfort them.  Everyone has a choice.....you can believe or not believe......you can choose whether or not you want to look into your spiritual connections....ask for signs because you aren't afraid.... and are open to embrace them.  Synchronicities (happenings) are NOT coincidental.  Be delighted when you see these things.....smile....embrace them.....believe them.  Trust that you know the difference between coincidental and help from the Other Side.

It's so simple.  People are always looking for more complicated signs, like whats in the movies.  That's NOT where you should be looking.  It's not impossible, but it's pretty rare that there will be a BIG DRAMATIC show.  However, the LITTLE signs, the tiny little signs that are happening all the time around us...... that keeps us on the RIGHT track and moving FORWARD are the ones you notice the most!!!  Signs are signs....whether big or small......I believe we ALL have help from the Other Side.... we just have to SEE IT and BELIEVE IT!!!

New Page-Questions you always wanted to know about ghost but didn't want to ask

Check out the NEW PAGE I added to the left side of my blog Called QUESTIONS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GHOSTS BUT DIDN'T WANT TO ASK.

Let me know what you think.  It's just a fun page I added for everyone that has questions but maybe didn't want to ask in person.  It can be whatever you want...serious or funny or just because you want to know.  I'll be posting questions that people have asked me over the years and hopefully can answer some of yours as well.

Hope you enjoy it...:)

CONTACTING LOVED ONES

Losing someone, as we all know, can be devastating!  Sometimes, it is hard for us to move on because we want to know our loved ones are ok, or we just feel like if we just had ONE more hour, day or minute with them to say "good-bye" or maybe we need to resolve something that we have guilt about.  Whatever the reason maybe you CAN have peace or at least have some comfort in your heart.

Before I get into ways to contact your loved one let me say this....when our loved ones leave us and go to the Other Side they DO NOT want you to grieve for them or not to live life to the fullest.  At no time that I know of, has a spirit said "miss me" or "grieve for me".  Think about it.... you only have one life to live and it is full of ups and downs and even though our loved ones can't put their arms around you or physically encourage you to move forward...THEY CAN and DO follow you until we met them again.  You now have a personal guardian angel to watch over you and you need to take comfort in that.

Ok...first you need to know you DO NOT have to be at the burial site to communicate with your loved one.  I think one of the misunderstandings people have is they have to go to the cemetery to talk with their loved one.  This is not true.  So, don't worry if your loved one is buried a long distance from you.  The "headstone" is just a marker for the physical body's resting place and to comfort the living.  It is not for the dead as they are not there...they are everywhere which means you can contact them at anytime, anyplace.  Please don't get me wrong here...if it brings you comfort to visit the cemetery then that is what you should do.

Now, of course you can try all the "Ghost Hunter" tricks of the trade to contact a spirit.  Like, EMF meters, Video and voice recorders, spirit boxes, camera's, and so on and so forth.  But because this is blog is for the EVERYDAY GHOST HUNTER...I want to give you a couple of suggestions to try with out all the Fancy equipment.

Let me say to...don't be disappointed if you do not get a response right away...sometimes it takes days or weeks and for me....it even took years before I was TRULY able to get a sign from my Grandfather that it was time to move on and let go of the guilt that I felt for years of not getting to say "goodbye"  but let me tell you this.....IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT because the sign I received was sooooo powerful that for the first time in years I WAS able to let go...and finally had that true peace in my heart that I so badly needed.

Ok....Ok.... I know...I need to move on and just tell you how to get a sign. One night, sit quietly in a room that you feel comfortable in and talk to your loved one like they were sitting right in front of you.  Tell them you need proof or a sign that they are ok and are still with you or watching over you.  Pick a picture on the wall that you know will not be hit or moved by anyone else in the house.  Make sure the picture is perfectly straight and ask your loved one to tilt it just a little bit.  Check the picture in the morning and see if it has moved.  If it hasn't don't be disappointed, just keep trying. 

Another easy way of course, is flashlight communication.  Make sure you are prepared to receive answers from your loved this way.  It can be very powerful to see the responses but make sure you are in a "good place" before trying this.

Another way is to place a trigger object(something that is meaningful to the spirit) and put it in a room that will not be disturbed.  Sprinkle baby power lightly all around the object and ask your loved one to move the object.  Leave the room and shut the door.  Make sure there is no a/c or heater vent that could blow any of the baby powder around.  Do not go into the room until the next day.  Any movement of the object should be noticeable in the baby powder.  You can also do the same thing with a wind chime.

On another note, watch for signs that your loved ones are connecting with you through signs.....  This is THEM trying to contact YOU not the other way around.  A favorite song comes on the radio out of the blue that you had been thinking about, you all of the sudden find something that has been lost for a while and it is found in the simplest place or a place you know you have already looked before, you see something that you normally wouldn't notice but for some reason all of the sudden you do and it makes you think of your loved one.  And of course, your dreams.  Have you ever had a dream about a loved one that felt so real that you woke up in a good mood because you felt like you had actually seen or spoken to them?  You did.

Again, just because you don't get a sign right away this does NOT mean that your loved one is not around you or does not want to connect you....it just means THEIR not ready or feel YOUR not ready for a message yet. 


On a personal note*  My prayers are with all the family and friends in Boston.   Sending them all the love and support....

Room 5-Haunted Jefferson Hotel-EVP Session-Ghost Meter

Ok.  I uploaded one of the full length sessions we did in room 5 at the Jefferson Hotel.  I decided it is only 16 minutes long so instead of spending hours, cropping and editing, I just made notes on the timestamp of different things that I thought were interesting.  Also, this way you don't have to watch the whole video you can just jump to the timestamp and listen or see what I have noted.   There was a lot of activity in this room....well, heck....... this hotel was awesome for ghost hunting!  Every room had its own story and its own ghost.

Enjoy.  Let me know what you think....

http://www.youtube.com/edit?ns=1&video_id=uW2mnBr2SiU

Jefferson Texas-More haunted pics!!!!!!!!!

The original photo-See the ghostly children
to the left of the pic???


I tried to draw an outline for you of
what I see...So what do you think...
Two children, and one adult or
three children, maybe one boy in white
and two girls in black



I enlarged this pic and added shading to it so
you could see the figures better.

So, pretty COOL pics, right?  This was taken during the walking tour by one of our team members, Kevin Stapleton.  I do not know much about this house, still doing research, because the tour guide did not tell us about it.  Looks like to me....she might want to check on it now! LOL  I see three figures...to me it looks like children possibly .....in the old timey uniforms they used to wear to school.  What do you think?  I would love to know if you see the same figures as I do.

 

 



The above pics I previously posted on Trigger Objects.  This is a small ball that we placed on one of the end tables in my room, Room 1.  Before I left, I said out loud, "Ok, if someone is really staying here in this room with us, move the ball OUTSIDE the dully.  And I said it that way for a reason.....if by chance there was a draft or the air somehow came on (because I made sure and turned it off before leaving) then the ball would probably ROLL OFF the end of the table.  But here's another thing, there was a tiny little circular notch in the table so I put the ball in that spot on purpose so THAT it would be difficult for it to roll.  Well......as you can see......... WE WEREN'T alone!!!


Just a narrow little street in Jefferson.....oh yeah,
and a really nice orb. LOL

Another building we visited on our
walking tour, supposing having several
owners because of the spirits haunting it.

The dining area in The Grove.  Photo by
Kevin Stapleton-team member

A very cool orb in Room 14



Just me in front of the Jefferson Hotel.

The Grove, Jefferson, Texas










Ok, more pics to come.  There is just to many for me to edit
and post in one night.  Hope you enjoy these and the video's.

Just a cute little street in Jefferson, Tx.
Do you see the shadowy little girl in this pic???
Good, because theres NOT one....just playing with you. LOL




 








EVP/Video-Jefferson Texas-Room 5

 

 

 

Ok I LOVE this EVP!!!!   IT is creepy and scary...... This is in room 5 at the haunted Jefferson Hotel

in room 5.  We had just come into the room to set up for an investigation.  If you listen right at the very end of this video you will hear a VERY CLEAR voice say...."Their Here".  This was not the only EVP we caught in this room.  One of our team members( the one who was actually staying in this room) left her video recorder going while we all went to dinner and when she played it back she caught what I believe to be the same exact voice saying "Shut the door".  There are logs that the hotel keeps and this is one of the things people say they here in room 5...."SHUT THE DOOR".  As soon as I get a copy of it, I will post it for you.  If you by chance have a pair of headsets it sounds a lot better and WAY CREEPY.  Just plug them into your computer and see.....

Ouija Board-Shouldn't you or Should you????

So, we all remember when we were growing up having friends over and trying to think of something to do. Usually, you were just sitting around and without fell.......someone would say...."I know....lets have a Séance!!!" And that's it!!! Everyone jumps up and says "YES....get the Ouija Board!!!"

You run to the table, and everyone grabs a chair and picks their spot, and you put the Ouija Board in the middle. "Everyone ready?" "YES... YES.....turn the lights off". You have the candles lite and everyone puts their fingertips on the little pointer....."Ok.....who do we want to contact?" Everyone is talking at the same time and names of different people are thrown out ........ names of loved ones, friends, actors, actresses, famous people you name it....everyone is talking at once trying to come up with someone COOL to talk to. So, finally you decide.................. the spirit you are going to connect is............you got it.........it's going to be ELVIS!!!!!! LOL..... Don't laugh...you know you did it at one time or another......Yeah that's who it's going to be!!!! So everyone gets really, really quite.......and their fingertips lightly placed on the pointer...you start asking questions.....ELVIS....are you here??? And slowly the pointer starts moving... first....to the letter Y....then to the letter E...and last...to the letter S! By now, everyone is accusing everyone else of purposely moving the pointer. Even on the first question.....when everyone is adamantly denying they are NOT moving the pointer you already have some people scared to death and want to stop! But not the rest.....they just start asking more and more questions as the pointer moves around to the different letters to spell out the answer to the question..... and you know how the rest of the story goes.........

A Ouija Board, by definition is a piece of wood bearing the letters of the alphabet that is used as a tool to make contact with the spirit world. Sitters place their fingers lightly on the planchetter(pointer) for by which the spirits can spell out messages on the board. This is the most controversial methods of spirit communication because in untrained hands it is believed to attract evil spirits. Critics say that not only is the Ouija Board dangerous because it can attract evil entities but also because users have know control over repressed material that might be released during a session.

The Ouija Board which is now marketed as "a game" by Parker Brothers, has been so successful as "a game" that it has sold more than the common staple game.....Monopoly.

Ok... so here's the question.....Is the Ouija Board a harmless toy or a way to communicate with the dead? Well, that is for you to decide, but sense this is my blog you know I'm going to give you my opinion. LOL

Let me see how to say this so that you understand where I stand on this.............DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!
I am NOT a fan of the Ouija Board and I'll tell you why.....to me.......when start calling in spirits through a Ouija Board you are just asking for trouble. It's kinda like.....well let me say it like this.....if you fill up a big black bag full of different colored marbles.....and you close your eyes and reach in the bag hoping to pull out JUST the green marble........well what are your chances you WILL get that marble? Get the point? Anyway, for me....this is just something I am NOT willing to chance!!! You have no control over WHO or WHAT spirit you may call up. I believe that sometimes.....not always.....that more dominate spirits come through or the evil spirits take over because even in the afterlife their are spirits that are just more intimidating than others and the gentler spirits back away from them. Sometimes, I think they may even be SCARED away by them...

I feel you have to REALLY KNOW your stuff before you attempt to use a Ouija Board....I am just NOT comfortable using it. I'm afraid I will call in a spirit.....possibly an evil spirit that COULD..... not saying it WOULD.....just saying it COULD attach itself to you because your touching the actual "opening portal" with your fingertips and who knows.....they may come right through and right through your fingertips and enter your body or attach itself. I know...I know....not everyone thinks like me....but this is my opinion. And I know it sounds a little crazy...but......you know........I AM a GHOST HUNTER.......so CRAZY I'm used to!!!! LOL So, if you DO decide you are going to use a Ouija Board.....please just make me feel better and say a little protection prayer. If you HAVE used a Ouija Board I would LOVE to hear about your experience....if NOT....what is your opinion on this...Should you or Shouldn't you??????? Don't forget to comment.....I LOVE IT when the readers comment!!!!

 

Jefferson, Texas-IT REALLY IS HAUNTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jefferson Texas....I never really understood the lure to this little town even though for years I have heard it was haunted.  What can I say now?????  HECK, YES IT'S HAUNTED!!!!!!  First, besides it's obvious charm of time standing still, it is a little town where the hometown people greet visitors like guest a country dinner.  And yes, they are VERY used to people talking about ghosts.  I love it!  This little town has it all....small town charm, Mom and Pop restaurant's, unique little gift shops, local train ride, local bars for an adult beverage....any my FAVORITE part.....it has tons of places to ghost hunt!!!!  This place became very quickly one of my new favorite places to go.

So, here goes my attempt to shorten soooooo many paranormal events down into just a few.

I went with my team, and even some of my family members joined us this trip, not to mention, all the new friends I made in Jefferson, to investigate the Haunted Jefferson Hotel.  What a BLAST it was!!!! Thank you to everyone that was able to make it, you guys are great!  Oh, and my boyfriend, Deak, this was only his second really big ghost hunt and He did awesome at capturing some amazing photos so wish me luck,  I am hoping to get him hooked on Ghost Hunting....LOL

Ok...enough with the "thanks"...back to the story.  Lets start with THE GROVE.  The Grove is a small little house that sits just off the main square in Jefferson.  The house was built back in 1860 and since has had several owners and even an attempted was made at turning it into a restaurant.  It is reported to have several spirits that call this place home.  Ok this is where it gets good....

We signed up for a tour of the Grove.  Now, I don't claim to be a "sensitive" or anything like that, but sometimes, I do FEEL like things are with us or around us and I can honestly say that at the Grove... I felt nothing.  I wanted to...I kept hoping to run into a cold spot, or hear something or even see something, but nothing.  For me, this was just another cute little house.  But according to the current owner, it is filled with paranormal activity.

As we walked through the house, Deak (my boyfriend)was taking pictures for me as I was using a different type of camera and taking pictures myself.  JUST WAIT TILL YOU SEE WHAT HE CAUGHT!!!  The current owner, Mitchell Whitington, was telling us about a particular corner of the house in the formal living area that seems to have the most activity in the house and is believed to be the spirit of Minervia Fox(Stilley), the wife of the original owner Mr. Frank Stilley.  Mrs. Stilley passed away in 1879, and shortly after, Mr. Stilley sold the place due to some financial struggles and moved away from Jefferson.  I guess Mrs. Stilley decided she would just stay right here in Jefferson.

The pictures below are the original photo taken over in the "most active" part of the house(which Mrs. Stilley is most often seen and felt) and then I have outlined in red, a lady I believe to be Mrs. Stilley herself looking peacefully out the window or maybe it's longingly for Mr. Stilley to return.  What do you think???  See for yourself....

The only painting of Mrs. Stilley



Original



Original blown up just a bit





Mrs. Stilley looking slightly down in a white dress with dark hair.

OK, just wait....that's not even the half of it!!  Take a look a this photo taken by Rhonda Sherman, a really nice lady that I might on our trip that was staying in the same hotel as me, the haunted Jefferson Hotel.  She and her husband, Carl went on the nightly walking tour with us.  Now, normally I wouldn't give my opinion on these kind of tours, but let me say this nicely....save your money and explore the town on your own.  Everyone in the town has a ghost story, so ask. :) 

 

Ok, back to her photo.  As we were finishing up our tour, we passed an open area where the trees where in the back of a lot and it looked to have a creek bed at the very back.  Our tour guide told us that many people believe there is a Portal (a place where the dead and come in and out of the real/now world).  Well, look at Rhonda's photo and you tell me....Yes? No? Maybe?  And before you even ask....no, there was no one smoking around us and no fog... it was a beautiful Texas night.

The first picture is what I believe is a Vortex.  The second picture, is the same time, same place
but nothing.  These photos were taken back to back.  Photos by Rhonda Sherman

Ok....that's all I have time for tonight, but you DON'T want to miss all the other cool pics, EVP'S and video's I am going to be posting.  Trust me, it's worth the wait!  I hope to get it on the next couple of days....but let me tell you.... one of our EVP'S is amazing and clear!  Happy hunting...and good night...I'm pooped!!!

Trigger objects-Ghostly invitations....

Have you ever had something that you just LOVED... a favorite glass, a favorite book, a favorite shirt...something that meant something to YOU but might not have meant anything to anyone else?  Of course you have.  We all have things that we cherish and don't want to give up.  These are Trigger objects.  Trigger objects are items brought into a haunted location in hopes of prompting or triggering a response or even a manifestation from a spirit.

Sometimes, if you do not have a "personal item" from the spirit that you are trying to connect with, you can use something that may be familiar to the spirit.  For example, if you are trying to communicate with a child, you may use a ball or toy.  If you do NOT KNOW who the spirit or what the spirit is, many times you can use a coin.  You may have to use several different coins with different dates on them to try and generate a response.  The different coins can represent different dates or years significant to the location or an event relating to the spirit.

Try using a trigger object to "invite" the spirit into making themselves or itself known.  Try this.... take a trigger object whether it be a toy, special item to the person passed, or if you have no information  about the location or spirit... use a coin.  Place the trigger object in a place that is free of drafts or any outside interference.  Place your object on a piece of paper, draw a circle around it and either sit quietly and ask for a sign of their presence or even better, leave the room completely, undisturbed for several hours and come back and check on the object and see if it has moved at all.

I LOVE trigger objects!!!  When you get a response with a trigger object it is so cool.... and to me, it makes for a very personal experience because the object "means" something to the spirit you have contacted.

This past weekend I went to Jefferson, Tx and stayed at the haunted Jefferson Hotel.  What a GREAT place with LOTS of activity!!!  Again, this is one of those places I can't wait to go back to.  I met soooo many fun people staying at the hotel, all of which I might say....where there for the paranormal experience and our team had a great investigation.  We invited some of the residents to join in our investigation which lead to use getting to go into several rooms we hadn't expected to get into.  I would like to thank EVERYONE for being so nice to us and allowing us to investigate your individual rooms.  What GREAT evidence we have!!!!  I will be posting much MORE about my trip to Jefferson in the next week or two so stay tuned....you won't want to miss it!!!!

Below are some pictures I took inside my room #1 at the Jefferson Hotel.  Before we went to dinner, I placed a ball on a dully on the night stand beside one of the beds in my room.  I made sure that it was out of the way of the air conditioner vent or anything that might make the ball move.  Matter of fact, the A/C was off.  I placed the ball in a "little grove" or notch that was in the night stand.  That way, it could NOT be moved easily or roll off due to uneven floors, drafts.... etc.

Before we went to dinner, I said out loud "if there is truly someone in this room, please move the ball outside of the dully" and left the room and locked the door.  Then we went to dinner.   When we returned..........well...... see for yourselves!!!!!  There it was....the ball on the OUTSIDE of the dully!!!  How cool is that!!!!!!  I was sooooo excited but being the good GHOST HUNTER I am(LOL) I had to try and recreate how this could have happened...right???  And yes, there are times, you HOPE that YOU CAN'T recreate what happened because then.....how fun would that be???  But you have to try if you want to take your research seriously and I DO!!!!  So,  I took a picture, then placed the ball back in it's original place on the dully on the night stand......  jumped up and down all around the night stand and COULD NOT get the ball to move NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT!!!!!

So, trigger objects can be VERY useful in an investigation and to me....can really make a long night.....seem so much more fun and interesting. :)  What do you think...






Room #1-Jefferson Hotel

The Jefferson Hotel, Jefferson, Tx

Placed the ball on the nightstand and left
the room for a couple hours.

The ball has MOVED!!!!