by Maureen Wood
OCTOBER 17, 1926 WAVERLY HILLS SANITARIUM
Louisville, Kentucky
Waverly Sanitarium is reputed to be among the most haunted locations in the world. The town of Waverly Hills had a benign, even serene beginning. During an era when women were discouraged from learning, Major Thomas H. Hayes, a man way ahead of his time, purchased the property and had a one-room schoolhouse built. In 1883, Hayes hired Lizzie Harris to instruct his girls.
The Board of Tuberculosis Hospital later purchased the property in 1910, opening its doors to the sick. In 1926 a larger building was added to handle the scores of patients that were being transported from all over the country. In 1962, it stopped being a tuberculosis hospital and became a center for geriatric patients. In 1982, the state of Kentucky stepped in and closed it.
Today, paranormal investigators from all over the world visit Waverly Hills. Although the hospital is a playground to hosts of spirits, many reports of spiritual phenomena seem to center around the death tunnel, also known as the body chute. Countless patients died while undergoing treatment for tuberculosis. Rather than horrify the patients with impending doom, and to dispose of the bodies quickly, the dead were deposited in the chute, which emptied into the basement. There they were either cremated or sent to a funeral home for burial. It's near this chute that visitors have often witnessed full apparitions and heard the eerie chatter of patients of long ago, roaming the halls in search of their remains. The playful spirits of a little girl and boy have been seen wandering throughout the hospital. One investigator, Marley Gibson, captured what has come to be known as “the ball video.” For more than a half hour, the spirit of a child seems to be playing tug of war with Marley over a beach ball. The floor was level. There was no breeze in sight, but on the video, one can see a playful force behind unseen hands. Skeptical? Perhaps you should visit with the many investigators who walk the halls of the old hospital in search of communing with the dead. Waverly Hills Sanitarium may make a believer out of you yet.
OCTOBER 18, 1871 THE HAUNTED MAUSOLEUM
Cleveland, Tennessee
This is not your typical ghost story with phantom specters appearing or the creepy sounds of those long deceased attempting to reconnect with the living. However, if you find yourself visiting Cleveland, Tennessee, you may want to visit the cemetery located behind St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Here you will find the crypt of the Craigmiles family.
The colossal, white marble crypt is said to bleed reddish pink splotches. The family's tragic history began with that of poor Nina, who was killed in a buggy accident in 1871. When she and her grandfather were enjoying a fast-paced buggy ride, he would often give seven-year-old Nina the reigns. Nina loved to go fast. Unfortunately, on that fateful day, little Nina, not paying attention, crossed the path of a speeding train and was killed instantly.
After her burial, red stains began appearing on the white mausoleum that was erected in her honor. The tragic deaths of the Craigmiles family continued. Nina's father died of blood poisoning in 1899 after falling on an ice-covered street. Adelia, his wife, was struck and killed by a car in 1928, and an infant child died at birth.
And with each consecutive addition to the Craigmiles family plot, the red stains only became more prominent. The locals, disturbed by this strange phenomenon, tried to scrub away the stains. When that didn't work, they replaced the discolored marble with a new block, only to have the red stains return. Maybe Nina is crying tears of blood over the deaths of those she loves. Then again, this strange phenomenon's origin may never be resolved.
OCTOBER 19, 1923 LENIN'S GHOST
Moscow, Russia
Since Lenin's death in 1924, his ghost has been sporadically spotted throughout Moscow. Soldiers guarding his former apartment have heard eerie noises, footsteps, and furniture being moved from the empty room. In fact, Sergei Filatov, chief of staff under Boris Yeltsin, retells his own experience with Lenin's ghost. According to Sergei, he was working late one night in an office under Lenin's old apartment when he heard creaking in the floorboards above. At first he ignored it, but then realized it sounded as if someone was pacing back and forth. Calling security, he asked what was going on in the apartment, which is now a museum. He was informed that there was no one there. The footsteps continued even as he spoke. Disbelieving the guards, he asked them to meet him at the apartment. They unlocked the door and thoroughly searched the museum and building. They found no one.
A few years later, a student from Moscow State University had a run in with Lenin. While walking across the cobblestones of Oktyabrskaya Square in Moscow, his path crossed that of the famous Bolshevik leader. At first he couldn't believe his eyes. As he stood there awestruck, he could clearly see Lenin's facial features right down to his signature beard. When the phantom realized that he had been spotted, he stepped into his monument and disappeared.
Perhaps the strangest sighting of Lenin's spirit happened on October 19, 1923. That night he was seen walking in and about the city without his guards. This caused great alarm to many security agents, who reported the sightings to their superiors. To this day, no one can explain the sightings that night, since Lenin was in Gorki, ill but alive.
OCTOBER 20, 2008 COUNTRY HOUSE RESTAURANT
Clarendon Hills, Illinois
As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the Country House Restaurant has experienced its share of paranormal phenomena. Built in 1922, the first floor of this two-story building has changed ownership several times over the years. During the 1950s, a young blond woman who was having an affair with the bartender brought her daughter in for a visit. Soon after, she and the bartender got into a heated argument. The blonde asked the man to watch the child. When he refused, she stormed out of the restaurant with her child in hand, got into the car, and crashed into a tree. Although the woman died, the child was spared.
It's the blond woman's spirit that is believed to be behind the host of paranormal events. Disembodied voices are heard. For no apparent reason, napkins have sailed across the room. During the wee hours of the night, the jukebox has repeatedly turned itself on. Once, during a period when the Country House was being renovated, a worker heard it begin to play. When he went to investigate further, he noticed the spooky image of a blond woman standing beside it. Even spookier was the fact that she had no legs. Patrons of the restaurant while waiting for a table have often heard their names called out by a woman, only to be told that they must have been mistaken; the table wasn't ready yet. It's apparent by her actions that this ghost is a bit of a prankster.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
If you are afraid of ghosts, you are said to have phasmophobia.
OCTOBER 21, 1805 THE GHOST OF LORD HORATIO NELSON
Nova Scotia, Canada
Pleasant Point Lighthouse, or French Point Light, as it is sometimes called, was built in 1904 on a grassy knoll. The wooden eleven-meter-tall structure was built in the classic peppershaker design. Its first keeper was a seafaring man named John Kent. For almost a hundred years the Kent family members have tended to the lighthouse. Like so many other lighthouses, it has a ghost attached to it. But unlike so many others, this ghost is rather famous. According to a story told by Ivan Kent, his great grandfather was the navigator for none other than Lord Horatio Nelson. Not only that, he was with Lord Nelson when he died at Trafalgar. The admiral's body was laid to rest in London, England, but it seems the admiral's spirit had other plans.
The ghost of Nelson remained with Kent, even following him to North America when he settled in Nova Scotia. The Admiral haunted Kent's original home in Canada, and when that was destroyed it seems he immigrated to the nearby lighthouse. The ghost has been pretty benign, except for a couple of incidents with the family pet. On two separate occasions, with two different cats, the presence of Nelson has been felt. The cats each disappeared, only to be later found beneath a trap door in the floor of the lighthouse. They acted frantic, as if they were possessed. Away from the tower, they soon recovered. But after their encounter
with the ghost of Nelson, they wanted no part of the lighthouse. Visitors have all felt his presence, and Ivan doesn't mind Nelson hanging around, he just wishes he'd leave his cats alone.
OCTOBER 22, 2003 TIGG ER'S RETURN
Montreal, Canada
In 2003, Leigh Ross's cat Tigger passed away peacefully at the veterinarian's office. Her loveable cat slept at the foot of her bed every night. During Tigger's last days, when the cancer was taking its toll, she stayed at the end of Leigh's bed all day and night. Despite her best efforts, Tigger passed away. For weeks after, an invisible weight on the bed could still be felt, and Leigh had the sensation of a cat curling up at her feet. Since it was something Leigh had experienced every night for the past thirteen years, coupled with the fact that she was still grieving for Tigger, she pushed the odd goings-on out of her mind.
Then the unexpected happened two years later when Leigh brought two kittens home. Due to their rambunctious behavior at all hours of the night, the kittens were banned from the bedroom. One night, Leigh awoke to feel a cat jump up at the foot of her bed. Half asleep, she reached down to pet the cat and felt it purr when she did so. It took a moment for her mind to clear and realize that there were no cats in the bedroom. Once again she reached down, felt the cat, then got up out of bed. She checked the door, which was still closed. Quickly she turned on the light. To her amazement, Tigger's ghostly apparition jumped off the bed! And although Leigh hasn't seen the spirit of her beloved cat since, on several occasions she has felt her astral presence as she curls up beside her. Tigger may be gone, but she's certainly not forgotten.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
Animals are thought to be sensitive to paranormal activity, which is why they can often be seen staring intently off into the distance.
OCTOBER 23, 1642 THE SPECTRAL BATTLE OF EDGEHILL
Edgehill, England
The Battle of Edgehill was the first major armed conflict of the English Civil War. On October 23, 1642, approximately 1,400 royal troops under the command of the Earl of Forth met slightly smaller forces of parliamentary troops under the Earl of Essex. The fierce battle raged back and forth with more than 1,500 men losing their lives. At the height of the battle, the Roundheads captured the flag and killed its bearer, Sir Edmund Verney. Spying the loss, Captain John Smith, a Royal Calvary officer, charged the group and retrieved the royal standard and returned it to the king. Verney's detached hand was still tightly clasped around the pole. The battle was indecisive, with both sides claiming victory.
A couple of months later, several shepherds were tending their flocks when they heard the distant sound of drums. As they drew closer, the drums were accompanied by the sounds of horses, clashing steel, and moaning men. To the shepherds' amazement, the sky above the original battlefield lit up with spectral armies refighting the battle. After the battle was over the shepherds rushed to the nearby town of Kineton, where they reported what they saw to local officials. The spectral battle took place several days in a row. The king, hearing of the event, dispatched several men to investigate the claims. Just as the shepherds had seen, they too witnessed the ethereal conflict. Several of the men who had fought in the original battle themselves were stunned as they recognized some of their fallen comrades.
Eventually the vision of the ghostly battle faded away. But some say that even today, if you listen, you still can hear echoes of the phantom Battle of Edgehill.
OCTOBER 24, 1980 TOYS “R” US
Sunnyvale, California
The haunted Toys “R” Us in Sunnyvale is a prime example that shows that even the newest of buildings can be haunted. In this case the paranormal phenomenon originates from a period in history when the majority of the area around Sunnyvale was farmland. One farmer in particular was Johnny Johnson. In 1884, he was a young man rejected by his love. One day, while cutting wood, he slipped with the axe and drove it into his leg. Refusing to quit his chores, he cinched up his leg with a piece of cloth and continued working. And that's where he was eventually found, having bled to death of his wound.
But what does Johnny's death have to do with a toy store? Soon after being built on the same land in 1970, employees of the Toys “R” Us began to encounter an onslaught of paranormal experiences. Faucets began turning on by themselves. Previously stacked toys were found scattered in the aisles. Sealed boxes of mechanical dolls reportedly became activated and began to speak of their own accord. Toys flew off the shelves, and disembodied voices were heard. Among the creepiest occurrences to afflict the help have been those reported by the female employees, who have felt invisible hands brush back their hair as someone unseen whispers in their ear. Perhaps Johnny is still pining for his lost love, Beth.
In October of 1980, renowned psychic Sylvia Brown was called in to investigate the odd goings-on and was permitted to perform a séance. During the séance she attempted to communicate with Johnny Johnson, convince him of his demise, and help him to move on to a better place. A photo taken during the séance later revealed a dark figure leaning against the wall. The curious Johnny had no intention of leaving.
OCTOBER 25, 1829 EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eastern State Penitentiary opened on October 25, 1829, and was designed for incorrigible prisoners to be kept in forced solitude. The austere cells contained nothing more than a bunk and a Bible. The only light that entered the cells came from a small glass window referred to as “the Eye of God.” Each prisoner was given one hour a day of exercise, and a black hood was placed over their heads as they were led from their cells. Under these conditions, even a sane prisoner could go mad. Desperate for human interaction, many men would tap on pipes and whisper through the walls. If caught, they were severely punished. There were several horrific tortures that had been carried out, but the most deadly of the tortures was saved for the repeat offender who continually broke the enforced vow of silence. An iron clamp was secured to the tongue. With the prisoner's hands behind his back, a set of chains was then attached to the device. Any movement by the prisoner resulted in the tearing of his tongue leading to an abundance of blood loss and finally death. Due to overcrowding and harsh conditions, the penitentiary was forced to close its doors in 1971. However, the penitentiary's walls were so stained by misery and torture that today countless reports of paranormal activity have been made, and Eastern State Penitentiary has become one of the most haunted locations in the country. One paranormal report came from a locksmith doing restoration work on cellblock four. He states that just as he removed the 140-year-old lock, he was assailed by a blast of energy so powerful that he couldn't move. As if he'd released the Devil himself, the surge of energy tore past him and out of the cell. There before him were the hideous ghostly faces of tormented souls swirling and morphing into shapes. Tourists still report the sound of whispering and weeping emanating through the prisons walls. It seems these souls have finally found their voices. Evidently, they were dying to speak.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
Poltergeists are noisy ghosts. Sometimes they are malicious and destructive entities known to display aggressive behavior. Among some of their disturbances are loud banging, thumping noises, moving and levitating objects, and setting fires.
OCTOBER 26, 2007 THE HAUNTED SWING
Firmat, Argentina
Through the years people have been frightened by many possessed or haunted items, but never a playground swing. Until now! The citizens of Firmat, Argentina, became spooked when a playground swing began to move on its own. The middle swing of three would move back and forth by itself, while the other two remained still. “It was like some invisible child was on it,” one parent said. After a couple of months, anxious parents informed the police. Its movements even baffled them. They, in turn, contacted a physics professor for an explanation. After investigating, the professor ruled out environmental causes such as wind, vibrations, and electromagnetic forces. The swing continued to move. At one point it moved for ten days straight while the other
two swings remained still.
Teacher Maria de Silva Augustina told reporters that one scared child had nicknamed the area the “Blair Witch Playground.” When asked her opinion, she said, “We believe it is haunted.”
OCTOBER 27, 2006 PORSGRUNN NURSING HOME
Porsgrunn, Norway
According to the Norwegian newspaper Telemarksavisa, staff and patients at the aging Porsgrunn Nursing Home experienced so much unexplained activity that they summoned a priest. The nursing home had attempted to keep the haunting quiet until the newspaper got wind of it.
The building was erected in 1932 as a modern Lutheran Hospital. In 1971, it was converted to the nursing home, but it appears that not all of the hospital staff has left. The identity of the ghost is believed to be that of an “oversykepleier” (head nurse), a past employee of the hospital. Her presence not only can be felt but smelled, as it is accompanied by the odor of an old perfume, eau de Cologne 4711. Although the spirit has never harmed anyone, some of the staff have become uncomfortable with her presence, so much so that some have refused to work at night. To remedy the situation a priest was called. In a quiet ceremony, the priest blessed the home in an attempt to rid it of its spirit. Administrators feel that they have taken the correct action and have not reported the nurse's presence since the blessing.