Haunted or Hoax?

[MS6SSNatalieH]

Haunted Athens, Ohio

The quaint town of Athens sits in the southern most reaches of Ohio in the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian mountains have a very long history of tales of magic, spirits, and strange, unexplainable events.

Athens is one of these places nestled in the Appalachians that seem to have its fair share of ghostly happenings and stories.

The numerous legends centered around the town of Athens include everything from restless spirits haunting old homes, and Ohio State University, to several stone angels in the local cemeteries who weep tears of blood. Along with these strange tales there is the legend of the headless train conductor around the a certain stretch of train track around Lake Hope who tries to flag down passers-by with his lantern. This particular story goes back to the very early part of the 20th century when the citizens of the town of Moonville, which sits on the outskirts of Athens, were quarantined because of a sever measles outbreak. Food, medical, and other supplies in the little town were running low and this poor fellow went out to try and flag down a train to bring help. Unfortunately, the train struck the man, severing his head, and he has haunted that particular stretch of rail every since.

Haunted houses abound in Athens as well. One of these homes is said to be cursed because of a local college professor. It is said that he murdered his wife and shoved her body into one of those large steel drums then shoved this drum into a lake after punching it full of holes to try and make it sink. However, the ploy did not work and somehow the drum has ended up in front of his old house being used as a flower pot. It will not leak, no matter how much water is poured into it and it always returns to the spot that it sits on in spite of any attempt to discard it. The spirit of the murdered woman is said to still be lingering at the house as well. In another house there dwells the spirit of an old woman who would not ever leave her house when she was alive. After her death, her spirit never left either and people report seeing her staring out of the second story bedroom window.

On the campus of Ohio University is the Zeta Tau Alpha house. This is one of the oldest houses in Athens and legend has it that during the years of the Civil War, it was used as a hiding place for runaway slaves and was part of the Underground Railroad. The legend goes on to say that Confederate soldiers once raided the house and murdered a runaway slave named Nicodemus, who was being hidden in the basement. Since that time many residences of the house have reported seeing a black man in ragged clothes wandering through the house, doors opening by themselves, as well as moaning and banging sounds coming from behind the walls where the runaway slaves once hid. Along with these noted places are the many cemeteries dotting the town where reports of strange specters roam amongst the headstones and the statues of angles weep.

So, if your ever in Athens, Ohio, and are in the mood for some ghost hunting, you may want to check out these spooky spots of haunted Athens, Ohio.

[MS6SSNatalieH]

Lincoln’s Phantom Ghost Train

Is There a Ghost Train That Still Haunts the Tracks From DC to Illinois?

We often hear about haunted ships and houses, but what about trains? Trains have been around for a long time now, and many people have always found them to be fascinating. They are often associated with folklore, so it’s not surprising that some are believed to be ghost trains or haunted trains.
One of the most famous ghost trains of all time was Abe Lincoln’s burial train, which took him home for burial in April 1865. It’s also been referred to as “Lincoln’s Phantom Train�, and is one of the most intriguing supernatural events in American history. After his assassination, President Abraham Lincoln’s body was placed on a special funeral train to be taken to Springfield, Illinois for burial.
Going through New York state, it went the exact same route that Lincoln took from Illinois to DC years earlier as President-elect. It stopped a few times along the way, so that onlookers could pay their respects to Lincoln before arriving at the final destination in Springfield. Some say that all the clocks in an area stopped whenever the train stopped.
Every year following, in April, a phantom train can allegedly be seen traveling the same route. It leaves from Washington DC, travels through New York, and heads toward Springfield, traveling slowly and eerily. Some alleged witnesses over the years claim to see a team of skeletons manning the train. A flag-draped coffin could also be seen, surrounded by spirits of soldiers dressed in blue Union uniforms. It never arrives at its destination.

There have also been claims of a ghostly whistle and train smoke, but no train. This always seems to happen in April, on the anniversary of Lincoln’s final train ride. Many track-walkers, section hands, and other railroad workers have claimed to have see or head the Phantom Train for many, many years. They have described the air along the tracks becoming “keen�. If a real train goes by at the same time, the ghost train is replaced. A real train doesn’t seem to effect the ghost train any, or vice versa. Some even claim that watches and clocks still stop whenever it goes by.

Whether any of this is true or not, nobody knows, although there have been a lot of alleged witnesses over the past 144 years. Do the railroad tracks become haunted by Lincoln’s ghost train every April since the anniversary of his last route? Is there still a phantom train crew that can be seen accompanying his body halfway across the country, never reaching the destination?

[MS6SSNatalieH]

Mysteries of Dudleytown

In the early part of the 1740’s, Thomas Griffis bought a plot of land that would later be considered the first lot in Dudleytown.

In northwestern Connecticut are the remains of a small township that was given the name of Dudleytown. The homes of this once thriving village that was nestled in the surrounding mountains are long gone, but it would seem that the spirits of those who once dwelt here still remain. There are many tales of ghosts, mysterious happenings, demonic beasts, horrible curses and a dark and violent history that starts with the very founding of America itself. Today, all that is left of Dudleytown are the sad remains of some stone foundations and the holes that once were used as cellars to store root vegetables and other foods during the winter months. The roads that were at one time well traveled are now no more than narrow foot paths where only hikers, and the devoted ghost hunter, will bother to traverse.

The land today has changed very little and looks very much as it did when Griffis settled there. It is a thickly forested landscape and rocks lie strewn on the ground where Dudleytown once stood. The land lies covered in shadow from the mountains and receives little sunlight. The woods have been given the name of "Dark Entry Forest".

In the beginning, the land where Dudleytown would later sit was owned by a man named Thomas Griffis. He and his family were the first to settle in that particular region in the early 1740’s. A village began to spring up a few years later in 1747 when Gideon Dudley arrived on the scene and it was through him the small village became known as Dudleytown. Gideon's two brothers soon followed him to the area and settled there as well. It was the Dudley’s who were said to be responsible for a curse that was laid upon the village and it is this supposed curse that many say is responsible for the horrors that roam the area to this day.

According to both recent and older accounts, this curse had its start in England in the year 1510. Edmund Dudley, one of the patriarchs of the family, was sentenced to death and beheaded for being part of a plot to overthrow King Henry VIII. It is said that a curse was placed on the family due to this treasonous behaviour. It is said that this curse was that all of the Dudley descendants would be plagued by unrelenting by horrors and death would hound them until every last one of the Dudley descendants were wiped from the face of the earth. Believers of the curse swear that the Dudley family then began having a rather nasty run of bad luck.

John Dudley, who was Edmund's son, made his own attempt to get control of the British throne by having his son, Guilford, marry Lady Jane Grey who was next in line for the crown. Lady Jane was queen for a short time upon the death of Edward VI, but the plan quickly failed and Lady Jane and Edmund and Guilford Dudley were all executed. Soon afterwards, Guilford’s brother returned from France after a stint in the military. He brought with him a vicious plague that spread to his officers and troops. The sickness eventually spread throughout the country, killing thousands of people. John Dudley’s third son, Robert, who was also the Earl of Leicester, decided to leave England and travel to the New World. It would be Robert's descendant William, who would later settle in Guilford, Connecticut. Abiel, Barzallai and Gideon, William's descendants, would later buy the land that became Dudleytown.

The village rested in the middle of three large hills, which is why it looked dark even at noon. Settlers began to trickle into the area. The Tanner, the Jones, the Patterson, the Dibble and the Porter families all settled in Dudleytown. Iron ore was discovered and the little village prospered for a while. Even so, goods such as food, cloth, tools, etc. had to be purchased from towns down the mountain because Dudleytown never had any stores, schools, churches nor even a cemetery. Dudleytown was also known for its timber, which was used to make wood coal for the Litchfield County Iron Furnaces in Cornwall and other towns.

In spite of the obvious prosperity though, there were strange deaths and bizarre occurrences at Dudleytown from the very beginning. There was an unusually high number of people who went insane and quite a few people who simply vanished and were never seen or heard from again.

Abiel Dudley lost his entire fortune and eventually his mind. Abiel was made a ward of the town, and in his final years he wandered around aimlessly, mumbling incoherently about "strange creatures in the woods" and unable to care for himself. Abiel died in 1799 at the ripe old age of 90, which was unusual in itself during this time period when people were lucky to live into their 30s or 40s. William Tanner, one of Abiel's closest neighbors, was also said to have gone insane. Oddly enough, Tanner lived to the age of 104 and according to records, Tanner also would talk of "strange creatures" that came out of the woods at night. Whether or not these creatures were supernatural or the product of a senile mind is impossible to say.

The records that are still in existence from the Dudleytown tell of strange illnesses, disappearances, numerous cases of people going insane, reports of strange creatures roaming the area at night, although it seems that most of the reports were from those folks who had been declared insane.

After the Civil War, Dudleytown began to die and most of the remaining families simply packed up and moved away. The small village soon became the haunt of birds, small animals, and began to be reclaimed by the forest.

During the final days of Dudleytown one rather strange and mysterious event came to light, and no matter how hard the skeptics try to disregard and debunk this odd occurrence in Dudleytown, even they can not give a reasonable explanation for the event.

In 1901, when the population of Dudleytown had dwindled to nearly nothing, one of the last residents of the town, John Patrick Brophy, suffered a slew of misfortunes. His first wife died when she was struck down by a sudden illness and then his two children vanished into the forest right after his wife's funeral. The children were never found. Shortly after the disappearance of his children, Brophy’s house was burned to the ground in a mysterious fire and not long after, Brophy himself disappeared and was never seen again. Shortly after these string of bizarre occurrences, Dudleytown officially ceased to be, and began to be reclaimed by the land.

Tales of spooky lights, misty apparitions, and strange incidences began to surface in the 1940’s when visitors to the old ruins reported seeing these strange things. Today, those folks who have made the long trek to visit the place show photographs of spooky mists that seem to show creepy faces peering out at the observer, and say they get feelings of terror, see mysterious lights, sights and hear creepy sounds. Many folks report that they have experienced being touched, pushed and scratched by unseen hands. Many say that this area was once the land belonging to the Mohawk tribe and they left it when the ground became "soured", or cursed.

Whatever the reasons for the strange and spooky occurrences in the area once known as Dudleytown, one thing is for certain, this remote part of Connecticut will remain a favorite place for thrill seekers and ghost hunters for many years to come.

[MS6SSNatalieH]

Haunted Alcatraz

Alcatraz, one of the most infamous prisons known in American history, has now become known as one of the most haunted places in America.

During the daylight hours, the old prison is a hopping tourist attraction, with tour guides leading groups of tourists around to see the cells and other parts of the prison that once housed some of the 20th century's most violent criminals, many of whom died violent deaths at the hands of the prison guards or other inmates, or went mad from the mental anguish and stress caused by the horrible conditions of this prison that gained the well deserved nickname, "The Rock". Apparently, the tormented spirits of these prisoners still linger in the cold, dank hallways and cells of Alcatraz.

In 1946, 3 notorious criminals by the name of Joseph Paul Cretzer, Bernie Coy and Marvin Hubbard were the ring leaders for the bloodiest escape attempt in the history of Alcatraz. In the attempt, Coy, Cretzer, and Hubbard ran for the utility corridor on Cell Block C where they were killed by a combination of gunfire and grenade explosions. Today, a large steel door that looks as though it had been welded shut at one time blocks this corridor from anyone going into it. However, many tourists, the caretakers and night watchmen have reported hearing the sounds of screaming, shouting, moans, strange clankings, as well as the sounds of gunfire and explosions, coming from the area.

Many of the night watchmen who patrol through Alcatraz say that they have heard the sounds of men running or walking around coming the from the upper tiers. As usual, the watchmen will go and check out to see if some of the tourists have tried to hide away in an effort to stay over night on the island and, as always, they never find anyone or anything that could have made the sounds.

Many of the guides, tourists, and night watchmen have also often mentioned that they get a really weird feeling from one of the "hole" cells, the one numbered as 14D. 14D is always cold, no matter how hot the rest of the old prison gets, and always has a feeling of heavy foreboding and fear about it.

Oddly enough, long before the prison was shut down, ghostly happenings were going on in Alcatraz. A number of still surviving former guards and some of the still surviving former inmates from the prison also told tales of spooky and sometimes terrifying happenings down in the 'holes', and particularly, Cell 14D.

One of these incidents was around 1944 or 1945 when one of the inmates was locked in 14D on some sort of infraction of the rules. The former guard said that the inmate started screaming as soon as the door was shut and locked. He kept screaming that there was a monster with red, glowing eyes, and then as suddenly as the screaming started it abruptly stopped. The next day, when the guards opened up the cell the inmate was found dead with the clear and unmistakable hand marks around his throat. The autopsy showed that these marks were not self-inflicted. On the following day after the man's death when the guard's were doing one of the daily head counts noticed there were too many people in the line. They looked towards the end of the line and saw the man who had been killed just the day before in 14D. He looked at the guards with a look of pain and anger, accusatory in it's expression, and then turned and disappeared.

With all the pain and violence that went on within the boundaries of the infamous 'Rock', it is easy to see why many of those who saw their last days there have never left, seemingly forever trapped in the hell known as Alcatraz.

[MS6SSNatalieH]

Bobby Mackey's Nightclub Ghosts

Many know the stories about Bobby Mackey's nightclub ghosts, but most do not know about the history of the club. Many years ago the now nightclub was a slaughterhouse.

Many people have reported strange happenings inside the club including one man that was attacked in the bathroom, but no one was there. This alone would make the average person never go back. However, the haunting has made this the hottest nightclub to be at late in the evening. There are many ghosts that haunt the nightclub including a woman named Pearl. Pearl was rumored to have been decapitated for a satanic sacrifice.

Many people have reported strange happenings inside the club including one man that was attacked in the bathroom, but no one was there. This alone would make the average person never go back. However, the haunting has made this the hottest nightclub to be at late in the evening. There are many ghosts that haunt the nightclub including a woman named Pearl. Pearl was rumored to have been decapitated for a satanic sacrifice.

Over the years, there are many deaths that occurred inside the walls of the now country music nightclub. This nightclub does have a reputation, but it is not for the music, it is because of the ghosts that haunt the club. Some investigators have experienced some horrific ghosts while in the nightclub. If you believe that ghosts do exist, then you can believe that ghosts do not always show. Some days the nightclub has no problems and other days, it is one thing after another. The demonic nature in the club is chilling according to many.

Because of all the deaths inside the walls, it is very possible that the ghosts are haunting the club. It may be that they are seeking revenge, but they could be trying to drive the business out. Although Bobby Mackey does not intend to sell the famous club, he may have some problems keeping customers if the ghosts get any meaner than they have already. One ghost tried to push an investigator down some steps. Then there is a ghost named Scott who repeated that it was his girlfriend's fault that he and another man were dead. Could these ghosts be looking for justice?

We have to believe that ghosts are here for a reason. One reason could be that there has been no justice served for the killings. Many haunted places are the scene of murders in which no suspects were caught and tried. Why do ghosts haunt places? Is it because they are looking for revenge or someone to find their killers. If you look at other haunted places, you will see that the ghosts are of people that were murdered and no one was ever caught and tried. The Bobby Mackey's Nightclub has ghosts and all died within the walls of the build over the years.

One would have to look into the deaths of all the ghosts to see how they died and if anyone was arrested for their murders or deaths. Maybe this would help understand why the ghosts are so vindictive. The ghosts in the nightclub are not your typical ghosts, they are mean and try to cause harm to the people that enter the building. There have been some incredible activity in the club and no one knows why. Some day, maybe the ghosts will find justice or maybe someday they will succeed in killing an unsuspecting customer.

[MS6SSNatalieH]

The Amityville Horror

Whether or not the stories of the Amityville Horror are true, they have still been placed in the American mind to terrify the nation

Each year, throngs of visitors emerge upon Long Island in New York to see for themselves any evidence of the Amityville horror that began in 1974. The DeFeo family, consisting of Ronald Sr. and Louise with their sons Mark and John as well as two daughters Dawn and Allison. In November of '74, the family peacefully slept in their three story colonial house at 112 Ocean Avenue until Ronald murdered his parents and siblings with a high-powered rifle.

While on the surface, the family seemed to be the perfect All-American example, Ronald often fought with Louise and posed a threatening image to his siblings. Upon noticing his behavior, Ronald Sr. and Louise placed their son in psychiatric care, though it was a futile attempt because Ronald, nicknamed “Butch�, refused to work with his counselor. At this point, the family began giving Butch what he wanted in order to keep him more stable. The boiling point was apparently reached on November 14 at approximately 3am when Butch became unhappy with the money his parents were giving him, which was spent on drugs and alcohol. He was awake in his room, thinking about his problems while the rest of the family was asleep. He purposefully stood up, obtained a rifle and entered his parents bedroom.

After the murders and trial of Ronald DeFeo Jr. had passed, a new family moved into the house on December 18, 1975. George and Kathy Lutz purchased the house for $80,000 so they and Kathy's three children would finally have their dream house. Almost immediately, the family claimed they began hearing strange noises throughout the house. They also insisted that locked doors and windows began to open without explanation. George Lutz, a former Marine, stated to have heard a phantom brass band march through the house. After these incidents, the family contacted the Catholic church. During an attempt to exorcise the house, the priest was told by a disembodied voice to get out.

After the attempted exorcism, the events began to intensify. A creature was seen outside the windows at night, scratching sounds got louder and at one point George Lutz seemed to have been possessed while a green substance oozed from the ceiling and walls. Hooded figure apparitions began appearing with clouds of flies, personality changes, cold chills, telephone disconnections and the youngest child began to communicate with an apparition of a pig. It was also reported that Kathy was levitated off of the bed and often beaten.

After 28 days of living in their new house, the family fled from the house in a rush leaving their possessions behind. After the house was empty in February of '76, New York Channel 5 took a news team to the location to capture footage of famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren conducting an investigation. George Lutz refused to accompany them but did give them a key to the house. Ed Warren began to experience heart palpitations. His wife Lorraine, a clairvoyant, said that she sensed an unearthly presence in the house and that Shinnecock Indians had used the property as an isolated area for sick and insane members of their tribe. However, they didn't bury their dead at the location because it was possessed by demons.

Skeptics state that the whole thing is simply a fake story by George Lutz to obtain monetary gain from promotion. Lutz's sons even criticized his story. Skeptics are also quick to point out that during the entire 28 day horror, the police were never called. It's also believed by some that the Lutz's returned the day after fleeing the house to conduct a garage sale. After the Lutz family moved out of the house, the next owners, Jim and Barbara Cromarty stated that they had not experienced anything out of the ordinary.

What is fact is that a mass murder did take place in the home and a taped investigation was filmed. Separating fact from fiction can be difficult. Whether or not the stories of the Amityville Horror are true, they have still been placed in the American mind to terrify the nation.

[MS6SSNatalieH]

In Search of Werewolves

For centuries, several people claim to have seen one (even as recently as 2007) In the German town of Wittlich, a werewolf.

A shrine was set up close to the town in the belief that if the shrine’s candle ever extinguished, the werewolf would return. there’s an airforce base close to Wittlich. In 1988, a couple of security policemen were making their way to the base when they noticed that the candle had gone out. They made light of it, joked about it and shrugged it off. But then, when an alarm was set off later on that night, and they went to investigate it, they claim to have come face to face with the legendary creature. It’s said the werewolf escaped over a high foot fence, which was lucky for them as it could have been a whole different story if it had decided to make sushi out of the men.

In France, in 1598, a beggar known as Jacques Roulet was locked up in a mental asylum after confessing to the murder and eating of several women and children …as a werewolf. He believed he was able to change to the creature with the help of an ointment his parents had given him. He also claimed that his brother and cousin were werewolves too. He was apprehended after the body of a teenage boy was found being devoured by two wolves (his brother and cousin, perhaps?) The men who caught Jacques found him close by – half-clothed - his hands drenched in blood.

Other tales of werewolves abound such as in Greek mythology where Lycaon was turned into a werewolf after eating a human. In Armenian lore, a spirit was believed to punish certain women for grave sins committed by turning them into werewolves for 7 years. The Greek historian, Herodotus, believed there was a tribe called the Neuri who turned into werewolves once a year for a few days. In 18th century Wales (Denbigh), there were reports of werewolf attacks on humans and livestock. And in 2007, a werewolf was spotted twice in Stafford (England). It was described as very big, very tall and very hairy, standing on its hind legs before making its getaway.


Everything we know (or think we know) about werewolves is arguably based on hearsay, myth, misunderstanding, exaggeration and an overflowing imagination. After all, the truth can often be less exciting, mundane, rather bl-ugh. Take one witch, claim that she made a deal with the devil to shape-shift into a werewolf, and all of sudden life seems terribly more exciting - keeps village tongues and minds fuelled with gossip-fever. Same goes for a medical condition such as Hypertrichosis in which the sufferer is covered from head to toe in so much hair that even their hair’s covered in hair. Place that person back in the 16th century and hey presto, they’re werewolves. Today we know they’re just like the rest of us – just that their hair follicles are working overtime in a major major way.

Apart from mental/physical conditions and witch hunts, the other explanation given is the consumption of contaminated grains (in bread) which brought about a hallucinogenic effect when eaten and made people imagine they were being attacked by all manner of dangerous creatures. Known as Ergot poisoning, many people suffered from this back in the middle ages.

On the flipside, let’s say werewolves really DO exist. And that some people really have seen them as they claim. There are many creatures out there that we’re yet to discover. What if these werewolves aren’t werewolves at all? Yes, they might be big and hairy and terrifying and howl to the moon, but what if they’re not werewolves but an extremely secluded member of the animal kingdom? There are some animals out there that look very odd and pretty scary anyway. What did humans think when they first saw a star-nosed mole or a male Narwhal? Weren’t they scared? Did they not think these animals looked otherworldly?

[dr wu23]

Never been a fan of ghost stories per se though my wife and I usually watch Ghost Hunters on tv.
I am agnostic so I have a bit of a hard time believing in dead spirits let alone that they walk the earth from time to time. I lean toward the idea that it's bleed through from other time lines and that paranormal or poltergeist events are 'quantum glitches' in the fabric of reality.
It works for me but it's just a model.

[MS6SSNatalieH]

Originally Posted by dr wu23

Never been a fan of ghost stories per se though my wife and I usually watch Ghost Hunters on tv.
I am agnostic so I have a bit of a hard time believing in dead spirits let alone that they walk the earth from time to time. I lean toward the idea that it's bleed through from other time lines and that paranormal or poltergeist events are 'quantum glitches' in the fabric of reality.
It works for me but it's just a model.

So your actually a Skeptic. Wait until you have an experience. If your wife watches Ghost Hunters, does she actually believe they are real? So many questions of life in this universe.

[dr wu23]

Originally Posted by MS6SSNatalieH

So your actually a Skeptic. Wait until you have an experience. If your wife watches Ghost Hunters, does she actually believe they are real? So many questions of life in this universe.

I'm skeptical aout everything and imho everyone should be.
Again having an experience doesn't mean it's 'ghosts-spirits of the dead'...just means some one experienced something unusual.
The quantum model works just as well..perhpas better.