Where I grew up, Personal Encounters Options

[lavenderwolf_6]

I just wanted to add my own personal experience for everyone's enjoyment. I grew up in a house in the northern end of Tacoma, Washington. It was built in the early 1900's.

We had a ghost that watches over the children in the house as they sleep...or are supposed to be sleeping. My mother had always said that she never worried about it because it seemed to have a "guardian" air about it. I remember one night, when all 3 of us had our bedroom upstairs. I was up late, reading...of course...and at one point, one of my sisters sat straight up out of a sound sleep and said "Mr., Hey, Mr!!"

I asked her who she was talking to. She replied that there was an older man standing next to the stair well, and it was he she was trying to get the attention of. I told her there wasn't anyone there. She said there was, shook her head at me, and laid back down grumbling about people staring at her while she slept.

A few years later, when I was around 12 or 13, I had the upstairs to myself, exept for mom and dad's room. My bed, when this occurred, was near the head of the stair well. *FYI: the stairwell was an enclosed one with a door at the bottom to shut it off from the kitchen.* Well, I was, again, reading in bed. I heard the downstairs door to the stairwell clearly open, shut, and heard what sounded like an adult sized person slowly walking up the stairs. The sound stopped at the top of the landing, but then I heard what sounded like labored breathing. Like when a person who has a hard time breathing sounds like after exherting themselves. I got the feeling then that it was an older gentleman....say late 60's, early 70's, around 5' 9-10",heavy, breathing and/or heart problems. Then I heard what sounded like a couple of footsteps that came toward my bed, and the breathing sounded closer. I must say, I got scared, and booked it downstairs! My dad came up with me, and helped me feel safe again by telling 'who ever you are to stop scaring my kid". I never did hear him again, but did feel his presence many times when there were "littles" in the house sleeping, and also when I visited with my own "littles". (had to ask him to move because he was sitting on my toes while sitting on the edge of the bed near my son, who...at the time....was about 3 months old, and who was sleeping in the same room as I at my mother's house).

We always figured that he did that because something happened to little ones in that house during the time he lived there, and he was making sure all the babies after that were safe.

My sister Michelle (the next one down from me) used to get her jewelry taken by a little boy ghost that lived in our closet in the downstairs, front bedroom. We tore that room apart many times looking for her things, but never did find them. Even shook-down our little sister's room, just in case she was the klepto. No dice.

And, my little sister Catriona (Cat, for short) swears there is an old lady ghost in the house, too. She thinks our house replaced another, older one that had been torn down for some reason. But, she said she has heard, on more than one occassion, the sound of an old victrolla-type phonograph and an old, creaky rocking chair from behind the wall on the second floor. Now, the 2nd floor of my parent's house has a ceiling that follows the roof, and a knee wall for attic storage. The wall she heard the music and rocking chair from was one of those knee walls, and you couldn't fit a rocking chair in there, much less be able to rock in it if you could. We both think it could be a residual type of haunting.....the spirit is used to another building, and where she used to be happiest coensides with the otherside of the knee wall. I don't know if that's true, since I live in Maine, haven't been able to research the area, and didn't know about this until she told me.... after I had moved.

So, that's is just some of my personal encounters and some of my sisters' encounters. I welcome any thoughts or insights.

Blessed Be!

[Axman]

Interesting stuff. I guess I'll share a couple of my early experiences.

I rented a house once back in the summer of 1983 that had a small loft upstairs over the living room. I used to hear footsteps up there during the night. I lived there alone so it kinda had me a bit spooked. I eventually decided to investigate one night because the footsteps were making the living room ceiling bounce. The footsteps were rather heavy that night. I walked through the kitchen and around the corner to the narrow but steep stairs (more like a ladder but built like a stairs). As soon as I started to climb the stairs the footsteps stopped and there was nothing up there. I didn't use the loft because it was kind of cramped so the room up there was totally empty. Across the hall was the only other bedroom where I had my bed. I began to sleep on the sofa because sleeping in the bedroom gave me an uneasy feeling. Never did find out what it was about that house but according to the landlord, who was the original owner, the house was rebuilt after a fire burned down the original but larger house. No one died in the fire but in might have attracted some spirits.

The spring before that I stayed with a friend and his cousin in his girlfriend's family cabin. Eugene (the cousin) and I was out in the kitchen one morning making coffee. The window above the sink was left open the night before and overnight the temps dropped enough to chill the kitchen a little. While we were getting our morning coffee the window closed on it's own accord. The window was the type that had a handle to be cranked open and close. It swung open on a hinge. The thing was that the crank was turning on it's own. Spooked us a little and we left the kitchen to calm our nerves. Without our coffee too! We eventually decided to return to the kitchen to find out what could cause the window to move like that. Eugene cranked the window open and we noticed that the wind was blowing a little outside. I went out the back door and walked outside the kitchen window. I pushed the window to see if it could close with any amount of force. The window was steadfast.
Later that night I woke up around 1 am and seen an apparition walking across the dining area in the kitchen. Had a heck of a time getting relaxed enough to sleep but finally did. When we woke up the light was on in the bedroom closet. Artie (the friend) phoned his girlfriend, who was out of town at the time, and asked about the activities. Come to find out, Mary (the girlfriend) told him that it's her grandmother who died of a heart attack in the cabin. In life she regularly turned on the light in the closet to act as a night light. Our best guess was that she was turning on the "nightlight" for us and closed the window in the kitchen to keep us from getting too cold. Kinda looking out for us from beyond the grave. I'm sure it was grandma that was in the kitchen the night before.

This post has been edited by Axman: Jan 11 2008, 12:24 AM

[Kira]

I love hearing other people's experiences. Thanks Axman, and welcome to Ghostvillage Lavendarwolf_6.

Kira

[lavenderwolf_6]

I love hearing other people's experiences. Thanks Axman, and welcome to Ghostvillage Lavendarwolf_6.

Kira

Kira,

Thank you for your welcome! I have been enjoying the posts, and have replied to several since I've been a member of the site. I like being able to talk about these things with like-minded people since my husband is a severe skeptic, and tends to make fun of me.

It's kind of strange that he does, since he also believed we had a ghost in our first apartment together. I got the impression it was a middle aged gentleman...around mid 30's...tall, slim, well dressed. Used to get one of those "out of the corner of the eye" impressions of him....in a gentleman's cloak and tall hat....like those of the late 1800's. I somehow got the idea his name was Edward. He used to stand at our kitchen sink, looking out of the window above it. He also used to mess with our cats, and for some reason did not like a picture of 2 tigers we had on the stairwell wall. Used to come home from work and find it on the couch. I finally got tired of putting it back up, and told "Edward" to cut it out. We could either live peacefully, which I was all for, or...if he kept it up....I was going to get rid of him. He calmed down, left the picture alone. But, still liked to freak out the cats once in a while! LOL

BTW, I know what y'all are thinking, that the picture came off the wall because people were stomping up and down the stairs. Well, I tried to debunk that, and couldn't. We were on the 2nd floor, and no one above us. We rarely had visitors, and I had my husband (then boyfriend) stomp up and down the stairs several times. Even had the girl who lived downstairs try it. Never did get the picture to fall off the hook it was on. So.....something weird was going on, eh??

Again, thanks for the welcome!!

LavenderWolf_6

[lavenderwolf_6]

Hey, Axeman!!

I loved hearing about the place with the loft! Did you feel like there was a menacing presence, or just "something there"? Just curious.

I think it's cool when a person can say that it is a relative just keeping an eye on people when there are things like that going on such as what you described about your friend's girlfriend's cabin. Grandma was just making sure y'all didn't catch a chill, and that there was a bit of light at night, in case someone got up, and didn't want to smack their shins on stuff. There is something comforting about that, even if it is a bit spooky.

Thank you for sharing your experience!! Look forward to more!

LavenderWolf_6

[Axman]

Hey, Axeman!!

I loved hearing about the place with the loft! Did you feel like there was a menacing presence, or just "something there"? Just curious.

I think it's cool when a person can say that it is a relative just keeping an eye on people when there are things like that going on such as what you described about your friend's girlfriend's cabin. Grandma was just making sure y'all didn't catch a chill, and that there was a bit of light at night, in case someone got up, and didn't want to smack their shins on stuff. There is something comforting about that, even if it is a bit spooky.

Thank you for sharing your experience!! Look forward to more!

LavenderWolf_6

I was 19 years old at the time that I lived in the old house with the loft. I didn't feel threatened by the presence but it didn't feel right. I would say more like a troubled spirit than an evil entity.

"Grandma's" cabin wasn't too scary but I was a bit freaked out by seeing her apparition walking across the kitchen dining area. These are some of the experiences that made me take an interest in paranormal investigating. I am not fearful like I was those first few times.