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Encounters Archive:

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2006 Encounters:
Bobby Ray's Conference - South of Jonesboro, Arkansas

The Man in the Attic - Circleville, Ohio

The Sad Voice - Taormina, Italy

Ghost Hunting Dorks - Ft. Inn, South Carolina

Shall We Gather at the Fence? - Milton, Florida Ghost picture

Sharing Our Home With Spirits - Seattle Area, Washington

Nighttime Visitor - Amravati, Maharashtra, India

Someone Sat on the Bed - AuGres, Michigan

Handprints on the Wall - Nashville, Tennessee

Yellow Butterflies - Huntington, West Virginia

Building Owner's Last Visit - Long Beach, California

Stage Coach Tavern Shadow - Chepachet, Rhode Island
Ghost video ghost picture


Haunted Campsite - Mowery, Arizona

The Man - Bay City, Michigan

Ghosts of Gympie Library - Gympie, Queensland, Australia

Haunted Sleepover - York, Pennsylvania

Shadows and Cold Spots - Essex, Ontario, Canada

Bald Man at My Brother's Crib - Spooner, Wisconsin

Footsteps From the Red Room - Warwick, Rhode Island

Darting Shadows and My Haunted Home - Berri, South Australia

Spirits Followed Me Home From Carnton - Nashville, Tennessee

Downs Road Ghosts - Bethany, Connecticut

Kay's Goodbye - Sacramento, California

The Woman on the Bed - Melrose, Minnesota

Cemetery Apparition Video and EVP - Bardstown, Kentucky
Ghost video EVP


The Shadow Man - Richfield, Minnesota

The Flowered Lady - Stanford, Kentucky

Ghosts in Times of Trouble - Lancashire, England

A Sign on the Res - Crown Point, New Mexico

Get Out, Abe - Southern Wisconsin

Dead Man's Pass - Gawler, South Australia

Gayle's Thank-You - New York/California

Trying to Ignore the Haunting - Trumbull, Connecticut

The EVP That Follows Me - Oceano, California

Working the Permanent Shift - Tucson, Arizona

Gypsy Wild's Home - Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

Ghosts Like Me - Oregon

The Dangerous Medicine Bag - Keswick, Ontario, Canada

More Spirits on the Land - Milton, Florida Ghost picture

Ghostly Cafe Help - Connecticut

Great Grandpa's Return - Mill Spring, Missouri

The Deadly Car Accident that Haunted My Brother's House - Hamilton, Illinois

A Thud in the Bedroom - Chester, South Carolina

Being Watched in the Sanitarium - Cherokee, Iowa

Grandma's Swinging Chair - Kalamazoo, Michigan

My Shaking Bed - Escanaba, Michigan

The Haunted Department Store - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Orb at Little Round Top - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Ghost picture

Old Woman on Route 10 - near El Paso, Texas

Finding Lost Family - Chicago, Illinois

The Haunting Returns - Middletown/Carlisle, Ohio

Our Haunted House - Waterbury, Connecticut

The Ghost of a Prankster Sailor - London, England

Ghostly Car - Palisade, Nebraska

Golf Course Joker - Ruidoso, New Mexico

Payton's Kiss - Denver, Colorado

The Spinning Ferris Wheel - Albany, New York

Visit From Mom's Patient - Little Rock, Arkansas

The Old Woman in the Hotel - Somewhere in the North Rockies

Grandma's Outline? - Boise, Idaho

Attack at Rolling Hills - Bethany, New York

Pinching Premonition - Auckland, New Zealand

Mammaw and Pappaw's Visit - Toledo, Ohio

Ghostly Gray Cat - Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

Demonic Presence in the Bedroom - Kyger Creek, Ohio

A Sign of the Cross - Long Beach, California Ghost picture

The Ghost of Flying Hawk - Albany, New York

Footsteps at Nashua Fresh Air Camp - Greenfield, New Hampshire

White Streamy Woman - Winterberg, Germany

The Man With the Tall Black Hat - Fall River, Massachusetts

Grandmother's House - Garden Grove, California

Woman in White at the Whaley House - San Diego, California

Spectral Attack While Sleeping - Durban, South Africa

Help Me, Help Me, Help Me - Fayette, Missouri

A Blessing and a Curse - Windsor, Virginia

Calling Mom Back from Rest - Cary, Kentucky

Shadows at Camp Cedar Crest - Orange, Connecticut

The Family Returns from Virginia - Salem, Virginia Ghost picture

The Ghost of Gibbs Bridge - Sylvania, Ohio

The Woman in the Wardrobe - Castleford, West Yorkshire, England

Shot By a Ghost - Chicago, Illinois

Mom's Visit and Presence - California

The Dollhouse Grave - Medina, Tennessee Ghost picture

The Slamming Door - Eugene, Oregon

Voices in the House - Ontario, Canada

Maddie in the Mirror - Fort Scott, Kansas

Something Grabbed My leg - Scott Depot, West Virginia

Grandpa's Flag - Kissimmee, Florida

Strange Happenings at the Jefferson Hotel - Jefferson, Texas

An Evil House - Elmira, New York

The Giggling Girl - South Gate, Kentucky

Sensing a Presence - Las Cruces, New Mexico

More Spirits on the Land - Milton, Florida Ghost picture

The Black Form at the Foot of My Bed - Mobile, Alabama

The Smell of the Devil? - Mission, Texas

The Hopping Couch - Trumbull, Connecticut

Portrait of a Funny Old Man - Hull, England

Little Dancing Girl - Baltimore, Maryland

The Haunted Mansion - Reading, Pennsylvania

Haunted Newport News - Newport News, Virginia

Tormented in Our Apartment - Brooklyn, New York

The White Dove and Heavenly Voice - Toms River, New Jersey

Lights Flashes in the Night - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

The Ghostly Mom is Still Here - Everett, Washington

A Young Man's Spirit - Hudson, Michigan

Trying to Get Our Attention - England

The Moving Knocks - Rochester, New York

Hearing My Name Three Times - Walnut Creek, California

The Ghostly Skeleton - Coast Range, northern Oregon

Teaspoon and Grandpap - Bentleyville, Pennsylvania

Me and Great Uncle Mike - Los Angeles, California

Spirit Guides Around the Moon - Gretna, Louisiana Ghost picture

A Hand in the Dark - Southeastern Ohio

Spectral Gardener - Mississippi

Angry 1800s Portrait - Monnerville, West Virginia

I Floated Down the Stairs Too - Oxford, England

The Boy Under the Patio - Ridge, Maryland

Claw Marks on the Stairs - St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Voices in the Night - Sydney, NSW, Australia

Graveyard Shift at Hollywood Cemetery - Richmond, Virginia

Dark Shadows in My Burnt Out Apartment - Indianapolis, Indiana

The Man at Birdcage Theatre - Tombstone, Arizona Ghost picture

A House Too Good to Be True - Pueblo, Colorado

Three Strange Knocks - South Boston, Virginia

Great Grandmother's Mirror - Jackson, Mississippi

Our Red Balloon - Maiden Rock, Wisconsin

Grandfather's Image - Delhi, New York

Creature Beyond - Milton, Florida Ghost picture

Childhood Friends - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

The Floating Mass - Las Vegas, Nevada

Voices on New York Street - Long Beach, California

Catwoman's Bridge - Lancaster, South Carolina

Anya's Tom - Connecticut Ghost picture

Strange Events in Our Old House - Princeton, West Virginia

World Trade Center Ghosts and Events from 9/11 - New York, New York

Mom's Torment - White Rock, British Columbia, Canada

The Woman in the Basement Apartment - North Portland, Oregon

The Slave Family - Yazoo City, Mississippi

Strange Happenings at the Cheyenne Canon Inn - Colorado Springs, Colorado

My 3 Year-Old Sees His Grandpa - Boston, Massachusetts



September 1, 2006

Being Watched in the Sanitarium

Rate this encounter:
Votes:39 Rating: Rating = 6.34 Ratings Breakdown
[Name Withheld Upon Request], Cherokee, Iowa, 2001-2004

To be honest, I have always believed in the supernatural. I've had feelings like I was being watched and saw things that weren't really there. My mom and dad thought that I was acting a little strange and that I needed to think about other things and not some ghost or spirit. They said that those things didn't exist. But, all that changed one summer day when I decided to head up to Cherokee, Iowa to visit my mom. Two years earlier, her and my dad had divorced. I stayed home in Illinois with my dad and my mom, wanting to get away from everything and start over, moved to Iowa. 

My actual first encounter with any kind of spirit or entity happened when I lived back home in Illinois. I was visiting a male friend when it happened. Of course he told me all about the ghost he dubbed "Casper." He had told me that Casper loved to play pranks; i.e. move things, make appearances and the like, and that he seemed to be attached to a very old dresser. My friend also told me that he watched as something "brushed" its fingers through his now ex-wife's hair! 

The encounter I had with "Casper" was my first (although before that I would just have ominous feelings and nothing interesting would happen). It was a normal day when I went over to visit him. He was working up in the attic. As we were talking he asked me if I wanted anything to drink. He ended up getting me a Coke from his fridge. Deciding he was going to go up in the attic again, we placed our drinks on a bookshelf in the living room. His drink was on one shelf and mine under his. While up in the attic, I would constantly look into the living room as if something was there. I had a very clear view of this room and could easily see anyone enter or exit it. Even out of the corner of my eye, I could see fine.

Once done in the attic, my friend climbed down the ladder and we went back to the living room and went to grab our drinks when I noticed that mine was missing. I looked at my friend and asked him what he did with my Coke. He smiled at me and said it wasn't him and that it was Casper who did this. Now, I would have known if my friend had moved it on me, as there was a lot of clutter about in the living room and of course the view of the living room that I had. 

Finally we started to look for the Coke can and after searching his whole house, wouldn't you believe it, we found the Coke sitting on the dresser that is supposedly inhabited by my friends resident ghost! After that, I was definitely a believer!

My next encounters would happen in Cherokee, Iowa in the years 2000 to 2004. After traveling for 10 hours and arriving in the town, I met up with my mother and we then headed to her apartment which was located on one half of the upper floor of a house that is over 100 years old.

The house, which I found was dated back to about the late 1880s or 1890s and had once been some kind of hospital where cancer patients had been treated -- it was called the Cherokee Cancer Sanitarium. This place, once I arrived, I could feel that it had some kind of a background to it. The strange feelings that I got from it when I walked up to it almost became unbearable. There was one particular room in the house that made me feel uncomfortable and it also gave me a strange feeling that something traumatic happened in there. Also of note is that this house supposedly had a tunnel running from it to the house(s) across the street and next door. However, as far as I can tell, if there was a tunnel there, it has been sealed off and you are unable to tell exactly where it was.

My first true encounter in the house happened at night. I was lying on the couch when I had the feeling that someone or something was watching me. I looked up toward the closet door saw someone standing there, hidden in the shadows -- it looked like a tall, burly man wearing a suit and what looked like a bowler hat. After seeing this, I thought I was dreaming, but I knew I was awake. After seeing this I became slightly frightened by "his" appearance. I figured that maybe it was the former doctor who owned the building. But unfortunately I couldn't see his face, only what looked like a black shadow where the face should have been. Needless to say, I covered up my face with my blanket and kept my eyes closed. 

After that event I told my mother, who is pretty much a non-believer in that sort of thing. She always tells me that unless something happens to her, then she isn't worried about it. However, one year later I also found myself living in Cherokee with my mother. The strange things that happened when I came up the first time didn't end there. 

Around the year 2003, me and my mom wanted to go somewhere, but her checkbook had somehow been misplaced. We looked absolutely everywhere: behind cabinets, in cabinets, in the bathroom, bedroom, living room, and pretty much just about anything that could be opened and moved. My mom thought I had taken her checkbook and hidden it as some kind of mean practical joke, but I would never do that to her. The checkbook was on the table in the kitchen earlier that day. 

After about four hours of no luck and continued checking of the locations, I finally came upon the checkbook; know where it showed up at? In the cabinet sitting on a dinner plate! I couldn't believe it! My mom to this day still thinks that I took and hid her checkbook and cleverly replaced it somewhere else.
Other strange events also followed: hearing noises downstairs when the house was empty (we lived in an upstairs apartment attached to the main level of the house). Sometimes I would hear distant music and not know where it was coming from and the strangest and most frightening things that happened occurred after me and the landlord's daughter decided to take digital pictures of the house in the dark -- that was a big mistake on our part.

This next-to-last incident happed one evening in 2004. I was downstairs visiting our landlords and her daughter. While down there, me and her had this idea to take pictures of certain places in the house that seemed very eerie: mainly the stairs leading up to the landlord's half of the upstairs and the particular bedroom that always seemed as if the air was heavy when I would enter it. The pictures we took of one of the downstairs bathrooms, kitchen and computer room came up nothing. However once we decided to take pictures of the stairs and the unused bedroom, me and the girl had felt as if we had started to anger something. That same evening, me and the landlord's daughter were there by ourselves and we decided to take a picture of the other downstairs bathroom and as soon as the flash went off, it felt as if we had really made something angry. 

After the last picture was taken we went into the living room and sat down. We started flipping through the pictures and nothing had shown up at first, but going through them a second time, we found many different sizes of orbs. The one room that seemed to have the most orbs was the unused bedroom that gave me the bad feelings that something had happened in there. This feeling was coming from a certain part in the room. Most notably, the left corner looking into the room. Another picture we looked at was a picture we took from down on the landing looking up the stairs. When viewing this image, about half way up, there was a cluster of orbs as if to almost make the shape of a person. Also in the same picture, you can see the ceiling fan. There was also an orb up by this.

Soon after these photos were taken, however, and after I had gone back upstairs to our half of the house and the landlords were out on the road (they were truckers) and her daughter had left to go back to New York, I felt as if a presence; unseen of course, had been following my every move for at least the next five months! Eventually the feeling started to wane, and I felt that the entity or whatever it was, was satisfied by how scared I had become.

This last incident was described to me by my mother. I was at work when this supposedly happened. When I got home, my mom sat up from the couch and asked me if I had been home earlier. Naturally I shook my head and said I had been at work and I had just gotten home. I then asked her why. She told me that she opened her eyes and swore she saw a little girl with long hair and in curls tied with a bow and wearing a dress that was popular back in the 1800's. she said she was looking down on her and I told my mom that I had a feeling that somehow a girl about 10-12 years of age was also attached to that house in someway. My mom, once again thought I was crazy and that she was hallucinating or dreaming the girl. 

However, I will leave these stories to the imagination of those who read it. But to me, the incidents and feelings that happened in those houses are still with me today and I have yet to deny what I felt and saw in that place.




2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014