|
The Banging Walls - Great Barrington, Massachusetts
The Grim Reaper at My Sister's Crib - Govan, Saskatchewan, Canada
Gliding White Specter - Singapore
Haunted by Bobby - Marinette, Wisconsin
The Entity in My Brother's Basement - Yardley, Pennsylvania
The Ouija Board's Warning - Langley in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
A Family of Angels - Huntington, West Virginia
Evil-Looking Apparition - Eagle Lake, Texas
Monster Holding Me Down - Houston, Texas
Laugarvatn Cave Anomaly - Laugarvatn Cave, Iceland
The Ghost Who Didn't Like Men - Brook, Indiana
Dad Standing in St. Mary's Cemetery - Tiffin, Ohio
The Hand On My Shoulder - Clinton, Indiana
The Only Yankee - Nicholas County, West Virginia
The House that Disappeared - Winton, California
My Haunted Apartment - Brampton, Ontario, Canada
The Basement Crash - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
A Screaming Ghost - Yorktown Heights, New York
The Crawling Shadow - Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan
Deering Estate Apparition - Miami, Florida
Cemetery Ghost at a Sleepover - Laingsburg, Michigan
Ghosts at the Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, Colorado
Apparition Caught on Game Camera - Wayland, New York
Knocks in the Attic - Sterling, Virginia
I Had No Idea She Was a Ghost - Bethany, New York
Ghosts of Yonkers - Yonkers, New York
An Evil Shadow Figure - Scott City, Kansas
The Scream in the Night - Yorkshire, England
Being Watched at a Sleepover - Manistique, Michigan
My First Demon Encounter - Weirton, West Virginia
A Ghost in Our Hotel Bathroom - Las Vegas, Nevada
The Baby's Cry - Barnesville, Ohio
Lights On Our Landing - Akron, Ohio
The Ghost of Mr. Elwin - Elkland, Missouri
Deformed Face Near the Cemetery - Kerala, India
Shadows and Weepy Voices - Grand Prairie, Texas
Three Hags Over My Bed - Neiderwald, Texas
Dad and His Friends - Tulsa, Oklahoma
A Hand in My Bed - Louisville, Kentucky
Spirit of the Wendigo - Fort Kent, Alberta, Canada
Chasing a Ghost - Houston, Texas
Colfax Cemetery Apparition - Colfax County, Minnesota
The Cemetery Keeper Disappeared - Southern England
Haunting on East Eldon - Saint James, Missouri
Short, Black-Hooded Figures - Troy, New York
Strange Happenings at the Whaley House - San Diego, California
My Shaking Room - Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada
A Blast from Dad - Austin, Texas and Lake Bluff, Illinois
Haunted Hotel Majestic - San Francisco, California
Ghost of Michael Jackson Caught on CNN Cameras? - Santa Barbara County, California
Mad Spirits in the Woods - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Exploding Glasses - Grants Pass, Oregon
Toowong Cemetery Encounter - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The Spirit of George Followed Me - Davidsville and Johnstown, Pennsylvania
The Kind Lady By the Cabinet - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The Boy in Thornton House - Stone Mountain, Georgia
The Cloudy Figure - Seaford, East Sussex, England
Burning Our Ouija Board - Oakwood, Illinois
The Man in the Lab Coat - Giessen, Germany
Brown Palace Hotel Ghost - Denver, Colorado
Broken Glass and Whispering Voices - Charlotte, Michigan
Shadow on the Wall - Ontario, Canada
Mom's Message From Beyond - Hartsville, South Carolina
Premonition Dream and My Dead Pet - Avon, Indiana
Girl in Her Easter Dress - Milton, Florida
Encounters on a Ghost Tour - New South Wales, Australia
Someone in the Attic - Temple, Texas
The Spirit In Black - Forest Park, Illinois - 1997
The Body in the Pool - Anaheim, California and Pleasant Grove, Utah
Bright Jack-O-Lanterns - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Strong Odor and Darting Shadows - Southfield, Massachusetts
The Black Mist in Our Home - Marysville, California
Ghost of a Runaway Slave in My Car - Interstate 10, Louisiana
Accident Premonition - Singapore
Attempted Possession - San Antonio, Texas
My Mischievous Faery - Rouses Point, New York
Ghostly Tricks - Marysville, California
My Cat's 9/11 Premonition - Baltimore, Maryland
The Drowning Girl - Gloucester, Massachusetts
A Civil War General - Carthage, Missouri
The Glowing Nun - Santa Margherita Ligure, Genova, Italy
Our Haunted Restaurant - Columbus, Georgia
The Voice Outside My Window - Niles, Ohio
My Protective Ghost Friend - Logansport, Indiana
The Friend in Our House - Simpsonville, South Carolina
The Witch on My Wall - Charleston, South Carolina
Contacting My Spirits - Colchester, Essex, England
Dark, Smoky Wisps - Troy, New York
Nana's Grip - England
Stock Room Ghost - Winter Haven, Florida
A Sign From Mum - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Evil Drawings in a Drawer - Valle Vista, California
A Disappearing Kitten - Suburbs of Dallas, Texas
A Crying Baby and Evil House - Salt Lake City, Utah
My Daughter's Energy - Sylacauga, Alabama
The Kissing Ghost - Fresno, California
A Seven-Foot Shadow Figure - Trenton, New Jersey
The Grey-White Man - British Columbia, Canada
The Tall Man in Robes - Huntly, New Zealand
The Spirits of Edisto Presbyterian Church - Edisto Island, South Carolina
A Pre-Death Visit - Merrick, New York
Six Knocks - Brisbane, Australia
The Rocking Chair - Bushnell, Illinois
Hiding From a Ghost - Strongsville, Ohio
A Relentless Ghost - Littleton, Colorado
|
November 2, 2009
The Only Yankee
Rate this encounter:
Crystal - Nicholas County, West Virginia - March 2008
Even though my father's family is from Nicholas County, West Virginia, and
my mother's from Ritchie County, West Virginia, I was born and raised in
Ohio. I am, as my husband says, "A Damn Buckeye Yankee." My husband's
maternal grandparents were also from Nicholas County and my mother-in-law
currently lives there. I was never fortunate enough to meet either, as they
both died before I met my husband. But there are times when I am in their
home; I feel them there watching me, the only Yankee that has ever stayed a
night.
Their home was built during the Civil War for a Confederate Captain and it
sits on a hill overlooking an apple orchard. The two-story home has four
beautiful white columns that welcome you. It also boasts a second story
balcony just above the porch. The upstairs has four large bedrooms and each
has a stone fireplace. The lighting, even during the day is minimal and
casts an eerie feel about the floor. There are several barns and out
buildings on the property. One in particular was used by the Captain as a
sauna. Heated stones were brought in and water, which was brought up from
the well in the building, was poured on the stones to cause steam and served
as a great place for the war weary soldier to relax. It the front yard sits
a large boulder, which is rumored to be a platform for the Captain who was
both over weight and vertically challenged. The boulder made it easier for
him to mount his horse without looking like a fool in the front of his men.
The house was eventually passed down through generations of the captain's
family and then was purchased in the late 1950s by my husband's
grandparents. The house is now owned by one of my husband's aunts who is
repairing the house to move into, but in the mean time it is used as a
"hotel" for family that comes into town.
It was the middle of March 2008, there was snow on the ground and the sky
was threatening to add more. The whole family was there to enjoy a dinner
and reminisce about the good old days. The day quickly turned into night and
several inches of snow had fallen during the day much to everyone's
amazement. One by one the families left to go home and eventually my husband
and I were the only two remaining. Our clothes were out in our truck, so my
husband put on his coat and went out into the cold to get them. I may have
been alone in the house for about two minutes when I heard someone talking
in the kitchen located at the back of the house. I looked around the living
and dining rooms to see if anyone was there. Both rooms were empty and the
lights in the kitchen had already been turned off. The hair on my arms stood
up and a shiver ran down my spine as I quickly walked back to the front
door. I stood there watching as my husband collected our things. From the
kitchen came the voice again, this time I thought I was able to make out
some of what the voice was saying. "Tonight… with… will happen… her…" I
turned back toward the door and looked up and down the road, the only
vehicle that I had seen was ours. Suddenly it dawned on me, we were the only
ones there and I was the only one in the house! When my husband came in, I
told him what had just happened. He went with me into the kitchen and we
looked in the cellar to find no one. The door to the kitchen was still
locked from the inside so there was no way anyone had gotten in that
shouldn't have. At that point, I just wanted a glass of wine and a hot bath
to calm my nerves. Unfortunately, I had to just settle for the bath since
there was no alcohol. After I had drawn the bath water and lowered myself
down in, I rested my head against the back of the tub and closed my eyes.
"Baby… lost… chance…" My eyes flew open and I sat up straight. The voice
sounded like that of a man and it was coming from right behind me. As I
turned my head around thinking I would see my husband, there was only a
shadow walking back to the kitchen. I yelled my husband's name and I heard
him coming down the stairs, which was right above the bathroom tub. When he
got to the bathroom, I was already dressed. Again, I explained to him what I
had heard and seen. And that since I heard him walking down the stairs I
knew it wasn't him. We sat around in the living room by the wood burning
stove and talked about the events of that night. "Baby… lost… chance…,"
those words haunted me since we had miscarried a baby that previous summer.
We talked about it until we finally went upstairs for bed. Our bedroom that
night was clear at the end of the dark hallway. I decided that it would be a
great idea to turn on one of the lights in the other bedrooms so that we
could have some light come down the hall. The light from the room barely
projected any light, but it was enough to see to get into bed. We had just
made love and were getting snuggled up to go to sleep when we heard
something in the hallway. Then there was a crashing noise that sounded like
glass breaking. We both looked toward the doorway at the same time and saw
the silhouette of a man. The shadow disappeared down the hallway and we
thought we heard a voice coming from the shadow saying something about a
Yankee. It took us a long time to get to sleep that night!
The next morning I mentioned what we had seen and heard to an aunt of my
husband. I told her that even though I got goose bumps and shivers, I never
felt that any harm was coming my way. She told me that she too had felt the
presence of someone there and it gave her a sense of peace that perhaps the
three spirits (grandfather, grandmother, and the Captain) were watching over
her and the family. A little over a month later, I discovered that on that
very night I had gotten pregnant. And now when I think back to the
conversations that I heard that night, it all makes sense. I think that
grandfather and grandmother knew what would happen that night. I still do
not know what to make of the Captain and his watching us that night or what
his Yankee comment was to mean. We have been back there several times since
the birth of our son in November 2008 and all I feel is peace and safety.
|
 |
|
|