Camping with Bigfoot:

       

        The other day a friend of mine struck up a conversation with a man helping her at her storage unit. This man happened to tell her a Bigfoot story that happened when he was 15 years old and camping near Mammoth Cave, KY with his Boy Scout Troop. Since she was a Bigfoot story buff, she was intrigued.

        The man, now quite older, claimed the boys in his troop heard Bigfoot calls coming from the woods nearby. Soon the boys went alone into the woods in search of the animal that was making the sounds.

        According to the man, the boys kept hearing the calls getting closer and closer to them. However, when their Troop Leader found them all missing, he went in search of young lads. When the Leader found them he told the young boys to, “Stop that noise." The boys looked at each other astonished.

    They informed their Scout Leader that they hadn’t been making noise but heard strange calls all night continuously from the woods and they had gone in search of who had been making the sounds.

        The leader told them to go back to their camp right away. The next morning, the boys were told by their Scout leader to pack up right way for they all were leaving. The man said it was the oddest trip he remembers as a Scout.

        Later on, the young boy found out that their Scout Leader had been told by a Park Ranger that odd morning that several Bigfoot calls and sightings had recently been reported around the area where they had been camping. Their Scout Leader was worried and didn’t want the Troop in any danger so he told the boys to pack and they all left.

        So if your next destination vacation is camping near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, beware of the strange sounds that go bump in the night, or a call from dark, spooky woods. After-all, it could be a Bigfoot.

©Rosella C. Rowe

 

Vanished Passenger

               

                Last fall my family was in our Honda Pilot making our way up to Lake Erie for the weekend when I noticed a woman driving a little green car beside us who seemed to be talking a lot to her passenger in her car.

          The woman sitting beside the female driver looked just like her, however 20 years older. I thought it must be her mother and they were clearly on a road trip. How fun!

          The lady in the passengers’ seat sat smiling and listening to the driver as she spoke and the driver seemed happy and deep into conversation with her, or so it seemed each time she passed us or I; her, in the heavy road traffic we were experiencing on the highway.

          However, the fourth time the little green car passed, I noticed something quite alarming.  Looking into the little green car next to me, on my left, while driving; I NOW SAW THAT THE WOMAN’S PASSENGER SEAT WAS EMPTY!!

          That’s right, EMPTY! 

          I only saw the female driver I had been seeing the whole trip, but now she was alone. Her passenger had suddenly vanished.

           I was shock. I soon remembered how I thought the driver was talking to the passenger most of her trip and with my mouth gaping open, I tapped my husband quickly, who sat next to me in our car.

           “Look into that car!” I exclaimed still driving up I-75 next to the little vehicle.

           “Yeah,” he said looking confused.

          “Do you see an older woman in the passengers’ seat next to the driver?” I asked.

          “No,” he replied and looked at me strangely. I told him I had seen a woman in the passenger’s seat each time we had passed until now and described the lady I had seen. “Now she is gone!”  I said as I looked at him totally freaked out.

          My husband told me he hadn’t seen anyone in the passengers’ seat when we had passed her before. I was completely stunned, yet the situation got even more surprising!

           I told him I had seen the woman driving and talking to the passenger this whole trip, how could she be gone?  That is when he pointed to the little car and said, “See…” my husband said as he pointed into the car driving next to us. “The woman is probably talking into her phone, and it’s on speaker.”

          He was right. I looked over and into the car.  I thought the woman driving the car was talking to the passenger this whole time, however now I noticed her phone hanging in the middle of her windshield, inside her car, from a cell phone holder. She must have been speaking into her phone this whole time and I thought she was talking to the person next to her.

          It’s important for readers to know that neither I nor the female driver in the little green car had stopped or pulled off the road during the hour drive our family drove on the same road, close to her car in heavy traffic.  

          So how did the older passenger in the little green car vanish into thin air?  It’s simple; she was the driver’s deceased mother paying her daughter a visit!

 

©Rosella C. Rowe

           

 

                Holy Horses, Cats, and Dogs!

            Two weeks ago I went down to Kentucky to give a reading for a friend, but not just any reading! No...this reading was for her horse! It was very interesting. During the reading, the horse’s mother came through and was in the barn with us asking me to pass on a message to her daughter.

            Once I told my friend this and gave the horse the message from her mother, an awesome thing happened. Her horse began neighing and jumping about in her stall looking at the corner of the barn where I could see and feel her mother. She knew her mom was there.  The horse got very happy and excited at this reunion. 

            While we watched the horse react to her mother, I told my friend, “She sees her mother, she is there in the corner,” and pointed to the right of her barn. I could see my friends jaw drop to the floor. Then we looked at each other, taking in the scene happening before us. It was a beautiful and defying moment.

            Half an hour later, I was down the road at another client and friends house, giving another reading, when her deceased cat, Pumpkin came through. I described her cat to the client, “He is black and is lying at your feet. He is saying, “Meow and hello, Mommy,” to you. Her face lit up and she smiled in shock and awe at being able to have her cat near her again.

            Suddenly, her small dog, which was living and sitting near her other foot, saw the spirit of the cat, Pumpkin. She straightened up and began barking at the cat! This happened every few minutes, especially if the cat slightly moved or spoke to us. The dog would get up and bark again staring at the deceased animal.

            The client and past pet owner, looked at my daughter and I (my daughter was with me, who also sees animal spirits) whenever her dog barked near her feet.  “The dog sees Pumpkin at your feet,” my daughter exclaimed to her.  We both informed the nice client that her cat tells us that she visits often to check in and she really loves the basement. That’s when the she told us, “That is funny, because the basement was were the cat lived because it loved it so much.” The cat replied saying, “I sleep with you each night, Mommy.” It was such a special moment. The cat’s past owner then told her beloved cat, “I will look for you at night. I miss you and love you, Baby!”

            Hours later, we were about to leave when she took us over to see her three dogs and see what we picked up from them. We gave all the dogs a quick reading to which the owner agreed to our findings, and then she walked us to the door and told my daughter and I that she was impressed with both of our special gifts from God and how wonderful we both were. She also told us that her cat, Pumpkin’s ashes where in the house and were upstairs in her room. “Well that makes so much sense!” I cried to her. “That is why she comes back often.” The animal has a connection to her ashes and her former owner, who she loves. It was a very interesting to day, to say the least.

            However, this is why I LOVE my job! I get to reunite people, and now passed on pets, with their loved ones again. I get to deliver amazing and emotional news to them that their loved ones live on, but on the other side; giving them utter joy and happiness! Through me, they are able to talk and connect to them again. It is truly amazing!

             I got into the car with my daughter and we both looked at each other and then I said, “Well…I am never boring!” and we both laughed.

©Rosella C. Rowe

My Haunted Experience

At the

Historic McDonald Airbnb:

     It was a hot summer day in July at noon as I drove up the long driveway to the Historic McDonald House in Attica, Indiana. The house was an amazing sight to take in as I placed my Honda Pilot in park under a long weeping willow tree.

          “Wow…,” I said under my breath as I turned to see Barry and Melvin sitting behind the huge home around a large fire pit in the ground.

          Hopping out of my car, I walked towards my two friends whom I had never seen in person before. This was our official first meeting. Barry and I had literally met via the air waves, as co-hosts on several radio-shows. Over the last few months we spoke endlessly via text message and phone calls. We surely had a lot in common. It was great to finally see my ghost hunting-buddy in person!

          I took in the large and beautiful, three story old- home, after introductions and hugging the two men, “Looking at this house makes you feel as if you are living in the1800’s,” I said as the three of us turned to gaze up at it. “This house must have seen some serious history.”  Barry nodded, and then replied, “You’ve got that right!”

          Barry and Melvin took me inside the house and let me choose my room. I was very selective! I went into each room and felt them all out and ended up in a gorgeous big room with a large fireplace, and queen bed that had red-satin bedding. I loved it. Slept like a baby!

          Afterwards, Barry and Melvin took me upstairs to the third floor, were the slaves used to reside, and introduced me to some of the spirits of McDonald House. The room they took me to was on the right, was quite large, and thought to be the most haunted room. In fact, Barry and Melvin had an interesting experience involving the bed shaking during their last visit and investigation inside the home.

          The guys believed this room had children spirits in it that used to be slaves on the property in the 1800’s. They heard that the children died of cholera which came from the Well on the property. We later found out that the whole town had suffered from cholera and most of the population had died.

          I sat down in the middle of the room, on the original-wooden floor, and spread out some children’s books I had brought with me. Soon I opened a book on the floor and began reading it aloud to the children and trying to communicate with them. I felt two little children right away standing behind me while I read. I could feel a little girl and boy (possibly twins), both were around the age of 6 years old. Soon the kids began lighting up Barry’s EMF equipment and my handheld reader. I looked at Barry and he nodded for me to keep going. I picked up the book and began reading it even louder and with more enthusiasm. Soon, Melvin began to feel dizzy, and after a few minutes he decided to go downstairs to his room and lay down while Barry and I continued.

          Barry, who sat on the bed, began interacting with the children and asking them questions about the water on the property and they both lit up our EMF again. But then something interesting happened, Barry said the bed began to vibrate and he informed me that this was the very thing that had happened to him during their last visit, with Melvin. The bed vibrated for about 2 minutes according to Barry and after that the activity in the room died and the house fell silent.

          Barry and I took our things and went downstairs for lunch and set our equipment in the middle of a long dining table near the kitchen. We ate and talked and soon Melvin came to join us. That is when I noticed something. You could hear people speaking from the other room. However, we were the only ones in the house.

          Barry turned on his hearing device and placed it over my ears and as he did we heard a female say something but we couldn’t make out what she had said.  Barry said, “Oh, I missed it!” And then I heard a female say in the headphones, “Yes, you did!” and she laughed. It sounded like it had come from behind Barry, who was sitting near the old slave pantry. The pantry was where the slaves would cook and care for the household. We looked at each other and you could tell they had both heard a woman speak again. I told them that I had just heard it too but couldn’t make it out. We all looked at each other in amazement, and then laughed. Just then, we heard the female voice again. “Yep!” she said. It was amazing. Then I heard a few people speaking from outside the room. It sounded like it was coming from the sitting room area. Barry called out, “Hello!” Is anyone out there?”

          Then we heard the same female reply back to Barry, “Yes, there is!” She informed us. Melvin, Barry and I looked at each other completely perplexed when I suddenly saw a bright-orb fly by the large picture hanging on the wall in front of the table we were sitting. It was so bright and in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

          Melvin got up to check that the bright-orb had not been a car driving by. Sure enough it had not been, and couldn’t have been, because there was a house next to us blocking light. This house was surely adding up to be quite interesting!

          Later on Dave Spinks arrived and a lot of action began! Barry, Melvin and I took Dave, who is a paranormal documentary movie maker, up to the third floor, where Barry wanted him to have his room. “Maybe you will get some action tonight from the ghosts!” Barry joked as he sat on the bed and Dave began to take out all of his ghost hunting equipment. He had a lot! He pulled out a REM-Pod and placed it on the floor by my feet as I sat in chair behind it, and then Barry turned on his headphones and EMF-reader. Then Dave took out a big Ghost Box he said he had built just for him. He turned it on and began talking to the spirits in the room. Barry started to tell Dave what we had gotten in the room adjacent to Dave’s earlier that day when the REM-Pod lit up.

          Soon, it was like a little spirit was jumping around the room to all the devices lighting them up. It must have been one of the children from the other room. Barry’s EMF would light up and then the REM-Pod and this would happen over and over again. In addition, a female and male voice began speaking to Dave through his Ghost Box.  

Take a look at this video of that night! It was an eventful evening to say the least!  

 https://youtu.be/4pFCsXNr898 

        The next afternoon as I walked to the bathroom downstairs I noticed that it had an automatic overhead light that was supposed to turn on if a person entered. However, it would turn on at different times but only when I was walking toward it. Never the men!

          Once it lit up when I was in the middle of the hallway, before the door, and the light turned on. Another time, I was in the bathroom and it wouldn’t turn on. But when I closed the door, it did! I could tell there was an entity in the bathroom that was messing with me! Whenever I was inside the small room I felt an older male spirit toward the end of the bathroom near the toilet area. I found out later that the man who used to own and live in the house was named Robert.  He had been killed while sitting on the toilet in the bathroom. All they knew was that he was shot, and they believed it was related to the mob.

          Later that night, I dreaded going into the bathroom because I felt that something would happen but my bladder is the size of a pea so I knew I couldn’t hold it any longer. While walking towards the bathroom the light popped on when I was in the middle of the hall which caused me to stop in my tracks. After a minute, I cautiously walked in and closed the door behind me. I could feel someone in the room with me. The room felt silent and strange. After using the toilet I heard, a man whisper in my left ear, “Hi there, Honey,” and a laugh soon followed.

          I walked back into the sitting area where all guys sat and told them what had happened. Barry remarked, he was taking bets on how long I could hold it the next time, and we all laughed. I bent over to pick up the headphones to Barry’s listening device and placed them on my head but as soon as I did I heard a long and drawn out, “Robert….” whispered into my right ear and jumped in shock. Barry, Melvin and Dave all looked at me wondering what was wrong. As I explained what I had heard in my ear, Barry’s EMF went off. We all looked at the EMF device but soon were distracted by a male voice coming through Dave’s Ghost Box, it sounded like a laugh. We all glanced at each other and then heard, “Robert” come out of the box. Barry asked the man speaking to us, “Who killed you?” The man replied back instantly, “Robert!” The man interacting with us had to be a Robert, but the only problem was which Robert? This is where it gets REALLY interesting!

          The man killed in the bathroom was named Robert who was a Sir.  When he died his son, Robert Jr. inherited the home. So which Robert was talking to us because now they both were deceased? 

          Later we asked the owner of the home, Katy about this and she said there was no record of young Robert Jr. killing him, in fact he was quite respected in the town and they never had found his killer. However later, Katy called me informing me that a psychic had just been to the house and told her that Robert Jr. had been the one who had killed his father. This would confirm the reason I heard the male voice in my ear say, “Robert” because his son, also named Robert, had killed him. I think I was too new at using my abilities back then to see it.

          However, that very night I spoke to Katy I had a dream that Robert Sir. was sitting on the toilet in the bathroom I was always in on the bottom floor. Suddenly the bathroom door was kicked open and Robert Sir. saw his son, Robert Jr. The owner of the home looked afraid and confused and called out to his son saying, “What are you doing?” Just then young Robert Jr. shot him twice in the chest. Robert then fell from the toilet to the bathroom floor and his son, Robert Jr. turned and walked away, then left the house, leaving the scene of the murder. No one ever found out, until now!

          I believe I was seeing the murder of the home owner, Robert Sir. who was indeed killed by his son. After Katy spoke to me on the phone, I believe I was ready to see the truth so it came to me. A year ago when I was at the house, I don’t think I was ready to accept the fate of the former home owner, who now we know, was taken by his own son’s hand. Perhaps from writing this though, Robert Sir., the original owner, can rest in peace knowing the truth is finally out there.

          So go visit the McDonald house indeed! You don’t want to miss it! Whether you are a Historian, ghost hunter, or just a plan paranormal lover; you sure will get some action inside the historic house that sits oddly on a sloped forested hillside in Attica, IN. The spirits are dying to interact with you!

©Rosella C. Rowe

          For more information or to book a room: https://www.mcdonaldairbnb.com/

 

Our Visitor, Melissa!

            After an action packed Saturday night with friends and Bobby Shook ghost hunting at the Mansfield Fire Museum and Firehouse Bingo Hall in Mansfield, Ohio (both of which Bobby manages), I went home to get a good nights rest. All was well that is until several nights later.

          I was sleeping peacefully next to my husband in our king bed when around 3am, Tuesday morning; I woke up to a blond woman looking straight at me and standing at the foot of our bed. 

          As I looked at the strange woman I could tell that she was defiantly in her early 30’s however she was dressed and styled like it was 1980. She had light blond, permed hair and was thin. She told me her name was Melissa. She had on a pair of light denim-mom jeans (as we would call them now-a-days) and a light pink half- sleeve shirt. She was kind but extremely talkative! Wow…! Did she like to talk! My husband however, never woke up or became alarmed at all. Nor did he ever move. I was used to visitors in the night because of my gifts and knew they liked to come and talk sometimes. So I tried not to be rude and stay awake but it was pretty hard to do!

          The kind soul, spoke to me as I drifted in and out of consciousness telling many stories about how she loved Bobby Shook, his staff of volunteers, and the Bingo Hall. She also spoke about enjoying playing bingo and winning prizes at the Firehouse Bingo Hall! Melissa looked like a real human-being as she stood before me in a solid-form, and spoke to me most of the night.

          Unfortunately for her she caught me in an inopportune moment, and I kept falling asleep and waking up again later to find her still talking away. This happened many times and seemed to upset her after awhile. Once, I woke up to hear her say, “Are awake?” with her hands placed firmly on the sides of her hips as she starred straight at me. I could tell she was looking to see if I was indeed, awake.

          “Did you fall asleep again?” she said in frustration, Then Melissa sat down on the edge of my kind bed, right beside me. As she sat, I felt my two white-fleece blankets, that I was wrapped-in, push up against my two legs. Feeling the pressure of her body against mine, I wasn’t sure what to do!

          In shock, I let out a small laugh innately from the event that had just taken place as Melissa smiled with confidence. As I looked at her I could see that she knew I was awake now. She placed her hands on her lap and looked down at me as I lay in bed.

          “There, now you won’t fall asleep!” Melissa informed me, still grinning ear to ear. I chuckled again at her words and her strong-confidence as she began to speak again. “Now, I see you have a tabby-cat. I just love cats. Let me tell you about the cat I had. I just loved my cat and he looked just like yours!” Melissa exclaimed acting like school girl who just wanted to girl chat. She was really enjoying herself!

          I must have fallen asleep soon after that because I woke up in the morning to my alarm, as usual, and saw that Melissa had gone.  Her visit was surely interesting, to say the least, and very comical. I wonder if she will ever visit again.

           I called Bobby later on that day and told him about my visit from Melissa and some things she had said to me. He loved it!  But unfortunately he informed me that he had known many Melissa’s over the years that had played bingo and was unclear as to which one she could be.

          Despite that fact Bobby called me two nights later telling me HE HAD SEEN HER! According to him, he woke up around 2-3am and was lying on his right side in fetal position, just like I was. Bobby had fallen asleep while watching TV and had woken up when the felt the tops of his two legs get warmer than the rest of his body. When he opened his eyes he saw the same woman (Melissa) sitting on the edge of his bed, up against him.

          Bobby said she was not facing him, she was looking away from him but his legs were up against her lower-back area. Bobby also described the same woman I saw, he said she had medium length hair, brown in color (I saw blondish-brown I thought, but in dark) and he said she had on a white dress (that was different then mine). He never saw her face but guessed she was middle age.

          When Bobby moved his warm legs he says, she stood up and walked away and was gone. Bobby called out to her, “Where did you go?” Bobby told me that he has not seen her since. He also said, “Nothing like this has ever happened before to ME.....Oh Hell! Maybe she was just watching TV and did not want to be disturbed. Now I sleep with one Eye Open!” Bobby told me with a chuckle.

          He also told me about another interesting experience about three weeks ago when he came home from AmVets to find a blue colored light reflecting off his living room wall. He said to me, “I went into my living room to find my TV had been turned on.  However, that TV is not hooked to the cable, but is plugged into an electrical outlet.  And that TV has not been on for at least 4 Yrs. I never use it!” He went on to say, “It’s strange that the TV would be on.” After that Bobby says he hit the "power” button he says it turned off. “Strange thing,” he said.

                Perhaps we’ll never know why Melissa chose to visit Bobby and I, or how Bobby’s TV was turned on but I do remember the last time I was at the hall and Bobby had shown me a board filled with obituaries of deceased bingo players. That board had really resonated with me and stuck with me. I respected that he and his volunteers at the bingo hall had made the board “in memory of their past players” to show their respect and how much they cared for them. It was a beautiful thing.

          I think Melissa really loved the board that Bobby showed me that night and that’s why she had come to see us both! She was simply trying to get a message to Bobby and needed his attention so that she could tell him and his volunteers, “Thank You!”

 ©Rosella C. Rowe

 

The Little Girl Who Jumped

Out of the Cemetery!

        A lot of people ask me how I knew I had spiritual gifts and could see things others couldn’t? Well… Let’s just say a little girl in a white lace dress jumped out of a cemetery from the side of the road right in front of my car, and then vanished before my eyes! That’s when I had to accept I was different!

          I was driving along on Swailes Road near my home in Troy, Ohio that I drive on each day. I had just picked up my two little kids, both under the age of 7. We were talking and singing songs as I drove up a small hill when I suddenly saw a little girl appear out of nowhere on the side of the road.  The girl looked about the age of 12 and was wearing an old-fashioned Victorian-style white lace dress.

Suddenly, the little girl leaped in front of my car shouting out to me, “I can’t find my parents! Help!” as she looked me straight in the eyes, then vanished under my car. Thinking I would certainly hit her, I stopped the car. I waited for a few second breathing frantically from fear. I noticed something odd; I never heard a thump.

I jumped out of my Honda Pilot, not even concerned that someone might hit me from behind on the busy road, and I ran to the front of my car, but the girl was gone. There was no damage to my car, and nothing unusual. I began to look around everywhere but didn’t see the girl.

          Unexpectedly, I felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness and loneliness come over me. Turning toward my car to look at my kids, I heard someone crying. The cry sounded like a female child. She sounded sad and distressed. I looked around again knowing it wasn’t my kids, because I could see them in the car. I was looking right at them. I knew it must be the little girl in the white-laced dress I was hearing.

          I looked over to the spot where the little girl had jumped from but saw only trees and overgrown brush, and grasses. I didn’t see any signs of footsteps or anything strange. I got into my car again and asked my confused children, “Is anyone hurt?” They shook their heads to say no. “What did you see, Mommy?” my daughter asked frightened.

          “Didn’t you see that little girl jump out in front of our car?” I asked her with distress in my voice. My daughter looked at her younger brother, skeptically. They exchanged odd looks, then the two children looked back at me, “No,” they said.

          Suddenly, I remembered the Thomas Cemetery was behind those trees and brush. The cemetery was far down a little road near us. I remembered an old article in the newspaper, years ago, stating that the original cemetery of the settlers of my hometown, Troy, Ohio; used to be at the intersection up ahead on Swailes and Peters. Years back, they moved the cemetery to make this road, expanding the town.

It was very creepy! We’ve driven through that intersection almost every day of our lives so it was strange to think it used to be a cemetery. The scenery was so pretty, and it had a creek that ran right next to the road.

          The little girl must have been from the Thomas Cemetery. I felt terrible. She must have been calling for help because she couldn’t find her parents! That would explain why I felt sad and lonely, and then heard a female child crying.

          As I realized this, I put the Honda Pilot in drive and made a quick U-turn, driving back to the little road leading to the cemetery. I found the small road and turned down it. My kids looked at each other oddly, as in “what’s going on and what the heck is mom doing?”

          I was curious. I didn’t know if I would see the young girl in the dress again but I just had to look! Would I find her? I thought as my heart pounded and I continued down the small woodsy road.

          I thought, It must be awful to be all alone and not know where your parents are. I felt so sorry for the little girl and I didn’t know if I could help her but I certainly had to see if I could try. She obviously must have appeared to me for a reason. I continued down the long forested road until the woods cleared, revealing the cemetery on a huge hill to the left of the road.

          I stopped the car and stepped out. I walked in front of my Pilot and as soon as I stepped in front of my car, I saw her up on the hill hiding behind a gravestone.

          The little girl giggled as she hid behind the headstones, peeking out at me. I watched her for what seemed hours but could only have been minutes. She emerged from behind a stone then ran as she giggled from stone to stone on the hill. All the while, she smiled back at me as she hid behind the weathered old markers.

          I could tell she was happy to see someone who cared about her and could see her. She certainly loved the attention. I stood still, watching her play. Her old white lace dress looking almost cream-colored and faded with time as it blew behind her in the light winds. Her pale-ashen skin almost coming alive, as the sunshine poured down from the heavens above as she ran gleefully on top of the hill.

          Then the young girl stopped, looking directly at me with a beautiful smile. She stared at me for a moment taking me in. I felt a sudden wave of happiness and delight come over me, as if the little girl was thanking me for stopping. Thanking me for caring.         

          I felt her emotions spread throughout my body. And tears rolled down my cheeks. I knew the little girl in white was saying ‘goodbye.’ The young girl raised her right hand and waved to me, as she vanished into the afternoon sun on the hill.

 

©Rosella C. Rowe

For more check out my blog: MyHauntedTravelBlog.blogpsot.com & my podcast: https://anchor.fm/ahauntinggoodtime

 and Facebook Page and Twitter:

FB: @RosellaCRoweAuthor

@Ahauntinggoodtimeradioshow

Twitter: @RosellaCRowe1

Email: RosellaC.Rowe@yahoo.com

 

                My Visit to the Hall:

        If you haven’t heard of Octagon Hall in Franklin, Kentucky you will certainly want to look it up after reading this article and plan your visit!

           My good friend and buddy, Barry Gaunt; who is a Ghost Hunter and Shaman, happens to be a volunteer and paranormal event planner at the historical Octagon Hall & Museum.  Barry had invited me down for a visit and today I was on my way. It was a hot day in July as I drove up the grassy driveway which winds around the historical southern- property near the small octagon home.  

          Our friend Melvin (another Ghost Hunter) who lived nearby and the Museum’s volunteer, Deb both greeted me at my car. They had been waiting for me.

          As we all waited for Barry, they briefly spoke to me about the house and land. Then they took me inside and began talking to me about the history as well as some wonderful ghost stories, and experiences they both have experienced. 

          As I listened, I took out my paranormal gear, turned it on, then placed it in front of myself on the large table in the dining room area of the house. Then I picked up my pen and note pad to take notes when my EMF-reader lit up and began making noise. Trying to see why it lit up, we later found that it only went did when Deb asked me questions. Deb, who has had many experiences in the museum, then told me, that it was defiantly Mr. Caldwell, who was the past owner of the Octagon Hall. She thought that he must be trying to interact with me. Perhaps he was checking out my notes for my article.

          I learned from Deb that the property was built in 1847 by Andre Jackson Caldwell (who had just interacted with me via my EMF) who wanted a house for his family but he didn’t want a simple house. No, he wanted his house to be distinct, so he created an octagon shaped home.

          All was well until 1862 when two forts, Henry and Donelson fell and the Confederate forces evacuated Bowling Green area in Kentucky and sought refuge at the Hall. Deb informed me that there was an estimate of eight to even ten thousand Confederate soldiers camped out on the Hall’s property.  Days later, the Union army came and took occupation of Octagon Hall. These awful events left the poor Caldwell’s tortured for years by the war and the Union.

          Barry arrived at the Hall and began telling me about the property. He has been a volunteer at the Octagon Hall for 11 years. He and Melvin are friends and ghost hunters with the same ghost hunting team in the south.

          They both took me outside to the back of the property away from the house to show me a Slave Cemetery where 17 dead slaves were buried. I noticed that some graves were marked and others weren’t. “We know were some unmarked are and some we don’t,” Barry stated and simply shrugged his shoulders. You could really tell he cared for the land and those who had come before his time to the Hall and its property. He had a real passion along with Melvin, for history and the Civil War.  

          The cemetery also has 2 soldiers buried there. These were men had died tragically on the property while trying to seek refuge in the house during the raging-war. Octagon Hall was known as a safe home for soldiers seeking refuge from the enemy but some had died trying to escape. One soldier ran to the house from the railroad on a wounded foot trying to get help. The family put him upstairs in the attic to hide him while they dealt with the enemy soldier at their front door looking for him.  Tragically; the poor solider died waiting in the attic from his wounds.     

          The second solider was found at the front door of the home one morning who had tried knocking on the door trying to attempting to wake the family in the night for help, but sadly died in the process.

          Barry also told me that there were several mass graves of soldiers on the property.  The house is just a beacon for paranormal activity and I was told many stories about people’s interesting experiences; as well as their volunteers, but one story really stuck out!

          Deb, who has been a volunteer at the Hall for some time, told me about a ghost hunt her team had on the property one night. She said she wanted to go out-front and investigate a certain part of the property near the front door of the house. Barry described to me how she had asked him about it for weeks leading up to the event. However, Barry who is a sensitive and Shaman, warned Deb not to investigate the area. He said he had a bad feeling about the land and how he had seen a dark shadow-figure there one night while leaving by himself. Barry warned Deb that he felt it was something evil he had seen that night and wanted her to stay away from that part of the land on the property but Barry says that Deb was, “set on it.” Deb asked him again to come with them but Barry told her he wouldn’t go and investigate with her group. Instead, he would wait for them on the on back porch.

          Deb walked to the front of the property and got out her ghost box out and began asking, “Who are you?” However, she didn’t get the reply she thought she would get. Instead a spirit with a strange and bitter voice said, “Deb.” To which she answered back, “Yes, that is my name. What do you want?” The reply got even worse, saying: “Blood!” Then according to her fellow investigators who screamed for Barry, Deb was jumped! She suddenly didn’t know who she was. In addition, she was speaking in another language they couldn’t make out or recognize. Barry says her fellow investigators described the voice like so, low and dark, it had a demon-like tone that you might hear in a movie. The investigators took Deb to Barry who was on the back porch. Barry says Deb tried standing up and balancing herself near a tree but couldn’t and then he heard the voice himself and knew what he had to do.

          Barry quickly ran inside and got his Rosary which had a long cross on it and walked outside to his friend Deb in need. He knew she was possessed and had been taken over by a bad spirit on the property. Holding the cross to Deb’s forehead she screamed at him as he said prayers to banish the spirit. As he did this, the cross burned into the skin of Deb’s forehead and she screamed in pain. Barry, who has experienced this before, continued to pray and banish the evil- demonic spirit from his friend until it left.

          While interviewing Barry, he informed me that he knew how to get rid of it and it wasn’t his first rodeo. He also told me it wanted Deb and that’s why she wanted to investigate that area of the property because the spirit had been working on her for weeks leading up to that night. Barry and Deb believe that it wanted to posses Deb, to get into the house. Why?!  They don’t know but also don’t care to find out! Barry told me as he laughed-whole heartedly, while making his statement.

          The important thing is, Deb is safe and Barry helped a friend, doing what he does best!

          I also had an interesting experience with Barry on the property! While in the basement with Barry and Melvin, and fellow visiting Ghost Hunters from ESP: Explorers of Spirit Phenomena, Leaders; Tracy Watts and Terri Rohde; we thought we heard Barry (who was sitting at the time, right beside me) say, “I got my gun,” really loud.

          Terri and I looked at each other oddly. Then we asked him why he had said that? Barry looked at us quizzically and asked, “Said what?”

          We told him what we heard him clearly say. I even pointed out how he was right next to me and I heard him. However, he insisted he didn’t say anything at all. Terri, who had been recording the whole time then stopped her tape, rewound it, and began to play it back for us all to hear.

          To our amazement, you heard Barry speak right before it, then another voice which sounded really close to his say, “I got my gun,” in a gruff-tone, but clear as day! However, the sentence spoken hadn’t been from Barry. He was right, it wasn’t him!

          Later we all went to the 2^nd floor of the house and walked into the Master Bedroom. Tracy and Terri set their REM-Pod down on the king bed in the room, which instantly went off but wouldn’t stop. In fact, the spirit blew up the battery inside the REM-Pod!  Tracy got out the old battery and replaced it quickly, then placed the device back on the bed where it had been and same thing happened again!  The device turned on right away and wouldn’t stop and it was loud.  

          A minute later, Barry called downstairs to his friend and longtime investigator familiar with the situation, Billy Sims. Billy came running in the room and shouted to the entity (who he seemed to know well), “Please turn it off, Hon!  Don’t blow up these nice girls battery.”  No kidding, as soon as Billy said that, the spirit must have stepped away because the REM-Pod stopped and from then on, only came on at Billy’s command. 

          So does the Octagon Hall have paranormal activity? Yes, it surely does! So make sure to plan you visit to the Hall! And be sure to say hello to Barry for me!

 

    ©Rosella C. Rowe