Boo! La Pascualita

Oh my friends.  This tale today is scary unbelievable. It makes you want to do a double take… and possibly a triple take.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  You see working on my 31 Days of Spook takes month of advance preparation.  All year long, I’m looking for just the right stories to bring to you.  Stories of the macabre, ghosts, strange tales, paranormal and things that go bump in the night.  But this story, it caught my attention and I’ve been waiting for some time to share it.

This is something that is strange.  It takes place in Chihuahua, Mexico.  There’s a well known bridal shop in the town called La Popular.  In the bridal shop, there is a mannequin nicknamed La Pascualita that is wearing a wedding dress in the store window.  Sounds all innocent enough, right?  Well here’s the twist.  Some say that La Pascualita might be real.  Do I have your interest piqued now?

You see, for the past 75 years this bridal shop has had rumors flying around about La Pascualita.  Some believe that this mannequin is actually a perfectly preserved corpse!

La Pascualita was placed in the window on March 25, 1930.  Locals saw it and knew that something just wasn’t right about it.  Look at the pictures to the left.  Do you know notice anything odd?

According to the legend, La Popular’s owner Pascuala Esparza had a daughter. His daughter tragically passed away on her wedding day from the bite of a black widow spider.  Some believe that Esparza had his daughter embalmed and that she is now the famous La Pascualita in the shop window.  Of course Esparza has denied such rumors.

Funny thing though – if La Pascualita isn’t Esparza’s daughter why all the secrecy.  What secrecy you ask?  Well, of all of the employees of the shop there are only two that are allowed to change her clothing and that is only behind a closed door.

Other employees of the shop so that La Pascualita’s hands are very realistic and some say you can even see wrinkles and varicose veins on her legs.  Other employees say they come into the shop in the early mornings only to see that La Pascualita has changed positions on her own.  And then there are other employees that say La Pascualita ‘watches’ them during the day.

You be the judge.  What do you think?

Story courtesy of Greg Newkirk with Roadtrippers and Pictures from Pinterest

 

Boo! Internet Connection

So last night, there I was in my bedroom.  I was all cuddled up in my piggy bed with the lights out pounding away on my laptop working on some stories for my 31 Days of Spook. It was late.  Everyone here at the Hotel Thompson was passed out – I knew because I could hear them snoring.  Even that little Houdini brother of mine was sawing the logs.  I kept having problems with my internet connection.  For some reason, the internet kept dropping off from my laptop.  Mom has shown me in the past how to reconnect it and refresh it.  Nothing worked though on this night.

Finally I knew it was time to pull the sheets up over my head when I got this message.  UUMM – I’m good.  I think I’ll go to sleep now.  Have you ever gotten this connection before on your computer?  Shivers and squeals!

 

 

Boo! Myrtles Plantation

Hello my little horror fans. Thank you for staying with me during this 31 Days of Spook.  Today, let’s talk about haunted houses.

When I think about the most haunted house here in the United States, the first one that always comes to mind is the Myrtles Plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana.  Today, it’s a quaint little bed and breakfast.  But before, there was an ugly past that took place that made it the spook fest that it is today.

Back in the day of plantations, there was a despicable thing that southern plantation owners did and that was called having slaves.  It was a horrible act to ‘own’ another person just because of the color of your skin.  Thank goodness that those days are long behind us and we have progressed to the point of not ‘owning’ someone ever again.

But back in the day of the Myrtles when Mark and Sara Woodruff owned the plantation, they had many slaves, one in particular was Chloe.  Chloe was caught eavesdropping on a conversation of the Woodruffs.  For punishment, one of Chloe’s ears was cut off and she wore a green turban to hide it.  Chloe, to say the least, was very upset over having one of her ears cut off.

In order to get even, Chloe baked a birthday cake containing the extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous.  Her plan was to make Mr. Woodruff sick but it backfired.  Only Sara Woodruff and her two daughters ate the cake and all three of them died from the poison.  All of the other slaves were very upset over Chloe doing this and supposedly they hung Chloe and then threw her body into the Mississippi River.

To this day when the circumstances are just right, you can see Chloe wearing her green turban walking through the Myrtles Plantation or the grounds.  And, if you look closer, you can see the Woodruff children playing on the front porch just like they did when they were alive.

And there are rumors about a mirror in the plantation.  Shivers.  This one had my fur standing straight up on edge.  Back in the day, when there was a death in the family, people covered all of the mirrors in the home.  Perhaps with everything going on with Chloe and the three deaths, a mirror that hangs in the foyer got forgotten.  It’s rumored that this mirror holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her two children.  So if you are visiting the plantation and primping in this mirror, give it a close look.  You might see some little hand marks on the glass.

But let’s now stop here with Chloe.  There are still others that haunt the plantation.  The house itself is reported to be built over an Indian burial ground.  Legend is there is a ghost of a young Indian woman that can be seen around the grounds.

And during the Civil War, the house was overtaken by Union soldiers.  It’s claimed that there were three soldiers killed in the house in the doorway.  There in the doorway is a blood stain  where the three soldiers were killed roughly the size of a human body that will not come clean.  Legend states that people that try to use a mop or broom on that one particular area are unable to push the mop or broom in that one spot.

Have you had enough of this plantation yet?  Is your fur standing on edge?  Let me end with one more story of the Myrtles Plantation.

There is also the ghost of William Winter.  He was shot on the front porch of the plantation.  He came back inside and crawled up the stairs to the 17th step where he collapsed dead in his wife’s arms.  Often, you can see a ghost walking or crawling up the stairs and disappearing on the 17th step.  Doesn’t this make you want to go ghost hunting now?

 

Boo! Exton Witch House

This abandoned house is called the Exton Witch House and is located in Pennsylvania.  It is said that this house holds some dark mysterious secrets.  According to legend, there was a family of four witches that are buried on the property.  Their graves are positioned next to each other and it is believed that their corpses are buried in the upright position.  Why do you ask?  Supposedly witches were buried in this custom as to prevent them from causing trouble after their death.  There once was actual tombstones to mark their graves but vandals have since ran off with them.  Those that visit, so that the location is eerie and quiet.  Some even experience strange occurrences.  Would you be willing to go and explore the house with me?

Story/Picture courtesy of First to Know

 

Boo! Home for Sale

I think I’ve found that perfect home for you my friends.  Great house – great location – great schools – there might just be one little itty bitty down side though.  Snorts – would you buy this house?

 

 

Boo! St. Augustine Lighthouse

Today, I want to concentrate on something close to our hearts here at the Hotel Thompson – the St. Augustine Lighthouse.  We’ve watched television shows highlighting the paranormal activity here – have you seen any?

During the 1870’s construction began on the lighthouse tower.  The superintendent, Hezekiah Pittee, had two daughters drown in an accident.  The girls liked to get in a work trolley and roll down to the waterfront.  One day, the trolley didn’t stop and capsized into the water drowning the two girls.  Since then, reports have been made of seeing two little girls standing on the catwalk.

There have also been reports of moving shadows, voices and unexplained sounds.  Other people have reported seeing a dark figure on the stairway inside of the lighthouse.  On one show of Ghost Hunters, Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes caught a dark figure on the steps moving and a woman’s voice asking for help.  It was haunting to say the least.

Reports have also been made of the smell of cigar smoke and a man in the basement area of the keepers house.  This man is believed to be a Civil War hero and a former lighthouse keeper, William Ham.

The lighthouse is now open to the public.  The St. Augustine lighthouse even offers what they call a Dark of the Moon Tour that allows access into the lighthouse and keepers house at night. During this time, you are given a glow stick to light your way so that you may investigate on your own.  Any takers?  I’m game.

 

31 Days of Spook – Let’s Play a Game

No words needed. Let’s play a game shall we? Snorts

 

31 Days of Spook – Mental Health Ward

Today, let’s tell another true story from daddy.  I know you’re dying to hear it – evil snorts.

To get through college, daddy worked at a local hospital on the mental health ward.  No those rumors are not true – that is not where he met mommy – snorts.  When he first started at the hospital, he worked the midnight shift. The mental health ward during this time was in the basement right beside the morgue.  That would bring shivers to this little piggy to begin with.

One of his co-workers  told him a story the first couple of days that he was in training that still to this day puts his nerves on edge.  They said that years earlier, a mental health patient had gotten out of their rooms in the middle of the night.  They went into the  elevator and hung themselves around 3:00AM. Staff of the hospital found the mental health patient hanging in the elevator dead.

Since then, the elevators had locks installed on them and they won’t work without the key being inserted to call for the elevator.  The nurse told daddy that every night at 3:00AM, without fail, the elevator doors would open by themselves.  Daddy didn’t take too much into this until the first time he worked by himself.  The nurse’s station was right in front of the elevator doors.  Exactly at 3:00AM, the doors opened all by themselves. It still sends chills up and down daddy’s spine.  And the elevators to this date, still open and close exactly at 3:00AM.  Nothing is wrong with them, they’ve been checked.  There is no reason for them to open at this particular time.  Anyone going up?

 

31 Days of Spook – Dad’s Aunt Dorothy

Today’s spook tale is a real scary story, something that happened to my daddy when he was a young boy.  Are you ready for this?  Are you sure?  You might want to hold someone’s hand.

When dad was around was 10 years old, his mom’s Aunt Dorothy passed away.  She had a house in Blue Ridge, West Virginia.  It looked similar to this picture.  Up on a hill top, had a wrap around porch and was two stories with a full basement.  The house looked normal but had a little bit of an eerie factor… especially to a young child.  Let me give you a little bit background on some chilling history of the home.

Aunt Dorothy had a brother named John that also lived with her. There’s two different stories that circulated about what happened to dear poor John.  One was that Aunt Dorothy and John had dinner one night.  Afterwards, he stood up, crossed himself and then fell over dead.  They other story was they had a fight one day and Aunt Dorothy left the house.  When she returned from cooling down, he was dead.  No one knows which tale is how poor John really died.  Only one fact did remain – John was dead.  From that day forward, Aunt Dorothy locked his room and no one was ever allowed to enter his room.   And although the room was locked and she had the key, she would often mention how it sounded like someone was in the room at night walking around.

Upon Aunt Dorothy’s death, daddy’s mom and dad took him to the house so they could start cleaning some things up to sale the home.  They traveled out of state and got to Blue Ridge, West Virginia on a Thursday evening.  They went to Aunt Dorothy’s home the next day to start the clean up.  They went inside and it was cool inside, almost like goosebump kind of cool with the hair on your arms standing up.  This was strange because in that time during the 1970’s in this area, there really wasn’t central heating and air.  It was the middle of August and it was hot outside, in the 90’s plus.  Typical summer time weather – hot and very humid.  But, in the home it was cool and comfortable, almost ice cold.  They commented on how it was so cold that you could almost hang meat.  But they started to go through the home to see what they wanted, starting with the upstairs.

They found the key to the locked room that once belonged to Aunt Dorothy’s brother John.  The room had just been locked and never touched – as if he was returning back home one day and it was just frozen in time.  There was a book on the bedside table that was still marked where he had left off from reading.  Clothes were still scattered about the room.  The bed was still made.  There was a partial letter written on the desk to an old friend that was never finished.  The room had a eerie feeling like someone was still there and it was cold in this room as well.  One thing that was strange about the room.  There was no cob webs, no dust, nothing that looked like this room had been vacant for over 15 years. It was bizarre but they figured Aunt Dorothy had been in dusting.  But why dust and not pick up the scattered clothing?

Daddy’s father wanted him to go down into the basement alone to check for any tools that they possibly might want to bring home.  Daddy being all of 10 said sure.  How very brave of him.   Each step he took going down into the dark, cold and dank basement, he felt like he was being watched.  At times, it was like someone was following him but no one else was there when he looked around.  He found some things that they might possibly want and he gathered them up.  Slowly, he took everything upstairs with each step still feeling like he was being watched and followed.  And yes he was a child and you might be saying that he was scared because of his age.  Well, was he?  Let’s continue our story.

They stayed at the house on/off for the next couple of days cleaning.  They would go back to the hotel each night and return in the hot August weather with the coolness inside of the home.  Each day they were there cleaning and fixing things up, the house remained cool like there was an air conditioner on… but there wasn’t one. 

On the last day, dad’s mom asked him and his father to start cleaning up the living room area while she was starting in the parlor.  There was an old china cabinet that had french doors on the front.  When you looked through the glass panes, you could see a locked latch across the front.  Dad’s mom tried the doors, but she couldn’t get them open.  They were firmly locked.   Inside of the china cabinet, there was some sterling silver and china that dad’s mom wanted to take back home.

She didn’t want to break the doors in hopes of selling the antique furniture.  On the opposite side of the wall, there was a hutch.  She asked for the boys to come over to possibly help find a key to the china cabinet.  While the boys were searching the hutch, all of a sudden dad’s mom let out a chilling scream.

They turned around immediately and the french doors to the china cabinet were standing wide open as if someone had opened them both at the same time.  Dad’s mom took full advantage of the opportunity and removed the pieces she wanted.  Afterwards, she pushed the doors back together and the cabinet locked itself back up.  You could hear the click-click sound of the latch going right back to where it was previously.

We took the items we wanted out to the car while dad’s father took the trash out.  We came back into the house to lock it up to leave our final time.  We noticed that the house had lost the coolness feeling that it had and had become hot just like it was outside in the August air.  Three days of air conditioning, goosebump coolness, hair standing on your arms and now hot humid heat.  We left that day and never returned.

 

31 Days of Spook – Internet Connection

So last night, there I was in my bedroom.  I was all cuddled up in my piggy bed with the lights out pounding away on my laptop working on some stories for my 31 Days of Spook. It was late.  Everyone here at the Hotel Thompson was passed out – I knew because I could hear them snoring.  Even that little Houdini brother of mine was sawing the logs.  I kept having problems with my internet connection.  For some reason, the internet kept dropping off from my laptop.  Mom has shown me in the past how to reconnect it and refresh it.  Nothing worked though on this night.

Finally I knew it was time to pull the sheets up over my head when I got this message.  UUMM – I’m good.  I think I’ll go to sleep now.  Have you ever gotten this connection before on your computer?  Shivers and squeals!