Oh my friends – didn’t you get a chill just reading that title – dismemberment? It does bring me shutters thinking about it. You see this is a story that read about and heard on television. I couldn’t believe my piggy eyes and ears! I was shocked and ran to tell mom/dad. They were in awe as well.
There was a man that lived in Tennessee. Back in November of last year, he and his wife had a huge fight. Things didn’t end well. The fight escalated and the guy ended up killing his wife, dismembering her and putting her in their freezer in the garage of their house. There she was for two days.
During those two days, the man kept thinking his wife was coming to him in his dreams about what happened. He finally went and checked the freezer and she was alive! They had a long conversation and she was telling him how much she loved him. He was crying when he called 911 to come out and help her.
The police arrived to the house. When they went into the garage, there was no way the woman could have been talking to the guy – she was dead and had been for several days. Did she come back to seek her revenge?
Today mom and dad helped me by reminding me of a story at their true love – Savannah, Georgia. One of the must things to do in Savannah if you have never done it is to take a stroll through downtown at night on a haunted ghost tour. There are walking tours, horse and buggy tours or even a hearse tour if you dare.
Many moons ago, mom/dad went with my mom’s sister and her daughter, my little niece Savannah. Nice name huh? Savannah must have been about two and they decided to do a night time horse and buggy haunted ghost tour. It must have been scary too because little Savannah stayed camped out inside of mom’s hoodie the entire horse and buggy tour.
One of the last places on the tour was a little house called the 17 Hundred 90 Inn and Tavern. It’s a quaint little place, not so scary during the day but a night – chills. The 17 Hundred 90 Inn and Tavern is located at 306 East President Street, Savannah. The bottom floors have a restaurant and bar area while the upper floors have 14 suites in the inn. It has a long history of untimely death and ghosts. It was originally built in 1820 and is one of the oldest buildings in the Savannah area.
The most paranormal activity revolves around poor sweet Anna who fell from the window of room 204. There are many stories about poor Anna – we really don’t know which one is the truth.
One story states that she was married to the designer of the home, Steel White, who died in 1790 in a tragic riding accident. Anna fell in love with a German sailor who went off to sea and promised to return but never did. Anna found out that she was pregnant and realized that the German sailor never meant to return. In despair, she jumped to her death from room 204.
Another story similar to the one above with Anna has Anna being a servant at the inn instead of being married to the designer of the home. The end is the same result though, her untimely death.
People have reported the ghost of poor Anna leaning over them while they sleep in room 204. Other stories are of Anna caressing men’s cheeks and as they wake they see Anna crying and then jumping to her death out the window. Items are also often reported missing – wallets, jewelry, keys – all of which are later found mysteriously in a planter or behind a shelf.
Stories were so rampant at one point in room 204 that the 17 Hundred 90 Inn and Tavern required any patron staying in the room to sign a waiver stating they would not request their money back should they not stay the entire night. Nowadays, it is no longer required because most people wanting room 204 are hoping for a little ghost sighting of poor sweet Anna.
So this story was told on horse and buggy ride late at night through the streets of Savannah. Mom, Dad, my Aunt Tina and two year old niece Savannah who was taking up shop under mom’s hoodie. The mood was set. It was dark, a little misty. All you could hear was the clickey-clack of the horses feet, an occasional snarl from the horse and the soft tale of Anna coming for the tour guide. That’s when my niece Savannah decided to poke her head out to the world and say in her little child like voice, “Poor Anna”.
So do you believe in ghosts, spooks and things that go bump in the night? Do you have a little adventure still left in you? Want a weekend trip at a haunted inn – I’ve heard that the 17 Hundred 90 has open reservations…. if you dare my friends.
There I was last night all cuddled up in my Egyptian cotton sheet on my toddler bed in my bedroom. I was writing some stories and doing research for my 31 Days of Spook – which I hope you are enjoying. Someone sent me a video about selfies. I opened it and watched the video. Oh.my.piggy.heavens. Are you kidding me?! I peed on my bed. I can admit it. It scared me that much. You don’t believe me? Well, why don’t you watch the attached video in its entirety. It’s relatively short. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though – it’s not for the weak. Maybe you’ll think about it the next time you take a selfie.
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?
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?
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.
Tonight it’s raining hard in the cemetery. I want to finish what I believe are some famously eerie and interesting cemeteries. So put on your raincoat and straighten your spine. Be prepared to be spooked!
When I think of places that a lot people died during a lot of fighting, one of the places that come to mind is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Cemetery Hill had so many people that died during the Battle of Gettsyburg that it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around it. There were so many bodies that it was hard to bury everyone in a timely manner. You can imagine the smell that overcame the land. There are still reports today of people smelling death. And you know what they say about unrested bodies, they become ghosts forever looking for redemption.
A famous cemetery that mom would like to visit is in Los Angeles, California. (I know – she’s weird like that. She finds walking through the cemeteries as calming as walking on a beach. Go figure – she’s my mom.) Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the final resting place of many celebrities over the years. I’ll need to break down a listing of more important graves here later on in the month. For now though, let’s concentrate on some hauntings of the cemetery. A famous person known to haunt here is Clifton Webb. People at the cemetery claim to hear voices and lights near the Abbey of the Psalms Mausoleum. A story that intrigues me that I’ve seen on television numerous times is the crypt of Rudolph Valentino. For years on the anniversary of his death, a lady dressed in black would be seen wearing a veil to cover her face at his crypt leaving a single red rose. No one really knew for sure who this person was and still today the tradition of leaving a single red rose continues on his anniversary.
And I must end this stroll through the cemeteries at one of mom/dad’s most famous places in Savannah, Georgia at Bonaventure Cemetery. Did you know that this cemetery had the “Bird Girl” statue that is the photograph of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? I say had now because it has since been moved to a museum nearby but there are still some amazing tombs and headstones left. Mom/dad have spent multiple days and hours strolling through and visiting with the folks still there. One of the famous haunts is of little Gracie Watson who died of pneumonia when she was only six years old. Currently they have her grave fenced off… is that to keep people from touching her little statue or from keeping little Gracie from touching you? There’s also the hell hounds that local legend have talked about. People claim to hear them snarling but no one ever sees them. Perhaps they feel the hot breath of a dog on their ankles letting them know they need to step back. You think?
So that ends our walk through the cemetery my friends. Did you get chilled? Did you get scared? Perhaps you should check your shoes. Mom did and this is what she found on her boots.
Shivers. Do you text on your cell phone? Well, this is the story for you my friends.
You see, for the past three years, a woman along with her father and uncle have been sending text messages to a deceased family member in order to deal with the grief. The loved one died from cancer and was buried with her beloved cell phone. When she was alive, she would often text her love ones throughout the day.
You can imagine the shock to the family when they started receiving texts back from their deceased loved one beyond the grave. One of the texts read, “I’m watching over you and it’s all going to bet better. Just pull through.”
Can you imagine the shock, the disbelief and then the miracle of what happened. The family was told that their loved ones number would never be given to anyone else. What in the world was taking place? Just for this moment, it was like they were texting again in the family.
Later it was discovered that the number had been reassigned to someone else who was unrelated to the family. He had been receiving text messages from the family that showed their grief. He thought he would reply to help them.
Miniature pot bellied pig and friends - Bacon, Houdini, Hemi and all of the Rock Clan with Journalist Rocky the Squirrel all out looking for adventures from the Hotel Thompson.
today of people smelling death. And you know what they say about unrested bodies, they become ghosts forever looking for redemption.
Georgia at Bonaventure Cemetery. Did you know that this cemetery had the “Bird Girl” statue that is the photograph of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? I say had now because it has since been moved to a museum nearby but there are still some amazing tombs and headstones left. Mom/dad have spent multiple days and hours strolling through and visiting with the folks still there. One of the famous haunts is of little Gracie Watson who died of pneumonia when she was only six years old. Currently they have her grave fenced off… is that to keep people from touching her little statue or from keeping little Gracie from touching you? There’s also the hell hounds that local legend have talked about. People claim to hear them snarling but no one ever sees them. Perhaps they feel the hot breath of a dog on their ankles letting them know they need to step back. You think?
for the past three years, a woman along with her father and uncle have been sending text messages to a deceased family member in order to deal with the grief. The loved one died from cancer and was buried with her beloved cell phone. When she was alive, she would often text her love ones throughout the day.
Piglove 