Houses Haunted By Spirits

The Farnsworth House

It’s always more exciting reading about an actual haunting. The Farnsworth House is now an inn located in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Today it is a family-run inn that dates back to 1810. Over the years stories have been added to this house as owners have changed hands. During the Civil War, Farnsworth House was owned by the Sweeny family and was a favorite for Confederate soldiers because of how sturdy the structure was. They also discovered that up in the attic was a garret window from which one could shoot attacking Union soldiers on Cemetery Hill which is just 100 yards away. The Sweeny’s moved to a safer location and the soldiers took over their home. Once the battle was over and the Sweeny’s returned left behind were over 100 bullet marks in the wall of the brick addition to the house. These marks can still be seen by visitors today.

At the turn-of-the-century, Farnsworth House became a bed and breakfast and a favorite place for visitors to the Gettysburg Battlefield to spend the night. The inn is named after Union Civil War officer General John Farnsworth. At one time five additional rooms were added to the inn. They were built around and near the courtyard and garden while the other buildings on the property became a restaurant and a tavern. Since it has been discovered that the inn is a most haunted place the present owners have built a theater in the basement for the telling of ghost stories and they also give ghost tours. Guests have a choice of choosing to stay in a haunted or un-haunted room. Those guests who choose to have a paranormal experience prefer to stay in the 1864 era rooms.

Ghostly happenings

The most interesting manifestations are of Confederate soldiers. On days when the inn is particularly quiet the entity of a Confederate soldier still on duty up in the attic lets visitors enjoy a Jew’s harp concert.

One can hear footsteps on the stairs and someone pacing on the main floor. Staff members have been followed by footsteps but no one is ever there.

Guests have unseen entities sitting on their beds and shadowy apparitions have been seen.

Waitresses in the restaurant have met up with the rudest and cheeky entities doing things like yanking on their apron strings.

In the hallway between the tavern and the kitchen, an apparition of an older woman has appeared dressed in clothing of the 1800s. She comes to make an inspection and looks over the items that are stored on the shelves. Then just like that she disappears.

So if you are in the mood to rub elbows with some very interesting apparitions take a trip to historic Gettysburg you never know who you might run into.

Haunted King Cromartie House

I have always thought that the best kind of ghost stories and stories about haunting are stories that are true. There are many haunted places all over the U.S. but unless people are sensitive to the world beyond they might never realize that they live next door to ghosts unless strange things begin to happen.

King Cromartie House is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the city’s Historic Village.

History

It all began when building contractor Edwin T. King built a one-story bungalow for his family in 1907. The house had carbide lamps and running water. When a man named Bloxham Cromartie asked Mr King if he could marry his daughter Louise, King gave his consent and gave them the family home. The young couple added a second story to the house in 1911. Up until 1968 different members of the King-Cromartie family lived in this house. Afterwards, it was sold.

Unfortunately, even though this was a historical structure the new owners were considering tearing down the house but funds were raised to save it. Then the 200-ton structure was put on a barge and moved on down the river to the older historic area. The house was placed on the playground of the 1899 historic schoolhouse.

In 1971 it was opened as a historic house museum and in 1994 the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society took over custody. The King-Cromartie House Museum is now part of the Fort Lauderdale Historic Village.

Ghostly Manifestations

It is a known fact that people who die prematurely with no warning whatsoever due to disease, accident or murder tend to not be ready to venture to the other side but instead choose to stay in their favorite place here on earth.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, before there were pesticides, vaccinations and antibiotics, lots of children succumbed to disease and infection. At that time yellow fever was a big killer in Florida due to the many mosquitoes. These children often stayed around even after death continuing to play in their favorite places.

Louise King Cromartie died of yellow fever in the 1920s at a fairly young age.

Today at the King-Cromartie house the apparition of Louise has been seen looking out of her second-story bedroom window. There are people who have seen her clearly. They say she has blond hair, wears a bun and has ringlets along the sides of her face. She wears a pink dress.

A team of paranormals caught on film a soft movement as curtains are brushed aside from this window. Leaving the camera behind they have also caught a photo of an apparition standing at the window looking down upon people outside.

Entities of Children

Since the King-Cromartie house has been placed on the playground of an old school people can hear the sounds of children and see unexplained movements. Suddenly a porch swing might start rocking as if a child was enjoying it. Sounds such as children running, playing, laughing and singing can be heard around and in the back of the house.

Today Louise remains at the house enjoying her time in her bedroom and keeping an eye out on the living. As for the children even though there is not too much evidence of them at present surely some do remain behind enjoying playing in a place where they once felt so very happy.

Spooky Villa Paula

The spooky Villa Paula is located in the Little Haiti neighborhood in Miami, Florida, The mansion dates from 1920 and was built in the neo-Classical style it has ten rooms.

The first Cuban Consulate Senior Don Domingo Milors and his wife Paula had Villa Paula built for their family.. The couple lived in the mansion when tragedy struck and Paula died from complications due to a leg amputation. Afterwards, the mansion passed to Muriel Reardon who lived there for more than 30 years. Various owners came and went and finally, the mansion became a residence for senior citizens. The mansion was left deserted and fell into disrepair by 1974. At this time a man named Cliff bought the mansion and restored it. He soon discovered that he was not living alone.

Manifestations

What happens when you realize that you’re living with spirits is that you hear a steady knocking on the front door but once you open it there is no one there yet, you cannot be sure the spirit has not already entered your home.

Then there was the spirit who really hated cats and Cliff has three of them. Cats have the ability to see spirits unfortunately these cats couldn’t save themselves from a slamming iron gate. The previous owner Muriel who had passed on really hated cats.

It was known that Paula preferred to keep the bedroom door shut so that there would be no draft while she played the piano. So now Cliff discovered that his bedroom door would shut by itself whenever he left it open.

The aroma of strong Cuban coffee would come from the kitchen and the fragrant smell of roses from the dining room even when it was no longer the season for roses.

One shadowy figure was seen but disappeared before it could be seen fully. Another figure was seen in the hallway by the bedrooms. This was a Cuban woman, her hair in a bun. She floated down the hallway in a full-length gown. The woman had only one leg and then just as suddenly she disappeared into thin air.

In the backyard, the clicking of high heels could be heard on the stone path.

A ghostly inhabitant threw a fit one day. There was a loud noise in the kitchen and dishes and silverware were thrown all over the place. A front porch chandelier loosened from its socket and crashed to the ground.

Psychic Research

In 1976 during a seance, it was apparent that Villa Paula had the spirits of Paula and four other entities living there.

The spirit of Paula was a shy one and didn't want to reveal who she really was but she did say that she enjoyed fresh coffee, loved playing the music of "Carmen" on the piano and loved roses.

The other entities were a thin man in a top hat, a heavy-set woman in a red dress, a crying woman who was sad that she had lost a medal in the garden and another unhappy young woman who was seeking the burial place of her illegitimate baby. The baby must have been buried somewhere on the ground of Villa Paula.

Another seance was held in 1979 and afterwards, Cliff sold Villa Paula. In the 1980s the new residents were treated to a full program with poltergeist activity and sightings of Paula. Once again cats were trapped and killed by the iron gate.

In 1989 Villa Paula was named the most haunted house in the city. In the early 1990s, the mansion became a doctor’s medical office. This was good news for the ghostly residents who now could freely roam about in the evening hours.

There is good news for you all especially if you are into the paranormal. This haunted villa is now for sale for nearly $5 million so if you have the bucks you have the ghosts.

The Haunting of Bowman House

Bowman House is a large estate which is located in Cuttingsville, Vermont. The estate includes the Laurel Glen family mausoleum. All of this was built by a wealthy farmer called John P. Bowman. After he passed on, he left a large endowment in his will to have the mansion and grounds kept in great shape. The house is now a museum and when you step through its doors it’s like you’re stepping back into the 1800s. It is a wonderful place to visit if you like old haunted houses.

Across the road from the Bowman House is the Laurel Glen Mausoleum which Bowman built out of grief for his dead family and holds the remains of his wife and children. He had a life-size statue of himself built with flowers in hand walking up the steps in grief. Another statue of himself can be seen kneeling outside the door, holding a wreath and a key. To make these statues Bowman hired 125 sculptors and stonecutters and took over a year to complete.

It was in 1880 that tragedy struck the Bowman family and his wife and children died in some unknown way. The cause of death is not exactly known it could have been a disease, perhaps an accident or perhaps something more sinister. It has left a bad aura surrounding this house.

All over the Bowman house, an apparition of a woman can be seen and is always going about her business. Visitors who stop at the top of the stairs can see a darkened stain there and begin to experience strange and uneasy feelings of dread. One should be careful when visiting the mansion and always be on polite terms with whatever entities there are. When a younger visitor stuck out their tongue at a painting while touring the mansion the painting came off of the wall and actually hit her. So if touring this house proceed with caution.

The mansion is definitely still haunted and no living being is allowed in it at night so that the entities can enjoy their house in peace. Because of the interest in the haunting here, there is a haunted house book shop on the grounds.

The Haunting of Pittock Mansion

The Pittock Mansion is a museum located on top of a mountain rising above Portland, Oregon. The mansion dates from 1914 and has 22 rooms,

In 1853 at the age of 19, Henry Pittock met up with a wagon train and took a journey from Pennslyvania to Portland, Oregon. After arriving in Portland Henry found a job at a weekly newspaper and by the time he turned 26 he had purchased the Oregonian newspaper. He made it into a daily paper, married the girl that he loved Georgiana Burton who came from Missouri with her family.

The Pittock’s became the pillars of the community, live in Portland and raised six children. Georgiana started the Ladies Relief Society in 1867. It was an organization that the Children’s Home provide for and took care of poor children. She also had a part in building the Martha Washington Home for single, working women. Henry meanwhile branched out in various fields such as real estate and banking.

Henry and Georgiana built the Pittock Mansion to be used as their summer retirement home. They lived there until the time of their death in 1819 Georgiana passed away and Henry followed in 1831. The rest of the Pittock family lived in the mansion until the 1950s. The city of Portland restored the house in 1964 and the following year it opened its doors to the public as the Pittock Mansion Museum,

Sadly both Georgiana and Henry had had such a short time before they departed this world to truly enjoy their beautiful home. Visitors to the mansion have heard the sounds of heavy footsteps walking about the yard and then entering the house through the side door. The entity supposedly is the gardener.

Both the museum staff and visitors have enjoyed seeing Georgiana and Henry happy in their home and in the hallways have heard their footsteps walking out of rooms and heard them on the ground floor. Windows open and close, items get moved about and it appears that the couple are going about living in their home as usual.

People who are sensitive to the world beyond have felt a presence that they couldn’t see escorting them around the mansion and following them about like a good host would do in case they wanted anything. It has been suggested that Henry might have been seen by some but it has not been proven. Now the entity of Georgiana has been felt or noticed in other ways. Unseen hands have moved a childhood portrait of Henry about the mansion. Guess she would know better where the portrait should be hung. Visitors to the museum have seen the reflection of an older lady in the glass covering a painting. In and around the mansion one can smell the aroma of roses which clearly signifies the presence of Georgiana. Down in the basement, an old woman has been seen keeping visitors company.

Paranormal studies have been done in the Pittock Mansion and an investigator has caught an EVP or electronic voice phenomenon of a man saying, “I’m heading back.” The investigator also felt a strong presence following her group as they walked about the mansion. In one of the smaller rooms, she caught an EVP of a friendly female voice that said, “Hello!” It is supposed that the couple Henry and Georgiana are still around and enjoying their retirement home, the wonderful views of Portland, and happy about the visitors who come and enjoy looking at their home. If you decide to visit you will see for yourself what gracious hosts they are. I know that if I died and left behind such a lovely mansion with surrounding gardens I might want to hang around if I possibly could.