Haunted America
Can a deceased loved one really come back to reassure us that they are doing fine as some leading ghost shows would have us believe or are they picking up on something else like intuition or maybe even psychic ability? The Bible states that the spirit world is teeming with life, and that God himself is an angel, but is an angel the same thing as a spirit? There is one documented incident in the Scriptures of the spirit of a dead human appearing, that was of course Samuel appearing to Saul, but was it to deliver a message from God or an actual haunting? We may never actually know the answers to all of these questions, but it stands to reason that spirits, ghosts and apparitions do exist to many people as they are firm believers that what they have witnessed was confirmation enough.
There are several theories as to why some souls linger on in a ghostly state. Many people believe that it’s because the deceased weren’t saved before death, and that they missed out on heaven, and they are sitting in a type of transition awaiting to enter heaven or hell. Other people feel that when someone has passed in a traumatic type of death, that their spirit left the body too quickly and is left in a confused state, not knowing the difference between this plane of existence and the next. The most common theory is that the deceased passed on before they completed their unfinished business, and cannot rest until that business is complete. This could be the spirits that come back repeatedly and try to get their message to others in an effort to get aid from a live entity to assist in finishing up whatever it was that they could not complete themselves. Thus, you have what some might call a sighting or a haunting. It is entirely possible that these people did not witness a ghost sighting at all, but were instead simply touched by an angel.
Haunted America
Edgar Allen Poe: The attic room that Poe lived in at 203 N. Amity Street was so tiny that adults often had trouble standing up in it. The house was built in 1830, and Poe’s Aunt Maria Clemm rented it in 1832. One of the interesting things that can be seen in the home is a portrait of Poe’s dead wife in a corpse state. The house is no stranger to doors and windows opening and closing by themselves. In 1968, after numerous complaints, the police arrived to witness a candle-like light move from the first floor, through the second, and up to the attic. When they went into the house no one was there.
The Bell Witch: Tennessee legend states that an entity made an appearance in 1817 to John Bell and his family, tormenting their lives every day. Most of the locals believed that the Bell Witch was actually the spirit of Kate Batts of Halifax, North Carolina who was engaged to John Bell until her death in the 1770’s. While living in the farm house, John Bell was plagued by several illnesses of which The Bell Witch claimed credit. One attempt she made upon his life was prevented when it was noticed that John’s tonic had been switched with poison. On December 19, 1820, John slipped into a delirium that he never fully recovered from. The Bell Witch is said to have sung at his funeral the next day. http://www.bellwitch.org/story.htm
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery: Located on the south side of Chicago, it has been documented for being one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States. The White Lady is considered the Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove because she is the apparition most commonly seen. She appears during full moons, and is buried here next to her young son. Another sighting is that of a two-headed man. During the 1920s the cemetery was a favorite dumping grounds of the mobs for murder victims. Phantom cars have also been seen around this area on the roads.
The LaLaurie House: Built in 1832, and located at 1140 Royal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. This beautiful home hid some very ugly secrets, and is reported to be populated by the spirit world. Most of the ghosts sighted are thought to be the slaves of Madame Delphine Macarty LaLaurie, a popular socialite of her time. In 1833 slaves began disappearing frequently from the home. Reports of abuse to the slaves from jealous witnesses led a fire brigade to investigate the premises. Upon entering the home they found slaves chained to the floor who directed the brigade to the attic which was used as a torture chamber. Rotting corpses were everywhere, and evidence showed that they were cut, stabbed, beaten, and brutalized with their own body parts. The house of torture is extremely active still today, but not with living guests. The attic and stairway have had the most sightings over the years. The house is now on the New Orleans most popular ghost tour lists. http://www.prairieghosts.com/lalaurie.html
The Gray Man: Possibly the most friendly of reported ghosts as he seems to be trying to warn others of lurking dangers coming their way. Many sitings by people walking the beach on Pawley’s Island in South Carolina have reported witnessing the Gray man. There has been much speculation on whom he actually is, and it has been recorded that he has appeared prior to major hurricanes in 1822, 1893, 1916, 1922, 1940, 1954, and in 1989 prior to Hurricane Hugo. Every person that has taken his warning seriously has had their home spared from the damages that the hurricanes left on their surrounding neighbors.http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/grayman.htm
The Blue Lady: An automobile accident snuffed out the life of a beautiful flapper who frequented the Moss Beach Distillery in California. Known for her savvy blue attire, she was reportedly in love with the distillery’s piano man even though she was married. She made nightly trips to the distillery to be with her lover up until her death, and continued to seek out her lover even after death. Many strange encounters have been documented by employees and diners from levitating checkbooks, locked rooms from the inside without any other means of entry, women losing one earring and finding them weeks later someplace else, computers being tampered with, and many sightings of the Ble Lady by small children.http://www.classichorror.net/moss_beach.htm
