What (or who) is haunting Hill House?

Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is considered by many to be the best haunted house book of all time. I read Jackson’s short story The Lottery back in high school, and I was fascinated with her ability to layer meanings and craft a story that so captures a dark side of human nature. A couple months back, I came across a list of scary books, so naturally I had to start with Hill House.

Hill House is a mansion built by a man named Hugh Crain eighty years before the story takes place in the 1950s. It’s rumored by those in the nearby Hillsdale and beyond to be home to ghosts of its former inhabitants. Dr. Montague is a researcher who is particularly interested in psychic and paranormal occurrences. In seeking to document evidence of paranormal activity, he attempts to recruit a number of folks who have some experience with such phenomena as assistants, but the only two who agree to participate by staying at Hill House during the summer.

Eleanor and Theodora each accept Dr. Montague’s invitation as a means to escape the conflicts and personal difficulties they’re experiencing. Eleanor attempts to find belonging and freedom after spending much of her youth caring for her ill mother. Theodora seeks the countryside setting of Hill House to cool down after an argument with her roommate.

Upon arriving at Hill House, Eleanor meets the caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. Dudley. They’re not exactly welcoming, and refuse to stay at the home for longer than necessary, but Theodora arrives soon after and treats Eleanor quite kindly. Luke Sanderson, whose family owns Hill House, completes the foursome occupying the home. Ultimately, Eleanor, Theodora, Dr. Montague and Luke try to make their stay at Hill House pleasant, but it’s not long before strange noises awake them at night, and eerie messages appear on walls.

Relationships between Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke begin to shift, and Eleanor’s determination to find her happily-ever-after creates a jealous tension between herself and Theodora, which builds as the novel nears its conclusion. I’ll stop shy of providing any spoilers, but could it be Hill House causing this emotional upheaval, and trying to claim Eleanor for itself?

The psychological and emotional intricacies of the characters are really well presented by Jackson. I feel like I could go on and on analyzing Eleanor’s and Theodora’s personalities, experiences in Hill House, and how their interactions are impacted by their stay there, but that’s another blog post entirely! Long story short, The Haunting of Hill House is well worth a read, and is a must for any haunted house connoisseur.

Next on my paranormal reading list? I’m thinking Hell House by Richard Matheson. More on that to come!

 

 

A Lemp legacy

It’s no secret that St. Louis is one of my favorite cities, and it makes my heart incredibly happy any time I can spend an afternoon at Busch Stadium watching the Cards do what they do best. Any time I make it to STL, whether it be for a baseball game or not, I know I can count on a few things: good pizza, plenty of Cardinal red, and some fantastic haunted places in the heart of a vibrant city. Since the Lou is celebrating its 250^th birthday, I thought it would be nice to take a closer look at one of the most well-known haunts: Lemp Mansion.

The Lemp family built its wealth as beer brewers in St. Louis in the mid-1800s. When patriarch Adam Lemp settled in the city, he became one of the first to brew German lager, and used a cave below the Lemp brewery as natural refrigeration. The family prospered as their Western Brewery became the largest in St. Louis, and ultimately became the William J. Lemp Brewing Company. Lemp Mansion was completed in 1868, and was (and still is) an impressive Victorian structure.

Lemp Brewery

However, the family endured its share of tragedy within the mansion’s walls, as fortunes declined and Prohibition neared. Frederick Lemp, who was being primed to someday take over the business passed away from mysterious causes in 1901. This was emotionally devastating for his father, William J. Lemp. Unable to overcome his sorrow, William J. Lemp committed suicide three years later. William’s sister Elsa committed suicide in 1920, then William J. Lemp, Jr. did the same eighteen years after his father’s death in the same building. Charles Lemp, William J. Lemp, Jr.’s brother, remained reclusively residing in the home, but eventually shot himself in the head.

Lemp Mansion still stands in Benton Park, and operates as an inn and restaurant, and also hosts tours and special events regularly. To this day, employees, guests and visitors claim to experience paranormal phenomenon, especially in the William Lemp Suite. Apparitions have also been seen in the dining room where William J. Lemp shot himself, and unexplained aromas of men’s cologne are also experienced at times.

Lemp Mansion

A few years ago, I got the chance to stay overnight in the Frederick Lemp suite, which is on the third floor and used to be servants’ quarters. While I didn’t personally experience anything I would classify as paranormal, I can say that the mansion is gorgeous and its history is palpable. If you get a chance to stay the night, eat in the restaurant, take a tour, or just swing by Demenil Place for some pictures, I highly recommend it!

Originally published here

Eureka Springs recap (and brief ghost tour review)

Last week, I got the chance to visit Eureka Springs again and take in the sights, sounds and flavors. Upon arriving and navigating the small streets nestled in the Ozark mountains, we made our way around a few shops and stopped by a wonderful Mexican restaurant for lunch (and birthday margaritas, of course!).

Deciding to walk off some of our lunch calories, we marveled at some of the city’s many gorgeous springs, scenic pathways, and Victorian architecture, while making sure not to trip on the mildly treacherous sidewalks. My favorite part was walking in a historic residential area where all the homes were painted candy-like colors and had tons of flowers around.

Plants and flowers grow near one of the many springs in the town

A colorful gazebo near a spring

Lovely flowers near a limestone outcropping

We checked in at the Basin Park Hotel, which was built in 1905. It’s built on and out of limestone, and is rumored to have its share of paranormal activity. While its ghostly inhabitants may not be as widely known as those of the Crescent Hotel, it’s thought that some of the ghosts reported on the fourth floor, including a Victorian young girl, may have been residents of the Perry House, a wooden hotel that burned to the ground before the Basin Park Hotel was built.

After purchasing our tickets for the evening ghost tour at Basin Park, we headed over to a lovely Italian restaurant for ravioli and fettuccine. It was delicious! Afterward, we strolled through downtown a bit more, then made our way back to the hotel for the ghost tour.

We congregated in the lobby, then were led into a back room that used to be an alleyway between the hotel and some gift shops that the hotel once owned. You could see part of the limestone mountain the hotel is built on, which was neat to look at. We learned about the town’s long history and its lore, dating back to the period when Osage Indians inhabited the area and considered the springs, especially what is now called Basin Spring, to be sacred. Later, others began noticing the supposed healing powers of the mineral-rich water, including a man named Dr. Jackson, who bottled it and sold it as “Dr. Jackson’s Eye Water” and made quite a fortune.

We hoofed it up to the sixth floor to really begin the tour (There is a small elevator, but with twenty-plus people on our tour, we figured taking the stairs was the path of least resistance). That floor contains an event space/ballroom where visitors have reported seeing ghostly Victorian figures dancing there long after it’s been locked up for the night. Next, we made our way down to the third and fourth floors, where apparitions of a Victorian women and young girl, a cowboy, and even a lion have been reported.

A hallway in the Basin Park Hotel

Overall, the hour-and-a-half-ish tour seemed a bit lacking, at least compared to the one I went on last fall at the Crescent Hotel. While there was great historical information up front, there just wasn’t an overwhelming amount of ghost stories or any sort of potential evidence presented (barring one photo that could in all likelihood be dismissed as lens flare). At the Crescent, the tour guide took time to provide prints of photos at nearly every haunted room or location in which we stopped (although many of those could be explained by natural or technological phenomena as well). Or maybe my paranormal investigation experience has just made me a little bit of a tough customer for this kind of ghost tour.

While the Basin Park Hotel is beautiful, it just doesn’t have quite the same charm and character as the Crescent, in my opinion. Nevertheless, it’s worth a stop if you find yourself in Eureka Springs! And don’t be afraid to wander the quaint and charming city streets to see some gorgeous Victorian architecture amidst natural Ozarks beauty–just make sure you have on comfy shoes!

Advertisement on the side of a brick building

View from a pedestrian bridge in Eureka Springs

View from a balcony at the Basin Park Hotel

Natural spring in downtown Eureka Springs

In the matrix(ing): Pareidolia and beyond

When reviewing evidence post-investigation, staring at photographs and listening to hours of audio can play tricks with your mind. It’s totally normal. But understanding and recognizing these tendencies of the human subconscious is essential in order to avoid mistakenly classifying examples of matrixing or pareidolia as evidence.

Our minds naturally seek patterns in our surroundings and in external stimuli. From the time we are small children, we look for familiarity and try to find order amidst what otherwise seems to be chaos. Our seeking of communication and making sense of the environment can be manifested in a natural psychological phenomenon called apophenia. More specifically, pareidolia occurs when an image can be perceived and interpreted as having meaning or significance, while anthropomorphizing is a similar term for perceiving human forms or attributes to non-human things or images.

According to Martinez-Conde (2012), “our aptitude to identify structure and order around us, combined with our superior talent for face detection, can lead to spectacular cases of pareidolia, with significant effects in society.” Prime examples of this have made their way into our culture, including seeing faces in celestial objects like the moon, identifying familiar shapes in clouds or medical imaging, or even spotting religious figures in toast.

Even Google has recently been utilized to further look into pareidolia. A German design firm has begun scanning the globe utilizing satellite imagery provided by Google maps (Dickey, 2013) in hopes of finding familiar images. This process has been slow-going at best, only scanning about 5% of the Earth’s surface thus far, but has been able to identify some examples of the phenomenon in images of our planet’s terrain.

The term “matrixing” has come into vogue and common use among some in the paranormal field as another word for pareidolia, but there is some debate as to whether these two terms are really interchangeable. While the difference is subtle, there is some consensus that pareidolia refers more to illusions that may be misperceived within untouched audio or photos, while matrixing refers to perceiving familiar shapes within media that has been enlarged, compressed to the point of diminishing quality, or otherwise distorted.

When evaluating evidence, a critical eye is your best defense against mistaking instances of pareidolia or matrixing as ghostly evidence. Drowsiness, darkness, and peripheral vision can multiply the effects of pareidolia, so ensuring that you are focused, rested, and in good lighting may help you scrutinize potential evidence more effectively. Refraining from enlarging or compressing evidence is helpful as well. If you find an image that you feel may be paranormal, but could also be a case of pareidolia or matrixing, keep in mind that an honest, critical analysis is key. It’s better for you and your team to constructively question and debunk your evidence than waiting for others to do so. When in doubt, go back to the location where the evidence was gathered (always seek permission first, of course!) and see if you can recreate or debunk the image. By carefully examining your own photos and audio, you can help ensure that your evidence stands up.

 

References

Dickey, C. (2013, June 5). Virgin Mary grilled cheese? Newsweek Global, 161(21).

Martinez-Conde, S. (2012). A Faithful Resemblance. Scientific American Mind, 19.

 

Originally published here

Almost time for a Eureka Springs stay-cation

View of the Crescent Hotel from my very first visit to Eureka Springs in 2013

In just a couple of weeks, I’m making my way back down to Eureka Springs, Ark. for a birthday full of good food, fun sightseeing–and, of course–a ghost tour. In this town of just over 2,000, there is an incredible amount of history, art, and shopping. Although I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about the semi-scarce parking and winding roads, I’m sure those nerves will be replaced by giddiness once we get settled in at the Basin Park Hotel and begin walking around the spring-filled and Ozark mountain-y landscape.

The first time I visited town, I went on the delightful Crescent Hotel ghost tour. I’m not sure we’ll make it up to the Crescent this time, but I’m so excited to experience the nightly ghost tour at Basin Park.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty of pictures and stories to share when I get back!

A bit of comfort on Christmas Eve

It’s kind of hard to believe the holidays are already behind us and we’ve turned our collective calendars over to 2014. Now that we’re all beginning to get back into the grind of everyday life, I’ve gotten a chance to do some reflecting on something I experienced with my family recently during our holiday festivities.

Christmas Eve is the one night of the year where my whole family (all 40-plus of us) comes together for a huge meal, laughter, and enjoying being around each other. A year ago in October, we lost my grandfather. Needless to say, last Christmas was difficult. This year, it’s still not easy, but we were at least a little bit more able to reflect on our lives and his with fondness rather than grief.

One of my cousins decided it would be nice for us grandkids to go visit the cemetery where he was laid to rest and reminisce and honor his life. After dinner and exchanging gifts that night, ten of us piled into a Suburban and drove the couple of miles to the cemetery. We pulled into the dark parking lot directly in front of the porch of the little country church, climbed out, walked through the cemetery gate and formed a semicircle around Grandpa’s headstone. It was bitter cold, but once we started telling our memories of him and laughing thinking about how he would be laughing at us for standing out catching colds on Christmas Eve, it didn’t seem as chilly.

A few of us blinked back tears, and with our gloved hands we each pulled small battery-powered plastic tea light candles from our pockets.

There was silence. Remembrance. Peace mixed with lingering sadness.

After a few minutes, my cousin said, “Merry Christmas, Grandpa.” The rest of us echoed this as we stood still, but immediately after, the porch lights of the church at least 50 yards away came on. It surprised us, but we weren’t scared. One cousin looked at me and quietly asked, “What does that mean?” I wasn’t sure, but before I could form an answer, someone else chimed in and took the words right out of my mouth. “I think that’s just Grandpa saying ‘Merry Christmas.'”

It can be difficult for me to put aside my skepticism and my need to find rational explanations. Part of me could still point out some possibilities like motion-sensing lights. None of us were sure if those porch lights are indeed motion-activated, but I do know that they didn’t come on when we pulled up and got out of the vehicle. And, yeah, I guess there is the possibility the lights are on some sort of timer.

But for some reason, those explanations seem too cold, too impersonal. Too unaware of just how much like him it would have been to give us some little sign. How much he would want us to know he’s in a better place and still sees the legacy he left behind.

The Winter Solstice is Coming!

With a moonlit blanket of snow covering Springfield thanks to Winter Storm Cleon, some extra inches of snow a few days later and a solid week of temps barely rising above freezing, it sure feels like it’s officially winter. Wind chills are below freezing, and heck, even below zero. My street twinkles with Christmas lights on rooflines and wrapped around tree trunks and shrubs.

But it’s not technically winter just yet, at least until Dec. 21. At 6:12 a.m. on this day, winter will officially begin as the sun marks the winter solstice and once again starts moving higher in the sky at midday. The ancients who viewed the solar and lunar activities in attempt to better understand our universe recognized the winter solstice as an assurance that spring would return, and many cultures held celebrations.

For example, Ancient Romans commemorated Saturnalia around Dec. 25 with a nearly week-long lavish feast. It was a time for giving gifts, celebrating with friends, honoring the god Saturn and general merriment and a smidge of lawlessness. Slaves wore felt caps that symbolized their freedom during these days, as they were not required to work. Rather than togas, colorful celebratory clothing was common.

This time of year has no shortage of celebrations. It holds a sense of wonder and magic, and a sense of anticipation for a new year full of possibilities. If you’re like me and feeling a bit of cabin fever due to inches of ice and snow on the ground, take heart in knowing that the shortest day of the year brings us that much closer to springtime (and baseball!).

My Investigation Wish List

It’s hard to believe that December is already here and 2013 is nearly in the books. Well, it’s a little less hard to believe when I’m curled up on my couch blogging and binge-watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on a Friday because the six inches of snow outside gave us a snow day! But now that the holiday season is officially upon us, it’s a great time to think about the top five places I would put on my holiday wish list.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, Ky.

When Waverly Hills opened in July 1910, it was a much smaller building only designed to accommodate about 50 tuberculosis patients. The structure that stands today was opened to combat the epidemic of tuberculosis, but was rendered obsolete once an antibiotic was discovered to treat the disease. Many paranormal investigators have flocked here to investigate, and many have had interesting experiences and captured various pieces of evidence.

Edinburgh Vaults – Edinburgh, Scotland

The chambers of the South Bridge in Edinburgh were home to taverns and businesses in the late eighteenth century, but eventually became home to the town’s poorest citizens as the conditions of the chambers deteriorated. In the nineteenth century, the vaults were enclosed with rubble, but were rediscovered and excavated in the 1980s. Numerous claims of paranormal activity have been reported within the chambers, and several television shows have explored the vaults.

Highgate Cemetery – North London, England

Often considered among the most haunted locations in London, this cemetery opened in 1839 and is home to burial plots of Karl Marx, George Eliot, Douglas Adams and more. Tours are given daily of the East and West cemeteries, but there are many stories and legends related to spirits that may still roam the grounds. One in particular is known as the Highgate Vampire, a tall dark phantom-like figure with dark coat and tophat who vanishes without a trace.

Roswell, N.M.

This desert town gained notoriety in the mid-1900s as rumored site of a UFO landing. Many in the town haven’t shied away from the sci-fi and conspiracy theory notoriety, and local businesses tend to cater to those interested in UFOs, aliens and other paranormal topics. While we may never know for certain if an extraterrestrial craft landed, its occupants were captured and a massive cover-up took place, we can appreciate the opportunity to revel in gloriously kitschy gift shops and alien museums in Roswell.

Winchester Mystery House – San Jose, Calif.

When Sarah Winchester began building her home in 1884, she sought continuous construction noise to appease the spirits she felt haunting her. Sarah was heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune, and a fortune teller told her the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles would seek revenge if she stopped building the house. Sarah died in 1922, and construction stopped that day. With 160 rooms, staircases leading to nowhere, doors opening to bare walls and other design oddities, this is truly a mystery house.

Hannibal Haunts

Nestled alongside the Mississippi in northern Missouri sits Hannibal, boyhood home of one of America’s great writers. In the 1800s, the town became a hub for transporting lumber across the nation, thanks to the nearby river and proximity to trains traveling westward. To this day, remnants of times past are visible in the beautiful town. Some say you might even catch a glimpse of spirits who called it home during their lives along the river.

Mark Twain Cave

In the 1840s, a physician named Dr. McDowell—who had a penchant for experiments with cadavers—purchased the cave. When his fourteen-year-old daughter passed away from pneumonia, he couldn’t stand the thought of her body decaying, and constructed a large copper tube, filled it with an alcohol mixture and placed her inside it. He transported the tube to the cave, then suspended the whole thing from the ceiling of one of the rooms within. Though he soon covered the entrance with boards and a lock, the barricades only piqued the locals’ interests. In Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain wrote about youngsters sneaking into the cave, telling ghost stories around the tube by torchlight, then removing the tube’s lid and pulling out Miss McDowell’s body. After two years, word got out about the gruesome contents, and lawmen forced the doctor to remove the body. She was interred in the family’s mausoleum in St. Louis, but many still claim to see her ghost wandering the cave room where her body was suspended.

Hannibal Free Public Library

The first free, tax supported library in Missouri was built in 1901 in Hannibal. Helen Garth donated a large amount of money toward furnishing the library as a memorial of her husband, the John H. Garth. To this day, passers by have claimed to see strange figures in the windows long after the library has closed for the night. Passengers on the Haunted Hannibal Ghost Tours trolley have even claimed to catch shadowy figures in photographs taken during the tour.

Garden House Bed and Breakfast

This lovely Victorian home has no shortage of ghost stories, and many overnight guests end up with their own. Staff members have experienced objects being moved unexplainably while no guests are around and seeing apparitions. Guests have captured photographs with apparitions, felt presences, and heard unexplained voices. A camera crew producing a segment about the location experienced unexplained camera malfunctions, but only in one particular area of the bed and breakfast.

Rockcliffe Mansion

In 1898, John Cruikshank, Jr., a man who made his fortune in the lumber industry, built this expansive Colonial Revival/Georgian mansion on West Bird Street. At the time, Rockcliffe Mansion was the largest, most costly, and most imposing home in that area of Missouri. Some even considered it the most beautiful in the entire state. After Cruikshank’s passing in 1924, the family moved out, and the mansion sat uninhabited for over 40 years. After changing hands several times, much of the Cruikshanks’ original décor and furniture is still in the mansion, which has been restored in recent years. Caretakers and guests alike believe Mr. Cruikshank still has a presence in the home. There are claims of doors slamming, footsteps on the staircase, and a sudden smell of cigar smoke in the wee hours of the morning. Camera crews who have visited have experienced equipment not working in certain rooms, and in one instance, functioning before even being plugged into a power source.

LaBinnah Bistro

Now known for offering customers a decadent dining option, it’s also home to some paranormal activity that may be linked to Hannibal’s most famous unsolved murder. In December 1888, Amos Stillwell, one of the town’s wealthiest men, attended a card party at Captain William Munger’s home, which is now LaBinnah Bistro. Word was spreading around town that perhaps things weren’t rosy between the Stillwells, and that Fannie may have been having an affair with the town doctor, but that night, the unthinkable happened. After returning to their mansion just a couple of blocks away and retiring to bed, Fannie woke to see a dark figure at the edge of the bed. In a moment, the figure swung an axe and decapitated Amos Stillwell. The murderer disappeared, but Fannie then ran outside and began knocking on neighbors’ doors for help. By the time police arrived, Fannie had attempted to clean up much of the blood, thus disturbing the crime scene. A year later, Fannie married the town doctor, and they were widely considered the culprits behind Amos’ murder, and harassed by townspeople. Though the doctor was eventually tried for the murder, he was acquitted and the murder remains unsolved to this day. While the Stillwell mansion is no longer standing, guests and employees at LaBinnah Bistro have seen translucent figures anc captured strange images in photos, causing some to wonder if Amos and Fannie have come back to Captain Munger’s party.

Next time you make your way to the area of northeastern Missouri where Mark Twain found inspiration for his tales, be sure to keep an eye out for Hannibal’s many historic sites. You just might catch a glimpse of spirits from the past!

A Bit About EVP

After an investigation, reviewing audio is crucial. It’s a long process, but one that more than pays off when you come across a voice that wasn’t heard by investigators at the time of the investigation, which is known as an EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomenon.

I’m currently using a small Sony digital recorder to capture audio during investigations. I love its small size and that it allows for multiple folders in which to store audio. Also, it has a port on the side that allows it to be connected to a computer USB port for easy download. I’m a Mac user, which is generally fabulous, but unfortunately this particular device doesn’t allow direct export to Mac. However, I can connect to a PC, download the files to Dropbox, and I’m ready to review from my MacBook. Also, I always make a copy of the original audio and listen to the copy. This leaves an original intact, allowing me to use the copy to isolate individual sections of audio that may contain EVPs and not worry about impacting the initial file.

Listening to hours of digitally recorded audio takes a great deal of concentration. I personally find it useful to catch up on sleep post-investigation before delving into review, and make sure to take breaks at least once an hour to keep myself from falling into the grips of listening fatigue. While different investigators may have different preferences regarding types of headphones for reviewing audio, I think we can all agree that they’re necessary. Computer speakers, even good ones, don’t allow you to fully immerse yourself in the audio, so they just plain don’t cut it. I find that earbud-style headphones are the best for me to pick up on subtleties in the audio and better decipher whether they are EVP or something in the physical environment that can be explained. Others may prefer an over-the-ear style, but these don’t quite meet my needs. I haven’t tried noise-canceling headphones, but some online reviews claim these can cause distortion due to the technology used to cancel outside noise, so you may end up missing subtle elements of the audio.

Recently, I’ve been using a free trial version of Wave Pad by NCH Software to review audio from an investigation. I really like the simple layout and navigation of the program, and find it really user-friendly, especially since I’m not very experienced with computer sound editing programs. The full version of Wave Pad is enticing, but I’m not quite ready to drop $70+ for the Standard or Master’s edition. I’ve also had some success using Audacity, which is a free download. However, I find its interface a bit clunky, though I would probably enjoy it more if I experimented with it further.

If I hear something within the audio file that sounds like it may be an EVP, I like to briefly pause the playback, quickly jot down the timestamp and what I think I heard, as well as the location we were in at the time of the recording. Next, I select a bit of the file that includes the potential voice in question, and copy it to a new file, then rename the file. I like to include the location information, date, and a brief description of the sound in the file name. After I’ve reviewed all the audio and pulled out any potential EVPs, I like to revisit each clip I copied to a new file in greater depth afterward, to see if I can distinguish any clear words, or if I can reasonably dismiss any of them as caused by a team member or another aspect of the environment. It can be tough to distinguish between paranormal and possibly explainable, so when in doubt, I know I can email clips to my team members for another opinion!

Have any tips for reviewing audio evidence? Or recommendations of fabulous equipment you like to use? Let me know in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter!