Preston Hollows’ dark shadows

There’s nothing spooky about Preston Hollow unless you’re looking. The Halloween season sparks a certain curiosity about the metaphysical world of undead spirits, unexplained energy and extrasensory perception. From wandering pioneers to undeniable psychic abilities, several neighborhood residents swear by what they’ve seen.

STORY

The urban hum of bustling Preston Road leaves almost no trace of its earlier purpose as the main transportation route for Native Americans and, later, the pioneer settlers of North Texas.

It seems the pioneers may have hung around for a little while longer.

ClaudetteBrott leads the Dallas Historical Society’s annual ghost tour of famed locations such as the Adolphus Hotel Downtown. During the 1960s, her late husband lived at Preston and Waggoner just south of Royal in a house said to be haunted by pioneer spirits. At night, he’d peer out the window to see an entire family dressed in 1800s clothing sitting around a campfire. Other times, they would be making their way north on Preston, covered wagon and all.

“They looked at him like he was the intruder. Then, they disappeared. I don’t doubt that that’s what it was. He was like me,”Brott says, meaning her husband was more sensitive toward seeing ghosts.

Brott says she sees them all the time, although she’s quick to point out her uncertainties about some stories passed down through the years, such as the pioneer spirits that have been reported in Far North Dallas between Belt Line and Spring Valley.

“People say they’ve seen the ghost of a man holding a lantern,” she says. “But I haven’t been able to validate that one.”

Just up the road on the outskirts of Preston Hollow was a curious arts and crafts haven known as Olla Podrida. Shoppers didn’t come to Olla Podrida for any one thing.They came for the experience.

Think Diagon Alley, the fictional street in the Harry Potter series that’s home to mystical shops like The Leaky Cauldron and theEeylops Owl Emporium.

OK, maybe that’s a stretch. But there was definitely something spooky about Olla Podrida, which opened in 1971 at 12215 Coit. It closed in 1996 and was demolished in 2006. The site is now home to two Jewish schools, the Akiba Academy and Yavneh Academy.

During Olla Podrida’s heyday, several reports circulated about friendly spirits that hung around the mall. One involved three Victorian-era women dressed in long white gowns, their hair piled on top of their heads into buns. they were seen mostly during the day, shopping just like everyone else.

“You could hear them murmuring, but you couldn’t tell what they were saying,” says Vickie Francis.

For 23 years, Francis and her husband, roger, owned a little store inside the mall called theFrontPorch,makingivory carvings and sand candles. the couple hassincerelocatedtotheFortWorth Stockyards.

“I didn’t believe in ghosts until I moved intoOllaPodrida,”shesays.“Now, I believe in them very strongly.” everything was made out of timber,” she says. “Small children couldn’t open them easily. that door would fly open all the time.”

According to most accounts, the spirits lingered in the ladies restroom. Francis says that one day she was standing at the sink washing her hands when the door opened and closed on its own. then, the faucet next to her turned on spontaneously.

“thosewereheavywoodendoors.

Francis would stay late at the mall putting up christmas decorations until about 3 a.m. the place was locked, no one else was around, yet she often heard footsteps and smelled cigar smoke.

David Kittrell is co-owner of the Kittrellriffkind Art Glass studio at belt Line and Montfort. He and his wife, barbara, had their shop at Olla Podrida for 15 years.

Whatheremembersmostaboutthe mall is the noises. the wooden floors creaked.the upper decks, suspended with construction jacks, often shifted. Kittrell says the place had about 100 citycodeviolations.Sosomeofthe ghost stories can be attributed to obvious environmental factors.

Othereventsremainunexplained, suchaswhatKittrelldescribesas a “black slave” seen lurking in the center of the mall.

“He was a curmudgeon,” Kittrell says. “He just wanted to be left alone.”

Most of the reported incidents weren’t frightening at all.

“theyweren’tthreateningoranything,”Francissays.“Ikindofmiss those ghosts.”

Allows users to their memories About ollApodridA. Go to facebook.com and search “I Miss Olla Podrida Mall.”

Hillcrest Forest resident Megan Benanti, a.k.a. Nattacia Zeviar, has been studying tarot since 2000.

Pioneers aren’t the only spirits that have been hanging around. Vick Clesi can attest to that.

Clesi’smotherdiedin1989of complicationsfrom a stroke,leaving behind her house at Stephanie and Hillcrest — but not for long. The funeral hadn’t even happened yet, and Clesi and his wife Janet were sitting at the dining room table, discussing what to do with his mother’s things. He remembers saying, “My mother wouldn’t be happy with that,” but doesn’t recall the item in question.

“Then I heard a big boom like a gun went off in the other room,” Clesi says. “It looked like a bullet had hit the sliding glass door.”

He assumed someone had tried to vandalize the home. Clesi walked outside to assess the damage.

“The outside was not cracked. It came from inside the house. It obviously was the ghost of my mother. I had never particularly believed in spirits hanging around and neither did my wife. But there’s not much doubt in my mind that that’s what was going on.”

Back Pain Specialist

DR. YARON LOHR medicalchiropracticclinic.com

80% OF AMERICANS SUFFER FROM BACK PAIN. Meet Yaron Lohr, D.C. – new to the neighborhood and able to help with a variety of your back ailments. The Posture Perfect multi-disciplinary practice includes medical care, pain management, diagnostic testing, chiropractic care, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Services range from massage therapy, weight loss and personal training to minimally invasive surgeries. Call and mention this ad to set up your FREE health evaluation!

Posture Perfect Health Center 5550 LBJ Fwy., Ste. 150, Dallas, TX 75240 972.792.0204

OPTOMETRIST

DR. CLINT MEYER www.dallaseyeworks.com

Ocular allergies? Why struggle again through another Dallas fall season with red, itchy, watery eyes. There are new treatment options that are far superior to the simple over the counter remedies. Your medical insurance often applies. Schedule an appointment to see Dr. Meyer at Dallas Eyeworks and start feeling and seeing better sooner!

Dallas Eyeworks 9225 Garland Rd., Ste. 2120, Dallas, TX 75218 214.660.9830

He believes his mother returned to the house again weeks later. A young man who was house-sitting toldClesi that he heard someone yelling at him to wake up and go to work. Then he opened the closet to find all the clothes rearranged. What the house-sitter didn’t know was that Clesi’s mother did those exact things after her stroke, which caused her to develop a nagging, obsessive personality.

“There’s a placebetweenhereandwherever,”Clesisays. “There’s no other way of explaining those incidents.”

Some people make a living by perceiving what most cannot. Just ask a neighborhood psychic.

MeganBenanti grew up on a spooky peninsula on the coast of Maryland surrounded by haunted houses. She admits to being a “hippie earth child.” As a little girl, she would write notes to witches and leave them inside tree trunks.

Comprehensive Dentistry

ASHLY R. COTHERN, DDS, PA www.drcothern.com

Dr. Cothern is one of a small distinguished percentage of dentists who have invested in postgraduate training at one of the world’s premiere continuing education institutes, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. We care about you as a unique individual and examine you in a way that together we can understand every aspect of your oral health. In our office we love what we do. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!

9669 N.Central Expwy., Ste. 220 Dallas, TX 75231 214.696.9966

200,000+ readers with an average income of $141,000