Voices to Visions by Alice Herden

Voices to Visions June 2011 __________________________________________________________________

Voices to Visions June 2011 __________________________________________________________________ ABOUT US • Famous Haunting: Alice Mary Herden or Karen Bashak • Famous Locations: Alice Mary Herden or Karen Bashak • 101-Dictionary: Alice Mary Herden • Paranormal Team: Alice Mary Herden • Workshop: Cheryl Smeed • Dust and Shadows: Alice Mary Herden

MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS Alice Mary Herden Founder of Dust and Shadows, Investigation and Research Group.

Alice is a freelance photographer photographer for Hernando Today.

Paranormal

and

sports

Her experiences with the Paranormal go back to where she resided with her family in Largo. Encounters with the paranormal have been from breathing to a full black mass apparition. For this magazine, I wanted to share as much information about the paranormal without all the adversity. I do hope our readers learn as much as we do with each month we put this magazine together. Our Magazine is non-profit. You only pay for printing and shipping. You can also purchase prints from our investigations and daytrips or even our vacations. Voices to Visions Prints

Articles • Editor Views: Alice Mary Herden • Interviews: Alice Mary Herden • Encounters: Alice Mary Herden • Paranormal Folklore: Alice Mary Herden

Cheryl Smeed Workshop Articles Cheryl is a certified parapsychologist with over 30 years’ experience. She is clairvoyant and remembers communicating with spirit companions from a very young age. Cheryl brings to our group the ability to communicate with disembodied spirits, providing information and insight to our investigations. “If you keep your mind open, you will see far beyond your beliefs.”

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ industries. He offers free images for download at his website, and you can find his art spray-painted on the sides of train cars. Jesselee enjoys creating powerful stories, projecting them into a single work of art for others to appreciate. His works put you in the middle of the action. I met Jesselee through a stock photography site. I enjoy in artistic view and creative imagination. He is a great addition to this magazine. http://www.darkgeometry.ca/

Karen Bashak Article writer for Famous Places and Famous Haunting Karen and I work together at the same retail establishment for over 5 years. She is talented, smart, beautiful and just a joy to be with. I am so happy that she has time to write articles for our magazine.

Jesselee Lang Concept Art for Paranormal Folklore Jesselee Lang is a superb 3D fantasy-based artist that tells astounding stories through digital art. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where he provides design, artwork, and graphics to the web, print, and video game

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Issue Contents

Special Thanks

All material and information gathered within this magazine are researched and/or solely opinions stated by the writer. You choose your opinions and beliefs upon your own conclusion with each expressed view or article written.

A special thanks to my husband, Donald Herden Jr. You have been the light of my life and I love you will all my soul. Thank you for being a huge supporter in all my goals. I could have never lived without you.

Photography Artwork

Don Capone is a voice over actor, very talented and very funny. Thank you for all your advice and help with the radio ad.

All photography and artwork within this magazine are property of the photographer and/or artist.

His Website:

Interviews

http://doncapone.com/

Interviews are conducted via e-mail. If possible, some interviews are conducted in person and recorded.

Thank you Michelle, Marissa, and Amanda for helping create this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cover!

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ IN THIS ISSUE • Editors Views Children of the Paranormal • Interview Athena Drewes • Encounters Spirits of Children • Paranormal Folklore Bogey Man • Famous Places Berry Pomeroy Castle Blennershassett Hotel • Readers Ghost Stories Jess by Janice Kirk • 101: Dictionary Spirit • Workshop Children Who Sees Spirits • PTM Paranormal Task Force • Dust and Shadows Location Boone, North Carolina

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This issue is dedicated to my brother Johnny

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ A letter to my Brother

throughout our own so we will never be apart. Love always and forever, Your sister, Alice Mary

Dear Johnny, I was not born when you had passed away, but I still see you as my big brother and always will have a part of you within me. I wish I had the chance to meet you. Had the chance for you to teach me about what life has to offer. Had that time to hold your hand, had that moment to kiss your cheek. I wish I had the chance to say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love you,â&#x20AC;? and when I was young to play hide and seek I feel so sad of what you could of had before your beautiful life was cut so short, meeting the true love of your life, the children you could of given to this world. The words of wisdom you could have shared, the sound of your laughter heard and knowing how much you cared. Each of one of your two brothers and five sisters will always keep you close to their hearts. Our memories will give you life

Photos by Alice Mary Herden

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Editor Views

our July Issue. What really concerned me, was when some of the attendees told him about their child or sibling seeing a ghost or spirit, he referred to them as being psychic. Now, I am shaking my head, wondering why he would even consider using that term for a child. Parents, just because your child may have told you they have seen a ghost or an apparition this does not mean that you need to jump to label your child a psychic or a medium, clairvoyant or even a telepath, please do not assume this about your child. We experienced ghosts at our old house when we were kids, and I assure you, my sisters, brothers, and I are not physic, not even close.

My Imaginary Friend When my husband was a young child, he had imaginary friends he called the lubalubs. He would tell his mom about them and that they used to live in the walls. Today, he really does not remember what transpired over that time, but he does recall that that was the name they wanted him to call them. So using this “cute” name, would not alarm his parents as if he had said, “Mom, I was talking to John so and so, in my room.”

Children of the Paranormal Psychic Kids When A&E first came out with the show Psychic Kids, I thought there might be concerns about the publicity of these children. Are these kids seeing what they are seeing and are they communicating with the spirits? On the other hand, was this just another theatrical composition of suspenseful events? May I look at this in a different perspective? How is this going to affect them in school? Will they be teased, will they be called names? How are the parents going to protect them, or are some throwing them in the limelight? Are the parents encouraging their child to experience their ability, and not to fear the unknown? Will this make them stronger in the future? Bobbie (my mother–in-law) and I attended Behind the Icon, Chip Coffee’s seminar, which we will talk about in

Yes, I remember when I was younger I played with dolls and created my own world of stories, talked to other kids that were not there, and so forth. We also played school. We even imagined we had a whole classroom of kids and even sending some to time out in the corner of the room. We played The Price is Right, travel agent and so on. We were kids creating our own little world of imagery fictional characters and scenarios. Having a closely aged sister and a sister eight years younger was a little easier to “play” and occupy our time over the summers and weekends. An only child or a child who has siblings that are much older who are not there, might spend a considerable amount of time alone. When these kids spend time alone, the more creative their imaginations might be. So what should you do? I am not a parent, but I can tell you, let them have their “child time.” So what if they are talking to their teddy bear and having a tea party, or playing Luke Skywalker defending the planet. Let your child talk to Aunt Clara and Grandpa Ed. Maybe you could consider joining in your child’s conversation. Do you have the time to play and build that bond with your

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ child? Therefore, if your child does experience something paranormal, you will build that trust with your child to share those experiences.

death and more so of paranormal experiences and what they mean. As your child grows, could this event continue or fade away with each passing month or year? If by chance these incidents fade away, putting this behind you and your child could be the right decision. If by chance these events continue, could you go the next step further? Could you seek help through outside avenues such as seeking advice from a Parapsychologist? Could you put yourself, your child, and your family through all what might happen in the next few years? It is more your decision as a parent to what avenue you want to take, when in fact your child is seeing ghost or spirits. I do wish my mom had talked to us more about this. Back then, over 30 years ago, this was not accepted. Now that the paranormal experiences are becoming more widely accepted, it is easier to discuss with others. Just remember they are not psychic, sensitive, or what have you, these are kids, and kids need to live, learn and grow. Give them that time and maybe you can seek more information and talk to other parents. You can research on the internet about children that have experiences with the paranormal. What I have researched is more of the parents sharing their stories about their child experiences. Together you can work on finding answers and solutions for your child and for other children. One way would be to create a blog or website to share and give feedback from your child and even your own childhood experiences.

My Child is seeing Spirits When you see your child talking to their imaginary friend, what is your first reaction? Do you walk away, smiling in acceptance? If these conversations with your child become more detailed, what do you do? When you build that trust with your child, as I stated, your child would be more willing to share these experiences. Take note of everything your child tells you, names, dates, locations, details. If your child is experiencing an actual spirit, you can investigate the accuracy of your child detailed information they share with you. At this time you can explain more to your child about life and

Why? Is your child experiencing something that is truly remarkable? Depending on how many these occurrences are happening with your child this could just be something that could fade away in time. Can they be more susceptible to seeing apparitions? Can your children accept or understand what they are seeing? No one knows the true explanation as to why or the differences between what a child sees and what an adult sees. I strongly believe the sprits show themselves at their will. Can a child spirit have more comfort with someone his or her own age, or an adult spirit feel more

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ loving toward a younger child, because of the loss of their own child? Children of a young age have a more open nonjudgmental conscious mind. Their minds are not likely exposed to what the movies portray ghost or spirits to be. Their imagination could be based on what they absorb, so scary movies, books, and television at a young age may not be a good canvas for your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagination.

Closing It is really up to the parent as to whether or not they want to expose their child to paranormal activity. My nephew and niece wanted to join our paranormal group. We had a conversation about spirits, and I explained to my nephew the existence of spirits and so forth. I would not mind educating them about paranormal investigations and even taking them on an exploration, if his parents consented. Nevertheless, my major concern would be nightmares they might have later on; not necessarily nightmares from our exploration, but the nightmares that their subconscious

minds conjures up. Their interest did not last long, but they know that they can call me anytime with any questions about ghost or spirits. Keeping your trust with your children during these experiences is of the utmost importance. Together you trust, together you share, and together you live. Photos by Alice Mary Herden. Below, photo of my sister, me and my brother

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Athena Drewes Dr. Drewes, thank you for taking this time to be featured in our magazine. • Can you take this moment to share with our readers about you, as well as your educational background? I am a licensed child psychologist with my doctorate in school-clinical child psychology. • Your first experiences as a child with the paranormal, can you tell us about those experiences and how did that affect your relationship with your friends and parents. My earliest memories were as a young child remembering past lives through recurrent dreams. The earliest childhood psychic experience that had the greatest impact on my life was that of a precognitive dream when I was ten years old. I was reading a book and had just a few pages left when my mother insisted I turn out the light and go to sleep. As I was trying to finish the last few pages and refusing to comply, my mother sent in my older brother who turned off the light. I went to bed furious with my mother. That night I dreamt of our family being in a car accident. I was viewing the scene as though out of my body, above it, as

an observer. I saw my mother being wheeled into the hospital on a flat, wheeled gurney that I had never seen before. My younger brother was sitting in a wheelchair but I knew he was not hurt. The dream stood out as having a different ‘feel’ to it than other dreams so I was able to remember it vividly long afterwards. About two weeks later, on a rainy night, we were indeed in a car accident and my mother was hurt (fractured pelvis and hospitalized for four months). The scenes replayed exactly as I had seen them, including my brother in the wheelchair and not hurt. When I told my father in the hospital that I had this dream in exact detail two weeks before, and now it came true, he told me in a serious tone, ‘don't ever tell anyone about this’. It made me feel as though I had caused the accident to happen, or there was something wrong with my ability to know the future (maybe I was a witch). As a result, I tried not to get angry, fearing my anger could harm someone, and I also was careful as to who I told about my abilities (I continued to have precognitive dreams, clairvoyant and telepathic experiences). It also led me into a career of psychology to help children feel validated and heard who had been sexually abused, as well as exploring how dreams could come true which led me into the field of child parapsychology and helping children and families understand and feel validated with their psychic experiences. •As you grew older, how did handle your own abilities, what changed about you and what changed about your relationships? As I grew up I continued to have a variety of psychic experiences and abilities, which sometimes were stronger or less noticeable over the years. I found that I was much more able to ‘tune into’ friends and strangers than I was with my own family. I could pick up ‘feelings’ and impressions about my family but not specific details about future events. My abilities also deepened and others emerged as I got older. As an adult, over the past 10 years, I have also been able to see pet spirits, have an angel appear to me, and have stronger clairesentience abilities besides telepathy, clairvoyant, knowing, and precognitive abilities. I have also been in contact, since young adulthood, with many adults who have studied paranormal abilities in others and strongly believe in such phenomena. I have also found many friends who believe in and experience psychic phenomena and abilities, so I do not feel reluctant to talk about my experiences and share information openly. Also, in the past 15 years I have

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ more openly given lectures on, written about, and appeared on TV shows (Paranormal State) dealing with children’s psychic experiences and how best to understand them and be validating of them. I created my website (www.perceptivechildren.org) several years ago for the purpose of offering free information to children, teens and families on psychic experiences. It has been very validating and freeing to know there are many ‘kindred spirits’ out there sharing and welcoming hearing about psychic experiences and phenomena. • What was the turning point in your life that changed your direction to become more educated in Parapsychology? As mentioned before, at age ten, having a precognitive dream that was accurate made me want to pursue knowing more about how dreams can come true. At age 20, I read about and contacted the Division of Parapsychology and Psychophysics at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. They were conducting research experiments on dream telepathy. I went down and met a wonderful group of researchers who understood and believed in paranormal phenomena. I stayed the night watching the experiment, and became a volunteer research assistant for over five years. During that time, I began to read up on and learn about the depth of research in the field of parapsychology, and began to conduct my own research, with Dr. Sally Ann Drucker, on children’s psychic abilities. I became a Professional Member of the Parapsychological Association (which is a member organization of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science), attended conferences and lectures, and began writing and lecturing myself on children’s experiences.

steps a child experiences when they are accepted to help with your research. The Parapsychology Foundation, based in New York City, was a hub of lectures, research and housed a scientific library of related books. They also offered various grants to help foster research and writing on parapsychology. Lissette Coly was encouraging of the creation of an Annotated Bibliography of research and writings on children’s paranormal experiences. As the result of a grant, and through use of their research materials, myself and Dr. Sally Ann Drucker put together and published in 1991 “Parapsychological Research with Children: An Annotated Bibliography” which covered over 100 years of research and publications on children’s paranormal experiences. My friendship with the Parapsychology Foundation continues with their referring to me children and families who have questions regarding psychic phenomena. They have also had me present several evening lectures over the years on the same subject, of children’s psychic abilities. I knew of Dr. J.B. Rhine and Dr. Louisa Rhine from their research and being the ‘parents’ of the field of parapsychology in the early 1950’s at Duke University in Durham, NC. Dr. Sally Rhine Feather (their daughter) and I made contact over 10 years ago when I was going through the archives of Dr. Louisa Rhine’s 10,000 letters of psychic experiences that were sent to her from everyday people. In the process of looking through the archives, I found a folder of several hundred letters written by children and teens about their experiences that were hidden away. Consequently, with Dr. Feather’s approval, I wrote up a research article on these letters which was published in the Journal of Parapsychology (2003, volume 66(4) ). A strong friendship developed with Dr. Feather who then invited me down several times to the Rhine Research Center (www.rhine.org) in Durham to give lectures on children’s psychic experiences. She also will refer to me any children and families asking information about their psychic experiences so I can respond and offer support. Finally, In the past year, Pamela St. John, at Rhine and I have made contact over my forming a Psychic Experiences Group in Orange County, NY. Pamela created the PEG in Durham as a pilot several years ago, and has now begun to help in the formation of PEGs in many states in the US.

* Photo by Alice Mary Herden • Can you tell us how you became involved in the Rhine Research Center and the Parapsychology Foundation? In addition, can you share with us the

Regarding testing of children’s psychic abilities, all a parent needs to do is to contact me. If the child lives near me, I am able to work directly with them in having them use Zener cards (available through

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ www.rhine.org) or an M&M candy game that taps into clairvoyant and telepathic abilities. Or I can help direct a parent to use these techniques, in a playful way, to work with their own children (or using other drawing techniques). • When children are telling their parents that they have seen a spirit, how would you explain that experience to that child and what would you tell the parents the reasoning that their child is seeing spirits? Children usually know that they are seeing something or someone who is a spirit and usually are accepting of what they see. Up until age 5 or 6 when children enter school, they are open to all possibilities and do not see their ability to have contact with spirits or psychic abilities as unusual. It only once they enter school and/or have adults who do not believe in such things and they receive negative feedback that they begin to question their gift or shut down in talking about their experiences. I am usually contacted when the child begins to feel afraid of what they are seeing, or the spirit does not seem friendly. At that point I help the parent and child to assert themselves and tell any spirit that is distressing them to go away, or leave them alone, that they do not wish to be contacted by them at this time. Or to tell the spirit to come to them in a dream and tell them what they want. Also to tell the spirit they do not belong here and they need to find the light where there are people who love them waiting to help them cross over. Also, by keeping a night light on in the room at bedtime, it helps lessen spirit contact (by changing the energy field in the room, much like the sun prevents us from seeing the stars during the day which are there all the time). I also teach the child and parent an easy guided meditation that helps the child feel protected. I have the child upon wakening or at any time during the day sit quietly with eyes closed. I have them imagine that there is an invisible bubble around them filled with white light (the love of God, Jesus or the Universe depending on religious beliefs). As they breathe in, they fill their bubble with more white light. As they breathe out, the bubble expands to fill their room. The next breath in, more white light, and the breath out expands the bubble to cover their house or apartment. The third breath in, more white light, and the breath out expands the bubble out into the universe. Anything on the other side of the bubble cannot harm them. This often helps children and teens feel more grounded and less frightened about the spirits. I also tell them to not be scared or frightened, as it only attracts the spirits more.

Rather as they do their guided breathing to send love to the spirit and tell the spirit that it should go to the other side where people are waiting to help them. Regarding how their child has come to have this ability, I explain to the parent that it is a gift. That we are all psychic, but not all of us know it or want to do anything about it. I use the analogy that it is much like all of us being able to play the piano. Some of us play very badly, others are very gifted from an early age, most of us have to work hard to develop our skills, and some of us don’t care to learn. So it is with psychic abilities. I also encourage reading The Gift written by Sally Rhine Feather and Michael Smikler which reviews the field of parapsychology research and has many letters written by everyday people of their experiences. Another helpful book is Kids Who See Ghosts by Caron Goode.

* Photo by Alice Mary Herden • How would you determine the difference between an imaginary friend to a child experience something paranormal? Imaginary friends are normal and developmentally age appropriate around the ages of 4 to 6 or 7 years old. They often get blamed for a child’s misbehaviors and are used by a child as an almost alternate ego! Paranormal contact with spirits can happen at any age

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ and that spirit guide or guardian angel can remain with the child well beyond the usual age limits of imaginary friends. Children will add other information about their spirit friend, such as when the child or adult may have died or when, or what they are wearing (of another time period). There is a qualitative difference to the child’s reports. Whether it is an imaginary friend or a spirit friend, the parent should be non-judgmental, accepting, and neutral. They should neither overdo the attention toward it or expect/demand the child not see it. Rather the parent should be curious and interested about what the child is telling them, as they would be toward any other interest the child has (e.g. tell me more; what else can you tell me about your friend; do you like having your friend?, etc.). Keeping a journal and recording such information, and any other psychic experiences, helps to see patterns and shifts in abilities over time. I have a Frequently Asked Questions sheet on my website to help guide parents on ways to respond to their child’s questions and experiences. • What are your thoughts about putting these children, which may in fact have a special gift, in the face of the media? Personally, I am not in favor of having children or teens exploited by the media, which can expose the child and family to negative peer comments and reactions. And it would really depend on the media making contact. I had a very positive experience with a cable TV special being produced by CBS for A&E called Psychic Children (which aired in 2006 but periodically is replayed) in which they filmed me testing children for ESP, and talked with a few of the more psychic children about their experiences. It was tactfully and sensitively done, without being exploitive. It also depends on whether the media is looking for the child to ‘perform’ some ability. Psychic abilities cannot be turned on and off at will or on demand and therefore sometimes in a tense or unusual situation the child may not ‘receive’ any information. Being in the limelight might force the child to create something in order to satisfy the adults’ requests thereby lessening their credibility in general. That is why it is also important for parents not to exploit their child’s abilities by trying to get them to perform or expecting them to constantly have information about seeing spirits or other psychic experiences. It puts the child in awkward position of creating what others want to hear, and puts excess emphasis on their psychic abilities rather than seeing their gift as just a piece of their life.

these children when they become older seeking what might be an “entertainment only profession”? Most of the children and teens who contact me are not thinking ahead toward an “entertainment only profession”. Most wonder why they have this gift and why and how they should use it. Some are gifted medical empaths able to know about a person’s health currently, or why a person died, others are able to see spirits who had died and need to have someone know where their body is, and many just take seeing spirits in stride. I have had a few adults contact me who developed their psychic mediumship later in life, and who have become ‘entertainment only’ psychics. They feel it is their role to share with the public that the soul does survive bodily death and our loved ones are never far from us. It is a rough profession to make money from as there are many skeptics out there, and because the abilities are not always ‘on target’ in getting information they can easily been seen as frauds. And then there are some individual clients who come back again and again seeking contact with deceased loved ones through a psychic medium, who need other types of professional help to process their grief. Because of their dependence on the psychic medium, often friends and family feel the psychic is taking advantage of them, which results in giving a negative image of psychic mediums. • In all your research and educational background, what would be the most conclusive evidence that children can have a psychic ability? The most conclusive evidence would be from all the anecdotal reports from children who have no investment in proving anything or in seeking attention. Also, from the numerous scientific reports of past life experiences (many articles and books written by Dr. Ian Stevenson, and two books by Carol Bowman) to letters from children and teens about their experiences seeing spirits or having other types of psychic phenomena (including my research article in the Journal of Parapsychology) mounts up to some very impressive evidence. Thank you so much! Thank you. It was a pleasure being able to be part of your magazine! ~ Athena (Dr. Athena A. Drewes)

• When a child that might have a gift of psychic abilities, what are your concerns, or comments about

* Photo provided by Athena Drewes

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Encounters

Why they are still residing at that location? Different people in different fields of interest define the real answer to this differently. Paranormal investigators have different terms, as well as mediums, physics, and so forth. So why do they remain. My assumption of this would be the same for any spirit that still resides in a location. Depending on what had happen in their physical life, there could be many reasons why they are still here or even come back to visit.

Children of the Grave Christopher and Phillip Booth filmed this documentary. I had bought this DVD for research for their interview. My opinion of this documentary is really mixed. I was confused from them showing locations out of sequence. Of course, I am neither a videographer nor a filmmaker, but I know I would have liked to see them dig deeper within the history of the orphanages, asylums and as well as investigations. I thought that they would investigate as many abandon locations that have dealt with any type of child apparitions or spirits of childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, but they were limited to only a few. I also would have liked to see more evidence of paranormal experiences. The paranormal investigators that were involved in the creation of this movie did share some evps that were of some childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laughter, babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cries, and some sentences that were captured on their digital recorders. In addition, the most compelling photo taken during their investigation at Zombie Road. So what do you do after that? How do you help them?

Spirits of Children There in the corner of your room, you see something there. You look harder and within this mist is a shadow that seems to be transforming into a little child. Experiencing a child spirit, would seem to me the most unsettling experience anyone could have. You are witnessing a lost young soul, who is parentless, sad, and scared. Are these children are trying to let you know she or he is there? Do they want to play with you? Are they looking for their parent?

This film did make you sad, knowing what happened to these orphan children over 100 years ago. Left on the streets, abandoned, dropped off and alone. Unwanted and struggling in their surroundings, abused at homes and in cared of terror-minded adults that were supposed to protect them. All this happen so many years ago. Medical, education, and even financial support was not as it is today. I would like to think there were people during that time, did everything possible to keep these children safe. I hope. Just the chill factor on experiencing a spirit of child is emotional enough. Like I say, what you do not see, you will never remember, but what you do see, you will

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ never forget. In experiencing spirits of children, you will never forget that experience you have encountered. You want to help them, but how.

parents build their insecurities and damaged their selfesteem that it became such a negative personality? So if that is the case, proceed with caution and reassurance.

I personally have not as of yet, experienced any valid spirits of children. However, I am not sure, if the experiences Don and I had during our visit at the Green Cove Springs Jail, been that of a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laughter and if it was a child that touched my hand in the hallway or tapped the head. (Which you can hear those evps on our website in our April Issue) We are hoping to find that out on our visit in June, and we will share that with your in July Issue.

Anything more on this subject, I cannot go any further with opinions, comments, suggestions, or speculations. I can ask you, what would you do if you were standing in front of an apparition of a child? What would you do if you heard the voice of a child that you cannot see? Could you comfort them?

If you do see or hear a spirit of a child, in your own location, there is nothing wrong for you do collect your own information about that child. You could also call your local paranormal research group within your area, to help you out. My suggestion would to digital record for a couple of days without any interaction. You can use voice recorders, if you hear voices of a child and camcorders if you have seen a child apparition. Record during the times you have actually witness these experiences. You have to think of them as still being here, in the present. Build a trust with them. Remember these are little kids. After a couple of days and after you or the paranormal research group goes over the evidence, then you or the group can go from there. Communicating, asking simple questions like; what is your name? How old are you? Do you see me? Do you hear us? Are you looking for someone? When is your birthday? And so on. Keep it short, because you do not want to push or drain too much into your first try at communication. The wait a couple of days and start over again. This might take a couple of months to communicate with this spirit of a child, so be gentle, and build a trust. What, by chance, they are not nice? Well, some little boys and little girls can just be mean. Depending on how their life style was when they were living, they most likely got into trouble from pulling little girls pigtails, flipping them on the head, and throwing rocks. These children did whatever they could to get themselves into trouble or to get attention. When you do find out who they are, would or could you discipline them by sending them to their room. On the other hand, did their

Photos by Alice Mary Herden

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3D render by Jesselee Lang

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Paranormal Folklore

Bogeyman “Be good or else the Bogeyman gonna getcha’!” Granted, admit it, when we were kids, the word bogeyman scared the crap out of us. Lurking in the closets, under the bed, and do not turn the light out in the bathroom while you are in there. I remember when we went to see the movie, Bogeyman. My sisters, Debbie and Gina, were the ones that dragged me to go see it with them. Okay, maybe not dragged, but gently talked me into it. I really do not remember much about the movie, only the part where piece of mirror was sticking the bottom of the boy’s shoe. The next morning, my sister Debbie recalls. “I remember that we all piled in the front seat of my little blue car to go to see that movie. The next morning, Gina came into the kitchen with a pantyhose on her face and scared the jeebees out of me. I put some foil on my eye, went into your room, and woke you up. Those were fun times.” That movie did not help much putting the end to the boogeyman saga.

What is it?

Then there is the sack man, who would carry naughty little kids in his sack. He is hangs out by the riverbanks, making sounds of a baby to lure the unsuspected to his dwelling. There he would weave on a full moon’s night, making clothes for his stolen souls, wheeled away in a cart drawn by cats. Not only did the sack man steal frightened naughty little children, but adults as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeyman Little girls and little boys, Where did they go, only the sack man knows?

Bogeyman To little girls and little boys Listen to your parents wish Be good, be gracious, and be kind For those shadows not hard to find

will

sure

Under the bed late at night Creeps a shadow within the light In the closet tucked deep away Is another shadow lurking at bay

The bogeyman is an imaginary being that was and still is, used as a scare tactic to frighten kids so they would behave. The description of the bogeyman is conjured up to only by the imagination of the one describing it. Remember, it is an imaginary being, so the more you describe the characteristics of the bogeyman being horrid, and so-forth, the better chance the kid you are telling it to will be afraid.

They heard you weren’t good, you talked back

The bogeyman scratches at the windows, manifests itself as green fog, as known in the United States, but in Southeast Asia, the bogeymen were known as “bugi men”, or pirates. These pirates plagued the trading ships and the sailors feared that the bugi men would follow them back to their county.

Oh silly little girl, that silly little girl had no time to hide

Oh silly little boy, that silly little boy was put in the sack They heard you were not good, you whined and cried

Spooky bogeyman you will see So be good, be as good as you can be

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Famous Places

23 , 1911 was burned down and three people did parish because of that fire.

Blennershassett Hotel There is not much through the internet to dig deeper in Mr. Chancellorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, there is information that he was a member of the West Virginia State Delegates in 18771878 and 1887-1888. The sad situation about Mr. Chancellor who was a brilliant architect, his final resting place is unknown. While staying in at the hotel, you may or may not experience paranormal phenomena. Local guests to hotel employees have experienced some type of paranormal activity. It has been told that five spirits still reside within the hotel.

Photo provided by Jim Dawson http://www.electricearl.com/parkersburg/blenner.html

The four o clock knocker is one paranormal occurrence you might experience during your stay as well as hearing children playing and to what some believe to be Chancellor himself smoking his cigar.

Built and designed by William Chancellor in the late 1800s, the Blennerhassett Hotel rests on the corner of Fourth and Market Street in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Hotel Website:

There are some interesting stories that are associated with the life of Harman Blennerhassett. Harman was an Irish immigrant that settled on an Island nested within the Ohio River. He and his young wife Margaret built a magnificent mansion on that island known as Blennerhassett Island. Blennerhassett life was shattered after becoming involved with a man name Aaron Burr. Shattered by becoming involved with Burrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s military conspiracy, back in 1806, which Blennerhassett was thrown in jail and took a short residence at the Virginia State Penitentiary. Later Blennerhassett was found not guilty and resumed his life back in his home land of Ireland, after Burr was acquitted.

http://www3.gendisasters.com/westvirginia/10559/parkersburg-wv-chancellor-hotel-fireaug-1911

Virginia Militiamen took matters of punishment for Blennerhassett into their own hands by ransacking their mansion and burning it to the ground. Why this Hotel was named after the Blennerhassett? That question remains unknown. When William Chancellor designed and built this hotel, it was first named the Chancellor. He went on to build another building, the Chancellor Hotel. Which that hotel August

http://www.theblennerhassett.com/

http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/chamblisschancie.html#1OW0UXHQ3

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __

Famous Places Continued

Blackstarwhiskey.com

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Heritage took over the care of the Castle and continues to oversee the remains today.

The White Lady

Berry Pomeroy Castle This castle is stated to be one of the most haunted castles in the United Kingdom. Referenced in existence as far back as 1496, the Pomeroy family held this estate. Elizabeth, widow of of Richard Pomeroy retain a third of the castle and capitol messuage. Due to remodeling, very few remains survived. A Saxon named Alric, back in the timeline of 900-1000, owned the land on which the Berry Pomeroy Castle resides. The castle stayed in Pomeroy family until the late 1540s, which was rewarded to Ralf de Pomery for his loyalty and support during the Norman invasion from William th the Conquer. The 9 generation of the Pomerys, Henry de Pomeroy started construction on the castle and completed in 1305, the same year of his death. The influential Sir Edward Seymour obtain the castle, either bought or or acquired the castle by other means. After the death of Henry the VIII, Edward, uncle to Edward VI, became his guardian and protector, making him just one of the most important men in England time. Edward, also known as, Lord Protector, had many enemies due to his newfound wealth and prominence. nd Edward was executed January 22 , 1552, over political rivals. The Castle still overseen by the Seymour family went through many renovations, until 1688 when it was abandon and went into abode. From 1977, the English

The White Lady is said to be that of Margaret Pomery. Her jealous sister, Eleanor, imprisoned her. Eleanor, jealous of her sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauty locked her up in the dungeon and eventually, Margaret starved to death. Not a very nice sister, but you have to think in that period. Back then, beauty was competition for bestowing the affluent man. I am sure this is not the only horror story of siblings rivalry told.

The Blue Lady The Blue Lady is the daughter of one of the Normansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lord. She is to of have borne a child of which is believed to have been conceived by her own father. Not sure on the story of whom murdered the child or how the child or this Lady passed on. Other stories are that is that she roams the grounds mourning the loss of her child. *Photos from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Berry_Pomeroy_Castle http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/devon/featured-sites/berry-pomeroycastle.html http://www.englishheritage.org.uk/content/publications/docs/education/berrypomeroycastle.pdf

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ 101 Dictionary

Spirit The English word Spirit comes from the Latin word Spiritus, meaning breath. An incorporeal energy or substance present in all living things. Does the meaning of spirits or ghosts mean the same thing? Well, some say that spirits are not earth bound like that of a ghost. The spirit is more of an essence of what was the living body. The meaning of Soul is more or less the same meaning as spirit.

“They set besides a golden standard high above his head, and let the sea bear him,—gave him to the ocean. Their soul was sad, their spirit sorrowful.” http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Beowulf

Spirit t-shirts available here: http://www.zazzle.com/ladykassie

All this really depends on your religious view; many religions have placed their perspective meanings to Spirit, Ghost, and Soul. An interesting find about the meaning of the word Soul was that Soul derived from the Old English word sáwol. th The word Soul was first attested in the 18 Century from an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet. The composition of this poem written by this unknown poet was called Beowulf.

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Readers Ghost Story Jess by Janice Kirk People always wonder if psychics are real or they think of them as crazy or evil. Personally, I grew up as an empath and I believe I have passed it on to my children, especially my daughter Jessica. We first discovered how strong she is when there was major tragedy in our family. Her cousins were born way too early. They were all boys and they were triplets. Unfortunately, one of them only made it 15 days. They were surprised the other two made it and all we could do was hold vigil, pray and thank God for blessing us with the other two. I believe the one that passed had a specific job to do and achieved it. Jessica turned three during the 15 days. The babies came on March 7, she turned three on the 17th, and the baby died on the 22nd. We were all reeling and trying to wrap our head around the baby's death when out of nowhere her great grandfather died on the 24th. Jessica's father was very close to him so it was all around devastation. So, on Monday the 25th we drove to Venice FL from Tampa (about a two-hour ride), attended the funeral for the baby, then climbed in the car, and headed to Columbus OH. My mother-in-law, my husband, Jessica and myself were determined to drive straight through. It was quite a long ride with three of us taking turns and there was so much tension, grief, and sorrow during the trip except for Jessie. You would never have known she was in the car. She played quietly, sang, and talked up a storm. She was very grown up for her age and it showed. In Columbus, she and I met so many people from his mom's side of the family. She was adored and so many people commented on how bright and smart she was. Her great aunt watched her one of the nights and she was wonderful. Her aunt had a huge basket of scented candles. Jess took each one and made a perfect "train" up until the candles ran out. We were told they were just as straight as can be and she put them back w/o being told to. During the wake and funeral, we all took turns keeping all the family's young children busy and away from the casket. I do not think any of them were exposed to seeing him. They buried him with a pack of Camel unfiltered and

lemon drops in his pocket because he always gave them to his grandkids when he saw them. It was all so sad but we managed to get through it. I actually came home pregnant. I lost the baby a few weeks later so more pain and grief ensued. After a few weeks had, past Jess was playing quietly in her room. She came out and said to my husband and I (as if it was nothing) that there was a man in her room that was with a baby and he was offering her candy to get on the train with them. When she told them, no she said they just disappeared. Joe and I just stared at her and then at each other. We were dumb founded and neither of us knew what to say. She just skipped away back to her room and went on playing. Was this a coincidence or something more profound? At the time, we were not sure. We did know that young children have a much deeper line with the other side and knew she was on her way to strengthen her abilities. Today she is still a very bright woman (18) and she is now more of a person that has premonitions and dreams that whether she tells you or not they come true. There are so many stories I could tell about her but that is for another time.

Do you have a story to tell, share it with us Editor@voicestovisions.com

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Work Shop

at church so I stopped talking about them. But I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop seeing them. In the course of teaching preschool music, I have worked with hundreds of children who could see spirits. In my experience, children can generally see spirits until about the age of five or six, or until someone they look up to tells them the spirits are only imaginary, or until they are treated harshly for admitting they can see spirits. Denying they can see spirits, or accusing them of lying will only cause children to suffer from insecurity and self-doubt. Seeing spirits can be double-edged sword. On one hand it allows the child to communicate, learn, and grow from the knowledge of one who has moved on, not to mention keeping young children occupied for hours on end. On the other hand, it can be pretty creepy to see your child talking to someone who you cannot see.

Photo by Scott Liddell http://www.scottliddell.net

Children Who See Spirits By Cheryl Smeed My parents once told me that when I was a very young child I had an invisible friend named Dowa. I have no conscience memory of Dowa, but aside from being the name of a little town in the central region of Malawi, the name does seem to bring to mind a little nature spirit, or fairy. My parents made a place at the table for her, moved items around in the shopping cart when I so strongly declared that they were putting them on Dowa, and included her in tea parties and family occasions as if she really did exist. Fortunately, I had parents who did not discourage my ability to see and communicate with spirits, although they probably thought it was just a phase. Or just really cute. But they always encouraged and supported my ability to see and communicate with spirits. As I grew older I had various spirit friends I knew were dead people, but could see as clearly as I could see the living. By the time I was twelve I came to realize that talking to dead people was not well received at school, by our neighbors, at family functions, and especially not

Sometimes children can be frightened by spirits, in which case it is best to acknowledge the spirit and help your child send it to the light. Together you can tell the spirit that it cannot stay here, and only those the spirit loves will be there to greet him or her in the light, and to go to the light. Then tell your child that you will both close your eyes and imagine the spirit going into the light. While there is an entire philosophy behind this action, you will not have to explain everything to your child. Children take what they need and disregard the rest. Let your children share their experiences with you. Ask them questions. Can they describe the spirits they see? Can they communicate with the spirits? What have the spirits told them? Show some interest whether or not you believe, but do not judge or instill fear. You are helping your children build self-assurance, self-worth, and heighten their self-esteem. Keeping the lines of communication open between you and your children will foster an honest, open relationship for life.

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Paranormal Team of the Month

through investigation. They need real help which incorporates a full spectrum of resources aligned for their specific needs. Depending on the situation, this help can range from simple validation of activity all the way to very complex situations requiring the assistance of faith or even medical practitioners. Because of that, it was in 2005, that I stopped walking the path alone solely in search of answers and on just a scientific quest to document unexplainable activity and joined a team of people dedicated in helping those paranormally in need called Missouri Paranormal Research which later became Paranormal Task Force. • Can you tell us how you first started getting interested in the paranormal and about how your put your team together.

Paranormal Task Force Interview with Greg Myers Hello Greg, thank you for taking the time out to be featured as our paranormal team of the month. • Please, take this time to tell our readers about who is Greg Myers. Greg Myers is a normal everyday person who has encountered paranormal activity from time to time since childhood. At first, these experiences led me down a path of curiosity seeking answers that finally guided me into studying such occurrences from both a theological and scientific perspective. Finally, in 2005, after years of scientifically exploring the paranormal on my own, I found myself at the doorstep of what many consider a very malicious or demonic haunting. This was in Union, Missouri haunting and later featured in the episode “Fear House” of the Discovery Channel’s series “A Haunting” and in the book “The Uninvited” written by Steven A. LaChance. What I encountered at this location shook not only the foundation of my beliefs about the paranormal, but also of my own individual spiritualism as well. Most importantly, it taught me that individuals and families (especially those with children) who experience such paranormal activity need help beyond just an individual’s or group’s attempt to validating such

I think I covered this pretty much in Number 1 with exception of how we put together the team. With respect to that, our team may be comprised of many diverse individuals, but each one possesses one common attribute, which is the compassion to help those paranormally in need with their unique individual situation. • Share with us your experience with filming with the Christopher and Phillip Booth for their film documentary, “Children of the Grave.” Filming with the Booth Brothers was a true learning experience. Their drive and compassion to bring the truth of the story to the viewer is amazing! They work diligently, seemingly never ending, to get every meticulous detail right. They put so much passion into the work they do and it shows in every second of their final product. Dealing with the subject material and the associated tragedies of “child spirits” became so emotionally exhausting to everyone involved. It is quite amazing how they collectively function hour upon hour while enduring so much emotional stress. • Our Issue for this month is about children and the paranormal and sprits of children. Let us talk about Zombie Road. Share with our readers your experience of paranormal activity there. Zombie Road is located in St. Louis County, Missouri. Our group originally decided to take on an Urban Legend case to investigate in hopes of finding logical explanations for the bizarre reports of paranormal activity purportedly experienced by many over the

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ years. However, this was one of those very rare occasions where the realities of the unexplainable are supported through a plethora of collected data and evidence. When you then coupled that with the many historical tragedies found through diligent research, the reality of the activity was actually scarier than the fabricated legends. Some of these confirmed past tragedies include a teen that was huffing Pam cooking spray for a high with others in the 1970s. The teen died in the woods near the old road and his friends did not tell anyone until three days later. However, nothing has delivered tragedy like the Meramec River that borders the old road. Called “The River of Death” by past Native American tribes, this river has taken the lives of so many children over the past century. More recently, the river took the lives of six urban children enjoying a church outing. Unexplainable encounters on Zombie Road include a full spectrum of haunting content. Several people who have dared to venture there, including myself, have come back as “true believers” after encountering the full apparitions of children, shadow entities, disembodied voices, ghost lights, phantom footsteps, being touched by unseen forces, experiencing extreme cold spots on hot summer days and so much more.

Why does any disembodied spirit still exist? There are so many theories and each one is contingent upon an individual’s faith, spiritual or other belief system. On a personal level, I believe that a spirit still exist in our realm because their death was instant or untimely causing them to be unaware that they have passed on. In some cases they may have unfinished business before moving on. This can include some sort of retribution or simply just to get out a final message. I also believe that some are here because they may just be afraid to move on. • Have you experienced any other paranormal encounters with children spirits? If so, where and what were your experiences. Yes, many times with experiences that has included seeing their apparition, hearing them audibly speak aloud or through captured Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). I also have experienced such through physical occurrences like having my hand held, leg or waist hugged, toys being played with and through various forms communication during interactive sessions.

• When watching the documentary “Children of the Grave,” you stated they need help. What and how would you help these lost children that are in spirit. Helping such spirits does not come with a “one fit all” cure or formulation. The form of assistance would depend upon the resources available and the uniqueness of the situation. From a logical standpoint, I would first try to communicate to them that they are indeed deceased and that it is time for them to move on. If that didn’t work, I would then try to determine why they are still here through interactive sessions (including EVP) and through research, then work it from that angle. If those methods did not work, I would then find the needed resources such as a faith practitioner, medium or other metaphysical resource to assist with such. • As a paranormal investigator, what is your reasoning why the spirits of children still exist?

• When a child actually sees or has seen an apparition, how would you, as a paranormal investigator, explain to that child what they are experiencing and/or encountering. This would depend upon the faith or spiritual beliefs that they and their family has. You have to relate such to them within the bounds of their belief system and under the guidance of their parents or guardian. • I see that you give ghost tours to some locations that have been branded “haunted.” Tell us about your ghost tours activities and why there is a need for your group to give tours. At Paranormal Task Force, we always advocate the importance for those in the field to “give back”

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ something to the public. Especially the support of causes dedicated to historical preservation. Paranormal and historical preservation go hand in hand, as the preservation of history also aids in the preservation of the paranormal as well. We are in an age where the youngest member of any given local historical society can be in their 60's or 70's. We also have to remember that without historical societies, many of the properties they preserve would fall victim to new developments such as gas stations, strip malls, etc. Because of this, we advocate strongly to the younger generations that they need to get involved with their local historical societies. By doing this, we have achieved in bringing youth to some of these societies. Our organization will host events such as overnight ghost hunts and ghost hunting workshops at locations enriched with both history and paranormal activity for donations or fees, which go towards assisting such societies or other entities with the preservation of such historical places. Furthermore, our tours and events give an opportunity to those who are paranormally curious to come out and experience both the history and possible paranormal activity at various locations while having experienced paranormal investigators on hand to answer their questions and to give them any desired field training, including hands on use of equipment. This year we are conducting such events at the historic and haunted Pythian Castle in Springfield, Missouri and also in Potosi, Missouri at the properties of the Mine Au Breton Historical Society. For those interested, they can check the events page on our website for more

information, visit our website

www.paranormaltaskforce.com/events.html • With all these creative visual interpretation and imagination that is put into these children’s’ mind about ghost or spirits, Do you feel it is wise for children to be taken on ghost tours? Again, this is something that is dependent upon the faith or spiritual belief system that they and their family have. I also think it would be wise to consider their maturity level and possible past paranormal experiences as well. • In closing to this interview, if by chance you were confronted in the presence of a child spirit, and had the ability to talk to that child, what would you say? I would first introduce myself to them and see if they needed some type of help or assistance. I would then ask them indentifying questions about themselves, their family and the era in which they existed. Time permitting, I would ask more detailed questions concerning why they are still here, etc. Photos provided by Greg Myers

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Dust and Shadows quiet, beautiful overlook into the valley and a huge start of Valle Crucis history. A botanist from New York first learned about this wonderful area while searching for wild plants in the mountains of North Carolina. He met with Episcopal Bishop, Levi Silliman Ives, to share his experience on the way back to New York. Intrigued by the beauty this botanist described within these mountain valleys, in 1842 Ives set out for his picturesque land to start building his mission work. On his first trip, he saw three creeks crossing in the valley in the shape of a cross. There he called this area of mountain valleys, Valle Crucis. Ives sent out a priest to start the beginning of the Episcopal Ministry in December 1842. It took over 10 years to put everything together, from purchasing the land to the construction of the buildings. The priest began the work for the Mission School and the Society of the Holy Cross. Ives also sent out William Skiles to oversee the farming and he became an ordained Deacon in 1847. When Brother Skiles passed away in 1862, the fundamental work on the church declined.

Valle Crucis The little hill top cemetery, which we visited about two years ago. We both just love this scenic area. It is a

During our visit there, I did use my digital recorder and did pick up some voices while in the front of the cemetery, but these voices did not have enough clarity to post as evidence. More Information: http://www.vallecrucis.com/about2/

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Staring at the front of the hospital, I resigned myself to waiting until next year to explore this amazing place, and went across the street to take pictures of the ducks.

Old Canon Memorial Hospital I have researched this hospital on the internet, and it supposedly contains paranormal activity. I really wanted so desperately to go into this hospital for two reasons, photography, and digital recordings. Don and I had stopped for breakfast at the local family restaurant while we were planning our day. Still curious about the hospital, I asked the Marie, our waitress, about the Canon Hospital, Photos on Right: Penny, Marie, and Keith from the Grandview Restaurant

She asked the other employees and Keith was able to tell us how to get there. We drove to the location; no trespassing signs were visibly posted. Although my jaw was dragging on the gravel, we both agreed that this was as far as we were going to go, to the gate. Now that we know where the Canon Hospital is, I have a year to get in touch with the owner to see if we can explore this abandoned hospital during the day. It is really upsetting when you know that people have trespassed in order to investigate this location. As Don and I stand at the gate to this place, just imagining all the hallways, peeling paint, equipment left in its place and the desperate souls wondering the halls, we know how much we would respect this place, providing the owner with all the paranormal evidence we can collect.

Photos by Alice Mary Herden

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ were talking to the front desk clerk and a couple of moments later one of the new owners, Steven Irace, came through the front doors. Mr. Irace introduced himself and shared so much information about the History of the Inn. He then showed us one of the rooms. When I mentioned Room 318, although, Mr. Irace had heard about the stories about “Laurel” a woman believed to have committed suicide in room 318 after being jilted by her lover, he became noticeable uncomfortable with the paranormal reference. Therefore, I did not ask any more questions about it. I have the utmost respect for everyone’s privacy and decision about discussing anything that has to do with the paranormal. Remember what we talked about in our May Issue: Haunted Locations and Paranormal Groups: Asset or an Inconvenient? This was definitely in inconvenience for Mr. Irace, even though I previously corresponded with a staff member, but Don and I really appreciated the time Mr. Irace spent with us.

Green Park Inn

Although, we love our work, we would never want to inconvenience our clients, their guests, or customers. We only conduct investigations during the day, with very little equipment, which includes video, still cameras, hand held digital recorders and sometimes a clairvoyant who can communicate with the spirits. * Photos by Alice Mary Herden

There have been many changes in the last two years Don and I visited the Green Park Inn. The new owners are in the process of totally renovating the Inn. The Desk Clerk told us that they had an auction and sold almost everything in the Inn, from the furniture to the curtains. I questioned about the portrait of Laurel that used to hang on the sidewall, she said the portrait of Laurel sold during the auction. Don and I visited the Green Park Inn after our visit with my dad and Stepmother in Blowing Rock. When we

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ are interested in having us explore your location and write an article about your location within our magazine, all you have to do is contact us.

Photos by Alice Mary Herden

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Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ Wilkes Heritage Museum In the town of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, there are tales of one legend of a man. His name was Tom Dula (Dooley) and served in the confederate army back the late 1800s. Tom Dula was in love with Ann Melton and promised to marry her when he came back from serving in the war. Ann Melton was a beautiful woman, mostly likely; she was one of the better-looking women in that town. Her mother convinced her to marry this other man, a man of wealth, James Melton, instead of waiting for Tom Dula to return from war. Ann’s mother convinced her to marry Mr. Melton by telling her about how she would look if she waited, and that was of losing her natural beauty, and you do not want to look like that as a bride. Right? So Ann agreed to marry him on one condition, she would not be his wife.

After awhile, Laura Foster was carrying Tom Duley’s child. Tom an honorable man was going to marry her and do the right thing. They were to meet in the woods, to run off any get married, because he did not want to her father to know that she was pregnant. What happens after this is unclear. On the day that they were supposed to meet, Laura comes up missing. Later, she was located in a shallow grave and a handkerchief neatly folded over her chest. * Photos by Alice Mary Herden

After knowing that Ann was married, Tom Dula started seeing another woman, Laura Foster. While in their relationship, Pearline, which was Ann’s housekeeper confronted Tom that she (Ann) did wait for him, but she got married on her mother’s advice and never did she consummated their marriage. The maid, Pearline, that was hired to served the duties of being the “wife, helped Tom and Ann continue their relationship. They did sneak around by putting a sleeping agent in poor Mr. Melton’s milk during the night, so Tom and Ann could continue to have their affair.

The Jail was in service from the late 1800s to 1920s. There they housed over hundred non law-abiding patrons. Petty crimes to a couple of murders, and that one murder were Tom Dula. They Think. The Original Map drawn by Col. Isabel in the trial of Tom Dula, used as “exhibit A” [Jan 1867]

Courtesy of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Raleigh, North Carolina

Voices to Visions June 2011 ________________________________________________________________ __ back then, would go for true love, or how much women can be so manipulative towards men.

(Photo left is our tour guide Diana Perry; she is standing in the cell where Tom Dula was incarcerated) As far as anything paranormal is concerned, Diana, our tour guide did tell us about some groups that have captured EVP’s of voices, those of Ann and Tom arguing back and forth. We were recording our whole tour and did not pick up anything that would be of substantial evidence.

After the arrest of Tom and Ann, they were confined to the cells upstairs. The women were in the left cell and the men were in the right cell. Tom Dula and Ann Melton had been incarcerated for around two years. Ann was let go, but only released by a note written by Tom, stating that she had nothing to do with Laura’s murder and Tom was executed by hanging in another city. Ann committed suicide a couple of years later after Tom’s hanging. He swore on his last breathe that he had nothing to do with the murder of Laura. Therefore, legend states he covered up the murder of Laura to protect his love, Ann. Makes you wonder how far men,

The most interesting aspect of this location is there little known about the historical time line of this jail - Who managed the jail and how long did they manage the jail. The manager or overseer of the jail would live with his wife, if he was married, and with if, any kids lived on the (photo bottom left is Ann Foster’s cell) opposite side of the jail. It would be free room and board with the acceptation of looking after the inmates. Speaking of the inmates, there very little known about those inmates that were incarcerated. Who were they, what were they charged for, what year and so – forth. Maybe you can help find more about the history time line of this jail. I know Diana would appreciate any information you can share. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dula http://www.wilkescounty.net/index. http://www.archives.ncdcr.gov/educationalresources/t omdula.html Another little tidbit of history, between the years of 1862 - 1866, the jail also served to house union prisoners. Photos by Alice Mary Herden: Photo on next page was taken from the bottom of the stairs, leading to the upstairs cells.

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Stop and get a cold drink at the local restaurant on main street

50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snack Bar 49

~Thank your for your wonderful hospitality~

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The

Cleveland

House

to make herself known and of course sometime she just sit there, most likely tending to other things, and doesn’t have time to entertain us of the living. The sequences of photos that I had taken were while Diana was sharing the information about Mrs. Cleveland’s presence. When I take photos, I take more than one photo, usually three photos in a row. The photo to the left is one shot; the photo on the next page is the second shot. Although I am skeptical about orbs, see if you can find the “orb” in the second photo. Could it be the spirit of Mrs. Cleveland?

Robert Cleveland built his house in 1779 in western Wilkes County. Slowly over the years, the house was abandoned and decaying. Wilkes Inc bought the house in 1987, dismantled it, and brought to its current location to downtown Wilkesboro. Diana continued our tour, giving us so much history about this house. The Cleveland family who had saved most of what you will see in the house gave most everything to this museum. Mrs. Cleveland’s rocking chair is over 200 years old. There it is said that she likes

When entered this room, Diana had turned on the lights, but one light was off, then it turned on. Could it have been electrical? Maybe. Could it have been Mrs. Cleveland leaving the room while the above photo was taken, then the light turned on? Maybe. Again, we were recording and did not capture anything we would consider solid evps. This is another place that is not so far from where we stay in Boone. A second visit is on the list to visit Wilkesboro. Thank you Diana, you are so sweet to take so much time with Don and me, sharing so much of the history within this humble little town. Many hugs! The most important aspect is learning the history of your country, the people that built the city, and keeping that history alive. We want to thank all the members and volunteers of every historical society in the United States of America, which keeps these locations still breathing with history. Thank you.

Photos by Alice Mary Herden

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Next Issue • Editors Views Take a seat, Please • Interview Dakota Lawrence/Mark Edward • Encounters Ouija Board • Paranormal Folklore Bridge of Souls • Famous Places Borely Rectory • Famous Haunting Cheltenham Haunting • Readers Ghost Stories Submit your own Ghost Story • 101- Dictionary Séance • Workshop Are Ouija Boards Safe • PTM Third Eye Paranormal • Dust and Shadows Location Green Cove Springs Revisted

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