The sleeper horror/comedy Canadian series, SurrealEstate, has been resurrected. Initially cancelled, the Syfy series was renewed and is currently in production on Season 2. Created by George R. Olson, the series fills a popular paranormal niche.
With the tagline “These properties are to die for,” the Roman Agency caters to homeowners experiencing strange phenomena. Each TV-14, 43-minute episode has the elite realty team tackling some of the worst issues in homeownership: hauntings. Led by Luke Roman, played by Tom Rozon, the crew utilizes skills found when ghost hunters investigate a property. Susan Ireland, played by Sarah Levy, is brought on to close the deal, metaphysically and literally. The tech specialists include former priest Father Phil Orley, played by Aam Korson, and August Ripley, played by Maurice Dean Wint, who speaks in quotes. Office assistant Zooey L’Enfant (Savannah Basley) and homeowner Megan Donovan (Tennille Read) round out the regulars.
The star with no dialog is the “Donovan House,” a haunted Victorian mansion inherited by Megan Donovan. In real life, the home is called “Hopedale House,” built by Captain Samuel Blandford (1840-1909) in 1883. He resided in the home with his wife, Sarah Anne (Edgar), and their family. The Blandford family owned the home up until World War II, when it was used as a British headquarters. Later, the Salvation Army ran a home for unwed mothers and then senior citizens. It was subdivided into 5 apartments prior to its last title transfer to Pam Crossan in 1986. Crossan jokes the home “has more spirit than spirits.”
SurrealEstate films at other lovely properties throughout the St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador regions in eastern Canada. Season 1 streams on Hulu. Fans eagerly await the yet to be determined release of Season 2.
Founded in 1885, the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) uses this gorgeous townhouse as its headquarters. ASPR “seeks to advance the understanding of psychic phenomena.” The Beaux-Arts style, 8-story townhouse overlooks the infamous Dakota. Measuring nearly 10,000 square feet, the townhouse has 18 rooms, 9 fireplaces imported from Italy; at least one vintage restroom; and an old–possibly original–elevator. It is listed at $15 million dollars.
This is the 4th time in as many years that ASPR has listed the property. In 2019, it was listed at $17,995,000. The price was lowered in 2020 to $17 million. Last year the price was slashed again to $15,750,000. This is quite the gem!
In the Fall of 2021, archaeologists with the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History were excavating an ancient cremation pit and uncovered a 12.2 x 12.6-inch flat stone with markings. Experts claim that the runestone may be the oldest runestone discovered. It has been named the “Svingerud Stone” or “Svingerudsteinen.”
The runic alphabet is one of the oldest known forms of writing, stemming from the Phoenician alphabet. It was used extensively during the Viking Age (793-1066 CE*); however, many runestones predate this period. For instance, the Einang Runestone dates to 300 CE.
Runestones were upright stones with runic inscriptions found primarily in Scandinavia, with the most in Sweden. The Svingerud Stone differs from most runestones in that it was found lying in a burial ground. Bones and wood were also found. Radiocarbon dating of the bones and wood dates the stone to 1 to 250 CE. An inscription reads “idiberug,” which may be the name of a person or family. Its meaning is unknown.
The discovery has been called “sensational” and “unique.” Usage of runestones ended when the runic alphabet was ultimately replaced with the Latin alphabet. The stone is on display at the Museum of Cultural History, January 21-February 26, 2023.
* I am using the CE (Common Era) notation that is more accurate than the BC/AD format.
In 1938, 68-year-old Hickman Whittington placed an advertisement offering free, expenses billed, exorcisms. Over the Christmas holiday of 1937, Hickman had a divine revelation while re-reading the Bible. A man who hadn’t stepped inside a church in over 20 years, Hickman (“Hick” to his friends) professed to have found the exact passage that would exorcize dwellings from ghosts. His ad sought clients to test his theory. Over 300 people responded to the ad; however, he never actually performed the ritual. He was all talk with no action.
Hickman’s life was tragic. The 5th grade educated coal miner married Charity O. “Bedia” Bryant in 1898. He was 28 years-old; Bedia 16. They were divorced in May of 1929. On June 3, Hickman lay in wait for this ex-wife to saunter past. She was walking home with their children Wanda, 12, and Dave Edwards, 5, and George Curry, who was boarding with them and her new-found beau. Hickman jumped out and began shooting his pistol. Bedia ran. She was shot in her abdomen and shoulder. She continued to run.
Hickman cornered her and slashed her throat with a hawk-bill pruning knife. Young Wanda pleaded for her father to stop. George ran to the neighbors to telephone the police. He did not, however, seek to rescue Bedia. Within days, Hickman was charged with attempted murder.
Fast forward eleven years. No one knows the inspiration behind the ad. However, it was picked up and re-printed in several newspapers. Initially, Hickman claimed that he his ritual consisted of his reciting the Bible verse. That was it. Criticisms soon followed, and Hickman clarified saying he used the verse to engage the spirit to appear, then he would sit and talk with it. He never disclosed the Bible verse. He never really tested his theory, either.
On February 7, 1938, an article has Hickman changing his mind and wanting to try out the de-haunting ghost removal system at Crenshaw House, also known as the Old Slave House. He was out of his league with this location.
The Crenshaw House (Equality, Illinois) has a long, sinister history. Built by John Hart Crenshaw in 1738, the third-floor attic was used to illegally incarcerate freed African American slaves who were kidnapped and resold as slaves. John Crenshaw was an evil man. According to people, those evil deeds manifested into hauntings at the house.
The home became a tourist attraction in 1913 as a “thrilling experience.” (Is attraction even the appropriate word?) For some reason, Hickman became aware of the home and the supposed hauntings. He wanted to perform a whip cracking in addition to his ritual. Newspaper articles did not report whether or not Hickman was able to complete his ritual. It is fairly evident Hickman never investigated any other location.
By 1940, Hickman was an inmate at Anna State Hospital. He died on May 14, 1949.
Bedia’s fate wasn’t much better. There aren’t any public records that she married George Curry. She died shortly before Hickman on March 1, 1949.
Crenshaw House fared better. The State of Illinois purchased the home and 10 acres for $500,000 in December of 2000. On February 27, 2003, the state purchased the antiques from the estate, salvaging them from storage. Today, the homestead is part of the Reverse Underground Railroad. It is a “station.” The home requires extensive remodeling; it currently closed.
Hickman Whittington was a lone amateur. He was not affiliated with any organization. He was inexperienced. Hopefully, he never attempted this theory. It may have been early signs to his mental decline. His is a cautionary tale not to fabricate a ghost removal process. Leave it in the hands of those trained and skilled.
Pope Francis, greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband, Paul Pelosi before celebrating a Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights. (Vatican Media via AP)
Over the Thanksgiving break, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi requested the assistance from the Catholic Church to exorcize the evil left from last year’s attack on her husband, Paul.
Last October, David DePape, a 42-year-old Canadian who was in the country illegally, broke into Pelosi’s three-story townhouse in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco shouting “Where’s Nancy?” He intended to kidnap the former speaker. Instead, he violently attacked her 82-year-old husband with a hammer. Mr. Pelosi’s injuries were critical. He has since recovered. DePape has been charged with 6 felonies.
Speaker Pelosi reportedly felt great guilt over the attack. She was distressed and sought help from her church.
Pelosi is a devout Catholic. The Catholic Church performs thousands of similar rituals annually. According to Father Vincent Lampert, designated exorcist for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, he receives thousands of requests at his location every year. The rite consists of various prayers, rituals, and recitations from the Bible. Sometimes the ritual must be repeated.
Father Arturo Albano, St. Vincent de Paul Church, stated his church did not participate.
An exorcism makes sense. She may have had the home re-blessed, foregoing the longer ritual. Whatever course of action, Speaker Pelosi felt the need to re-consecrate her home and protect from any evil that may have been brought in by DePape or attracted to the home from the assault.
A home blessing is common. Clergy can perform the blessing; however, there are online instructions for people to perform themselves. I would caution anyone who undertakes this. Know what you’re doing. All you need is holy water and exorcized salt with a prayer to your God.
In 2015, a strange news story went viral. The Bretzius family of Auburn, PA were renovating their 1930s home to discover animal corpses wrapped in newspaper tucked within the walls. The carcasses were filled with spices and other items. The newspaper wrappings dated from the 1930s and 1940s. The family purchased the 2,320 square foot, 5 bedroom/2 bath home in 2011, which fell far outside the window for recourse from the home inspection. The family was saddled with expensive repairs, spending over $20,000. However, they were curious and wanted to know more about the creatures. Somewhere along the line, they were told the animals were part of Dutch magic, or Powwow.
Unpacking of newspaper stuffing (L) found inside the wall (R).
I became fascinated with the resurgence of the story. As you may know, I’m an avid genealogist and have taken many ancestral lines to the American Revolution. My material line has deep roots in Pennsylvania, with many associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. I found a lot of information on Barnstars and Hexsigns but nothing about wrapping dead animals in newspaper and stuffing into the walls as protection spells.
Pennsylvania Dutch (PA Dutch) is divided into two categories: The Plain Dutch and the Fancy Dutch. I have ancestors in both. The Plain Dutch are the Amish and Mennonites, etc. They are plain folk, hence the name. And they’re not actually Dutch. Their religion forbids decorations, among other limitations. They did not participate in painting stars or hexes on their barns.
The Fancy Dutch are the German Lutherans and German Reformed people who relocated in America, bringing their Dutch and German culture with them. While in Europe, they did not paint symbols on their barns This is unique to their American lives.
PA Dutch Magic is called Brauche or Braucherei and incorporates the Bible into spiritual healing. Bible verses are woven into folk practices. There are pre-Christian and pagan traditions involved, as well. Early settlers interacted with the Native American Indians and appropriated the Algonquian word “powwow” or “pow-wow” for their ritualistic healing. The word can be a verb implying a trance or divination or a noun for ritualistic procedures. It is still used today.
In the early 1800s, these people sought visual protections and created the Barn Star. These “painted prayers” were large circles with painted geometric images inside. One Barn Star is dated back to the 1850s; a painted star on a stone wall was dated back to the 1700s.
The German saying “Yuscht fer schee” encapsulates the essence of the artform. “Just for nice” connotes a playful take on these pieces. No one really knows the meaning of these brightly colored, simplistic circles; however, the answer to why Pennsylvania is known. Early settlers of the state arrived with open arms and religious freedom. The ability to paint visual spells to ward off evil was acceptable.
There is much debate on whether the Barn Stars are, in fact, magic. Practitioners remain secretive about the Dutch magic practices and rarely disclose any aspect to non-Dutch people. Unfortunately, it is dying off.
In 1923, Wallace Nutting coined the term “hexafoos,” or witch’s foot, to describe this distinctly and uniquely Pennsylvania folk art in his book Pennsylvania Beautiful. He attributed them to witchcraft and spell work.
In the 1940s, the term “Hex Sign” was created for travelogues. These painted wooden disks ranged in size from 8 inches to 4 feet and provided a tourist destination for Americans to embark. Quite a few survive today with contemporary artists creating hexes painted directly onto the barn or crafted from pre-cut wooden disks that are painted and then hung using screws. Search online at Etsy or individual artists for pricing.
Interestingly, many people associate hexes with evil. This is most certainly not the case. Barn Stars and Hex Signs grew from strong biblical beliefs. The state of Pennsylvania embraces this history; there is even a trail that you can take to view them.
So, you may be wondering how I jumped from stuffed carcasses to Hex Signs. That’s just how my mind works. I’m conducting further research on PA Dutch magic and may come up with the link. In the meantime, plan your road trip and view these beautiful representations of German American heritage.
Ghost Education 101 has an impressive 2023 schedule. Check them out on Facebook. Make sure to tune in on Wednesday, February 15th when I present “Haunted True Crimes.” I will highlight 3 true crimes that have evolved into active hauntings. All are well documented; however, I will share some curious details you may not know.
Mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 15th at 9PM on the Ghost Education 101 Facebook livestream.
One of my favorite cozy mystery series is the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series by Kirsten Weiss. The murders surround a small paranormal museum set in the fictional town of San Benedetto. Who wouldn’t love to own a paranormal museum? A haunted one is even better! In Deland, Florida, you can visit one.
In 2018, Corinne Kenner purchased a quaint vintage shop and turned it into the Haunted Antique Shop and Paranormal Museum, located at 612 W. New York Avenue, Deland. Objects vary at every price point, and the shop offers psychic development classes, tarot readings, and special events. Kenner’s experiences at the store spawned a book titled Gently Haunted: True Stories from the Haunted Antique Shop.
While the store contains vintage items for sale, the intrigue is in the museum. Interact with the store’s guardian, the haunted Charlie doll. Become mesmerized by items in the Cabinet of Curiosities (continue reading for a short explanation). Contemplate whether you would like to own a haunted object. That’s the point. In a world of overpriced theme parks and crowded museums/zoos/aquariums, enjoy the kitsch of roadside attractions. They’re the true essence of Americana.
Side note: Cabinets of Curiosities date back to the Italian Renaissance where wealthy people collected items of the macabre and stored them in containers of varying size. Drawers and shelves contained an assortment of items, providing the owners an opportunity to regale in the stories of acquisition. Today, items in cabinets are often purchased rather than found. (See my forthcoming blog “A Brief History of Cabinets of Curiosities” for more information.)
Deland’s Haunted Antique Shop and Paranormal Museum
One of my favorite cozy mystery series is the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series by Kirsten Weiss. The murders surround a small paranormal museum set in the fictional town of San Benedetto. Who wouldn’t love to own a paranormal museum? A haunted one is even better! In Deland, Florida, you can visit one.
In 2018, Corinne Kenner purchased a quaint vintage shop and turned it into the Haunted Antique Shop and Paranormal Museum, located at 612 W. New York Avenue, Deland. Objects vary at every price point, and the shop offers psychic development classes, tarot readings, and special events. Kenner’s experiences at the store spawned a book titled Gently Haunted: True Stories from the Haunted Antique Shop.
While the store contains vintage items for sale, the intrigue is in the museum. Interact with the store’s guardian, the haunted Charlie doll. Become mesmerized by items in the Cabinet of Curiosities (continue reading for a short explanation). Contemplate whether you would like to own a haunted object. That’s the point. In a world of overpriced theme parks and crowded museums/zoos/aquariums, enjoy the kitsch of roadside attractions. They’re the true essence of Americana.
Side note: Cabinets of Curiosities date back to the Italian Renaissance where wealthy people collected items of the macabre and stored them in containers of varying size. Drawers and shelves contained an assortment of items, providing the owners an opportunity to regale in the stories of acquisition. Today, items in cabinets are often purchased rather than found. (See my forthcoming blog “A Brief History of Cabinets of Curiosities” for more information.)
Logging onto my Twitter, @HauntedLib, I saw a story from February 2022 about a haunted pet shop in Coventry, England. The story includes 2 video clips of items falling from shelves and one clip about a battery-operated vacuum that wouldn’t turn off. The clips were too good not to comment on.
Purdy’s Pet Shop opened in January 2020. The shop is adorable. They “believe in a world where every pet, or garden animals should get the best that their owners can give them.” Staff reported strange events beginning two months later. Customers mentioned tugs on clothing, pets appeared apprehensive in the store. The store mascot, Purdy the Border Terrier, sits and stares at empty space.
Owner Rebecca Harrington called in Hideous History Walking Tours, which held a séance to ascertain who or what was haunting the establishment. (The séance was for charity.) The group claims it is a male entity, former tenant in the building, who is upset that there are people in his space.
Hideous History is Coventry’s oldest paranormal guided tours. They offer 6 public guided tours and private tours. Their website, https://hideoushistory.co.uk/, has links to several stories of tours with video evidence.
The two clips of items falling from shelves do not appear to be staged. In one clip, Harrington is assisting a customer when a bag of treats falls from a shelf behind her. It does not appear that the bag was teetering on the shelf.
In the second clip, a toy falls from atop a shelf that looks to be overly stuffed. This may have been caused by having too many items packed together. Further, the shop is on a busy street. Vibrations from trucks may have caused the items to shift. Again, this does not appear to be staged.
The vacuum, or hoover as the British call them, may be easier to explain. Batteries are temperamental. Sometimes battery-activated devices start on their own. I’ve been this in investigations. What would be more convincing would have been if the batteries were removed and the vacuum turned on.
The videos are compelling to conduct further research. Anecdotal evidence should be logged, as well. Additional investigations would help legitimize the haunting. I hope they press on.
Looking for a spooktacular ghost story for the Halloween season? Here are a few top fiction selections. Support your local library by checking them out.
The Haunted Librarian 
You must be logged in to post a comment.