Category Archives: Famous Locations

Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Architecture, Curiosities, Famous Locations, Haunted Houses, Hoaxes, Museums, Paranormal, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum returned last month with new episodes. The February 9th episode titled “Amityville Haunting, Ghost Army, and Fugitive Golfer” highlighted a piece of wood from the infamous Amityville Horror house. The demonic possession story was a hoax (see previous 2014 article at https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2014/03/19/amityville-horror-hoax/); however, it doesn’t mean that this piece of wood doesn’t give off bad vibes. It means there may be another story, based on facts, that should be considered.

Interest in Amityville has not ebbed since the 1977 publication of the book, The Amityville Horror. The movie franchise alone has grossed over $170 million dollars. Add TV adaptations and books, and that’s one healthy moneymaker. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the book’s publication. Expect more media coverage.

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Given the interest in Amityville, the house makes the requisite rounds on paranormal shows. This is not the first, probably not the last either, time that Travel Channel has showcased the Amityville house. Paranormal Paparazzi (2012) incorporated the house in 3 segments in 2 episodes. One was particularly insightful. Kathy Lutz’s son and George’s step-son Christopher Quaratino claimed that George practiced black witchcraft in the home, causing the paranormal activity to spike. Needless to say, expect more books and versions to emerge.

Greg Newkirk, director of the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult, appeared on the Mysteries at the Museum episode discussing the plank. Greg and Dana Matthews co-founded the website Week in Weird, www.weekinweird.com, in 2007. Both Greg and Dana contribute articles, and postings are weekly. The articles are thought-provoking and quirky, while remaining true to the blog format: concise. The site has advertisements, a source of revenue; however, they don’t disrupt the reading of the articles. They’ve segued their site into 3 entities: Week in Weird (@WeekinWeird), Planet Weird (@WeirdHQ), and The Traveling Museum of the Paranormal & Occult (@theparamuseum). In 2013, they created the traveling museum to take their stories and artifacts on the road. They’ve collected artifacts from past paranormal investigations and allow the public to handle them. The museum is the modern-day version of curiosity cabinets which featured oddities and bizarre items and peaked in interest during the Victorian era. Visit http://paramuseum.com/ for 2017 dates and more information.

While it is easy to fall back on popular tales, the paranormal world has so much more to be explored. The Amityville plank is a reminder that the original story was made-up and exaggerated for profit. Instead of focusing on the heinous murders and concocting reasons for a demonic possession, readers should question whether George exploited the murders while practicing black magic. He didn’t move into a haunted house; however, he may have created the negative energy by dabbling in something beyond his comprehension.

Salvation for Fairyland

16 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in Abandoned America, Curiosities, Famous Locations, Florida Mysteries, Road Trip, Roadside Attractions, Uncategorized

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Salvation for Fairyland

“You can’t put a price on history.”

Richard Gonzmart

Seemingly simplistic storybook-themed amusement parks popped up in the mid to late 50s. They were travel destinations for families with children. Over the years, decreased attendance and changing interests drove parks to update exhibits. Modernization was costly; therefore, many parks closed facilities and removed the exhibits. Few remain today. Some of these historically significant relics have been destroyed, thrown out, or lost. Fairyland, located in Tampa, Florida, seemed destined to the same fate; however, an auction saved the exhibits for future preservation. Preservation of these old amusement parks is vital to our American history.

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Built in 1957 with private funds, Tampa’s Fairyland Park and Zoo was situated on 15 acres and free. Advertising referred to the attraction as a “storybook park for children”; however, people of all ages enjoyed the various fable-themed life-size figures and props. The City of Tampa shuttered Fairyland in 1996. All of the items were placed in an outdoor storage lot and ultimately forgotten. Twenty years later, the deteriorated figures were discovered and scheduled to thrown out. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn referred to them a “junk pile,” yet refused to donate them to a preservation group. After public outcry, the city decided to auction them off. The heated auction grossed the city $28,300.

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Save Fairyland! was created to solicit donations to purchase the lots and to raise awareness. They kept Facebook group members abreast of the auction. Although two mystery bidders attempted to thwart the bids and pushed winning bids to higher than expected prices, local businessman Gonzmart won 11 out of the 12 lots. The final price shocked members who were thrilled with a figurative Knight in Shining Armor defeating the outside bidders. The group continues to post restoration pictures along with Fairyland-related endeavors. To follow the restoration process, join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefairyland/.

The auction serves as an important lesson and strategy for other groups hoping to preserve the past. Perseverance pays off.

 

For more information view https://www.tampapix.com/zoo_old.htm. It is an excellent resource providing historical information, as well as loads of pictures.

 

Mothman Was a … Green Beret?

17 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in Debunking the Debunked, Famous Locations, Mothman, Paranormal, Road Trip, Uncategorized

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Mothman Was a … Green Beret?

The February 2014 issue of Soldiers of Fortune ran an incredibly thin article claiming that Mothman was a Green Beret. Titled “UFO Mystery Solved “Mothmen” Were Actually Green Berets,” author Harold Hutchison theorized that the 7-foot, red-eyed creature being spotted around Point Pleasant, West Virginia from November 15, 1966-December 15, 1967 was a specially trained US Army soldier wearing temporary glow-in-the-dark reflective paint practicing HALO (high-altitude, low-opening) parachute maneuvers. Unfortunately, the article lacked any evidence supporting his claim.

First, he misrepresented the second reported sighting. Hutchison wrote that it was “a couple” seeking “an intimate moment” who spotted the creature. However, nearly every writing on the topic credits Steve and Mary Mallette and Roger and Linda Scarberry as the first ones to report an encounter with Mothman. It wasn’t one couple; it was two couples who were together in a car. In addition, the author conveniently left out the part about the couples being chased at 100 M.P.H. By incompletely discussing the sighting, he reduced his credibility in his claim.

Hutchison innocuously wrote that the first reported sighting was made by 5 men digging a grave. This is troublesome. According to the Williamson Daily News, Kenneth Duncan, one of the men digging the grave, recalled seeing a “brown man … gliding through the trees … [with] eyes like red reflectors.” Duncan was describing one man—not several. Further, men parachuting down do not cut through trees. The parachute would restrict this. Moreover, reflective paint differs from glowing red eyes. All of the witness accounts described red eyes—not glowing war paint.

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Hutchison based his theory on military training here in the US to assist troops abroad in Vietnam. Unfortunately, he didn’t name one unit training in West Virginia. Nor did he supply any evidence that HALO training took place for 13 months around Point Pleasant and then abruptly stopped. Instead, he included a picture from the Utah National Guard completing “[s]imilar jumps.” This isn’t evidence.

He ended the short article reassuring his readers that the Department of Defense remained silent to protect the HALO program but now it was okay to openly discuss and to reveal the “secret.” This argument is flawed. It assumes that the HALO jumps only occurred at night, when in fact jumps also occur during daylight hours. If the Green Berets were in West Virginia practicing HALO jumps, more people, especially the newspaper reporters, would have reported it.

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While Hutchison’s theory is interesting and places a patriotic spin on Mothman, a truly Americana urban legend, it doesn’t make sense. So, no, Mothman was not a wayward Green Beret.

 

 

Debunking Mothman: Not a Greater Sandhill Crane

13 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Animals, Debunking the Debunked, Famous Locations, Mothman, Paranormal, Uncategorized

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Debunking Mothman: Not a Greater Sandhill Crane

This summer I’m heading to West Virginia. In between visiting the family church and cemetery while gathering genealogy information, I’ll be stopping in on some special paranormal destinations. Two are related to Mothman: The Mothman Museum and The McClintic Wildlife Management Area. In doing some preliminary research, I am debunking some of the explanations. Consider it debunking the debunked. In this first installment, Mothman was not a Greater Sandhill Crane.

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Mothman was a paranormal event that lasted 13 months, from November 15, 1966-December 15, 1967. Over that span, numerous witnesses in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, reported seeing a 7-foot tall creature with glowing red eyes and a 10-foot wingspan. Some of the sightings coincided with U.F.O. sightings and talks about visits from the “Men in Black.” All sightings ceased the day after the December 15, 1967, Silver Bridge collapse, killing 46 people. Several theories have been proffered over the years. An early one was that people saw wayward Greater Sandhill Cranes.

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The Greater Sandhill Crane is the larger form of Sandhill Crane species. They are tall grey birds. Adults have red markings on the head. They are between 3-5 feet in height, weighing 6.5-14 pounds. They “form large flocks” and are migratory. Although they can be found in the Northern United States, they migrate to the Southern US and Mexico during the winter months. The Greater Sandhill Crane was previously spotted within the McClintic Wildlife Management Area, where the first Mothman sighting occurred. However, these people did not mistake a crane for the creature.

There are several reasons as to why the bird was not Mothman. The Greater Sandhill Crane does not have red eyes, a key feature to the witness reports. Further, the bird is too small. Witnesses stated that Mothman was 7-feet tall. That is 2 feet taller than the largest Greater Sandhill Crane. Not one witness reported seeing multiple Mothmen—only the solitary Mothman. The birds live in groups. A wayward single bird may be spotted once, maybe twice, however, not for 13 months. Finally, Greater Sandhill Cranes migrate to warmer climates during the winter. The average temperature in November in Point Pleasant is 14°F. December’s average is 9°F, with January at -2°F, February -4°F, and March rising to 9°F. It’s just too cold in West Virginia for these birds to remain throughout the winter.

In this segment of “Debunking the Debunked,” I believe that Mothman could not have been a Greater Sandhill Crane. More soon.

 

Mothman Turned 50: Let’s Celecbrate

26 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by in Animals, Conferences, Curiosities, Disasters, Famous Locations, In the News, Paranormal, Road Trip, Special Events, Ufology, UFOs, Uncategorized, Urban Legends

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Mothman Turned 50: Let’s Celebrate

Sightings of the red-eyed, 7 foot tall half man/half flying creature turned 50 last November. Although “Mothman,” as he was called, only appeared in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, from November 1966-December 15, 1967, he still captures the imaginations of cryptozoologists, paranormal researchers, and general urban legend fans. He has spawned an entire industry in the small town. There’s a Mothman Museum; TNT Tours to see McClintic Wildlife Management Area, where the first documented sighting occurred; evening U.F.O. sky watches; and the popular Mothman Festival. This year the festival will celebrate the 50th anniversary.

Mothman descended into the quite town of Point Pleasant on November 15, 1966. Two couples were taking a cousin out to the abandoned TNT factory for some night hiking. Upon arrival at the chain-linked fence, the five young adults reported encountering a 7’ feathery creature with large wings (possibly 15 feet wide). They quickly returned to the car and sped off into town. This begins the sightings made more popular by John A. Keel’s The Mothman Prophecies book published in 1975.

The first “Congress,” outdated word for festival, began over Labor Weekend in 1968 when Saucer News editor, Gray Barker, organized a small event. Forty-six people attended and participated in touring the Silver Bridge disaster, learning about Shawnee leader Cornstalk who was murdered in the area in 1777, and a “saucer watch,” whereby people stared up into the clear evening sky searching for U.F.O.s. Apparently, the Congress was a success. Renamed the Mothman Festival, the current event has been running for 16 years.

This year the event returns to downtown Point Pleasant, West Virginia, on September 16-17, 2017. Vendors, live music, food services, and a 5K run are planned. Admission to the Main Street events is free; however, nominal fees will be charged for the TNT tours and other additional events. According to the Official Mothman Festival Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mothmanfestival/, 1,505 people are interested in attending and nearly 500 confirmed. Quite an uptick from the original 46.

Mothman is truly Americana. Other similar sightings have been reported, but none have the Appalachian appeal that Mothman brings to West Virginia. Definitely worth a visit.

For more information, visit: http://mothmanfestival.com/

Amityville: The Awakening—Release Date Postponed. Again

03 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Demonic Possession, Famous Locations, Haunted Houses, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, Paranormal, Paranormal History, Real Estate, Residences, Uncategorized

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Amityville: The Awakening—Release Date Postponed. Again

Originally announced to debut in 2012, Amityville: The Awakening (ATA) has been postponed. Again. This does not bode well for the film, part of the Amityville franchise. Production completed nearly 3 years ago and has endured 7 release date changes. Seven! If this movie does hit the theaters, save your money. The drama surrounding post-production is an indicator that this movie is a dud.

ATA comes 38 years after The Amityville Horror (1979) jolted theater-goers by claiming it was “based on a true story.” With a production budget of $4.7 million dollars, the movie made $86 million in the US alone. As a staple on cable TV stations, the movie continues to generate income. The 1970s ushered in a new form of horror movie: those loosely based on potentially true events. The budget for the 1973 The Exorcist was $12 million dollars. It raked in over $204 million in the United States alone. Likewise, it continues to generate income through cable TV revenue. Arguably, both movies were cutting edge and advanced the horror genre. Most importantly they came from incredibly popular books. Both films successfully bridged the text to celluloid. Although both stories claimed to be based on true events, the stories continue to unravel—more so with Amityville.

The Amityville franchise is successful. By keeping production budgets low, companies can produce a profitable film. This, in turn, leads to more sequels. Not all of them are as successful. This is the case with Amityville. Three motion picture sequels were not as successful. One barely broke even. But the “legend” surrounding the house endures. Unfortunately, it is time to shutter the house and move to a new location.

Initially titled Amityville: The Lost Tapes, this reboot occurs in the infamous Long Island home. The most alert viewer will notice some discrepancies, though. The house is a private residence located at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville. After the film’s release throngs of tourists would linger in the yard. The owners successfully petitioned to change the address to 108 Ocean Avenue in the hopes of confusing tourists. The owners also made extensive renovations to the house so it would not resemble the house at 18 Brooks Road, Toms River, New Jersey, which was used to for filming. Most notably removed were the quarter pie-shaped windows, pretty much the most haunting feature.

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The official movie trailer opens with the old house and lots of land around it. The real house sits on a densely populated street with a canal in the back. There is very little similarities between the two.

The story-line could stand on its own. The mental thoughts of “Kill, kill, kill” is the only visible link to the original movie. The producers should have created a new, fresh horror film franchise. I’ll have to wait until June to see it. That’s if 7 release date changes are the charm! Stay tuned!

Horror Movies Summer 2016

22 Sunday May 2016

Posted by in Demonic Possession, Famous Locations, Great Britain, Horror Movies, In the News, Movies, Uncategorized

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Most Anticipated Horror Movie for Summer 2016 Is…

The Conjuring 2 premieres June 10th. The sequel to the immensely popular The Conjuring, which grossed over $137 million in the US alone, follows Ed and Lorraine Warren to London where they investigate the infamous “Enfield Hauntings.” Be warned: The sequel is merely influenced by the alleged poltergeist activity from 1977-1979.

The paranormal activity occurring in Enfield, UK transpired over a 2 year period. It involved a single mother, Peggy Hodgson, and two of her four children, Janet (age 11) and Johnny (age 10). On August 30, 1977, Janet and Johnny heard shuffling noises and saw the dresser slide across the floor. Thus began the UK’s most famous poltergeist story. [Read more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11571607/The-real-story-of-the-Enfield-Haunting.html].

The Enfield Poltergeist

The Enfield Poltergeist

The A & E Network featured the three-part mini-series The Enfield Haunting last year. The series performed quite well, opening with 750,000 U.K. viewers alone. It can been seen in the US, as well. It is a closer adaptation to published reports on what transpired back then and who was involved.

According to Guy Lyon Playfair of the Society for Psychical Research and who investigated the hauntings, the Warrens were not involved with the investigation and spent merely a day at the location. Not surprising. Hollywood likes to bend the truth.

Read more comparing the real events to the reel version at http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/conjuring-2-enfield-poltergeist/.

According to IMDB.com, this summer is packed with horror movies. Preview the list with release dates at http://www.imdb.com/list/ls056154538/.

 

Evidence Ghosts Exist

15 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Famous Locations, Ghost Hunting, Ghost Stories, Media, Odd News, Paranormal, Paranormal History, Photography, Research, The Haunted Librarian, Uncategorized

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Evidence Ghosts Exist

Last week, I tweeted this link, http://whatculture.com/science/10-compelling-pieces-evidence-prove-ghosts-real.php. I previewed the slideshow and was fascinated by what I read. Contributor Tom Baker assembled a lot of compelling evidence. The topics ran the gamut: how haunted real estate affects prices, the Stone Tape Theory, the prevalence of ghosts in popular culture, the vast number of ghost sightings, and a fake photograph with a couple that make you pause. There are 10 slides, each offering a separate reason why ghosts may really, really be real.

I would love to expand on the reasons; however, I would do the article an injustice. You should scroll through them on your own. If I had to pick one reason I would write about how scientists, ones who have advanced college degrees, have studied and are still studying paranormal activity. This is encouraging! More paranormal investigators should participate. Remember: Amateur astronomers have discovered planets. Think of what you can contribute.

 

Related Articles:

This article lists 13 colleges and universities that studied paranormal activity, http://mentalfloss.com/article/54450/13-university-sanctioned-paranormal-research-projects.

Article discussing what happened to parapsychology research, http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/whatever-happened-to-parasychology-130624.htm.

Research continues at the University of Virginia, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/there-is-a-paranormal-activity-lab-at-the-university-of-virginia/283584/.

 

Historic—and Possibly Haunted—Garden District Mansion for Sale

13 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by in Architecture, Breaking the News, Famous Locations, Ghost Hunting, Ghost Stories, Ghost Tours, Haunted Houses, In the News, New Orleans, Real Estate, The Haunted Librarian, Uncategorized

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Historic—and Possibly Haunted—Garden District Mansion for Sale

Located in the Garden District in New Orleans, the former Harris-Maginnis Mansion has hit the real estate market. Again. Currently operating as a bed and breakfast (B&B), the home can revert back to a private home and can be yours for the discounted price of $4.9 million.

Designed by the famous architect James H. Calrow in 1857, the house was built for the cotton broker Alexander Harris. Harris and his child bride, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Thompson, moved into the sprawling home in 1858. On July 19, 1896, Harris died from yellow fever. The young widow remarried and sold the home in 1879.

The next owners were John Henry Maginnis and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Tweed. [Note: Both women were called “Lizzie.”] Maginnis was a cotton baron. While vacationing at another residence, Maginnis was struck and killed by lightning on July 4, 1889—only 10 years after purchasing the home. Tweed held onto the property and willed it to her only daughter, Josephine, in 1921. Josephine and her husband split their time between New York City and Europe; therefore, Josephine gifted the 13,000 square foot home to the New Orleans chapter of the American Red Cross in 1939.

The American Red Cross used the home as a headquarters from 1939-1954. Dr. Clyde E. Crassons purchased the building and converted it back into a private residence.

The home has changed hands several times. Mr. and Mrs. Schreiber remodeled the home and converted it into a bed and breakfast. Hollie Vest, a Tina Turner impersonator, purchased the home in 2001.

Even more noteworthy is that the home has been listed for sale a lot. Like, a lot. It was listed in 2012 for $2.85 million. It sold in 2013 for $1.6 million. And now it is for sale again. Originally listed for $5.475 million, the sale price has been reduced to $4.9 million. The new owners can leave the home as an operating B&B or convert it back into a private home. I would not be surprised if the beautiful home reverts back. That seems to be the trend with historic properties.

Now known as the Magnolia Mansion, the home is not marketed as haunted. However, the B&B Website does provide some interesting stories and photographs of possible hauntings. Activity seemed to commence during the renovations. Another Website proffers that the ghosts are friendly. One tucks guests into bed at night while another child “plays” in the hallways. I don’t know if the home is haunted. I would love to investigate, though. Who knows? Maybe the next time I’m in the Crescent City!

Hawkinsville State Hospital Sells Out–Again

06 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by in API Gals, Famous Locations, Ghost Hunting, Historic Places, Hospitals, In the News, Investigations, Paranormal, True Ghost Stories

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Hawkinsville Investigation is SOLD OUT--Again.

Hawkinsville Investigation is SOLD OUT–Again.

The spots filled quickly. Then 3 spots opened. But they were scooped up. Twelve days and counting!