Category Archives: Famous People

Winchester Mystery House Offers Free Virtual Tours

22 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by in Antiques, Architecture, Famous Locations, Famous People, History, Residences, Road Trip, Roadside Attractions, Roadtrip, Winchester Mystery House

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The Winchester Mystery House (WMH) is presently closed for tours while we isolate for COVID-19; however, you can watch a 41-minute tour of the property. The video is entertaining with lots of historical perspective and facts woven into the story.

Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester (1840-1922) was a wealthy woman known for continually renovating her home in San Jose, California. Back East, Sarah was known as the “Belle of New Haven” and was a desirable—and wealthy—woman in New Haven, Connecticut. On 1862, she married William Wirt Winchester (1837-1881), the only son of Oliver Winchester, owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Tragedy befell the young couple. Four years into marriage, the couple welcomed Annie Pardee Winchester into the world on June 15, 1866. Forty days later, on July 25, Annie succumbed from marasmus. The couple would not have any more children.

Sarah and William’s marriage struggled. Sarah’s father-in-law Oliver died, leaving William to handle the entire business. Within a year after Oliver’s death, William died from TB at the age of 44. Sarah inherited $20 million dollars in cash, plus 3,000 shares in the business. Her daily income was $1,000, which would be roughly $26,000 per day. Sarah was a very wealthy woman.

Sarah sought to live near Pardee family members, choosing to move to California. The young widow, presumably age 41, purchased an 8-room farmhouse that sat on 161 acres in California. Sarah worked every day hiring contractors, employees, and gardeners to fashion one of the largest and most mysterious homes in America.

The Winchester Mystery House documentary does a decent job guiding virtual tourists around the property. An interesting fact: Sarah stood 4 feet 10 inches tall. Therefore, some of the strange or odd building features are built for a woman of her size.

Sarah had the financial ability to indulge in extravagances. She loved to garden; therefore, it seems reasonable that she would have 2 conservatories: One to the North and the other to the South.

She had 6 kitchens. However, a couple were used for her large staff. Between 41-43 people worked and lived on the property. It is said that Sarah paid her employees well above minimum wages.

The video exaggerates a few items. The series could have gone into the more plausible theories about Sarah’s fascination on renovating the house. For instance, there isn’t any historical record of Sarah being a member of an occult group or visiting a psychic who supposedly told her to build a house across the country to confuse the spirits of people killed by the Winchester guns. These are merely anecdotes.

The question people want answered is: Why? Why did she keep on building? We will never know. Nor will we know if the “Séance Room” (as it is called in the documentary) was actually used for seances. Only one person—Sarah—had access to the room. She sat alone in the room. Sure, the room is designed a bit odd, that doesn’t mean that she held seances there. In fact, it shows she wouldn’t. Instead, I proffer that the room was more for meditation and prayer.

What we do know is that she liked to build rooms and used the most expensive materials available. Her favorite stained-glass pattern was the Spider’s Web, possibly purchased through Tiffany’s. And, boy, there are a lot of stained-glass windows in the house.

Twenty-two years into the project, and the house was 7 stories high. After the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake, several top floors became unstable and were compromised. Today, the house has 4 stories.

The site offers pre-sale tickets for when the property re-opens on April 7. Take a look, https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/. It was very satisfying.

The Wyckoff Villa: Not Haunted but Still For Sale

28 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by in Abandoned America, Famous Locations, Famous People, Not Haunted, Not Haunted--But Cool, Real Estate

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A 1920s image of Wyckoff Villa.

The Wyckoff Villa is not haunted. Further, stating that it is hasn’t help sell it. The abandoned structure has been on the real estate market since 2012, and still, no one bites.

Less than a mile south of the Canadian border sits Carleton Island. The island sits within a chain of islands in the St. Lawrence River known collectively as Thousand Islands. Accessible only by boat, the island has three burial grounds and 34 homes. The most infamous home is Wyckoff Villa, also known as Carleton Island Villa.

Wyckoff Villa was intended to join the ranks of other stately mansions on the other islands. Architect William Henry Miller designed the 15,000 square foot home, and building commenced in 1894. The owner was former Union Captain William Ozmun Wyckoff. Wyckoff returned from the Civil War to become a lawyer and court stenographer. Through the stenographer’s job, Wyckoff learned about a new invention: the typewriter.

  • Typewriter. ME*311041.

The first commercially successful typewriters were sold by E. Remington and Sons in 1874. William Wyckoff began selling the typewriters on a part-time basis, eventually leaving his court-appointed stenographer position to form the Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict company. In 1886, Remington sold the entire typewriter division to Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict, and William became the company president. Wyckoff became a typewriter tycoon.

Shortly thereafter, Wyckoff and his wife, Frances Valeria Ives Wyckoff, began searching for a location to build a summer home. They settled on Carleton Island.

However, tragedy would follow. Construction progressed through 1894 and into 1895. A month before the home was ready, Mrs. Wyckoff died. On June 1, 1895, Frances died from either cancer or a heart attack (depending on the source). William moved into the enormous home on July 11th. He suffered a heart attack that very night and died.

No one would reside in the home again. The 11-bedroom, 50 room home sits on 6.9 acres. General Electric purchased the land, seeking to demolish the home and build a corporate resort. World War II placed the development on hold, eventually tanking the project entirely in the 1940s, when the company gutted the interior. Fixtures and material were stripped from inside. In fact, the marble underneath the 5-story tower was removed, thus causing the structure to become structurally unsound. The tower was eventually torn down.

The current owners have marketed the home as a tear-down (versus a fixer-upper as it would cost a reported $10-15 million) with the waterfront land sub-divided for future homes. The realtor receives weekly enquires; however, no one seems to want to purchase. Some media sites have labeled the villa as haunted.

The villa is not haunted. There isn’t one credible story claiming that the house is haunted. It has been described as creepy and spooky, which may be the case, but there aren’t any reliable stories showing evidence that the villa is haunted. Here, the lack of evidence is clear.

What is not clear is why no one has purchased the lot with the villa or any of the other lots. The price tag may be a reason; it is listed for $495,000. Or it may be that there aren’t any year-round residents or paved roads.

Krampus, the Christmastime Monster

20 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by in Famous People, Folk Tales, Folktales, Holidays

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Krampus, the Christmastime Monster*

Stories of the dark half-goat, half-demon monster terrorizing unruly children pre-dates Christianity. Its roots come from Central-European folklore with the exact specifics unknown. His name is derived from either Dutch krampen, meaning “pick” or “iron,” or the Austrian “pickaxe.” Some rely on the German translation of “cramp.” Krampus is a Christmastime monster.

The consensus is that the story of Krampus was a pagan morality tale appropriated by Christians. The cautionary tale of Krampus lives on today as a warning to all children contemplating bad behavior, for their “reward” will be living in the underworld (i.e., Hell) for one full year where they will be tortured or possibly eaten. The punishment is severe enough to whip young children into their best behavior.

Krampus Night, or Krampusnacht, begins on December 5th. The saltier companion of Joly Saint Nicholas comes above-ground seeking devilish children. His beverage of choice is Schnapps (a fruity Brandy), go figure, as he swats at misbehaving children with gold painted birch branches.

The unfavorable kidnapping tale alarmed communities in the mid-1900s; therefore, towns were encouraged to tone it down or outright ban such celebrations. However, popularity rose again when the film industry started cranking out Krampus and Krampus-like movies. The 2015 movie Krampus was filmed on a $15 million-dollar budget and grossed over $61 million worldwide. Krampus sells.

While Krampus is NOT the anti-Santa Claus, he is the dispenser of bad news (no presents for you) and discipline. Although the tales mention his eating children, no purported cannibalistic rituals involving Krampus and children have been reported. Maybe the threat of visit was all that was needed.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! And…be on your best behavior.

Blog originally published in December 2018.

Stephen King’s Bangor, Maine Home to Be Archives and Writing Retreat

18 Friday Oct 2019

Posted by in Famous Locations, Famous People, Houses, In the News, stephen king

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FILE – This May 16, 2005, file photo shows the home of authors Stephen and Tabitha King in Bangor, Maine. The writers have petitioned the city of Bangor for a zoning change for the home where they raised their children. If approved, the mansion will become home to Stephen King’s archives, and a guest house next door will become home to writers in residence. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Last night, October 16th, the Bangor City Council unanimously approved the zoning application for Stephen and Tabitha King to convert their 3.27 acre property into a museum and archive while creating a writers’ retreat in an adjacent house on the land. The retreat will hold up to 5 writers at one time. The deal would cause King’s archives to move from the University of Maine. Hours for access with be by appointment only. King did not want the property to become a Northeast version of Dollywood. Instead, the couple decided to give something back to his fans while continuing to support the local economy.

Once application information becomes available, I will post. Now I need to come up with a clever reason for my husband, daughter, and me to spend a winter surrounded by snow while attempting to write my novel. Gee, that sounds a tad familiar.

Henry Greene Cole House, Marietta, Georgia

02 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by in Famous Locations, Famous People, Ghost Stories, Haunted Georgia, Haunted Houses, Hauntings, Uncategorized

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Haunted Georgia: Henry Greene Cole House, Marietta, Georgia

Henry Greene Cole was a Union sympathizer living in the Confederate South. He was also wealthy. He built a small house on Washington Avenue just outside the Marietta Square. It is told that his father-in-law urged General Sherman not to burn the Fletcher House Hotel because of his relation to Cole. Cole donated the land adjacent to his home for the Union National Cemetery, where over 10,000 Union soldiers are buried. Cole endeavored to build a larger home a block down from his small house. Although he died before it was completed, his family resided in the grand house for many years. Today, the house is a commercial building; however, it still boasts the architectural elements of a Georgian home.

It is also haunted. A local resident whose grandparents lived down the street spoke of walking past the house and seeing a woman in the upper left-hand corner. She saw this girl many times over the years. For several decades, the house was home to several law firms. Attorneys and their employees reported feeling cold drafts and hearing voices. One attorney experienced her clock running backwards. People walking past claim to see curtains shifting and lights turning on and off at night. The house sits directly across from the National Cemetery.

“Murder House” Lawsuit Continues

23 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Horror Story, Architecture, Famous Locations, Famous People, Historic Places, Real Estate, Uncategorized

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The historic Alfred Rosenheim Mansion, circa 1908, was the location for season 1 of American Horror Story (AHS). The house served as a backdrop to the horror/ghost series. The first season averaged 2.8 million viewers. Eight seasons later, the franchise does not seem to be slowing down—nor does the popularity of the Rosenheim Mansion.

AHS re-titled the first season to American Horror Story: Murder House (2011). This change aligned with future seasons. The “Murder House” was an empty mansion located in Los Angeles. With a history steeped in L.A. grandeur and Hollywood mystique, the home was a perfect choice for the production.

Alfred Rosenheim was an architect who relocated to L.A. He built the home located a t 1120 Westchester Place in 1908 for his family. The homes along this road were collectively known as Millionaire Row. They resided there for 10 years, selling to A.J. McQuatters, a mining mogul searching for a winter home.

By 1932, the Sisters of Social Service came into possession of the home. It was turned into a convent. The nuns purchased the adjacent property at 1130 Westchester Place, known as the Judson C. Rives Mansion in 1946. The nuns added a chapel in 1954.

The 10,440 square foot home boasts 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. It has 6 fireplaces and authentic Tiffany stained glass windows and lamps throughout. The enormous home fell into disarray, and by 2015 ownership changed to Greta von Steinbauer. Although the home has historic and landmark designation, it may be rented out; therefore, Ms. Steinbauer earned substantial rental income from production companies. This, apparently, was a selling feature. Shortly after the 2015 sale, the property was briefly listed on Airbnb for rentals. The property has since been removed.

Prior to the premiere of AHS, the home was on the market for $4.5 million. After the record-breaking first season, the price soared to $17 million. The price dropped significantly to $7.8 million. Actress Pier Angela Oakenfold and her partner, Cardiologist Dr. Ernst von Schwarz, purchased the home for $3.2 million. After closing and moving in, the couple suddenly realized that the home was part of the popular tourist tours highlighting various infamous locations and people associated with Hollywood. Ironically, the couple claimed that they “Googled” the property and never saw the AHS association.

Predictably, the filed a lawsuit on February 7, 2018, claiming the house is haunted by 2 ghosts (never reported or written about prior to purchasing) and the nuisance of trespassers. The Court heard summary judgment arguments last October. It is unknown whether the parties reached a settlement or the case continues. Since there has not been any publicity, it is fair to assume the case continues.

This is not the first time a house has become more famous than the production it appeared in. Consider the Brady Bunch House. Hopefully, this historic home will shed the haunted label and become the glamorous Rosenheim intended.

Micaela Almonester, Baroness by Tragedy

20 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in Dead Files, Famous Locations, Famous People, Uncategorized

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“Deadly Vessel” premiered on The Dead Files on August 22, 2019. The episode focused on a New Orleans restaurant called “Vessel.” The episode contained a couple errors; however, none diminished Amy’s walk and observations. The episode profiled a woman who transformed New Orleans.

On November 6, 1795, Micaela Leonarda Antonia Almonester was born in New Orleans to Don Andres Almonester y Rojas, age 59, and his significantly younger wife, Louise Denis de la Ronde, age 29. Almonester was a wealthy Spaniard who was a Notary and real estate mogul. He commissioned the Jackson Square (then known as Place d’Armes) icons: St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere, and the Cabildo. When Micaela was 2 and ½ years old, he died.

Micaela became the wealthiest heiress in New Orleans. Her mother arranged Micaela’s marriage to a 20-year-old cousin, Xavier Celestin de Pontalba, affectionately called “Tin Tin.” They married on October 23, 1811 when Michaela was 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Paris, settling in the French chateau, Mont I’Eveque.

The marriage full of conflict. Celestin’s father, Baron Joseph Delfau de Pontalba, wanted control over Micaela’s entire inheritance. Her mother had wisely contracted for a small portion of the money to be used as a dowry. The marriage produced 5 children, though only 3 sons lived to adulthood.

In 1830, Micaela defied her husband’s orders and traveled to the U.S. Upon arrival in Washington, D.C., Micaela was invited to the White House. A rumor states that she had a torrid affair with President Andrew Jackson. Upon return to France, Micaela was locked in her room without contact to household staff and shunned by Tin Tin’s family. The goal was to cause Micaela to forfeit her vast fortune to the Baron.

Nearly 23 years to the day of marriage, on October 19, 1834, the Baron attempted to murder Micaela. Using two pistols, he shot her 4 times in the chest. Miraculously, she survived, though permanently maimed. Later that evening, the Baron committed suicide.

The newly titled Baroness de Pontalba, Micaela attempted to divorce her husband numerous times. The French courts had strict laws pertaining to divorce and rejected each claim. Luckily, her husband attempted to ruin Micaela’s reputation by publishing excerpts from the court proceedings. Micaela was able to turn the tables on Celestin, showing that he did not have her best interest as a wife in mind. By tarnishing her good name, Celestin violated his marriage oath. The Court finally allowed her to separate, although they never formally divorced.

In 1848, Micaela took sons Alfred and Gaston and returned to New Orleans. Micaela was disappointed at how run down her properties appeared. She commissioned architects to level the homes and rebuild Place d’Armes. The Pontalba Buildings were constructed and adorned with wrought iron railings that still contain the “AP” letters carved within them. Micaela financed the bronze statue of Andrew Jackson sitting on his horse which if the focal point of Jackson Square.

Had Micaela’s father-in-law not been so greedy, she would not have ascended to the title of Baroness. Micaela remained friendly with her estranged husband, even caring for him by covering his living expenses. Micaela died on April 20, 1874 at the age of 78. A gracious smart businesswoman, Micaela left a great legacy through her preservation efforts and charitable work.

Now some feel she haunts a restaurant that was once part of her vast real estate portfolio.

The Vessel restaurant was formerly a church. Built in 1914, it was converted to a restaurant in the 1970s. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced the restaurant to shutter. Alec Wilder had a premonition to purchase an historic church in New Orleans. He and partner Eddie Dyer purchased the property sight-unseen. The restaurant launched in 2016 to rave reviews. The official Website boasts: “eat drink congregate.”

Located at 3835 Iberville Street, the restaurant serves locally sourced items and city favorites. Reservations are highly encouraged. We make our annual trek to NOLA this December, and you can bet that I will be booking our table. Who knows? Maybe the Baroness will dine with us.

America’s Largest Haunted Houses Still For Sale

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in Famous Locations, Famous People, For Sale, Haunted Houses, Historic Places, Uncategorized

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The Mayflower Place, a.k.a. the Schweppe Mansion, has sat on the market for sale for over 12 years. The house has a tragic history. It is one of the largest, beautiful homes in the United States that may be haunted.

Mayflower Place was built as a wedding gift from then President of Marshall Fields & Company John Graves Shedd and his wife, Mary Roenna Porter Shedd, to their daughter, Laura Abbie Shedd. Laura married soda heir Charles Hodgdon Schweppe on February 22, 1913. The 24,500 square foot home was completed in 1917.

The Tutor home sits on 5.4 acres on Lake Michigan. Consisting of 28 rooms, the home boasts 10 bedrooms and 11 ½ bathrooms. The Schweppes held elaborate soirees for the world’s wealthiest. However, the galas ended with the unexpected death of Laura.

Tragedy had visited the home already. Laura and Charles lost one child in infancy. They had two children, Jean and John. On April 20, 1937, Laura suffered a fatal heart attack at her apartment in the Ambassador East Hotel. She was 58 years old. The funeral was held at Mayflower Place.

On August 26, 1941, Charles committed suicide by a gunshot wound to the head. He left a suicide note: “I’ve been awake all night. It’s terrible.”

Speculation surrounding Charles’ suicide centered on failing health, remaining grief from Laura’s death, and possibly disappointment in Laura’s bequeaths. At the time of her death, Laura left $10 million dollars to be divided between her two surviving children. She left Charles $200,000. Others claim that Charles’ poor health led to the suicide. We will never know.

Guests and visitors to the property claim to see the ghosts of both Laura and Charles in the house.

JeanSchweppeArmour

The couple’s daughter, Jean Schweppe Armour, died at the age of 48. Brother John Shedd Schweppe died in 1996. Neither child had children.

The house sat abandoned for 46 years.

In the 1980s, Donna and Howard Hoeper purchased the home for $5.5 million. Extensive renovations commenced. Unfortunately, the Hoepers divorced and the property fell into foreclosure in 2009.

Since then, the banks have attempted to sell the majestic home. Originally priced at $18 million dollars, the selling price has been slashed to under $9 million dollars.

Located at 405 N. Mayflower Road, Lake Forest, the Mayflower Place is truly a piece of American history—paranormal or ordinary.

Who Were the Fox Sisters?

10 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in Famous People, Fox Sisters, Para Scammers, ParaScammers, Psychics, Uncategorized

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Hydesville House

Who Were the Fox Sisters?

The Fox Sisters are sometimes called the originators of Spiritualism in the United States. Here are some facts about the sisters and a quick overview of their lives.

  • Sisters were born in Canada. Family relocated to New York.
  • Margaretta “Maggie” was 14 and Catherine “Kate” was 11 when they began to perform in Hydesville, New York.
  • A rumor started that the sisters were aided by a murdered peddler. This story was never substantiated.
  • On April Fool’s Eve (March 31) in 1848, the sisters performed their unique abilities to a local 33-year-old neighbor. Their mother, Margaret, led the demonstration.
  • Maggie and Kate relocated to Rochester, New York to live with their older sister, Ann Leah Fox Fish.
  • Isaac and Amy Post rented the large public hall for the Fox Sister’s first public demonstration. Four hundred people attended the November 14, 1849 event.
  • Leah joined Maggie and Kate in the performances.
  • The sisters debuted in New York City at Barnum’s Hotel, located at Broadway and Maiden Lane. The hotel was owned by a cousin of P.T. Barnum.
  • Scientific American labeled the sisters “Spiritual Knocker from Rochester.”
  • A big toe demonstration brought their careers to an end. On October 21, 1888, Maggie was paid $1,500 to denounce their abilities. At the New York Academy of Music, she did indeed denounce; however, it was done to embarrass Leah, who was highly critical of Kate’s drinking.
  • Maggie and Kate began with apple dropping to create the knocks. Later, they were able to manipulate their body parts to make noises.
  • Leah died November 1, 1890 at the age of 77.
  • Kate died July 2, 1892 at the age of 55.
  • Maggie died March 8, 1893 at the age of 59.
  • Kate and Maggie are buried together in the Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.
  • In 1904, schoolchildren playing in their Hydesville home discovered bones in the walls. The house was known as the “spook house” by then.
  • In 1909, the bones were ruled a probable hoax.

 

Learn more about phony psychics at Dragon Con 2019!

Update and Clarification: I believe they had psychics gifts, but those gifts were either exploited by others or used for fraudulent gain. Look for my follow-up blog addressing these theories.

1976 Hair Sample Not Bigfoot, But from Deer Family

17 Monday Jun 2019

Posted by in Bigfoot, Famous Animals, Famous People, Uncategorized

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PeterByrne

1976 Hair Sample Not Bigfoot, But from Deer Family

Peter Byrne, Director of the Bigfoot Information Center and Exhibition, wrote Jay Cochran, Assistant Director of the F.B.I., in 1976 asking for a hair sample to be tested. Mr. Byrne believed the sample was from a Bigfoot creature. Testing was conducted with the results conclusive. The sample belonged to an animal from the deer family. This minor setback did not deter Byrne.

In 1976, Byrne was contacted by two U.S. Forest Service Biologists to discuss a strange encounter. The men spotted an upright, bipedal creature lumbering through the woods. Byrne arrived and found a tuft of hair. Having read a New York Times article about the F.B.I. performing non-criminal analysis by special request, Byrne exchanged several letters and then shipped off the sample only to wait 40 years for the answer.

HairSample

Byrne, now 93-years-old, received the news via newly released documents uploaded to the F.B.I.’s Vault website. This resource contains documents requested through F.O.I.A. (Freedom of Information Act) requests and deemed appropriate for public viewing. Some information is redated; however, most of the documents contain a plethora of information on a wide range of topics.

Even though Mr. Byrne found the response “disappointing,” he believes it would not have deterred his lifelong mission to find evidence of the existence of Bigfoot creature.