Your All American Housewife With A Spooky Twist
As you know, two weekends ago I attended the Haunted Horror Film & Paranormal Investigation Festival. If you know me at all, you can tell just by the title of the festival that this festival is perfect for me because it combines two of my favorite things- horror movies and paranormal stuff. Add in the fact that it was taking place at a haunted location and in a town I have been wanting to visit for a while because of its history.
The subject of today’s post was one that was sent to me via Instagram. Thank you, James H. for recommending this topic. He said this was a location that he visited as a child and remembered hearing other kids playing on the second floor, but he and his sister were the only kids visiting the house at the time. I had not heard of this house before he recommended it and it was fun to research to it. If you have a place, cryptid, or urban legend you want me to talk about on here, please let me know. I am always looking for new topics to research and learn about. You can either let me know in the comments below, message me on one of my social media pages, or email me.
This week we are checking out places in Washington D.C.. Today’s post is about a really interesting house that has a ridiculous amount of paranormal activity.
This week we are checking some seriously haunted locations in one of my favorite cities. I love Washington D.C.! I have so many memories of visiting there often with my family growing up. I love the museums there, the various monuments, and love Chinatown. Even as an adult, Washington D.C. has been the place I go to escape from life when I need a break. I love getting lost in the history around me.
After dealing with all the shutdowns and whatnot going on for the past year and half, its nice that things are finally starting to get back to a sort of normal we remember from pre-pandemic times. While I haven’t had a chance to go to a movie theater yet since things have opened back up, according to some people the dead haven’t stopped going to a couple of theaters in Oregon. I wonder if the spirits are wondering where all the guests are and why shows haven’t been happening for the past few months.
One of the things that draws me so much to Oregon is the natural beauty that can be found through out the state. There are so many places to go hiking, canoeing, and camping. One of the places that I have been wanting to go check out is an ominously named lake called Devil’s Lake. While it’s stunningly beautiful is all the beauty actually hiding a monster?
One place I hope to be able to investigate someday is the homes that Lizzie Borden lived in. Her case is one of the cases that I grew up learning about from my dad. We are of the belief that she was innocent and that the investigators ignored vital information about a possible motive another person had. But this isn’t a true crime blog so we won’t get into all the little details parts of the murder.
As mentioned on Sunday, this week’s posts are about haunted places Massachusetts! Today’s post is about two cemeteries I hope I get to visit while Reba and I are in Salem and Boston. I’ll let you know next month if I am successful.
This weeks theme is the great state of Massachusetts! Over the years I have been Massachusetts many times. My Uncle Rick and his family lived down the street from Dr. Seuss’ house. I’m actually working on going back to Massachusetts next month around Halloween with my sister-in-law, Reba! I will let y’all know if we are able to get that worked out.
Happy Friday, y’all! For the final post about haunted Florida locations, we have two to check out. One is a glamourous hotel that has an interesting history and the other is a quiet restaurant with a not so quiet ghost.
As mentioned in Monday’s post, today’s post may have a bit of deja vu. On Friday I wrote about The Devil’s Tree in New Jersey, today’s post is about Florida’s own Devil’s Tree. I do need to warn you readers that the history behind the tree is pretty dark. If you don’t want to read about it, please either scroll down past the next section or come back Friday for a not so dark post.
I don’t know about y’all but when I think of gangs, Mafia, and famous shootouts, I think of that stuff happening more in the Midwest than the Sunshine state. So I was quite surprised to learn about the shootout between Ma Barker; her son, Fred; and the FBI took place at a Florida vacation rental house but I wasn’t surprised to hear how her spirit is unhappy with what has been going since her death.
Did anyone guess this week’s theme? With the last bit of summer hanging around, this week we go to Florida to check out some of the weird, creepy places that haunt the Sunshine state. From creepy parks to deadly vacation rentals, I have some interesting posts for y’all this week. I hope you enjoy them.
To get y’all in the mood for these upcoming haunted posts, here are a few posts I have written about creepy places in Florida.
For our finally post about creepy places in New Jersey I wanted to branch out and do something a little different. While researching creepy New Jersey, one topic kept popping up over and over again and yet it was something I hadn’t heard about. Have you heard of The Devil’s Tree?
Sometimes when everything seems to be going well, life has a way changing dramatically in a moments notice. In today’s post, I talk about two people who were out celebrating when their lives were tragically cut short. Was it the happiness that they felt just before they died that has kept their spirit tied to where they died or is the suddenness of their death that has left them tethered to the spot?
Sometimes the best part of going on vacation is the people you meet while you’re enjoying your trip. Just be warned when checking into these New Jersey hotels, it may not just be living you meet during your vacation. The hotels in today’s post talk about ghosts that have stayed at the hotels long after they died.
I’m bringing back weekly themes! In honor of how much Jeremy and I have been and will be driving across this beautiful country, I decided to start focusing on each of the states to learn more about their paranormal histories. The states’ order will be randomized. The first up this week is New Jersey!
While researching the previous post, I was introduced to Springdale Cemetery. Springdale Cemetery is a very large, very old cemetery about 20 minutes from where we are staying. Jeremy went with John Paul and I to check out it while we were looking for Dr. George Zeller’s grave for the previous post on this blog and we were not ready for this cemetery at all. Even with directions to the gravesite, it took us over 10 minutes to drive to where he was buried.
So far the week that I have spent in Peoria, I really love it here. There has been a lot to see and do. I have been keeping busy with checking out everything. One of the places I was most excited to check out was the Peoria State Hospital and not just because of the paranormal aspect.
Well… Greetings from Illinois. Yeah. We are back in Illinois. You are probably just as shock as we were when we found out we had to head back here. To be honest, I am still trying to process my emotions and feelings about this change of events, but I am trying to find the silver lining.
Shortly after Jeremy and I moved to Illinois, I had joined a few Meetup.com groups to make some new friends. One group I joined was a group of older adults that would meet weekly for trivia nights. I LOVE trivia games. I know a lot of useless and random facts which are useful for trivia games. The first time I met up with this group, they were doing a trivia game at a local pizzeria. The members of the group were amazing with the answers throughout the entire game until the final question.
One place we checked out last week was an university that is around the corner from my mom’s house. Elon University has grown so much since I used to live in the Triangle. Just a few years ago, it went from a small private college to a state university. Driving around campus, we wondered if there were any spirits on campus. Turns out there are a few ghosts!
dvertised haunted dolls on their website, Jeremy and I decide to take Elizabeth, our haunted doll, with us to see if she would interact with them.
As you know, last week I was on vacation with my family. Before I left for vacation, though, we had Ghostnet Paranormal come out to our house for an investigation. While I have shared the ghostly going ons in our home with y'all for the two years or so, I felt that it would be best to have someone come out to verify our claims, so you know that what we share is legit.
When I started researching this week's topic, one celebrity came through like Al through an Ovilus. Rudolph Valentino seems to be everywhere. His spirit has been seen in so many places I don't think I can fit it all into one post.
Whether you believe she was murdered or she killed her self on purpose, the fact remains that throughout her short life, Marilyn Monroe was desperately searching and needing love. It seems as though she is still trying to be seen in the afterlife as well.
Whether you love his music or not, almost everyone nowadays knows who Elvis Presley was. It has been 43 years since his death, but he's spirit seems to be just as active today as he was when he was alive. Elvis's spirit appears to travel just as often as he did when he was touring.
Just over two years ago, I posted my husband's notes about when he visited the Whaley House while he was at recruiting school in San Diego. Since then, I have received several messages asking that I do a new post talking about the house's history and the hauntings that are supposed to happen there. Today's post is as y'all requested!
Ghost cats aren't the only spirits at the Hemingway house. Both Papa Hemingway and Pauline have been seen and heard around the property.
As excited as me and my sister, Magan, were to see Robert, we were stunned to realize we were looking at a piece of history that we had grown up hearing about from our dad and the television shows we watched with him. It was a part of an incredibly sick and twisted love story.
Since embracing the witchy side of me, not much has changed. A lot of what I did was already a bit witchy: carrying crystals for their various meanings, burning sage to cleanse my home, reading tarot cards, researching what my dreams might be trying to me, and using different herbs for different reasons.
I knew when I decided to focus on haunted military bases this week, I would have to need to reach out to other military spouses to hear about their stories of the paranormal on military bases. I reached out to a few of my favorite MilSO groups on Facebook and boy, did they come through!
When I first started researching the topic of haunted military bases and battlegrounds, the one place that popped up more times than Okinawa was Fort Leavenworth.
I had already rejoined Book Of The Month Club when my Facebook newsfeed was overwhelmed with ads for this book. The ads didn’t tell me much and the comments just said that it looked like an interesting read that was getting ready to debut. Then closer to July, Book Of The Month started putting up ads that said something like “If you liked Get Out, you’ll want to read this book. When I was able to select my July books, I quickly added this book to my cart.
The Alamo is located in San Antonio, Texas. The Alamo became the site of a battle during the Texas Revolution. The battle lasted 13 days from February 23rd through March 6th, 1836. Although everyone who was defending the Alamo was killed during the battle, the battlecry “Remember The Alamo” was used through the rest of the war and during the Mexican- American War.
The Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville, Virginia is a beautiful older hotel. While it’s been eight years since I have visited this location, I doubt it has changed much. When I visited it, it still looked like it was set up for service in 1860’s.
While we lived in Iwakuni, I often heard about some of the various haunted locations in Okinawa. There are so many places, legends, and customs that I could (and will) write several posts about them but today I am going to focus on some of the paranormal activity that I have heard about happening on military bases.
Fairytales seem to be full of princesses, witches, magic, and castles. While most present day fairytales seem to have happy endings, the original stories are much darker and with messages other than a girl needs just needs Prince Charming’s kiss to make everything alright. The stories that originate in the forests in today’s post are so much darker than Disney would ever want to go.
Every year I make the New Year’s resolution to read more and for the last few years I have set my reading goal to 50 books a year. The closest I cam to reach my goal was in 2018 when I read 30 books. This year is looking pretty good because I have already finished 33 books.
The forest in today’s post is one I have been told before to never visit if I get a chance to go to England. While it’s nickname is enough to tempt me to walk among the trees, the mysteries left unsolved involving this location are more than enough to make me think twice. Are you brave enough to walk the paths that run through these woods?
The forests in England seem to be steeped in horror, magic, and history. Almost ever forest there has a story to tell. Some of their stories are full of happiness and romance but the two forests in today’s post are full of things that are dark and creepy. From headless beings to fairytale creatures, these forests are brimming with horrors.
In the final week of our travel themed posts for June we will be checking out some of the creepy forests around the world. Forests that have been the basis of many nightmares, fairytales, and urban legends. Learn about the deaths and missing people cases that add to the level of creepiness that these forests exude. These forests aren’t just the home for numerous spirits. Many cryptoid and fairytale characters may call this home as well. Explore lands that defy even scientific explanation. This week will be full of horror and intrigue.
Often horror movies and television shows call upon the truth to help make their stories seem scarier to the viewers. A few years ago, American Horror Story did a season based on spirits trapped in a hotel. Some doomed to repeat their fates over and over while other spirits caused the deaths the living which added to the amount of spirits staying at the hotel.
Sometimes a place is so haunted that the guests won’t stay the night or furniture has to be moved out of the hotel because the spirits won’t stop messing with it. The inns being talked about in today’s post are just that haunted. They attract famous paranormal investigators from around the world who try to interact with those that choose to roam the inn’s hallways. Even those who are holy aren’t safe from these spirits.
Back home, in North Carolina, I often heard of different places that were haunted. Especially hotels. The hotels in today’s post I haven’t had the pleasure of investigating in person yet but I plain to soon. The spirits tied to these hotels are popular and quite active. So much so that one of these hotels made the Washington Post’s list of thirteen most haunted hotels in America.
Usually when we go on vacation, we check into hotels so we don’t have to stay with strangers and to have our privacy respected. If you check into these hotel rooms though, you may find some company waiting for you. If you are looking for peace and quiet stay out of these specific rooms, you can’t say you haven’t been warned.
The campground being talked about in today’s post has more than just ghosts scaring those that camp here. Something in the this area seems to be attracting more than the living. Even the Forest Rangers that work have experienced things that they can’t explain.
Despite what the previous posts this week may have shown, not all campgrounds are haunted by spirits who were murdered there. There are campgrounds that are haunted by those who worked in the area or died in the campground from less nefarious reasons.
Why do so many campgrounds seem to be the locations of murders? Is it because no one can hear the victim scream for help? The two campgrounds that I am writing about today have spirits who are still looking for help and reliving their murders.
When I want to go camping, usually it’s to get away from everything and everyone. I want the peace and quiet of the woods and hopefully a nearby stream to refresh my soul.
While researching haunted roadways around the world, I came across these two places and their stories sent chills up my arms. The spirits mentioned didn’t seem like the normal hitchhiker or wandering spirit I talked about earlier in my posts this week.
Here in America there are some roads that some of the most seasoned drivers get nervous driving down because of how dangerous they are. The ghosts along the side of the road aren’t the only reminders of their bloody past.
I grew up hearing about both of these spirits. One because she is the most famous hitchhiking spirt in the United States. The other because not only is she locally known to those that live in near High Point, North Carolina but either my uncle or his friend has had the privilege of meeting her.
Sometimes there are places where tragedies happen so often that the places seem cursed. Sometimes these places can be roads that the tragedies seem to stretch the length of the road.
For the day of my birthday, Mom and I went up to Chicago for my first professional baseball game. The Cubs were playing the Dodgers. I really enjoyed the game and we had great seats.
This next stop on our paranormal road trip this week takes us back to my home state of North Carolina. About three and half hours from my hometown is Asheville. I LOVE Asheville and have many memories of going there often while growing up.
I’ve only been to Niagara Falls once in my life. My parents took me and my little sister back in the early 1990’s. I think I was about six or seven years old at the time. I remember my sister being little and riding on the Maid of the Mist boat into the falls.
While I was in middle school, I was lucky enough to become friends with a girl in band class by the name of Heather. We both played flute in Ms. Hoell class. Not only were we friends, but our parents became great friends.
I first heard of Shawnee Amusement Park back in 2010 when I watched an episode of Ghost Lab that took place there. Since then Shawnee Amusement Park has popped up in conversation a few times.
Haunted highways and roads are not something that only exist in the United States. During my research, I found many, many accounts of haunted roadways around the world.
Back at the beginning of this year, I found a copy of The Amityville Horror at our local library. Like most people, I knew the story of what supposedly happened at the house in Amityville, New York named High Hopes.
Personally, though, I do have to make sure that my mental health is okay while I deal with the paranormal world. There have been times where I doubted what I was experiencing was paranormal or something in my head.
Ever since I wrote about people who willingly date spirits, I have been overwhelmed with emails and messages asking about people who take it a step further than just dating.
I can’t tell you what my first horror film was but I can remember my first Japanese horror movie. The one that launched a life long semi-obsession with them. That movie was the Japanese version of The Ring. My friend, Nicole, let me borrow it for a few days after we had gone to see... Continue Reading →
Most everyone I meet loves dogs. Dogs are typically loving and faithful, unlike most humans. In fact, when I meet a human that doesn’t like dogs, I make sure I steer clear of those folks as much as possible.
While in Japan, I happened to learn about a couple of odd ghost or demon summoning games. These games are often played by middle school and high school girls. Hearing about these games made me think about how we use to play Bloody Mary growing up.
You would think with Mercury Retrograde being over with for a week now that things would go back to normal but that has yet to be the case. I am going out today to get some sage to cleanse myself, Jeremy, and the house. I am tired of negativity going on in our lives and everything going sideways.
This Mercury Retrograde has been kicking my butt. As with most Mercury Retrogrades, this one started affecting me just before it started. As y’all know I was sick for two weeks. Then I ended quitting my job.
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon, I thought this week would be a great time to delve into some of Ireland’s spirits and folklore. Ireland has an interesting history and even more interesting folklore.
During the giveaway, I asked what is something y’all would want to Paranormal Housewife. One of the most popular answers was what to do if you think your house is haunted. Many of you wrote to me saying that you think there is something going on in your homes but you don’t have proof.
Music is a powerful medium. It has the power to take you back to a memory that you had no idea you still had, bring up old emotions you were feeling when you last sang the song, or define a period of your life. Musicians who create these songs, lyrics, and melodies stay with us long after the music as ended. And sometimes long after their own life has ended.
Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope that you are able to spend today with your loved ones. Or if you are like me today, find something fun to do.
With Valentine’s Day this week, I wanted to focus on stories of ghosts that show love lasts long after death. There is no way that I could have romantic stories this week and not include my favorite spirit love story.
The second movie I chose for this week’s theme was another one that I hadn’t seen before and surprisingly had heard very little of before watching it. All I knew about it was that it was suppose to be one of the scariest films on Netflix in 2018.
When Jeremy and I first moved to Champaign, people told us to watch out for Effingham. We assumed it was for the speed traps on the interstate by the rest area or all the construction. Nope, that was just part of what we should have been warned about.
The two games I am featuring in this post are for those who prefer something a little scarier. I do have to say though, be careful when playing these games. I have never played them so I don’t know how they will play out.
As a teenager, I remember playing different games with my friends trying to figure out what our futures held. We used drawn games like M*A*S*H to figure out if would live in a mansion with Devon Sawa and our 9 kids or shack with the nerd from math class and a dog.
It seems appropriate to be writing of this first spirit as snowflakes are currently swirling around my house. The cold, whiteness outside does seem magical to a Southern girl like me and I can start to understand why stories like the one I am writing about came to be.
They ended up having to build a second stable for their horses. They said that after they moved their horses over to the newer stable that they realized that something wasn’t right the original stable.
This first tale I have to share with you has actually been sent in by one of my readers. Thank you, Ashley S. of Alexandria, VA, for suggesting this topic which actually ended up leading to this week’s theme of animal ghosts.
The last week or so at our house has been interesting, to say the least. Different things have been happening that may or may not be related. We are still sorting through it all.
A few weeks ago a post went viral about a woman named Amethyst Realm (yes, that is her real name) who claimed she was engaged with a spirit she met while vacationing in Australia.
I am a lover of horror movies. Especially creepy ones that deal with spirits, folklore, or urban legends. So when I found out that they are making a movie of La Llorona to be released a few days before my birthday in April, I was over the moon.
This past week has been a busy one. Thankfully Jeremy had Thanksgiving Day off. I had hired a local woman, Penny, to cater our Thanksgiving meal because I didn’t want to deal with cooking and cleaning on what I thought would be his only day off that week. We all enjoyed the food. Even Valar Morghulis got his own plate of yummy food.
When we sleep we are the most vulnerable. Not just to normal things like attacks from adorable kittens or children but also from spirits. I often get messages about how people have connected with spirits of loved ones or with spirits in their home through dreaming.
On November 24th, 1892, Thanksgiving Day, a young woman checked into the Hotel Del Coronado under the name Lottie A. Bernard. Ms. Bernard claimed to be from Detroit, Michigan. The staff at the Hotel Del Coronado stated that Ms. Bernard was a beautiful well-dressed woman who seemed reserved and ladylike in her manners. The staff... Continue Reading →
Over the past couple of weeks, the activity at our house has been picking up. I don’t know if it was because it was getting closer to Halloween, the spirits were feeding off my stress levels leading up to the Marine Corps Ball, or maybe the spirit(s) in the house are feeling more comfortable with us. Whatever it is, things have definitely been interesting.
Since my blog post last month about the three most common questions my facebook messenger and email have blown up with questions and comments about talking to spirits and using an Ouija board. I decided to address some of the questions, comments, and concerns that were shared with me.
One of my favorite ghost stories I remember from this class is the is the story of the Maco Lights. Maco is a small town in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The story is about a man named Joe Baldwin in 1867.
The usual response I get when I get done telling someone about one of my adventures is “Weren’t you scared to be alone?”. Since I have grown up with spirits and have yet to come across that truly scared me, I’m not afraid to go alone.
If you watch any kind of paranormal movie or if you tell someone that you are dealing with a spirit, the first thing people do is grab a crucifix and start slinging holy water around. This rarely solves the issue. Growing up in the bible belt allowed me to witness this often and if anything I have noticed that it causes the spirit to get upset.
While I was in North Carolina visiting my family, my mom and I decided to go check out the Brown Mountian Lights. I had heard of the phenomenon often growing up as it was a semi-local legend known in North Carolina. Even though it was a few hours drive from where I grew up, I never ventured up there to experience the phenomenon.
This is the longest I have been away from Jeremy by choice (as oppose to the military sending him away) and definitely the longest I have been away from the cats and our spirits. I missed them. And judging by the messages and pictures I received while gone, it’s safe to say they all missed me too.
Ask most paranormal investigators what’s on their paranormal bucket list and you’ll probably hear them answer “Japan’s Suicide Forest”. It has been on mine ever since I first heard about it on Destination Truth ten years ago. Ever since that episode I felt drawn to it. So when my husband came home from work one day in January, while we still lived in Iwakuni, saying that Papaya and Ortiz (two marines in his shop) said that they wanted to go camping in Suicide Forest in a few weeks, I immediately invited us along on their trip.
When I begin talking to people about paranormal stuff, one thing I can almost always count on is being asked three certain questions at some point during the conversation. I figured I would share those questions and my answers with y’all.
Things have been busy in the Stillwagon household. Our furniture shipment should finally arrive next week. Well… part of it at least. Crates 1 through 4 and crate 7 have arrived. Hoping crates 5 and 6 decided to show up in time to be delivered the same day. Then a few days after that I am heading to North Carolina!
When I talk to people about what it’s like living with spirits, one thing that is often brought up is how animals seem to interact with spirits. I have heard a lot of people say that animals always seem to be more preceptive to spirits but honestly, I have witnessed animals are about as sensitive as humans. Some will acknowledge activity that is going on and some just seem oblivious to what is going on.
If you ask any paranormal investigator what their investigation bucket list is, and you will get a variety of answers. Mostly it depends on what they have already investigated and what sort of places they are drawn to. I have my own list that I have been trying to check off.
Jeremy recently went on one while he was in San Diego for recruiting school. Sadly, I wasn’t there to go with him. This is definitely on my list of places I want to investigate bucket list. The Whaley House is someplace my dad and I talked about going to visit sometime. The history of the house intrigued my dad. Hopefully, I will get a chance to visit the Whaley House soon.
One question I seem to be asked a lot since I have started being more open about being a paranormal investigator is if I only do private investigations or if I do “fun” investigations. Yes, I do both. Just because I help families and spirits, doesn’t mean I don’t love to do more relaxed investigations too.
One question Jeremy and I receive the most often is “Why do you choose to live with ghosts?”. I know that seems odd especially considering how all the shows seem to show ghosts and spirits either terrifying the residents or being a nuisance to the residents or the people working in the business.
Of course, though, when I show pictures of the house that we are moving into, my friends come through with responses like “How do you always find houses that look haunted?” or “I hope it’s haunted,”. I didn’t ask if it was haunted. Even if it isn’t haunted, we are bringing Al and Rampu. Plus, I hope my dad comes to visit occasionally.
Everyone seems to have cute stories of how they met the person they’re with. The way Jeremy and I met is definitely unique. We met over five years ago. When we met, neither of us were looking for a relationship. We were both dealing with awful breakups. We started talking on a social media page and at first had no intentions of ever meeting each other. I don’t know how but we got on to the topic of ghosts and ghost hunting.
When Dad was alive he spoke often to us about how he and his brother always said that if they could come back after they died, they would come back, and they would let their families know they were there. Dad had told us that would need to watch for signs that he was visiting.
One of the great things about living in Japan is finding random little thrift shops. Jeremy and I love exploring thrift stores trying to find hidden jewels. One of our favorite shops in Iwakuni is called Dragonfly. Last summer while walking around the back part of Dragonfly, Jeremy found this old lamp. It was an older touch lamp. He really wanted it because his grandmother had a very similar lamp and it reminded him of her.
Al is the spirt that has been with me the longest. Actually, when I first knew he was around me, my roommate Nellie and I called him George. It would be a few years before we found out what his real name was. At the time though George seemed to fit him.
I grew up thinking everyone else had similar experiences as me, but I quickly learned that my classmates didn’t. I won’t say I was bullied because of my experiences but I wasn’t usually taken seriously. This was before Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures were popular. I wanted to share my experiences with my peers, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.
As normal as my life may seem, it usually isn’t long before something paranormal pops up whether it is dealing with actual spirits or someone asking questions about ghost hunting. It really doesn’t take long for it to come up in conversation.