Deery Inn in Tennessee Open for Paranormal Investigators

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

Will you be located anywhere near or in driving distance to Blountville, Tennessee on June 25th?

Good news, then! The "Haunted and Historic" Old Deery Inn is open for you to tour and/or investigate!

According to News Channel 11 WJHL (byline: Ben Gilliam/May 26, 2021), "ghost enthusiasts and history buffs" can unite on June 25th, when the site opens for tours.

The historic Old Deery Inn is a two-story Dutch clapboard building built in the early 1800s by William Deery, and it was expanded upon in approximately 1821 prior to his marriage. Mr. Deery was an Irish immigrant who developed the inn into a trading post with a general store and rooms for the inn upstairs. It reportedly has "nineteen rooms, two attics, a cellar, and two kitchens."[1]

The estate suffered under some litigation until the Cateses became the next owners; they ran the inn as the Cates' Hotel. According to the article at the linked footnote below, Mr. Cates bribed both Federal and Confederate troops not to shell the property during the Battle of Blountville in 1863. It survived the war, and then changed hands several times until it eventually came under the care of the Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism, who have restored and preserved the property. 

According to them, there have been many notable guests at the home, including "Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, Louis Phillipe Orleans the King of France, and the Marquis de LaFayette. The inside doors have been autographed by three Tennessee governors, including Frank Clement, Buford Ellington, and Lamar Alexander, and the front door by President Jimmy Carter." [2]

So why is the Deery Inn the focus of paranormal investigators? 

I had to do a tiny bit of digging for that info. According to one legend, there is a story of two wayfarers getting into a fracas over a horse; a murder allegedly ended that argument. There is another tale of a girl who was a "fire starter" with alleged scorch marks still being visible. And last (but probably not all there is to discover), the town's history in the Civil War and the Battle of Blountville allegedly left some marks by disquieted soldiers and townspeople affected by the battle.

Ghostly tales aside, the property seems to have great historical significance to the area. Someone even wrote their thesis, an ethnographic case study, about the Old Deery Inn and its impact on cultural memory and community identity.

Attend the event

If you'd like to tour and investigate the Old Deery Inn, the event runs from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on June 25, 2021, and is open for people aged 12 and up. Preregistration is necessary. The Southern Research Society (SRS) will give tours and demonstrations on using paranormal investigating equipment. 

Register by email to: srshistorian@hotmail.com

Fee for registration: $25

Location Address: 3397 TN-126, Blountville, TN 37617

Location Phone: (423) 323-4660 

So hey, if you go, let us know how it was! 

Either comment below or write up your experiences here. 👻

[1], [2] Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism [link]

Book Review: The Farnsworth House Haunting: On the Gettysburg Ghost Trail by Richard Estep

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

I’ve had this book on my to-read list for a long time, and a couple of months ago, I finished it in only a couple of days. I was able to get it in the Kindle edition.

Synopsis:

This book is a history of the Farnsworth House and the role it played in the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863. It is also a history of Richard Estep and his team’s investigation of the Farnsworth House, with experiencer accounts included as Mr. Estep interviewed people who had witnessed objects moving, strange voices, etc. while he stayed there. He also included evidence from Brad Klinge of Ghost Lab (and known for video footage of a soldier on the battlefield). The Klinge brothers had done an investigation of Farnsworth House that was very interesting, which was touched on here. Finally, at the end is a short piece of historical fiction to give the reader a realistic sense of what things were like during the war.

My thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads without even hesitating! It was a real page-turner and well researched, with a friendly, accessible voice and tone. You could almost imagine Richard Estep just talking to you as you read it. I appreciated his thoroughness in both historical research and trying to get a balanced sense of what the paranormal issues are. He has a knack of giving your mind’s eye the details it needs to envision past and present together as he discusses his team’s investigation.

I was particularly impressed by the short fiction piece at the end. I had no idea that would be in the book before I started, but it was an immersive experience and I got quite emotional. I used to be a Civil War reenactor, and I know Gettysburg quite well. For someone to be able to help you really see the battles for the human toll they took is quite a gift.

Get the book:

You can find The Farnsworth House Haunting: On the Gettysburg Ghost Trail in various formats on Amazon. At the time of this posting, it was also available for free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. I read this book via my KU subscription and love that for a small monthly fee I have excellent books at my fingertips anytime I wish! 

Inquire with your local bookstore or library about availability in those venues. While I provide links to books as a courtesy, if you want to support your library or indie bookstore, or buy from the author directly, I always support that!

Have you been to Farnsworth House, and if so, have you had an experience? Submit your story or share one in the comments! I'd love to hear all about it, especially as I am about to go to Gettysburg in a little more than a week.

Seeing the Humor in the Haunted Edinburgh Vaults

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

Have you ever been to Edinburgh, Scotland? 

There are lots of opportunities to get creeped out there, what with Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars Kirkyard, and the Edinburgh Vaults, to name a few.

My dad took us on a trip in the summer of 2001, and it was like a dream come true. I had always wanted to go to Scotland!  

Edinburgh 2001

We traipsed through the city like happy little beans, seeing all the castles, parades, churches, cemeteries, and ghost tours we could fit in before we then went on excursions through the countryside, such as to Loch Ness and Oban. I absolutely loved the city, the atmosphere, and the time with my folks. I'd love to do a further write-up of some of the spooky places we visited, but for now, I'll focus on the Edinburgh Vaults.

The Edinburgh Vaults were built sometime in the late 1700s as chambers beneath the South Bridge that were used for storage, workshops, and space for businesses in the South Bridge district. At one point cobblers, smelters, cutlers, milliners and other legitimate trades all operated businesses there.  But the vaults weren't impervious to water and were eventually abandoned by those businesses. After they cleared out, certain sections of the vaults had become like a slum, inhabited by the city's shadier side. Robbers, murderers, and brothels all plied their trade in the vaults. It is said even body snatchers operated there! 

There was poor sanitation and airflow, making it a hotbed of disease. Eventually, water seepage meant this barely habitable area became completely uninhabitable, and the vaults were abandoned to time until one day in 1985 when excavation of the area brought their existence to the public eye once again. And in 2001, my Dad bought us tickets for the ghost tour of the Edinburgh Vaults.

Back to the present day...

I saw the following bit of comedy come up on my newsfeed last week and just about died laughing because it brought my memories of our tour of the vaults right back: Scottish comedian Eleanor Morton has done a send-up of a bored tour guide in the Edinburgh Vaults. Check it out (with apologies for the language):

Edinburgh Ghost Tour Guide Doesn't Give a Fuck pic.twitter.com/KLfZ7igAi4

— Eleanor Morton (@EleanorMorton) May 7, 2021

If you've ever been to the vaults, then I bet you howled! Thankfully, our tour guide was not anything like "Craig," but I can appreciate the joke.

All joking aside, if you can ever get to Edinburgh and tour the vaults, I highly recommend it for creep factor. I remember feeling quite claustrophobic down there, which added to the eerie experience. They are like horrible labyrinths, dank and damp and musty, the kind of place your imagination can grow wild with fear as you tour with a hopefully less disinterested tour guide than the one portrayed by Ms. Morton. 

Our tour guide did a spectacular job keeping the suspense going. I remember in one of the vaults, I got a sickly feeling that made the hairs on my arms stand up on end, and I'm not sure if it was just the tour guide's influence when she mentioned that in one of the rooms, women in particular were attacked, seemingly by a nasty, male spirit, or if something else caused Dad and I to get our hackles up, but my Dad got pretty protective, like he wasn't taking any chances letting me be last out of that room. 

The sickly feeling continued, and I had to do a clearing afterwards. And by "clearing," I mean that when we got to the end of the tour, I told my dad we needed to find the nearest pub for a beer and some fresh air. 🍻

I will probably never go down there again if I get to Edinburgh in the future (once was enough, thank you very much!) but if you haven't been, I recommend you check out the Edinburgh Vaults. Let us know your experiences in Edinburgh, in the vaults or otherwise, in the comments — or better yet, submit a spooky report here! 

Mothman Festival is ON!

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

The news came out a few weeks ago, and I've made my hotel reservation, because...

The 2021 Mothman Festival is ON!

The organizers' website states the following at the time I’m writing this:

“SEPTEMBER 18th & 19th 2021 - ***We currently plan on moving forward with the Mothman Festival for 2021 assuming that we are given the OK by our state and local health departments in regards to restrictions if still in place that can be conducive in a festival setting such as ours.....Thanks and hope to see you all in September.***”

I'm mentioning it here because in the course of talking with some vendors at another event I attended, they weren't aware that the festival was back on. I wonder how many people assume it’s still canceled? 

I've never been to the Mothman Festival before, but it's been a bucket list item for me for a long time. I have no idea what to expect, though. It looks like part street fair, part paranormal festival — I can’t wait to find out! 

I'm also looking forward to going because it means I can hang out with at least two authors I've enjoyed working with, but they live far away, so we’re not often in the same time zone.

Got any tips for a Mothman Fest newbie? Drop your advice below in the comments! 

Are you coming to Phenom 2020?

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

That’s right... Phenom 2020 is finally happening... in 2021! 

Let me tell you about Phenom.

Way back in 2012 or 2013, I started going to paranormal conventions. And one of the very first ones I went to was called Phenomenology, in Gettysburg at the Eisenhower Hotel, which is located right off the battlefields near the Eisenhower Farm.

When I started going to paranormal conventions, I knew no one, but I had listened to some podcasts and connected with a few people via social media, and I heard about what we all now lovingly call “Phenom.”

Why do I use the word “lovingly”? 

Because this is the most welcoming, friendly event — one where lifetime friendships are made and the vibe is more like a paranormal family reunion than a “convention.” 

That first year I went, I heard about a meetup for lunch prior to the start of the convention at a diner in the middle of town, so I went. I made lifelong friends at that lunch, people who are very dear to me. And by meeting them in a smaller setting, I then knew familiar faces at the larger convention when it began. 

The organizer, Dana Wingerd, and her team were very professional, warm and friendly ... and they all became lifelong friends, too. You may come in a stranger, but you’ll leave having made new friends.

So why do I tell you all this? It’s to inspire you to COME to the next one the weekend of June 3-6 in Gettysburg where it all began, at the newly remodeled Eisenhower Hotel.

Phenom 2020 had originally been scheduled for March of last year, but had to be postponed because of the pandemic. Then it was impossible to reschedule until this year. 

Featured guests will include Dave Schrader, Shane Pittman, Tim Dennis, Jeff Belanger, Aaron Sagers, Chris Fleming, Jason Hawes, Shari DeBenedetti, John Zaffis, Andrea Perron, and so many more! And the vendor room is always hoppin’. The event always rounds out with a nice themed party — this year’s is Haunted 20s.

The details:

• June 3-6, 2021
• Get info and tickets here. 
• Follow the event on Facebook here.
• Hotel info is here. 

Note you must CALL the Eisenhower and Aspire Hotel and mention you’re with the paranormal convention for the group room rate. Rooms are almost sold out, so don’t hesitate!

And most importantly...

Plan to have fun! 👻

Will we see you there? Let us know in the comments! 

A Fun Day at the Southwest Pennsylvania Haunted Con!

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

I had a great time at the SW PA HauntedCon! 

This past weekend I hopped into my little car and tootled down to Waynesburg, PA, a town I hadn’t been to since the 2010 Sheep & Fiber Festival....and I can’t believe how quickly time flies now I say that. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for an indoor/outdoor event. This was the second SW PA HauntedCon, and I hope this will be an annual event for many years to come. It's worth the trip!

HauntedCon was hosted at the Greene County Historical Society Museum, which is located at the site of the old county poor house and has a lot of history and hauntings associated with it. 

The museum is situated on grounds with many outbuildings. There is the main house, originally under private ownership, then it was sold to the county and expanded to become the poor house in the mid-1800s. Then there are several cabins and outbuildings behind that, a large barn, and another cabin to the front of the barn. There is even a railroad restoration workshop of some kind, but I didn’t have time to explore that. 

The event featured speakers in the barn area, vendors in the main house, and refreshments were served in the cabin in front of the barn. 

Greene County Historical Society Museum – original house

There was also a Native American cultural interpreter — Todd Johnson of Ghost in the Head — reenacting in the cabins behind the main house. The gentleman told me he is Huron and spends his days as a living history educator and actor who demonstrates what living in a particular period would have been like, and everything on display in the cabin was made by him. For instance, he showed me a pump drill, which I’d never seen before. And because I’m a crafter, I really enjoyed looking at the beadwork on display as well. 

The cabins where Todd Johnson of Ghost in the Head was stationed.

Here’s the lecture lineup: 

• Ron Murphy spoke about witches and witchcraft, both from a broader historical perspective and a local perspective, including a really spooky encounter he once had with an entity that may related to a local witch story. Ask him to tell you about his scarf if you ever bump into him — it’s a good one! 
• Kevin Paul gave a preview of his upcoming book (full disclosure: I edited it) and while doing so, he let the audience know he didn’t realize he’d written 13 chapters until I pointed it out to him. I will never not notice 13 of anything; it’s in my blood! :) Look for Vol. 2 of Haunted Hills & Hollows soon.
• Stan Gordon spoke about continued anomalies in Pennsylvania. Stan couldn’t attend in person, but I have a lot of respect for how he called in and gave the lecture over the phone, hooked up to the sound system via Google Voice and a laptop.
• Northern Appalachian Paranormal Society (N.A.P.S.) gave a lecture on some of their findings from investigating the museum. I unfortunately missed most of this one due to needing a break for water.
• Joey & Tonya Madia gave a lecture on their experiences investigating the museum and also the Earle W. Webb, Jr., Memorial Library in Morehead, NC, which they spent two years investigating, as well as some time they spent in Point Pleasant, WV (scene of the famous Mothman phenomenon).
• Panel discussion with all the speakers, which was very interactive. Instead of just taking audience questions, the panel treated it like a roundtable discussion that included the room at large. Topics touched on having respect for the subjects and properties in paranormal investigations, including how if an entity makes it known investigators aren’t wanted, they’ll stop investigating that area. (This reminded me of the time an entity escorted me politely out of a building in Gettysburg, but that’s a story for another time). Also discussed were NDEs and “Summerland” (in which I found out my NDE experience is not necessarily unique, so now I’m curious for more info about that—also a story for another time); and general questions/comments from the audience.

The vendors were located inside the main building. Books, candles, luminaries, masks/notebook covers/tea towels, whimsical birdhouses, tarot readings, unique accessories, awesome art, T-shirts, and some really cool soaps. Below are some pictures of the items I bought (because of course I bought a book and a journal and some art for my office), and I'm including some links to books you can check out by authors who were at the event. (I’m an editor, okay? I’m always going to recommend good books. 📚)

The weather was nice and the scenery was breathtaking. Everyone seemed to have fun, too! I think even the ghosts were enjoying it, because until I got upstairs into a particular section of the building, the house itself felt light as a spring breeze — for the most part. There were a few heavy spots here and there — and at least one room I did not want to go into. And at one point I heard footsteps that were not exactly possible—someone was coming up behind me, and there wasn’t anyone there, but I could feel the approach through the floor as well as hear the steps—so I just excused myself to whoever (or whatever) and continued on my way.

Oh, and someone living has a macabre sense of humor: I got a kick out of the private office where a fully-dressed skeleton was sitting in a chair, complete with floral dress and sun hat.

See the skeleton peeking out?

Art from 1331 studios –
Perfect for my office!

Universal Classic Monsters Notebook
by Miss Trixie's Quilty Pleasures 

Ron Murphy gave a great talk
about topics covered in this book

Kevin Paul's book with
Rosemary Ellen Guiley
about Greene County. 
Look for Vol. 2 soon!

The Madias discussed the
investigation covered in this book
        

If SW PA HauntedCon happens again next year, go! And I think I would like to return some day to see the museum when there isn’t an event going on, as I really didn’t have enough time to view the exhibits. The building and grounds have a lot to offer.

Have you been to the Greene County Historical Society? Tell us about your investigation or experience here! 

Have You Heard the “Ohio Howl”?

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

I recently came across an article on 92.9 NIN’s website (a Wichita Falls radio station) about the “Ohio Howl” and found it kind of fascinating that someone collated various audio footage of this howl from various spots in Ohio over the years. 

Go ahead and listen to them yourself over here. (Byline: Eric Meier, April 24, 2021.)

According to the video, the initial footage was taken by Matt Moneymaker of Finding Bigfoot fame and he holds the copyright. The BRFO lists the audio footage as being from 1994 in Columbiana County, Ohio, near the Columbiana River.

If you Google this term, it would seem this footage is experiencing a resurgence of reporting on regional radio station websites and other sites. But I don’t know why that is...do you?  If I find out, I’ll update this post, or if you know, let us know in the comments! 

Annual Kecksburg UFO Festival Canceled for 2021

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

In super-disappointing local news, according to the Pittsburgh Trib Newspaper (byline: Paul Pierce, May 5, 2021), the Kecksburg UFO Festival is canceled again for this year.

With the COVID pandemic raging around the nation and the world last year, many events were put on hold, but with vaccinations increasing, many of those events are resuming operations this year, albeit in new and different ways, such as requiring masks or holding them outdoors, in order to mitigate the spread of infection. 

I was really surprised to hear this particular festival would be canceled, however, for two reasons: 1) much of it is already held outdoors, and 2) Pennsylvania will lift nearly all COVID restrictions, except for the mask mandate, as of May 31st this year. 

So why is the Kecksburg festival being canceled? 

According to organizer (and volunteer fireman Ron Struble), they just didn’t have enough time to line up the vendors for the festival, which is usually held in July. This unfortunately hurts the fire department, which benefits from the fundraising the festival brings in every year, to the tune of $15-20k. I know they are just as bummed as the rest of us about this, and I can understand the coordination it would take to hold the festival on such short notice would be insurmountable this year. After all, nobody could really make plans for the summer when no one knew what the state of the pandemic would be.

Kecksburg is hoping to host a smaller event this summer, called a drive-thru “Old Fashion Day” — a smaller fundraiser for the fire department where people can bring a lawn chair and enjoy some raffles, get a few hot dogs, and shop in the department’s UFO paraphenalia store.

If you haven’t been to the Kecksburg UFO festival before, I highly recommend it. I went a few years ago and had a wonderful time! It has a lovely, outdoor festival kind of vibe, with hot dog and ice cream stands, funnel cakes, face painting, craft sales booths, and all kinds of fun for families, plus in the firehall they have speakers present on the topic of UFOs and the Kecksburg incident in particular. 

If you are unfamiliar with the Kecksburg UFO sighting, here it is in a nutshell: on December 9, 1965, a fireball was seen in the sky, followed by a craft seen crashing in a remote spot in the Pennsylvania woods near Mt. Pleasant Township. Before you could say “boo,” state police sealed off the area and questioned witnesses; meanwhile reports were that authorities had “failed” to find anything in those woods, but witnesses state they saw it being hauled away by US military vehicles to parts unknown.

There have been many theories about what may have been seen that night, whether it was a meteorite, a Soviet satellite that reentered and crashed, or a spy satellite of US origin (or, you know, a UFO). One report has it that scientists investigated and found it to be pieces from a Soviet satellite, but when FOIA requests are made for the records, these findings were reportedly lost in the 1990s.

Look, don’t take my word for it. I’m just a chick who lives 30 miles away from where this all supposedly happened and wasn’t alive at the time, but I find it fascinating the more I delve into it. Go dig up Stan Gordon and listen to one of his talks or read one of his books or listen to one of his podcast or radio show appearances. He is one of the local experts on this and other phenomena, as he has been investigating reports of UFOs and Bigfoot locally here since the sixties. 

(Actually, if you want to see Stan speak soon, go to SW PA’s Haunted Con next weekend, May 15th at the Greene County Historical Society. I’ll be there!)

And in 2022, I truly hope you can get yourself over to the Kecksburg UFO Festival. It is truly a delight and appropriate for all ages, a great day for a family outing that benefits a good cause. If you’re not from this part of PA or the world, the site of the festival is only 30 miles away from Pittsburgh, which is a lovely city in its own right and offers much for tourists to do.

In the meantime, if you’d like to support the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department this year, donations can be made to them and sent to 5128 Water Street, Mt. Pleasant, PA 15666.

👽  👽  👽

Want to read some of Stan Gordon’s Books? Here are a few you can check out:

        

Were UFOs spotted in a Florida Man’s Yard?

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

So there I was, scrolling through the Apple News app the other day, when this headline popped out at me: 

“Possible UFOs spotted off Florida coast”

(byline: Frank Miles, Fox News, May 2, 2021)

According to the article, a man by the name of William Fuentes in Palm Coast sent video of two alleged UFOs to a local Fox affiliate, WOFL, Fox 35 Orlando. If you go to the local affiliate’s site, you can watch the video for yourself and see what you think. They are described as two “orbs of light” up in Mr. Fuentes’s yard.

Watch the video and let me know what you think? 

To my untrained eye, they are interesting, but really don’t show much, and I’d be less likely to call them UFOs in the traditional sense if I were to see these without a headline like that. I find it interesting that they fly in tandem with each other and there are weird trails behind them. I’d almost be inclined to think an insect was flying around and there was some malfunction of the camera that made it look doubled up so that it appeared to be two flying in formation. But I am definitely no expert, and I have an open mind and would love to hear follow-up information: were the camera and video examined by an expert? What is the scale of the picture’s viewpoint? What is the distance between the camera and the objects? 

An interesting factoid for me was in the first linked article, Fox News reports an uptick in UFO sightings and reports since 2020. This is similar to the data from the National UFO Reporting Center and analyzed and presented by Satellite Internet in our April 29th post.

Anyway, folks, what’s your take on this report? 👍 or 👎 ?

Let us know! And if you’ve had an encounter with a UFO or any weird object flying around on your security camera footage, consider reporting it here. 

Apparently I Missed Out on Buying My Dream (Haunted) Home in Ireland

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

Would you buy a haunted house if you could?

According to Smithsonian Magazine (byline: Theresa Machemer, July 20, 2020), Loftus Hall in County Wexford was for sale last summer at a listing price of $2.87M. Darn, I missed it!

According to legend, the Tottenham family had a visitor knock on their door on a dark and stormy night in the 1700s. They entertained the visitor with a card game one evening, and when Anne Tottenham bent over to retrieve something she had dropped, she peered under the card table and realized the visitor had cloven hooves for feet. Anne could not contain a scream, at which point the visitor disappeared through the ceiling while a clap of thunder sounded and a smell of sulfur assailed their senses. A shocked Anne never recovered, and after her death, she was said to wander Loftus Hall into eternity.

Did the devil visit Loftus Hall? Or is this just a tall tale? 

Imagine if it all could be yours for a cool three mil!

The hall has a long and colorful history, and it sounds like the legend has been good publicity and perhaps business in the 21st century. The owners at the time of the sale, the Quigleys, performed renovations on the home while maintaining its spooky character, and then they started offering paranormal tours. In 2014, a visitor snapped an image of two ghostly figures in a window, and the home has been featured on Ancient Origins and Ghost Adventures.

Anyway, it sounds like a great story, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t mind visiting Loftus Hall and checking it out for myself! With the COVID-19 pandemic, the hall has been closed to the public, though, but they have a virtual tour for 9,99 euros. I don’t know what its current status is, but if it ever reopens, I’ll report on it here. 

Would you buy a haunted house, or have you been to Loftus Hall or similar haunted historical homes in Ireland? Let us know! If you have an interesting story about living in a haunted house, consider submitting a report. 

Upcoming Event: Southwest Pennsylvania Haunted Con

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

I’m so excited there’s another local-ish event coming up soon: the Southwest PA Haunted Con.

The event takes place Saturday, May 15, 2021 at the Greene County Historical Society Museum, and it will feature speakers Kevin Paul, Stan Gordon, Ron Murphy, Joey & Tonya Madia, and others, and there will also be vendors there. 

Also, according to an announcment on Facebook, author Kevin Paul will be giving a sneak peak of his upcoming book, the next volume in Haunted Hills and Hollows: What Lurks in Greene County. (The first was coauthored with Rosemary Ellen Guiley.)

I can’t wait to check out the museum, see the speakers, and enjoy the event. I hope to see you there! 

☆ ☆ ☆

While you wait for the event, here are some books written by the featured speakers that you can check out:

      

        

Historical Sites in Iowa Reopen to Paranormal Investigators and Tours

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

Do you live near Vinton, Iowa? If you’re a paranormal investigator or enthusiast nearby, there is good news! 

According to News 7 KWWL’s article (byline: Alaina Kwan, April 22, 2021), two historical sites in Vinton will be open to the public, offering overnight stays, tours, and paranormal investigations to help raise money for the sites. 

The Benton County Historical Society partnered with two paranormal investigators, Katie and Josh Hopkins, to create paranormal tours for the public at Horridge House and the Vintage Depot Museum. According to the Hopkinses, they have captured a lot of investigative results at the Horridge House in particular, and they credit the activity to people who have died of natural causes within the home. 

The reporter and cameraman on site for the story report they couldn’t explain why a dresser started shaking while they were filming. Watch the news clip at the top of the story for that footage and let us know what you think. (Admittedly I’m a little underwhelmed and would have liked to see more context or footage, but I’ll let you view it and make up your own minds.) 

Have you visited or investigated any of these sites in Vinton? Let us know! If you want to share a story of your experience there, consider submitting a report. I know I would definitely check these properties out if I ever find myself out that way, if for no other reason than to enjoy viewing these beautiful, historical sites and learning about Vinton’s history. 

Keep it spooky! 👻

New Book by Jeff Belanger

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

You’ve heard of Jeff Belanger, right? 

If you haven’t, hie thee to his site and get to know his work, because he is entertaining, funny, warm, and knowledgable about the topics we all love around here: legends, folklore, and stories related to creepy, spooky, and mysterious things. Whether you’ve seen his work with Ghost Adventures or read his books or watched his TV series, you’ve probably run across his work at some point if you’re a paranormal enthusiast.

As a Connecticut native, one of my favorites was his Emmy-nominated TV show, New England Legends, which at the time of this writing is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video (free with your Prime membership). I’ve hung his Haunted New England calendars in my office spaces over the years, and I’ve read some of his books.

So I’m interested to see the release of his newest book, The Call of Kilimanjaro: Finding Hope Above the Clouds, and it’s now in my reading list. When I’m finished, I’ll write a proper review, but I wanted you all to know about it so you could pick it up, too. 

This book is about Jeff’s summiting of Mount Kilimanjaro as an amateur hiker, and why he took on that goal. If you can, head on over to Darkness Radio and listen to the recent interview he did with Dave Schrader, where he discusses the incredibly human (and heartwrenching) background to this story, as well as the challenges—physical, mental, and spiritual—he faced. (You can subscribe to Darkness Radio on various platforms, including Apple’s iTunes and Stitcher Premium. Jeff’s interview aired on March 25th.) You can also read a great interview with Jeff at the Berkshire Eagle’s website. 

I know this book is a different offering than his usual fare, but I’m sure it’ll be a great read. Have you read any of Jeff’s books or watched his work on TV? Let us know in the comments! Speaking for myself, I’m glad to support a member of the paranormal community whose research and work I have enjoyed, and I look forward to reading his latest offering. 

Stay spooky! 🦇

Bones found on Western Isles Beach, Lead to Nessie-Related Speculation

Following links on this page may result in my earning a small fee.

Reported in the Ross-shire Journal (byline: Val Sweeney on April 22, 2021) were a set of “massive” bones on a Western Isles beach in South Uist, which then led to people to speculate (and joke) about whether or not one of Nessie’s relatives had been found.

In all reality, the bones were discovered to be that of a sperm whale, most likely one that had beached and died in situ. When you see the photo on the news site, though, you can understand how such a sight would set the imagination aflame! It really is incredible to see, especially if you never have seen a massive whale’s skeleton before.

Okay, all in all I find it kind of funny that someone found whale bones and the media immediately leap to a “Nessie” type of joke or headline, but if you want to read more about Nessie, then...

...this reminds me to mention a great book on the topic: Ken Gerhard’s The Essential Guide to the Loch Ness Monster and Other Aquatic Cryptids.  You’ve probably already heard of it, but if not, here it is!

In the interests of disclosure, I was the editor of this book, so I want to address any possible misconceptions about bias. I was a fan of Ken’s research before I ever worked with him as an editor, so of course I enjoyed reading the book from that point of view, and I’d be promoting it here even without my own small part in its release.

In his latest of the “Essential Guide” series, Ken goes deeply into the history and theories about the Loch Ness Monster, then explores aquatic crytids around the world. Additionally, he presents some of his theories about a prehistoric cetacean link (whales) to these sightings. 

The book is available on Amazon, where you can get the Kindle edition or paperback. At the time of this writing, you can also get it for free if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber.

What do you think Nessie is? And have you ever seen an aquatic cryptid? Let us know in the comments, or better yet, if you’ve seen something yourself, report it here.