This Is What Happens When You Grow Up In A Haunted House

I have one foot firmly enough on ground to know it sounds crazy -- but only one foot. The other half of me believes.

I think houses have spirits. that's why it's important to do your chores and clean up. It shows them you care about and appreciate them, and that changes the energy they radiate back at you. Not like they have veins and a lymphatic system tucked in between the HVAC unit. It's an extension of that feeling you get when you're a kid and your stuffed bear feels sad if he falls off the bed in the middle of the night. 

And not like houses are necessarily haunted with the spirits of deceased humans. I think a house, itself, can be a d-bag. I don't believe houses are alive, per se. But they're definitely not dead.

I know this because I used to live in a mean one. 

Photo: My aunt and I in front of my old yellow house.

I grew up in the Colorado mountains in an old farmhouse. Rumor was, it was built on an old Native American burial site. That would explain why the house's groans sounded like a slow rain stick, and why we found curious objects buried everywhere in our backyard: arrowheads, jewelry, painted rocks. It wouldn't explain the tiny, hidden room behind the bookshelf, though. We never knew what that room was for.

Growing up, I quickly compartmentalized my friends into two categories: Those who were too scared to come over, and those who quite possibly only wanted to be my friend so they could come over. The latter became my best friends, and because I had no other choice, I became one of them: the odd crew. The crystal-collecting, alien-book-reading, scary-movie-watching mountain kids. I wore lacy, floor-length Gunne Sax gowns and full petticoats to school, and my neighbors and I played "circus," when other kids played, well, I don't know. What do normal kids play? I had a club with my five dogs and one (somewhat domesticated) wolf: the Diamond H Club. We had regular meetings to talk about the hauntings, which I chronicled in a "diarrhea" (that's fancy for "diary") entitled "Earth No. 2."

I did a goblin puppet show to the "Labyrinth" soundtrack, when the cool girls sang "My Boy Lollypop" and did gymnastics routines to New Kids On The Block. But how could I care about Jordan (wasn't he the cute one?) when my house was such a grumpy, old brat, and I had to live inside of it? It regularly spit up old, rusty keys -- just randomly on a shelf, or in the corner of the playroom. Sometimes, we'd find piles of ashes (which added to my belief as a child that the carpet was made out of hot lava).

The house to the west of us was struck by lightning -- twice. The house to our east was nearly swept away in a flood. The house directly to the north caught on fire when the propane tank exploded. But our yellow farmhouse with the big red barn remained untouched.

It clearly wanted to be alone. So we moved.

In our new house, which my parents built from the ground-up (an intentional choice after living in a haunted house for a decade), I could feel the difference. At first, it was peaceful. The air was cool, slow and smooth. The new house was young, unscathed, grateful and happy. But something was missing. I was in seventh grade, going through a "theater kid" phase, so my walls were adorned with those ceramic masks that were all the rage in 1992. I remember one night sitting in my room staring at the masks. The eyes were empty. I dared a ghost to tease me. Nothing happened.

Nothing ever happened. It was so boring. I missed my yellow jerkface house, with its raw sense of humor and defiance -- like a pucker-faced old man throwing mashed potatoes at the helpers in the cafeteria, pretending to be senile but totally doing it on purpose. Now, in a very normal house with a very normal temperament, I felt even freakier than before. Now, even asserting that houses could have spirits, I realized how completely ridiculous I sounded. I was an outsider in my own bedroom.

For half of my childhood, I grew up in a haunted house. For the rest of my childhood, I lived in a normal house. This is why I have one foot in reality and one foot on ash-covered, hot lava carpet. Every few years, I still go back to visit that yellow house.

Every time, she tries to shoo me away with a scary stunt, usually involving a rattlesnake. Oh yes, she used to hide those things in my sock drawer at least once a month. I'm used to her old tricks. And secretly? I think she's just a little odd and likes the excitement.

Maybe that's why I visit her, too.

Haunted Plymouth: The Silver Ghost

Could Plymouth State University be haunted? For centuries, tales of ghosts and haunting's have been a cropping up in places all around the world. The origins of these stories can be difficult to trace and stories tend to change as they’re passed along from one generation to the next, but there is always one consistency in each of them; there is something supernatural out there. 

The same applies to PSU’s Silver Center for the Arts. For years, the so-called “Silver Ghost” has been rumored to haunt the halls and theaters of Plymouth State’s performing arts center. For years, stories have been passed along about strange experiences, cold spots, and sometimes even actually sightings of this ghost in and around the Studio Theater and costume shop in the Silver Center. 

“When I first got here there was talk about her,” said Theater Department Chair, Paul Mroczka. “She’s been described as having black hair, dressed all in white, around 19 years old.” 
The Silver Center opened in 1992, and contains three different stages: Hanaway Theater, Smith Recital Hall, and the Studio Theater. The last (and oldest) of which has been rumored to be a frequent haunt of the Silver Ghost. 

“Most of the time people have described running into her in the Studio Theater,” said Mroczka. “She seems to be attracted to certain female performers…some people attract these things, I’m not one of those people.” 

Many theaters throughout America have rich histories of ghost sightings, certain Broadway theaters particularly. This is rumored to have something to do with the fact that so many people come through theaters, either as performers or spectators, and in the afterlife those who had passion for the theater arts just could not bring themselves to leave. On the other hand, there have also been those who say that people with careers in theater just have overactive imaginations. 

There have been those with their fair share of these experiences in the Silver Center. Danee Grillo, the Silver Center’s Costume Shop Manager, described an experience with former student Nicki Mandiola. “In the prop room, there was this tree with fake greenery on it...there are two doors to the room, the other one being locked all the time, and there are no windows. Nicki was talking about the ghost, and as soon as she was finished saying whatever it was, one leaf out of the pile of leaves began shaking and moving really fast. None of the other ones were moving at all.” 

This is only one of the many experiences told by students and staff coming through the theater department. There are those who are certain that there is something there, and there are those who are on the fence about the idea. 

“I have not experienced the Silver Center Ghost personally…I’ve felt like maybe there was something there. Whether it was a ghost or not, I can’t say, but it was certainly sketchy,” said Sophomore Theater Major, Leo Curran. “I don’t see why ghost’s wouldn’t exist…just by sheer lack of knowledge it seems completely plausible that ghosts could exist.” 
There are also those who deny that any such thing is possible. 

“When you’re afraid of the dark in general your mind will compose what it wants to see sometimes,” said Junior Musical Theater Major Nick Kalantzokas. “I think when you’re in a state of anxiety of fear your mind can play tricks on you…I don’t believe in ghosts.”
Whether students believe in the supernatural or not, one can’t help but think about the different stories and experiences that have been told for years, and wonder what other mysteries could be out there. 

Hauntings…Signs You Have A Resident Ghost!

Hauntings…what a terrific topic! They make your skin crawl, your hair stand up on end, your hands

start to shake. We see  them in photographs, in windows, on television. We’ve heard myths about ghosts, tales about poltergeists, and stories about spirits. But there are certain ways you absolutely know there is someone, or something, sharing your house with you.

You know you have a spirit in your house if…you find objects in very strange places. After my father had passed away, I noticed there was a mug way up on the top of the kitchen cupboards. I had to get a chair out to stand on the counter top. Then I had to reach up in order to get hold of the mug. The mug was virtually dust free, while the rest of the cupboard top was covered with dust. Now let’s think about this…a mug…high up…dust free. Only my dad would do that sort of thing.

You know you have a spirit in your house if…you hear unknown sounds. We had to have our family dog put down by a vet. It was very painful for all of us. She was 17 years old and I was 1 when we got her. For years after her death, we could hear her nails clickey clacking on the linoleum flooring…clickety clack, clickety clack…

You know you have a spirit in your house if…taps turn on and off. When we lived in a rental home, we has weird occurrences. One night the kitchen faucet turned on full blast all by itself. Another night the pots and pans rattled in the cupboards. The former owner of the house had passed away and we always felt like she was with us.

You know you have a spirit in your house if…pieces of jewelry went missing. My mother always said that opals were unlucky. Well they must have been because she lost (lost???) every opal earring she ever owned. As well, she lost the opal bracelet that I brought back, for her, from a cruise. I guess we had a spirit who had a fondness for opals.

So there are always ways that you can check for ghosts, I prefer to call them spirits. If you have weird sights, sounds, smells or happenings, then you probably have a spirit living with you. But cheer up, they are probably a loved one looking out for you. Well that’s what I like to think anyway…

Can You See the Ghostly Figure of a Man Captured at the UK's Most Haunted Location?

A ghost expert captured this mysterious image of what looks like a man walking out of a brick wall at the UK's most haunted location.

Nottingham’s Galleries of Justice

During a day at Nottingham's Galleries of Justice with his brother, Simon Brown, a qualified parapsychologist, snapped 100 photographs. He only noticed the figure when he downloaded the picture. What he captured is the same vision as sightings reported by staff and customers throughout the building. The Galleries of Justice were previously a courthouse and a gaol and many sightings, nosies and ghostly experiences have been reported there although never captured in this way. The photo was taken at 4.29pm on Thursday, March 11. Below is Mr Brown's account of the experience.

There is clearly a spectral figure seen at the base of the stairs walking from right to left. To the right where the figure appears to have come from is a modern brick wall.

I was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking directly up at an empty stairwell as seen in the other empty picture taken seconds before this shot.




The only way a figure could be seen walking in this direction is if it walked out of a brick wall. When I took this picture there was no one in the frame and I was the last person who walked up these stairs at the end of the day 4.29 pm. The figure appears to be wearing clothing which you would associate with a turn-of-the-last-century prisoner and dragging its right leg as if in chains.

The Haunting Morning Visitor

Laying in bed at 7am, I heard someone walking up the stairs.

I was too scared to hardly breathe. I thought it was an intruder, but the steps came into the bedroom and I felt someone sit on the bed beside me.

I was sweating to the point I thought I was going to pass out. I knew this was a spirit of some sort.

I said 'please go now' and felt someone get off the bed and the door slightly moved.

This happened every morning for four days and I had nothing from there on.

I try to understand, as it feels someone wanted to see me but meant me no harm. Perhaps it's someone from my past that I miss? I like to think so.