Mystic Mitten Paranormal Investigates: Memphis Cemetery

I had read some stories from a local Michigan group and was intrigued. I had reached out to Mystic Mitten about a specific location they had posted about over summer, got some information from them about who they are, and on this cemetery, and asked them to tell their full tale. Special thanks to Hillary and Jessica for taking the time, and for the thrills!! I def got some shivers and some emotions from your EVP clips,  and I hope the best for you cats, and for Brian! Let me know if I can ever tag along.

Memphis Cemetery – Memphis, MI.

Memphis is a quiet, small town in Michigan about 50 miles north of Detroit. Dating back to 1835, the Memphis Cemetery is nestled on a bluff overlooking the Belle River, surrounded by cornfields and grassy hills. Growing up a few towns over, we had heard rumblings amongst the kids at school about a so-called ‘witch’s ball’ somewhere “over near Armada”. Supposedly ghosts would appear reflected in the ball, and it would spin on its own. Of course, this was absurd, but it made a pretty fun story around Halloween in almost-rural Michigan and has been the subject of local lore since its construction in 1903. People also claim the cemetery is haunted in general, with reports of full-bodied apparitions dancing between tombstones and voices coming from the woods.

On the evening of June 1st, 2018, we arrived at the Memphis Cemetery:

{Jessica Krutell – Lead Investigator} “The Witch’s Ball is a highly reflective surface and images from across the cemetery can be seen in its reflection. Is it possible that the spirits seen when you gaze into the ball are reflections of others visiting the cemetery? Another theory to this legend is the act of matrixing; this is when you see connections because your mind wants to. It is human nature to look for faces within everything. The human face is the first thing we see when we are born and often the last thing we see when we die. Because of this, the process of pareidolia (noticing patterns that don't exist) begins early on. This causes people to see faces in random patterns and shadows.

Does the ball really move? Yes, but for a scientific reason. The ball, being made of granite, can shift slightly with atmospheric changes. I have visited the Witch’s Ball many times in my life, and only after part of the marker broke off did I see a shift. This was likely from the weight of the ball readjusting. In the visits afterword, no noticeable changes were made.”

{Hillary Stone - Medium} “We parked our car along the side of the gravel road towards the back of the cemetery. The sun was just beginning to set as we sat waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. I started to relax and began observing the energy of the cemetery. As I started to sink into my own thoughts, I noticed a vague flash of a man who appeared to be walking towards us through the tombstones. Although the image of him remained burned in my mind, he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. He was wearing a white baseball cap, a blue flannel shirt over a t-shirt, jeans, and brown work boots. A few seconds later I saw a flash of the boots, floating empty and walking away.

The rest of the team arrived, and we began our investigation with a spirit box session at the Witch’s Ball. We sat until we became frustrated, and after reviewing the footage, it became obvious that whatever spirits had gathered to communicate with or observe us had become equally fed up. At one point I felt the distinct sensation of someone behind me, messing with the back of my head. I felt what I can only describe as the experience of having someone come up behind me and whack me in the back of the head. I lowered my head and held it in my hands and closed my eyes trying to interpret what was happening. I brought my head back up and we sat for a while longer. I started to open, hoping to encourage communication from whatever entity had been lingering behind me. I said, “We’re just trying to see if anyone’s here...” to which a boisterous laugh, emitting from the spirit box responded; “We are here”, said a woman’s voice. Even between the flicking sounds of the P-SB7 Spirit box, we could hear the annoyed tone to her statement.

We moved to another area in the cemetery, settling on a grave with a unique marker. We began calibrating our equipment and switched the spirit box back on. Immediately a voice boomed, as if stuck in an endless loop: “TESTING, TESTING, TESTING, TESTING, TESTING” the voice continued. Another voice began, as if layered above the other as a mere whisper: “TESTING, TESTING...”. The voices continued, repeating the word ten times. This freaked us out. The Spirit Box had been scanning as usual, and THAT isn’t supposed to happen, nor can it be chalked up to glitch.

Excited, we settled in around the grave. Jessica began asking questions and I sat down to focus and clean the grave marker off. As soon as I began brushing dirt and dead leaves away, I heard my name quietly whispered into my ear… “Hillary” the breathy voice sighed. I knew no one in the team had said anything to me, but just to confirm I asked, “Did you just say my name?”. Although no one in our group had said anything, upon reviewing the files on our audio recorder device, we discovered an incredible EVP captured at the exact moment I heard my name … We think we hear a little girl with an English accent saying, “It’s her”, to which I reply, “Did you just say something to me?”. It is spot on. 

 EVP of Hillary and the little girl

I wonder if I “brought her from home”, as I have a penchant for collecting photos and trinkets that once belonged to Victorian little girls. She could also have a connection to the cemetery, and just found me to be familiar. Maybe there’s more to it than I can even understand at this point, but it’s inspired more questions than answers – business as usual for evidence of the Paranormal, I suppose.

A while, and many questions later, my focus began to wander back to the grave we were visiting. I noticed a laminated memorial photo that somehow, I had totally missed for the 15 minutes we had been sitting there… I felt the wind knocked out of me as my mind made the connection that the man in the photo was wearing both a white baseball cap and a blue flannel shirt … just like the apparition I had seen earlier before the sun set.

“Did I see you earlier?” I asked aloud. “Yes, Dear”, a man’s voice responded through the spirit box.

I began describing exactly what I had seen to the others, imitating the walk and describing every detail down to the color of the man’s boots. “It’s Brian!” the voice exclaimed abruptly, causing a significant disturbance in the operation of the spirit box for a moment until it resumed as normal. The entire team was stunned, as Brian is the man whose grave we stood at – the man in the picture.

 Cheers to Brian for hanging out

He knew we were filming, and knew we intended to share what evidence we collected, and he chose to identify himself. Maybe in our case he saw an opportunity, or a platform and took the opportunity to present himself; maybe even someone other than us.

If we capture something, it’s intentional – meaning whomever creates the evidence does so knowingly and willingly. To capture evidence of the Paranormal is a granted privilege. Regardless of how important we view ourselves as investigators, we are never really in control. There is always an exchange taking place and approaching it with genuine gratitude will absolutely increase the chance of receiving evidence of spirits. When we experience something that relates to relevant information or confirms the identity of the person I’m communicating with – there’s a reason and permission to share the evidence is granted by default.

If you do decide to investigate the Memphis Cemetery, make sure to be respectful of both the living and the dead. Make sure that future generations of nervous teenagers will be able to visit the Witch’s ball to look for spirits that evidently, can be found in the Memphis Cemetery.

Check it out for yourself by watching the full video here:

Mystic Mitten Paranormal Group is an all-female Paranormal Research group from Metro Detroit, Michigan. Founded by a Medium Hillary Stone and Photographer Jessica Krutell, Mystic Mitten seeks to provide “answers for those who seek, help for those in need, and light for those lost in darkness”.

For more information visit their website: mysticmitten.org

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Detroit Masonic Temple- Active? Absolutely.

This past fall season I spent a lot of time downtown at the Masonic Temple Detroit for Theatre Bizarre. This building is incredible- at 1,037 rooms it's the largest Masonic Temple in the world. It has secret staircases, hidden compartments and room after room of majestic architecture, pass throughs and dead ends.

Photo by Ken Jacoby

There is a small ghastly history surrounding the construction of this building, which is still possibly just a rumor, but is just enough to keep your eyes open while wandering around these floors. It's said that architect George D Mason schlumped up to the rooftop one evening and leapt to his death after suffering a few professional blows- financial ruin, wife left him, wanting to corrupt the Freemasons into a more specified cult style and got overthrown- usual stuff! Well, some say he died peacefully in his bed years later, but some swear they've seen him mounting stairs or touring the halls!

I have not seen him. I don't personally know anyone who has, that I now of yet. However, I do believe this place to be active, if not completely haunted. It's common ghost knowledge that not all ghosts haunt the places they died for "unfinished business" reasons. Some spirits move to their favorite places from their more living days. So, with that thought, it's easy to see how the Temple may have acquired some tenants. From my most frequented spots I have created a short list of noticings: 

The Theatre-Like any theatre, really, there's a constant feeling of being watched. I've noticed that it doesn't matter if it's a full venue or empty, there's an intense feeling of someone over your shoulder almost no matter where you are. (I've mostly stayed on the Stage Left side of the theatre as a guest and worker) Some have reported seeing a full crowd when they're looking out from the stage after closing. Some feel movement in an empty room. I have felt that, and can understand logically why it happens, but not the tense gut feeling I have when it does. Leave that ghost light on.

Ghost Light

The Elevator near the Theatre: This one I have tried to capture many times. It definitely feels that you're sharing that space with someone in one of those slightly awkward ways when you know Sally from Marketing is right next to you but you don;t have anything to say so you both just stare at the elevator doors until one of you can get out... That's the feeling. Slightly awkward but not as bad if you pretend to look through your purse or at your phone for any reason....

The Green Room: I only know it as the green room from Theatre Bizarre, I'm not sure what it is normally. It's on the 3rd floor, Archives floor, just next to the elevator. I've spoken about this room many times and nobody understands me. This room- it smelled! It was the weirdest, most horrid smell I think I have ever happened upon and there was no source. None. It didn't smell like old food, dead animal or even a homeless person. It was a stench that stung nearly all of my senses (I could feel it in my fingers, I swear), that was so bad I couldn't breathe for the small and flavor, so thick was it in the air. BUT it was ONLY in this room, could only faintly be smelled from the hallway and seemingly nobody else really took it in as much as I did. I tried to avoid this space until TB was open and the room was cleared out for actors to move in. It was cleaned up and smelling like dryer sheets after a while, but I still don't understand why I am the only one to have taken this specific room so badly. I don't think I caught anything here, but a visual is good. Maybe someone will recognize it. 

The Crystal Ballroom: Some people had mentioned some rumors but I do not think it was anything Serious. Granted I had only been in the ballroom during times of great hubbub, which acts as a hindrance to noticing spooks, but nothing seems out of the ordinary here compared to other spots. I mean, I love spectacle, don't get me wrong, but for something as delicate as ghost sightings can sometimes be, not ideal. But isn't it lovely?

The ballroom during Theatre Bizarre Gala.

So, is the Masonic haunted? Yes. Did I see a ghost? No, but I hope to. What I did notice were random scents coming from nowhere, cold spots in places in the building that wouldn't make sense, and the constant feeling of someone watching you. It's not all together unfriendly. A friend and I were discussing how we both treat the Masonic more like a person than just a building. And tht's how we really feel about it, it's a friend, a main character rather than a set. 

For more information on the Masonic and their free tours check here.

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Salem Witch Museum- Weird But Not Haunted

Going to the Salem Witch Museum has been a goal of mine since I was 16 (in 2000) and first got really into the Salem Witch Trials. My mom told me stories about when she went and let me use some of her photos for a class project (she went in the mid-80s so I assumed it would be renovated since but they were good visuals anyhow). So to be able to go to Salem during Halloween festivities like Salem Horror Fest and Haunted Happenings was an incredible dream come true! I wa slooking for ooks, spooks and chills! I got chills, all right, because it's apparently winter in Salem now, but we did see some cool and not too ooky sights! Nothing felt spectacularly haunted or energetic in the town, which was unexpected for me, but, maybe it was just too wildly touristy this past weekend. More on that later, I'm sure!

We went to the Museum after taking in a few sites and hanging out with my new best friends Andre and Henry from Wolfman's Got Nards, a doc about the Cult Classic film Monster Squad for the Salem Horror Fest. Anyhoo, Andre Gower said that this was the one must do in Salem, since it's the biggest historical element and classic Salem tour stop. We were already planning on going, but it's still nice to feel validated with someone else's thoughts on a place of interest. *I'll just go ahead and pick up those names I dropped up there*

Happy Birthday, Hocus Pocus!

We had to wait in a long line just to buy tickets, but it wasn't the worst, just cold. That can hardly be the museum's fault, though, right? Witches... There were decorations to take photos of and with, and all kind of Hocus Pocus fans to meet. Legit. I was bummed that there were white tents up to block the museum from any photographic glory I may have achieved, but honestly, you see one photo of the outside, you've seen most. We get it, Roger Conant, you were the first baby born to Salem. Here's your statue.

Once inside we were ushered into a large darkened room with a red glowing floor. That part was cool, and we learned from slightly interactive displays about the events specific to Salem 1692 and how basically Cotton Mather was a garbage person and teenage girls are not to be trusted at their word. A few of the heroes and "heroes" of this story:

• Rebecca Nurse was too old and deaf to really care about the trials after a series of examinations, so her lack of continued pleading was proof she was a witch. 
• Sarah Good didn't donate money to the church because she said she couldn't afford it- so, yeah, witch. 
• Tituba, the Parris slave/babysitter who used to watch over the kids and make witch cakes with John, their other slave/ Native to point out who afflicted the girls- you guessed it, a witch (could be true). 
• John Proctor called the girls out on their bullshit, so, believe it or not, witch. 
• Reverend George Burroughs was pointed out by crotchety old congregation members in Salem who wanted his money and land. His crime was that he was strong and surely no man can lift a gun without the Devil's aid, so... Witch. (Never a warlock for men, as that term is deemed foul, evil and tainted by the devil. Like mudblood, I suppose.)
• Martha Corey was a God-fearing and pias woman who reportedly said that the girls were liars, as well. She believed that telling the truth would exonerate her and stated that witchcraft does not exist. Then Ann Putnam said that Martha had a yellow bird sucking on her head.... so, yeah, totally a witch. She was strung up like everyone else. 
• Giles Corey, everyone's favorite Salem martyr, had his very own display and explanation, and despite him initially being tried for murder of a farmhand years ahead, AND turning on HIS OWN WIFE to witch hunters before they grabbed him for being an associate of hers, the beloved man's story will be forever remembered as saying "more weight" when he would not confess to being a witch. What a hero! What a loaded run on sentence that was! For those not in the know; pressed to death=crushed by giant stones piled on until you die terribly. 

More weight! To cover my shame for essentially signing my wife's death warrant!- Giles, probably.

He doesn't deserve a clear photo. Still not sorry, Giles. 

The hanging of George Burroughs. Not Martha Corey.

After the talking display ended (talking displays? Witchcraft!) we were ushered past the giftshop to a non-interactive timeline of the history of witches. We saw examples of herbs and dried flowers used in medicines thought to be of witches and witch doctor types, learned the more brief history of American witch trials compared to Europe (everyone was a heretic back in those days) to the more modern Hollywood takes on witchdom and some Wicca history of Europe and North America.

I stole this shot (without flash) while not even looking at my screen

The museum showcased the term "Witch Hunt" as more than specific to witches; it's the center of a campaign direction to a person or group holding unpopular practices or opinions. It poses a very political question of Fear+Trigger=Scapegoat. It means that the fear combined with a trigger, which can be a person, an action, an epidemic, equals out to be the "fault" of the scapegoat-person, group or blamed party. People become mouthpieces for radical events, genocides, Kafkaesque oppression, as a means to fuel fear or panic and target with their self-righteousness, hate and confusion. Ya with me? It sucks. Be your own mind.

The devil made us all do it.

The Museum itself, for all of it's displays, could seem downright terrifying. Spoiler alert- it does not appear to have been renovated since my mom visited 30 years ago. The gaunt waxy statues symbolic of the people hopefully resting in peace are kind of nightmarish if you really stop to look at them. Some seem to have marble eyes that peer right through you, which, admittedly, was part of the fun for me. Some of them brought out an involuntary "OH GOD" when seeing them lit up in person, but hey, that just makes it more fun to look at and makes the horrors of these atrocities all the more memorable. This, aesthetically, was right up my creepy alley. Imagine if they came to life. Scarier than a wax museum for sure!

RIP Rebecca Nurse

The Salem Witch Museum is more than just a diorama of terrifying and /or harmless witches from 300+ years ago and so on. It's a constant beacon for political activism in the way that it teaches you part of the why and how of the times, and how it's something we are still subject to today. It seems hokey inside, but when you leave it really causes (or should cause) one to think about the everyday injustices we see, even minutely. I think it would give pause to anyone who ever felt bullied, cheated or misunderstood (and so on). It made me reflect some, personally, and hopefully can reach more people this way in the future.

So eerie.

Though I'm not sure I would go again the next time I'm in Salem, it's worth seeing once. You learn a little bit, have some fun, buy a book. A good day and well worth the $12 admission price.

Hey, best friend!

Have you been to Salem or have an opinion to share? Let me know below!

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Haunted: The Leland, Detroit

For those who don't know, the Leland is and was a historic hotel in Downtown Detroit. Currently the first few floors are hotel, the top most are apartments and the basement is storage and "storage" with an outer sub-basement that's an unattached "goth" club.
I can't say if it's a ghostly experience I had here or just my own nerves amped up from Little J and I not B&Eing in to wander around (we were let in by helpful fellas who thought we were staying there), but it's definitely something. We went in thinking we were Nancy Drew investigating gangs and Jimmy Hoffa, but really, we were just hooligans who wound up feeling like the sneakers became the snook! (Parks and Rec reference)

This was with no flash. Wonky lighting. That's a window to the lobby.

Same floor. Looks normal for an operational business.

After acting like we belonged there enough to find the elevators (about 20 feet from the door) we walked through the mezzanine. The lighting here was weird, the hallway nearest the elevators had lights, the far side of another hallway down the way had lights, but in the lounge area, no lights! But in that darkness we had spotted, helped only by me holding down my camera flash button, an old broken piano and the whole place is covered with dust. It was a weird feeling here, intriguing but not sinister. Nothing felt sinister, more like we were constantly being watched throughout our journey. Though we didn't break in illegally, we felt like we didn't belong anywhere in this place. Like when you're staying at someone else's home for the night and have to get out of bed in the middle of the night for something but you're too scared of making an unwanted noise. We felt like middle of the night bathroom steppers.

The fourth floor is completely blocked off- the elevator opens there but there's a black iron door padlocked, welded/rusted and blocked shut with mysterious bullet(?) holes. Rumored to be Jimmy Hoffa's favorite hang, the 4th floor used to be a bar. Now it's dead. I tried to get my camera though cracks and holes, alas, nothing really worked. You can peer in slightly and see that it's still set up like a bar area from long ago, which would have been really cool to see, or reopen for business, but, nothing could be committed to camera. Even though we could see clearly with our eyes, the camera had a consistent black view.

Death's door?

Like classic buildings born in the 20s, there's no 13th floor mentioned. Somehow people thought that by not naming it the 13th floor made it less likely to be unlucky, despite floor 14 still being the 13th floor. Well, this place IS unlucky. J and I heard what sounded like muffled TV all over one floor but only actually heard actual audibles coming through one door in the very last apartment on the furthermost hallway to the center of the maze. But we no doubt heard the same tv sounds the whole way through the floor, and then it didn't even get louder the closer we got to the actual apartment with sound-which seems scientifically impossible. We joked about soundproofing but we couldn't hear the other floors, sometimes we heard nothing at all and then that blasted tv floor.

Creepy Titanic ghost tv halls

We also climbed through an open storage area (I say as a question) and onto the first sub-rooftop, which was where the "roof jumpers" must have dove from during and after the Depression, and absolutely, according to historical description and photos, was where the Purple Gang threw people from the roof and made it look like accidents. Interesting!

I read once, long before I knew about residual hauntings (playbacks of a past event where it's energy based, not ghosts) that people could be seen at night throwing themselves off of the building from here, but I call malarkey on that. Being on this sub-roof was the ost like ourselves that we had felt the whole time here. It's like the energy is strictly encased within the walls themselves.

We found our way to some abandoned apartments, which is weird for me, because the Leland has become half-abandoned? Is that even a thing? Some of the apartments on the floors you could hear tv, people talking, babies crying, normal apartment stuff. Then two doors down you have possible death traps and tetanus activators like these. It's so odd that one door is a door to a home, and the next is a door to a caved in and battered apartment that looks so abruptly vacated that I wondered if cops were involved. But if that were to be the case, would a family with children stay living next door? Or move in after the fact? Look at this mess, it had NO DOOR! Where did the door go? why didn't anyone fix it? Rumor was that it was so paranormal that people just ignore it and go about fixing the stuff people actually live in and just avoid the ghosts (of the paranormal and this sad show of physical form) all together.

Would you move your family in with this just a three inch wall away?

 So, all in all, a great time was had. I can't promise you is it 100% factually haunted, but I can say that it's either incredibly weird and active, or not sound proof at all. In any area. But the number of vicious crimes done here, the urban legends about mobsters, gangsters and murder, these walls would have a lot to say. For a poplar night club in the underground of this hotel and living space, you'd think it would have had better upkeep. The hotel side where guests can see may be nice, but we actually avoided that area and went from Mezz to 3rd floor directly. You know when you're not welcome somewhere because there are no lights. They don't bother lighting the areas because they're unclean, unsafe and completely uninhabitable. It's just so odd to me that half of each floor looks like this, and people still live there, pay to be there, and pay for hotel stays. I'm pretty positive it's haunted, but it could also be based on the foreboding factor and ick of the living spaces.
That 4th floor, though.... still so intriguing!

Wonder if he did that?

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Detroit; Active or Haunted Spots

There is a large list of Detroit activity going around. Ever since I was a teenager I would drive around and explore with my friends. Typically, when a major publication like the Detroit News or Hour Detroit Magazine says something is haunted I avoid it- because it seems more tourist trap than genuine. But sometimes it's legit. Also, if a report says anything about a woman in white- nope. Tip: Not all ghosts are heartbroken women or soldiers, not all women wear white and not all souls mope around their own graves only at night to smile for the camera. Those ones tend to scream urban legend, not actual paranormal encounters.

However, here is a small list I have compiled where I can confirm some activity,  or at the very least some places that feel like they go bump in the night.

The Whitney: This is one of those places that play into being haunted by cashing in, minus having guests pay for tours. Commonly said to be haunted with kitchenware flying off of walls, counters, glass breaking, lights on and off, elevators going when nobody requests them, or stop suddenly. Typical stuff. None of that was experienced by me personally, but it will be in every google search you do with the words Whitney and haunted. What I did take note of when I was there (numerous times) are these few things; The ladies room on the second floor is not as commonly noted as being anything active, but ramblings have been mentioned. Here is my rambling- I first stepped into the room around 6am on Thanksgiving one year while working as a volunteer. One step from the well lit hallway to the slightly less well lit bathroom was a drastic change in energy. It went from commonplace to someone is standing next to me in one pass through the door. You know in teen movies when someone is hiding in a bathroom stall and the person they're hiding from presses their face against the crack in the door and stares them down before dramatically pushing the door open? That's how it feels in this bathroom. Like someone was waiting for you, is watching you, and does not want you to completely ignore them. Also, the rooms off of the Ghostbar on the third floor go a little wonky in their atmosphere. I remember one time I walked into one of the rooms, felt lightheaded, had a quick swoon, walked out of the room and was fine for the rest of the day. Someone told me it could have been something moving through me or near enough to cause a reaction. The intrigue!

Historic Fort Wayne: Aside from knowing these grounds are haunted from countless others, I have had experiences in a few spots. My favorite of my whole time there happened in the jail during a paranormal tour with MPI and other famous investigators. This story happened over spirit box with Johnny Zaffis and ticket holders, and I was sitting up font at the jail table with Johnny taking photos and going with the flow. A man came through the box to chat, Tom, and he was not really responsive to much, and broke in and out like static for a few minutes while John asked crowd sourced (uninteresting for the most) questions. Then I started chatting directly with Tom over the box and asked him personal questions more so than why are you here. I asked him, Tom, would you call yourself a handsome man? It was what we can only identify as a laugh with the box lights and meter going off, and a yes. His answers got faster and clearer, so, Handsome Tom became my buddy. I also asked if he was happy, if he had a family, if he frequents the park often,what he misses and we mostly made out is that he had a family, he died after the 67 riots from burn injuries and he was possibly a sweet talker. (The fort was used as a triage during and after the riots, as well as shelters for homeless)
I also noticed an almost magnetic feeling in the gym of the Visitor Center. Like, a scary feeling that if you looked around you would see some crazy shite.
Officer's row also had a few instances of lights shining when no lights aught to be. Were they weird dirty reflections off of a boat a mile or two out? Or something else? Hard to say, because they were small twinkle lights, it was . We saw lights in the Commanding Officer's house. Also the barracks has a lot going on. I haven't personally seen or heard much here but I have heard others' EVP recordings and photos and stories. As seen in my doc, I thought I heard something, we all did, but we cannot promise that it was a ghost. But we definitely did all hear it.

Masonic Temple: Though I don't doubt that the Masonic is spectacularly haunted- the only thing I really witnessed were cool spots (it's an old building) and electronics not working in a room or a hallway when they were just seconds ago working fine. I'm told that can be a sign of something ghostly. Or- again- it's just an old building and reception might not hit every nook and cranny of this beautiful palace. I am working on costumes for Theatre Bizarre this year inside the Masonic, so, hopefully something will happen for me.

The Leland: This place, this place is whack! I'll do a more in depth post about this one later on because there was much to tell, but to catalog it nicely, I'll detail a few things now. On the mezzanine by the old dusty piano we felt like we were being watched. For some reason it made us want to whisper, so for ten minutes in the dusty darkness of this strangely lit half floor we were mostly silent but still felt rude. On one upper floor we heard a muffled TV like someone was watching it in their apartment- only we heard it through nearly the whole floor. The same muffled sound not getting much louder or softer depending on where we walked. We did find an apartment in the corner by the window with a TV on but it was definitely in a non-central location and it would not cause us to hear it by the elevators. We crept to the sub-roof where the Purple Gang threw people off and made it look like suicides, which was neat but we didn't see any residual hauntings jumping off like some claim. There were a lot of literal signs saying keep out, and a lot of icky ones like water marks turned black crawling down the walls like a horror movie. All in all, active, but I didn't see a ghost in a way that I could say was without a doubt. Would investigate again.

This is my brief list of Detroit specifics. There are more and I will get to them in another post. In the meantime, do you have anything to add? Anything I should check out? A story to share? Let me know in the comments!

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San Diego's Whaley House- Haunted or Nah?

According to Wiki, "The Whaley House is an 1857 Greek Revival style residence, a California Historical Landmark, and museum located in Old Town, San Diego, California. In the 1960s, the Whaley House was designated as an official haunted house by the United States Commerce Department."

As I had mentioned in Aoibhneas Travels, I call malarkey. Or at least a notion that maybe it USED to be haunted, but too much goings on has happened and the spirits left to finally be in peace. I imagine even ghost mothers don't want to hear your screaming and unattended children who leave sticky jam hand print all over their ancient walls when they are rumored to have their own ghost baby to take care of (RIP Thomas). I visited this house for the first time in April of 2004 with my Winterguard team during our trip to Winterguard Internationals ( WGI Hollaaaa) and it was more that we were talking about hauntings and looking for ghosts than actually feeling haunted or alert to our surroundings. In 2005 TIME magazine labeled the Whaley House as the most haunted house in America, even besting the Amityville house, the Whitney Detroit and the Sallie House which have all been proven multiple times. Me thinks TIME was promoting a business and a museum over actual proof. In 2014 I visited Ole Whaley again.
As an avid ghost hunter with an actual documentary short about Historic Fort Wayne Detroit with Metro Paranormal, I can tell you that the gut feelings you have in one place that's, to a sensitive person like me, proven itself to be with spirit like that- the Whaley House feels just like plain old house.  
But this house is DOOOOPE! If you go thinking it's a cool museum with a fun and also horrid graveyard backstory of suicide and shame, it's really cool (and sad). As a historical landmark this house has seen it all. It was home to the Whaley family, of course, the Whaley General Store, a commercial theatre and a courthouse. The family lived there, then didn't, then did, then left, then came back, all lived in it together, preserved it as a museum and stayed a family home until 1953 when the last remaining family member, Corrinne Lillian, died. 
It opens with a pre-room leading into the courthouse. It's small but so interesting. Imagine having a courthouse in your home! So weird. The theatre was really cool, imagine all of the people who came there, too! In your house! As a theatre major, I was into it! However, as much as you'd like to think all old theatre spaces are haunted ala The Phantom- they're not. At least not in the afternoon time. What you think is a moving curtain from on stage is really just an air duct pushing out cool air. That's the only motion you'll be likely to see there. Sorry. Spoiler Alert? My favorite room besides the children's room with creepy dolls and fancy clothes about was the family sitting room. Here you see some of the art collection, the family piano and credenza for what looked to be their correspondence desk. It was difficult to get any good bedroom or kitchen photos due to the plastic walls and the amount of sunlight bouncing, but perhaps a third visit may be in order. It's all really neat to marvel at. The craftsmanship alone! I have shirts that I have owned for a year that have already fallen apart and these clothes are over a century old and still exist! The dolls and toys may not be as functional as they used to be but they're still there! (IS a doll functional??) Time has aged them but not destroyed. Things used to be made better...
The photos I did manage to take make it look almost normal, but to me there is almost nothing normal about a dolly that has been sitting on the same bed for 70 years or more with plastic windows surrounding it. However, it was all really cool. It's a glimpse into a different time, a different world. The admission is cheap at just $8 with Military, Child and Senior discounts available. It's also available on the list of locations for the Go! San Diego CityPass card mentioned in my previous post here.
If you're interested, you can check out their Website to plan a trip or just investigate for yourself from afar. It's fun to give yourself the chills, so why not stop here if you're in the San Diego area? It's definitely worth seeing for yourself. 
My verdict: Not haunted, just an old tale to get people in. But maybe my two times there were slow haunting days and the spirits just had things to do otherwise. Maybe they're like Hogwarts portraits, dipping into various spots around the grounds. Either way, it's a fun visit. 
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you toured the Whaley House and have a differing experience? Let me know below!

I love all theatres. The older the better!

I'm told it can still play.

If you say you're scared of ghosts and haunted houses then this is your perfect destination. If haunted at all I will say it's lightly ghosted, so you can still say you were in a haunted house but you are HIGHLY unlikely going to catch any cold spots or see any figures.