Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

Picture taken by Moments by Monica for Ghosts of Marietta Two of my fellow ghost hunters with Historic Ghost Watch and Investigation host Wicked Paranormal Radio every Tuesday evening on Paramania Radio. Tomorrow, I will be their guest on the show from 8:00 pm-10:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Join me for fun conversations about ghosts, my personal experiences with the paranormal, as well as my time as a ghost tour guide. This is a fun, conversational show, so prepare yourself for plenty of jokes and other random side conversations. You can listen in by going to paramaniaradio.com   tomorrow (Tuesday, June 8) at 8:00 pm EST. Just  click the "play" button at the top of the screen to start listening. If you miss the live stream, the show will be recorded and archived on Wicked Paranormal Radio's main page . Make sure to  RSVP on the Facebook event page . 

I have never had a year (as far as I can remember) when I haven't dressed up for Halloween. When I was a kid, my mom would help me put together costumes. We'd look through her closet, do some crafting, or even stop off at the Halloween store to put my costumes together. Perhaps I can find some of my childhood Halloween photos to post one day. This year, I came pretty damn close to not dressing up for Halloween. My Ryan and I took a train ride in the Blue Ridge for Halloween and then walked around town and stopped for some muscadine wine. We didn't get back until somewhat late, but neither of us had actually gotten a costume together because of our schedules. Regardless, I didn't want to make this the first year I didn't dress up, so I pulled something together before a Halloween get-together. The result: Carnival Fortune Teller complete with third eye.  Above, notice the "orbs" and face-like reflection on the mini fridge in the background. It really...

*Taken from a paper of mine in 2014           The Victorian Era, which took place during the mid-nineteenth century until the twentieth century, is a period characterized by societal change. The Industrial Revolution and clearer class divisions had taken hold, and there was an “increased ordering of leisure pursuits” especially amongst the middle and upper classes who had extra time and money (Lamont 903). Innovations in entertainment abounded, as seen through the burgeoning of cinematography, and Victorians were especially taken with “spectacles,” or shows that shocked or mesmerized audiences. In addition to new advancements in entertainment, Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution forced many to re-evaluate their orthodox religious beliefs, creating a mass crisis of faith. Caught in the middle of the revolution in entertainment and this popular crisis of belief was a uniquely Victorian situation: the emerging Spiritualist movement which challenged both conventi...

Last week, I returned from a vacation to Williamsburg, Virginia. For those of you who don't know, Williamsburg has a whole section of the city (Colonial Williamsburg) that was restored to look like it did in the colonial days complete with "interpreters" and tours. Williamsburg is also home to the beautiful College of William and Mary, the second oldest college in the United States. I will share my pictures, so without further ado: Governor's Palace Marquis de Lafayette  The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693. Although I love my school, I considered applying to W&M, and I know I would have loved the old buildings with all the legends and tradition at this school. We were able to take a ghost tour of Williamsburg, and there were a few stops at William and Mary. One of the Haunted Buildings, because of suicides.  The building above, home to the English Department, had some interesting stories that I remember. One of the students...

Swarms of flies, strange noises, shadowy figures, possessed children climbing up the walls...These all sound like elements from a horror film, but these occurrences characterize a recent paranormal case from Indiana that's been circulating through the media. So far, this case has been well-documented with records from local police and Department of Child Services, psychological evaluations, and priest intervention. After reading one article from USA Today, I find  it compelling that a DCS report details one of the children being "lifted and thrown into the wall with nobody touching him." Despite this many written records from seemingly credible sources, there are still some loose ends. Demon in the photo? There's an app for that. First of all, I'm wondering why there is no video or photo documentation. In a case like this, it should have occurred to someone to document this on camera. In the reports I've read, the homeowner hired clairvoyants and reque...

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D."  - Charles Dickens, December, 1843 source I've just finished reading A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens for the first time. I thought it'd be appropriate for the holiday season. Growing up, I watched The Muppet's rendition of this novella at least once a year, and I confess that, at certain points, I envisioned The Muppet Christmas Carol as I read. source Even if you haven't read this story, you're probably familiar with the phrase, "Bah! Humbug!" (A humbug is a fraud or something nonsensical.) You've most likely heard the name Scrooge, because it's so closely associated with tight-fistedness and an aversion to Christmas. Ho...

Noonday Missionary Baptist Church's Cemetery is also known as "Devil's Turnaround." It is located along a little back road in Kennesaw, Georgia, and most of the graves are scattered in the woods. It is easy to miss, but some of the gravestones are visible from the road. The cemetery has graves from the 1860's. I wouldn't doubt that some of its occupants were slaves at one time. Many say the land is haunted by malevolent spirits who hurl objects and make physical contact--shoving, scratching, and even biting visitors. I could understand why any lingering spirits might be upset: These grounds have been terribly neglected. Much of the graves are broken and toppled over. Some are barely visible through the overgrowth of ivy and weeds. People also say the root of the haunting may be related to rumored cult rituals performed on the property. Located right by the cemetery are huge power lines (high voltage transmission lines). I could hear them b...

This past weekend, I trekked out to Hard Labor Creek State Park, stopping at my aunt's house along the way. My university's Astronomy club arranged a camp out by their observatory located in the park. Hard Labor Creek is one of the darkest places in the state--perfect for looking at the stars. That's exactly what we did. Everyone was able to witness the ISS fly over. I saw some globular clusters and nebulae through the telescopes. There were even some shooting stars! tumblr For our stay, we trekked out into the middle of the woods. It was an unmarked site, so it was technically trespassing. It was the first time I've ever been "roughin' it."  We set up out tents and built a campfire where we told stories. Throughout the night, nocturnal creatures lurked. There were some owls and even coyotes...perhaps even ghosts! Ghost Hunters once investigated Camp Rutledge, a nearby site, for their episode titled, "Camp Fear." I'd like to go back ...

My grandmother and I both went down to visit my aunt's. Before departure, I mentioned to my grandmother that maybe we'd see a ghost! I'm not so sure how my grandmother feels about the existence of ghosts, but she does not like to talk about them. That evening, I had a big slice of chocolate cake, and we all watched some Celebrity Ghost Stories and Dead Files by the fire. As it was time for bed, one of their cats followed me until I tucked myself in. What a lovely host, that cat was! The rain outside beat down on the roof with thunder in the distance. I was sleeping in the "haunted room" yet again, but I slept like the dead this time. It was cold, so I slept with socks on. When I woke up, a sock was missing! I looked under the covers, but I was unable to locate it. My cousin finally found it all the way under the bed. My uncle half-joked that it was "the girls" that took my sock. The girls to whom he was referring are the ghosts who are said to haunt...

As people view the world of investigations, ghost stories, and psychics through the television, many aspire to become directly involved in the paranormal field. Before you jump into ghost hunting with preconceived notions, I'd like to offer some helpful advice: Who ya gonna call? An investigator's mindset:  There is a certain mindset everyone should have when approaching the paranormal. First, keep an open mind . This seems like the most obvious. If there are enough stories surrounding a location, there's probably something to it.   You should always have a healthy dose of skepticism . It's important to think about all of the possibilities behind the suspected paranormal occurrences. Don't automatically jump to conclusions about the source of the activity. For example, there are many instances where a "cold spot" in the room is just the Air Conditioning vent overhead.   Don't be hysterical. I see this way to often on television...mainly fr...

I've been feeling inspired recently. Maybe I'm watching too many of my stories...and by 'my stories', I mean paranormal junk television. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. My recent inspiration has driven me to start posting more about the paranormal. No longer will this intense interest of mine be neglected on this blog. I've posted about paranormal subjects in the past, but not as much as I'd like. I plan to post about various phenomena, anecdotes, possible scientific explanations, investigating, opinions of mine, etc. For my new readers: Welcome and thanks for following! I am a paranormal investigator. I am considerably lucky to have gotten entangled with a very capable group of investigators. I've learned much from them since getting involved in 2011, and I don't plan on stopping. Despite growing up with one superstitious side of the family (maternal), I was never a wholehearted believer until I had a meaningful encounter at the age of 16. (You c...

Surprisingly, there's not very much information on the internet pertaining to keeping a spiritual journal. Sure, there's a WikiHow  page, but most of the information I've found is either vague or relating to specifically Christian spiritual journals. Actually, there are no limits for spiritual journals, so why and how you write one depend on you, the author. source I felt compelled to keep a spiritual journal for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I consider myself to be a spiritual person. I wanted to write this journal to make sense of past experiences that could possibly be paranormal-related, and I also wanted a way of tracking my spiritual growth. These are not the only reasons for starting your journal. You can use it to explore what inspires you as a person. You can also use it to reflect on dreams and nightmares .  You can even write the journal to reflect on fate and the meaning of life . If you are a religious person, you may want to write down meaningful p...

Some of you may be familiar with the television show, "A Haunting." If you aren't it's a paranormal series that incorporates interviews and re-enactments to tell a story about hauntings, possessions, and other phenomena. I've been watching this show for years, and it's always entertained me. It is often cheesy and over dramatic, but that's just a part of the show's charm. More recently, [ my paranormal investigating group ] gained a Father. He's an Orthodox priest, and his name is [ Father Darren ]. (See what I did there?) Father Darren, who's also known as Father Benedict, is experienced in the paranormal field. He's also an exorcist. He's there for us when the group or client might be suspicious of a haunting of darker nature. What does this have to do with "A Haunting," you ask? Well, Father Darren was recently featured in Episode 9 Season 5 (alongside my fellow ghost tour guide Michelle).  In the episode, Father Darre...

Today was a very long and eventful day, but it was nevertheless a very good one. That's because, my mother and I went to Burt's Pumpkin farm in the north Georgia mountains. It's kind of a tradition in my family. Every year near Halloween, we drive all the way up to the mountains to select our pumpkins. It's really nice to take in the sights. On the way up, I took some pictures of the scenery. I just wanted to show everyone how beautiful it is there.  Burnt Mountain was the name of the mountain we were on. Sharp Top Mountain in the distance We arrived to Burt's Pumpkin Farm, and it was extremely crowded. I expected as much since it is close to Halloween. There were many cute children dressed up in spooky finery like little petticoats, striped leggings, witch hats, etc. Unintentionally photo bombed so...many...pumpkins Yes, the pumpkins really are this enormous. I definitely had my fair share of exercise to...