Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State

Meant to post these earlier, but got tied up!  Anyway...

Top 10 Paranormal Facts about Chuck Norris

1. Crop Circles are Chuck Norris' way of telling the world that sometimes corn just needs to lie the fuck down.

2. Aliens DO exist; they're just waiting for Chuck to die before they attack.

3. Chuck Norris doesn't SEE dead people.  Chuck Norris MAKES dead people.

4. When the boogeyman goes to sleep, he checks his closet and under his bed for Chuck Norris.

5. Ghosts are actually caused by Chuck Norris killing people faster than Death can process them.

6. Chuck Norris was fired from the Psychic Friends Network for always predicting pain.

7. Chuck Norris doesn't trust anything he can't kill.  Because of this, Chuck Norris does not trust ghosts---but is working on a way to roundhouse kick them to death, too!

8. The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square until Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked one of the corners off.

9. Bigfoot takes pictures of Chuck Norris.

10. The human soul DOES exist-and Chuck Norris finds it delicious.

Hey, its Halloween...its relevant, hehe. 

The term "jack-o-lantern" actually goes back to at least 300 years ago, with the first mention of the word being recorded in 1663.  Back then, the word was associated throughout the British Isles as a slang term for a night watchmen.  The term was later used to refer to the phenomena of the will-o-the-wisp.

It wasn't until the 1800s, however, that the term began to be associated with carved pumpkins and Halloween.

The tale of the Jack-o-Lantern begins with the myth of an Irish man known as Stingy Jack.  Jack was a drunkard, a practical joker, and a con artist.  No one was above his tricks, not family, not friends...not even the Devil himself.  There are different variations to the story, but the most popular is as follows:

Stingy Jack had invited the Devil to have a drink with him, and for reasons unbeknownst, the Devil took him up on the offer.  However, living up to his name, Stingy Jack refused to pay for his drink, and devised a plan to get out of paying.  He was able to convince the Devil to change himself into a coin.  Jack would then use that coin to pay for the drinks.  Again, for reasons unbeknown, the Devil actually agreed to this plan.

The Devil changed himself into a coin, but instead of using the coin to pay for the drinks, once again, Stingy Jack lived up to his name and pocketed the coin for himself.  The coin was kept beside a silver cross in Jack's pocket, which prevented the Devil from returning to his natural form.  Eventually, Jack freed the Devil, but on two conditions...1. The Devil would leave him alone for ONE year, and 2. The Devil had to promise that if Jack died, he would not claim his soul.  The Devil agreed and was returned to his natural form.

Apparently the Devil is an idiot, or a glutton for punishment, because exactly one year later, he came to visit Jack again.  Jack managed this time to convince the Devil to climb up an apple tree and pick a piece of fruit.  While the Devil was in the tree, Jack quickly carved the sign of the cross into the bark, preventing the Devil from climbing back down.  This time, the Devil had to promise Jack not to bother him for a period of 10 years, to which the Devil agreed.

Shortly after this incident, Jack died.  Due to a life of swindling and cheating, he was denied entrance into Heaven.  However, Hell refused to take him as well.  The Devil, living up to his word, and no doubt still holding a grudge, ignored the pleas and wails of Jack, who was to be doomed to walk the eternal darkness between worlds.  Either by a small spark of pity, or as a way to add insult to injury, the Devil flicked a small burning ember from the fires of Hell Jack's way in order to provide light.  Jack loved turnips, often stealing them when the craving so struck him, and often carried one with him.  He hollowed out his turnip, put the burning ember inside, and began his eternal punishment.

Legend spreads quickly in the British Isles, and soon people were referring to the ghost of Stingy Jack as "Jack of the Lantern," later being shortened to Jack-o-Lantern.  In addition, they too, began carving turnips, beets, and other root vegetables with scary faces and lighting them.  They would then put these lighted creations near a door or window with the belief that they would scare ol' Stingy Jack and other evil spirits away.

As Irish immigration to America drastically increased, the legend of the Jack-o-Lantern was brought to the states.  Pumpkins, being a native plant here, were soon discovered as being the ideal medium for Jack-O-Lantern carving, and thus, carving pumpkins is considered an American Tradition.

Man claims to have run down zombie in pickup truck

October 19, 2009

Source

In what could have been a scene from a George A. Romero flick, a Kentucky man has been arrested for running down what he thought was a flesh eating zombie.

Fred Wilson of Owensboro, Kentucky decided Monday evening to make a run to the local corner store to pick up some necessities. “I grabbed some smokes and lotto tickets.” Fred said. “I got back in my truck and headed home”. When Fred returned home it was dark. As he turned into the driveway his headlights met a man 30′ ahead of him. The man was running at him flailing his arms and screaming wildly. “He had blood running down his mouth and his shirt was covered in it, I didn’t know what to do, so I mowed him over”.

Apparently Fred had done more than just go to the local store. When he was arrested, he had a blood alcohol level of .23. His wife told police he was gone for four hours and the store was eight minutes away. “Fred went to the bar again”, she stated to police. “and after that him and Bill went to the local movie theater to see some zombie flick. He was prolly drinking there too.”, She said.

The mans name who he had “mowed over” has not been released. What we do know is that he was tinkering in his barn with a tractor when something went horribly wrong. Whatever the accident was it knocked out two of his front teeth and broke his jaw. He reportedly does not have a car so ran to his neighbors house for help.

A high blood alcohol level such as Bill’s can lead to stupor, loss of understanding, severe motor impairment, loss of consciousness and apparently Kinemortophobia.

The Ghost Hunters Drinking Game

Note: This may not necessarily be for the die-hard Ghost Hunter fan, as it WAS posted on a site called the Skeptical Viewer, hehe.  And please, a little of the new mother coming out of me...please drink responsibly...and not at ALL if you're under 21!

Sip for each irritating music cue that turns out to be an anticlimax.

Sip for each bizarre question asked of a ghost.

Sip for each exciting apparition which takes place just out of view of the camera.

Sip each time someone says, "What was that?"

Sip each time a team member reads out normal EMF background readings in an excited tone of voice.

Sip whenever TAPS misuses equipment.

Do a shot each time an explanation starts with "some people believe" or "it is believed"…

Do a shot for each EVP that you can only understand while looking at the subtitles.

Do a shot each time a team member breaks a promise to a spectral entity.

Do a shot each time Grant says "What the fej?!"

Do a shot whenever Steve feels something crawling on him.

Do a shot whenever Jay and/or Grant fail to recognize their own reflections or shadows, especially on FLIR.

Do a shot whenever someone falls over and blames it on invisible entities.

Do a shot when TAPS seems on the verge of uncovering proof, then calls it quits because of the irresistable call to "wrap it up".

Chug each time an object moves shakily on its own toward Grant's last known position.

Chug whenever Pilgrim Productions decides that the show isn't exciting enough on its own and decides to add their own artistic and/or editorial touch.

Even MORE shot-worthy events, including variations for Ghost Hunters International

Some of the humor will, no doubt, be lost in trying to summarize this tale, but for the story in its entirety, you can check out the book, Elk River Ghosts, Tales, and Lore, by Mack Samples. It's a WV ghost and folklore book, and the story is....Do You Want to be Shaved?  Thought this might be cute for the younger crowd as a campfire story to get in the Halloween spirit!

In the 1920s, the area around Clendenin in northern Kanawha County was still extremely rural. Most families in the area did not have electricity, nor automobiles, and the roads were rarely any better than a dirt path. Since dancing and music were largely frowned upon by many community and church elders, the younger people often gathered at the home of one of the more liberal families in the area for evenings of entertainment...including another favorite past time...story telling.

One such place was "Grandma Smith's." It wasn't uncommon in the winter to find a group of people spending several days at a time, especially as the weather got worse. During the day, the girls would help Grandma with the cooking and the chores, and the serving of food, which was always plentiful, while the young men helped with feeding the animals, cutting firewood, and other outside chores. Then, in the evenings, they would pop popcorn, tell stories, and even play a little music and do a little dancing.

When bedtime finally did roll around, people slept wherever there was room, sometimes three to four on a pallet, and multiple pallets spread out all over the first floor of the home. However, there was one small attic room that was often coveted. It was TINY, but there was a cot and a window. The girls were always too scared to sleep there, so the boys took turns sleeping in the room. That is, however, until one early November night.

Shortly after everyone had gone to bed, the boy staying in the attic room bolted downstairs in a state of panic. He reported that as he lay down to go to sleep, he heard an eerie whispered voice say, "Do you want to be shaved?" He thought at first his mind must be playing tricks on him, as when he sat up, the voice went away. However, as soon as he lay back down, the voice returned, and he had fled. The others sorta laughed the incident off, but the boy refused to return to the room, and no one was willing to take his place.

The next night, another boy went to bed in the room around 11pm. He awoke the next morning, saying he hadn't heard a thing. So, the next night, another boy decided he'd give it a shot, but not 20 minutes later, he too ran out of the room yelling about a voice saying, "Do you want to be shaved?" After that, NO ONE wanted to sleep in the room, and it remained vacant for several weeks, until Grandma Smith herself decided to spend the night in the room. She, too, bolted from the room shortly after going to bed. She couldn't make out for sure what the voice was saying, but did admit that it sounded an awful lot like someone asking, "Do you want to be shaved?"

The room remained vacant after that all winter long. Then, in March, the weather turned nasty, so the young people gathered for what they assumed would be the last party of the season. They were especially excited, because there was a guest at the home, a fiddle player from Big Blue Creek. After an evening of music and dancing, the subject of the haunted room came up. The fiddle player gladly accepted the challenge of spending the night in what was now dubbed the "Do you want to be shaved" room. The fiddle player retired for the evening, but to everyone's disappointment, did not come bolting from the room that night.

The next morning at breakfast, the other guests asked him if he did not hear the voice last night. He answered, that he HAD indeed heard the voice, and that it confronted him before he even got into bed. He went on to say that the voice haunted him several times throughout the night, but he did not allow it to interfere with his sleep. Everyone BEGGED him to elaborate, but the fiddle player just slyly grinned and told them to wait until he finished his breakfast, and then he'd be glad to introduce them to the ghost.

After breakfast, he led an excited group out to the wraparound porch, and told them to wait underneath the window to the attic room. He then asked Grandma when the wire screens had been installed over the windows, to which she answered, last fall. Again, the fiddler grinned, and pointed at a large willow tree outside the window. After the leaves had fallen from the trees, one of the bare limbs touching the window would rub against the screen whenever there was a breeze, causing a sound which was interpreted as a human voice saying, "Do you want to be shaved?" The fiddler took out a knife, cut the limb off, and the Shaving Ghost of Smith Bottom was never heard from again.

Here's a few really cool tombstone photos...enjoy!

This first monument is located in the Rosedale and Rosehill Cemetery of Linden, NJ.  In 1981, fifteen year old Ray Tse passed away.  Like many 15 year olds, Ray probably was counting the days until he could get his driver's license, and perhaps one day own a luxury vehicle of his own.

Unfortunately, he passed away before that could become a reality...so his millionaire brother, David, decided that he would try to give his brother in death what he couldn't wait for in life. 

Three stone-cutters from Vermont were commissioned and spent a year and a half chiseling the 36 ton 1982 Mercedes Bens 2400 Diesel limo, which sits behind the family mausoleum in the northern section of the cemetery.

Barbara Sue Manire always had an...interesting sense of humor, and always joked that when she passed away, she wanted her grave to be marked with a parking meter reading "Time Expired."

Barbara passed away in 2005, and is buried in Highland Cemetery in Okemah, Oklahoma, but it would be a little over a year before she would get her final wish.  Her nephew was able to purchase a parking meter off Ebay, but the family struggled with the decision of whether or not to actually go through with it.  Barbara finally got her wish, and now her family is quite happy that the gravesite, which sits in plain view of the main road, has become such a sensation.

Okay, so technically it's Saturday morning, but better late than never, right?  Anyway, this video is one of my all-time favorites.  Enjoy, and then send it to ALL your friends...well, those without heart conditions, that is!

Take this survey to find out! Er, and please note, this is for entertainment value only, lol.

Give yourself one point for each YES answer--

1. Do you take more vitamins than most people?

2. Do you have sinus trouble or migraine headaches?

3. Do you feel you are psychic?

4. Do you secretly feel you are special or chosen?

5. Do you secretly fear being accosted or kidnapped if you do not constantly monitor your surroundings?

6. Do you have trouble sleeping through the night for unexplainable reasons?

7. Have you seriously considered or did you install a security system for your home even if there was no justification?

8. Do you have dreams of flying or being outside your body?

9. Do you dream about seeing UFOs, being inside UFOs, or interacting with UFO occupants?

10. As a child or teenager, was there a special place you secretly believed held a spiritual meaning just for you?

11. As a child or adult, did you ever hear a voice inside your head talking to you which wasn't your own?

12. Did you ever experience a period of time while awake where youcould not remember what you had done during that period of time? Thismissing time may have been a half hour, several hours, a whole day ormore. Do not answer "yes" for memory lapses due to highway driving,drinking binges, chronic pain, medical conditions, exhaustion, effects of medication, mind-altering substances, or being lost in reading agood book.

13. As a child or adult, have you seen faces or beings near you when in bed which were not explainable?

14. Have you ever seen a UFO?

15. Have you ever seen a UFO up close within short walking or driving distance?

16. If you have seen a UFO up close, were you strongly compelled to walk, drive or stand near it?

17. Do you have a waking memory of being inside a UFO or interacting with its occupants?

18. Do you feel fear or anxiety over the subject of aliens or UFOs?

19. Have you had multiple sightings of UFOs?

20. Are you more sensitive to issues affecting the earth, its environment and all life forms than other people?

21. Do you have dreams where superior beings, angels, or aliens areeducating you about mankind, the universe, global changes or futureevents?

22. Does your home have unexplainable sounds, apparitions, or unusual events which are attributed to ghosts?

23. As a child or adult, have you had nosebleeds or found blood stains on your pillow for unexplainable reasons?

24. Have x-rays or other procedures revealed unexplainable foreign objects lodged in your body?

25. Have you awakened to discover unexplainable marks or bruises on your body?

Score 0-5: Your score indicates very few similarities with experiences of known abductees. You probably have not been abducted.

Score 6-10: Your score indicates more similarities in your backgroundthan the average person when compared with experiences of otherabductees, but you probably have not been abducted.

Score 11-15: Your score indicates a suspicious number of events in yourbackground commonly experienced by other abductees. You may want toexplore the abduction possibility further.

Score 16-20: Your score indicates many events in your backgroundcommonly experienced by other abductees. There is a good probabilityyou have been abducted and you may want to explore this possibilityfurther -- if you haven't begun to do so already.

Score 21-25: Your score indicates an overwhelming number of events inyour background commonly experienced by other abductees. There is ahigh probability you have been abducted. You may feel compelled toexplore the abduction possibility further -- or perhaps you alreadyknow you are an abductee.

http://www.abduct.com/survey.php

By Michael Rispoli/The Star-Ledger

July 30, 2009, 3:40PM

CEDAR GROVE -- A mother and her teenage son were among six people arrested early today "hunting for ghosts" amid the abandoned cluster of century-old brick wards at the former Essex County Hospital Center, officials said.

"There are no ghosts, goblins or boogie men at the old hospital complex," Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said after his officers and Cedar Grove police made the arrests.

The patrols came upon two empty vehicles parked on Upland Way on the sprawling campus, whose brick structures are being demolished to make way for a 90-acre passive park.

As they combed the dark grounds shortly after 1 a.m., they spotted a trespasser, dressed entirely in black, running through the adjacent woods, officials said. In minutes, four men and two women -- all fromHudson County -- were arrested.

The six said they were ghost-hunting, officials said.

"That's what they told the officers," Fontoura said. "People find weird ways to get kicks. ... I hope people will come to their senses.The only thing you're going to find is a uniformed cop, and that's not a ghost."

The suspects were identified as David Cerezo, 39, of Weehawken; JoseMarti, 25, of Union City; Michael Lyngholm, 18; Antoniett Degirolamo,39, her son, Brian Degirolamo, 18; and his friend, Gina Ambrosio, 18,all of Secaucus, officials said.

They were charged with defiant trespass, criminal trespass and obstruction of the administration of law and issued summons to appear in municipal court in Cedar Grove.

The arrests are the latest in a string of trespassing cases on the grounds of the former psychiatric hospital.

Earlier this month, five people from Paterson were arrested on thecampus. In May, three Perth Amboy teenagers were charged in connection with a break-in that led to a quickly extinguished fire there.

Today, Armando said trespassers, who will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, can get injured in the darkened buildings and even fall through a floor.

"They're placing themselves in danger," he said.

In early 2007, Essex County moved the last of the patients out ofthe sprawling, 16-building complex in Cedar Grove to a new $83 million hospital less than a mile away.

The locale had been the scene of episodes of "The Sopranos" and,shortly after the closing, the filming of the movie "Choke," a tale of a con artist son who supports his hospitalized mother by going to restaurants and pretending to choke on the food, getting sympathetic patrons who "save" him to send him money.

Many of the curious are confusing the hospital's old administration and ward buildings with the sanitarium popularized in Weird New Jersey, officials said. That imposing building, demolished years ago, was further up the hill in Caldwell.

________

Hehe, this is just sad.  The buildings that these people keep 'ghost-hunting' in aren't even the haunted buildings.  Actually, this kind of reminds me of the now demolished Lakin Industrial School for Colored Boys, outside of Pt. Pleasant, WV.  There are all sorts of misconceptions as to what that building was used for, and was a popular place for trespassers seeking a ghostly thrill.  Fortunately for us, er...I mean them...the building, no matter what its use over the years, WAS in fact still rumored to be haunted.  And, fortunately, area law enforcement was fairly understanding, and while patrolling the area, few actual arrests were made.

                   Source

Monday, October 5, 2009

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Bigfoot is coming to downtown Portland.

Loren Coleman says his International Cryptozoology Museum will open in a Congress Street storefront on Nov. 1.

As a cryptozoologist, Coleman studies creatures that have been reported to exist but aren't formally recognized by science.

Among the displays will be his 8-foot-tall, 400-pound Bigfoot sculpture,which now stands on the front porch of his home. He'll also have a model of the Loch Ness monster, along with what he says are a footprint cast and hair sample from the Abominable Snowman, found during a 1959 expedition in the Himalayas.

Coleman, who has written 17 books on cryptozoology, tells the Portland Press Herald the museum will be in the rear of a new bookstore that will specialize in supernatural fiction, horror fiction and weird fiction.

__________

I was all excited, until I read WHERE the museum would be located, hehe.  It doesn't speak much for the field of cryptozoology as a legitimate and scientific field of study by emphasizing that the museum will be held in a bookstore specializing in FICTION--albeit paranormal fiction.

Coleman's original museum opened up in 2003, and was located in his home.  It was open by appointment only, and apparently, there were some issues with the IRS regarding the location.  So...I guess although this isn't the IDEAL location, its a step in the right direction.