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FEATURED TALES 4

An Ohio Tale...

Growing up in the Midwestern U.S., especially in the smaller, more rural communities as I’d done, you hear some strange and rather “Tall” tales from locals. Seems most every town throughout the nation has a “Crybaby Bridge” or some kind of freak gravity landmark akin to Gravity Hill in Kentucky, Springfield, Ohio is no different. Then again, we’re talking about a town that was unofficially founded by several families said to be “witches” not to mention the fact that much of the region was classified as sacred to the native Shawnee long prior to white man’s encroachment.

Shortly after the war of 1812 volunteers for the defense of the states were awarded land grants, the Springfield area being one region that saw sudden growth as the result of these 40 acre allotments given by the federal government as pay to retiring officers. One such parcel that I’m aware of host but 10 of its original 40 acres, yet the cabin that was erected in around 1817 and later added to, in typical prairie style, taking on the appearance of a colonial era plantation house still stands. In fact, it’s still inhabited! Not just by normal every day folks, but by a small accompaniment of disembodied entities. The house being recognized, so I’m told, in the “Haunted Ohio” book series, as one of the more haunted private homes in the state, a fact brought out to me during a tour of the nearby Piatt Castles near Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Let me explain a bit about this house and my involvement with it. You see, I was raised in Springfield, Ohio graduating from Northeastern High School in 1977. My work within the entertainment industry took me west for over 20 years, yet my adopted family and I grew wary of the Las Vegas heat and show biz politics, thus we journeyed “home”, staying a few short weeks with my parents while scouting for a place of our own. One particular late spring day we noticed a cute little two story on Limestone St. with a for sale sign. In that we’d passed it, I turned into the next drive so as to turn around and go back. To our surprise however, concealed behind a massive hedge of pine and spruce, stood a massive old plantation styled farmhouse and barn, abandoned.

Needless to say my curiosity got the best of me, so I parked the car and proceeded to get out (much to my mother and wife’s dismay) and started looking about the place. It was wonderful! Granted, it was in serious need of repair, but it was a phenomenal old home with character. Scattered about the yard were remnants of old Victorian styled flower and herb gardens, a massive circular drive and magnificent old barn. In taking the tour about I copied the phone number to the realtor handling the estate and gave him a call the next day. To make a long story short, arrangements were made for my family to lease the old place at an exceptionally low rate of cost.

In that some cleaning and repairs needed to be done prior to the family’s moving in, I took on the challenge of living in the 4,200 sq. ft. manor alone, for about three weeks. On the third night of being there I woke to the sounds of Piano Music and singing. I got up to check outside, to see if one of the neighbors were having some kind of gathering. All was silent! Yet, as I got situated and ready to go back to sleep, the music and song began again. This time I just sat there, trying to get a bearing as to where it was coming from… “The Dining Room!” I exclaimed. Quietly I slipped out the door of the bedroom and moved toward the large dining hall from whence I believed the music was streaming. Sure enough, as I neared the room, the sounds grew louder yet; looking into the room I could see no one and nothing.

The average person probably would think me mad, but I shrugged it off and laughed a bit at myself, saying “Ghosts! We’re going to be living in a house filled with noisy ghosts!” and went back to bed.

Let me explain a bit about where my head is and you may understand more as to why I’d have such an odd perspective on such an experience. You see my whole life has been filled with things spiritualistic, paranormal, psychic, etc. To me, such encounters were normal and not that out of the ordinary. My experiences allowed me to look at such phenomena as being nothing more than an act of nature and so long as it was benevolent, there was nothing to be concerned with.

During my short term alone in the house I encountered one other sound based manifestation, children out in the driveway area bouncing a ball and laughing. These however weren’t the only manifestations to be found, nor were all of what we experienced in that wonderful old house over the course of four years living there, as benevolent as these first two.

The history of this fine old home resting about a mile outside the city limits is most impressive. It was once the clinic of Ohio’s first female physician as well as a second home to a noted philanthropist and early 20^th century auto manufacturer. In fact, it was his son’s son that we leased the property from. Too, about 30 yards from the homes north wall, once stood a rather large cemetery that, according to records, was moved in the early 1970s, as the main highway in front of the manor house was improved upon and widened. To the back side of the property, nearest the rail road tracks, stood an old family swimming hole, which, in its day was probably rather plush and the perfect spot for cooling off during those hot, heavy days of August heat.

Legend as well as conjecture, suggests that the home may very well have been a layover during the times of the Underground Rail Road. We’ve never been able to document this, but what we do know is that one of the property’s more “nasty” manifestations supports said assumptions. Seems that neither one of our dogs ever cared much for staying in the kennel area we’d built in behind the barn. Every night, our wolf would howl and cry, begging to come into the house. Her yawps being full of obvious fear and fear of what, we simply couldn’t figure out. That is, until our oldest boy Shane went down one night to check on her and saw it.

As he came into the house with wolf in tow, his face was flushed. “You’ve got to come out here and look at this.” He insisted. Well, I went down and found nothing. That is, until a few nights later when I was the one checking on our ferocious woodland pet (anyone that’s ever owned a wolf, knows they’re weenies… right?) I thought my blood was filled with ice as I gasped at the sight some 30 feet from where Kahli’s doghouse sat. High in the old Oak on an outstretched limb was the silhouette of a very large black man, hung by the neck. As I collected my thoughts and regained my cool I looked back, hesitantly, and the image was gone. Yet, within my mind the whole thing seemed so incredibly real – tangible!

Curious, I began watching both dogs closely and seeing how they acted to different parts of the property, including different rooms in the house. The cats also lent strong indication of strange energies in the same exact spots the dogs would either watch, bark at from time to time, or avoid. The only other “negative” experiences manifested however, were feelings of anguish in the room known to have been where “the boys” slept long ago. The energy of that particular room suggested acts of abuse and possibly even molestation of some kind. Again, something that could not be confirmed in any way, but it could be felt and every person we knew to be “sensitive” came across with the exact same information each and every time, without ever being prompted or told anything of our experiences. In fact, it became a family joke to not tell people the house was haunted, just to see how people would react. More than one house guest would spend a restless night, complaining the next day about the music and singing, or the kids outside playing ball or the faces in one particular room, that stared at them all night.

Physical manifestations were few. One in particular was an entity we called “Mary” in that we assumed she was the last resident of the home who had passed on a few short years prior to our moving in. Her favorite thing was to sit in the rocker we had nearest the large kitchen fireplace. When the chair wasn’t there she’d let us know she was around by swinging some of the fireplace tools, which hung on the brick mantel space on either side of the monstrous six by five foot pit. Occasionally, when Mary was about, the room would smell like a mix of roses and gardenia, supposedly one of her favorite scents.

The other physical phenomena occurred one night as Marcy was heading up the staircase to her room. She was met at the top of the first landing by a very large masculine entity, as she put it, it was a heavy shadow filled with rage that would not let her past. In fact, it nearly pushed her back down the stairs. It happened but once that I’m aware of, but it happened.

According to our youngest boy James, the ghosts constantly opened doors to his closets and the bathroom in his room, even when bolted closed. Nonetheless, no one was every serious placed into terror and in one instance, the ghosts actually came to our aid, warning a wayward foster daughter of ours to stop fooling around with Voodoo styled magicks, lest she’d get burnt.

Bringing this tale to a conclusion I’ll point out a few other personal facts that could lend credence to what I’ve shared. You see I’ve worked in professional magic for over three decades, designing effects for other performers as well as hosting my own shows. My spouse and I are both students of metaphysics and consider ourselves to be on the Druidic path, in accordance to her own family traditions. In short, I believe I can identify trickery or explain things by some natural phenomena if and when it exists. These instances do not host such explanations however. Not when those intentionally kept in the blind about such things, people who don’t believe in such things ask about them or complain about them, exactly as we’d experienced them over the course of our stay.

The house was recently sold to an attorney who plans to restore it and possibly make it his home. It will be interesting to see if he is forthcoming with similar tales as thing unfold.

Oh, don’t worry; I’m still dealing with ghosts and things that go bump in the dark. We’ve moved to the Nashville area and believe me, this region if filled with ghosts of all kinds, including some that have become noted celebrities e.g. the Bell Witch of Adams County. Maybe some day I can bring you up to date on the goings on of Adams or Chapel Hill, two of the area.

-P. Craig Browning-