Frightening Friday-Haunted Alcatraz

Photo courtesy of kconnors via morgueFile

Long before Alcatraz became home to some of the most notorious criminals in America, it had a bad reputation. The Ohlone believed it to contain evil spirits and often utilized the island as a place of isolation or banishment for members violating tribal laws. 

After serving as a military garrison and military prison in 1868, the Federal Government decided to turn the island a maximum-security, minimum-privilege penitentiary in 1933. For 30 years the prison kept the country’s most notorious criminals separate from the rest of the world. The heavy fog, cold winds and icy waters makes Alcatraz Island one of the most isolated of places. 

It's also cited as one of the most haunted places in America. 

During its time as a penitentiary, both inmates and guards reported a wide range of ghostly activity. When the prison reopened in 1973 as a tourist attraction, many park rangers and visitors have also reported paranormal experiences. Alcatraz is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of Native Americans, military prisoners and inmates--all who perished on the island.

The Ghost Stories of Alcatraz

Cell block C-The Utility Corridor 

In 1946, after a very bloody riot and failed prison escape, inmates Bernard Coy, Joe Cretzer and Marvin Hubbard were killed in this area. Employees have reported hearing unexplained eerie clanging sounds coming from the corridor at night. When they check, the clanging stops only to start up again as soon as they walk away. Others have reported hearing disembodied voices and seeing the apparitions of men wearing fatigues.

Hospital Ward
The hospital is now closed to tours but park rangers have often heard voices and screams coming from within. When they check for trespassers, they find the ward deserted. A few park rangers have reported seeing hazy apparitions on the stairwell leading to the hospital.

The Cafeteria

When the tourists have gone and the place is quiet, park rangers have heard the muffled sounds of voices and the clanking of silverware coming from the empty cafeteria.

Cell blocks A, B, and C

Visitors have claimed to hear crying and moaning from within. Heavy cell doors have been reported to slam shut on their own. There are several specifically haunted sites within the cell block, but park rangers often report strange sounds echoing throughout: coughs, laughs, whistles, and the playing of a harmonica. After the last of the tourist boats have left for the day, night watchmen say that they have heard the sounds of running from the upper tiers. Thinking that intruders are inside the prison, they investigate but always find nothing.

D-Block "The Hole"

D-Block was comprised of 42 cells with varying degrees of restrictions. Thirty-six of the cells were standard 5x9 cells with a sink, toilet and a cot. Prisoners were allowed one visit to the recreation yard and two showers each week. Five of the remaining six cells in D-Block were known as Strip Cells and often referred to as "the Hole.” Reserved for the most serious of offenders of prison rules, they contained no windows and only one light in the hallway which could be turned off by the guards. The last Strip Cell, known as the “Oriental,” was the most severe punishment the prison could assign. Assuring complete deprivation of all senses, the dark steel-encased cell contained no sink or toilet, just a small hole in the floor for prisoner waste. Inmates were placed naked in the cell, given a restricted diet, and confined in a totally pitch-black, cold environment. 

Today’s visitors and staff often report cold spots and sudden intense feelings within D-Block. Cell 14-D is the most active and reported to be almost 20 degrees colder than the rest of the cells. These cells are so eerie, some park rangers refuse to go there alone.

 Al Capone

Al Capone spent 4-1/2 years in Alcatraz. Visitors and employees have reported hearing the sound of a banjo coming from the prison walls and emanating from the shower room, where Capone used to practice his playing.

The Warden's House
Since the 1940’s, apparitions have been seen at the site of the now burned-out shell of the warden’s house. During a Christmas Party, several guards say a man suddenly appeared before them wearing a gray suit, brimmed cap, and sporting mutton-chop sideburns. As the startled guards stared at the apparition, the room suddenly turned very cold and the fire in the Ben Franklin stove was extinguished. Less than a minute later, the spirit vanished.

The Old Lighthouse

It has been reported that the old lighthouse, which has long been demolished, appears out of a dense fog. The appearance is accompanied by a whistling sound and a flashing light. The light passes slowly around the entire island just as if the lighthouse was still active. Witnesses say the spectacle vanishes as quickly as it appears. 

Other Paranormal Reports

When Alcatraz was still a working prison, guards tell of hearing phantom cannon and gunshots, accompanied by screams. Believing that prisoners had somehow escaped and obtained weapons, the guards would investigate and find nothing. Another often reported experience was the smell of smoke coming from a deserted laundry room. When guards went to investigate, the smoke was so thick it drove them from the room. However, just minutes later, the room was complete smoke free. Other events experienced over the years include ghostly voices, people being touched, and claims of seeing the ghosts of prisoners or military personnel.

My Experience

Photo courtesy of Lori Manning via photobucket

I've visited Alcatraz Island twice. Both times, I was struck with the "weight" of the place. I challenge even the most hardcore sceptic to ignore that feeling of heaviness because it's tangible. I didn't see any ghosts but had one experience that I can't explain.

I was eighteen at the time and had driven to San Francisco for the day. Wandering Pier 39, I decided to buy a ticket to Alcatraz Island--I was unfamiliar with its history and thought it would be interesting.

During the tour (and only if you wish) you can be locked in "the Hole" for several minutes to see what it was like. I opted in with several other brave souls. First of all, solitary is pitch black and you can barely hear anything outside of the cell. After several moments, I became a bit claustrophobic and murmured something to that effect. A man standing behind me said, "Don't worry, kiddo. It's not for much longer," which made me feel better because several minutes seriously felt like hours. I consider myself quite comfortable with being "solitary" but I would have gone nuts in there. Well, when they finally opened the cell door, I turned to thank the man for his comment. Turns out there was no man. I had been locked in the cell with four other women. I asked the women about the voice and none of them had heard it. But I swear, it was a man's voice and a man's presence behind me. I would have staked my life on it.

If you visit San Francisco and decide to take the ferry ride out to Alcatraz Island, make sure you reserve your tickets way ahead of time because tours fill up fast.
Alcatraz Cruises
Alcatraz Tickets
Alcatraz Island Tickets

Thoughtful Thursday-Travel and Indecision

If you could go anywhere on the continent where would you go? That's the question my husband asked me last week. He does a lot of business travel and has enough miles to purchase an airplane ticket anywhere. And surprise! He's decided to give me that ticket for my 50th birthday. Yeah, my husband rocks. It seems like an easy enough thing for me to decide as I'm not a picky person. An awesome "me" vacation would consist of 1) ocean 2) cooler weather 3) a remote location.

However...

I'm overwhelmed with such a gift! There are SO many places I want to go--some for relaxation, some for sightseeing, and some for novel research. Novel research is pushing first in line but requires the longest airplane travel. I've changed my mind more times than I care to admit, even going as far as to tossing all the places into a hat and picking one. Yeah, that worked for maybe an hour until I started over-thinking it.

So far I've come up with:

Salem, Mass
Clyde Harbor, Maine
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Vancouver, B.C

I'm lingering at Vancouver, B.C because it's closest to where my novel in progress takes place. It requires 8 hours of airplane time, plus driving, plus a ferry ride out to where I want to go. Oh, and did I mention? I only have 5 days because July is a busy month for everyone. But shoot, I'll take it. I can do a lot in 5 days. I have the essentials: backpack, laptop, coffee.

I just need to make a decision...

#Paranormal Wednesday-Phone Calls from the Other Side

Many people have reported being on the receiving end of a telephone call that appears to have come from the deceased. The communication is usually simple and brief, and it is nearly always a one-time occurrence.

Ordinarily, EVP's are obtained by those who try and communicate with the dead by means of a recording device (intentional paranormal research). The recipients of phone calls however, are seldom involved in paranormal research. There are numerous documented cases such as these from all over the world and they seem to fall into three categories.

1. The call is from a person who has just recently died. Occasionally, the person receiving the call does not know at that time that the caller is dead and believes he/she is talking to the living person.

2. The call is an urgent message from a friend or relative who explains that they are placing the call for the deceased. Later, the recipient learns that the friend or relative never made the call, although he or she thought about doing so. The phone voice will often mimic that of the living person perfectly. However, a few recipients have described these voices as mechanical or flat.

3. A phone call and conversation with the person whom the caller later discovers was dead at the time the call was placed.

Many years ago I received a phone call from an older lady. It was a very bad connection and sounded far away. She gave me her name and asked to speak to Robert. When I told her she had the wrong number, the woman seemed confused. She said she needed to tell Robert something and could I please go get him. I politely told her again that she had the wrong number. Eventually, she hung up. Later, I mentioned the phone call to a neighbor of mine. She got a funny look on her face--the name the older lady gave me was someone who had died in the house many, many years ago. Robert was her husband and had passed away six months after his wife. I thought this was odd because my phone number would have not been known by the old lady or anyone in her social circle.

Unfinished business? Explainable? If it was a message from the other side, I wish I could have helped in some way. I guess I'll never know. 

Tangled Tuesday-Guest Author Latashia Figueroa

Please welcome horror author Latashia Figueroa.

This Way Darkness is a short story collection of three tales of terror.

Wrapped in Small Flesh and Bone:

Robert and Linda desperately want a child but are unable to conceive. Linda will do anything to get pregnant. Robert’s love for his wife brings them to an unconventional decision. They put the miracle of making a baby in the hands of a witch.

The Alternative:
After her mother dies from cancer, Lorna Powel realizes she does not just fear death, she hates it. But there is someone who understands Lorna's disdain for her fragile mortality. He knows because he has been watching her for a long time, waiting in the shadows to offer an alternative to death.

The Retreat:
Brad Levee has joined eleven others on a life-changing spiritual retreat that was promised to bring them closer to God. But the charismatic leader, Aleister, has a different plan for his followers that will shed blood. And Aleister isn't the only one Brad should fear.

“Latashia Figueroa is an exciting new voice in horror. Her dark fiction lures you into a world that seems normal, captivates you with characters you can root for, and then, before you know it, her stories wrap icy fingers of fear around your heart and pull you deeper into a chilling darkness.”

―Brian Moreland, author of The Devil’s Woods and The Girl from the Blood Coven

Purchase Links:
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Latashia Figueroa gives two reasons for her love of horror:
One, the house she grew up in was believed to be haunted. Two, as a child, Stephen King often told her bedtime stories. Pet Sematary was the first.

Latashia Figueroa’s first fan was her High School English teacher who told her she would be a writer. But life happened and she ended up in New York City’s fast paced fashion industry for over ten years. Though the job was exciting, it was not fulfilling and when the company downsized Latashia used the opportunity to write again.

THIS WAY DARKNESS is her debut short stories collection.
She lives on the east coast with her very supportive husband and overly friendly mutt, Ruffles.

Latashia has a fondness for the arts, is a thrill seeker and would spend a great deal of her time on roller coasters if she could. She is working on her next book and promises it will be a creepy one.

Author Links:

Amazon
Twitter
Blog
Goodreads
Google+
Pinterest

#MeatlessMonday-Burnt Sugar Caramel Cupcakes #dessert

Photo courtesy of Candace via Flickr

For the burnt sugar syrup:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup hot water

Add sugar in a skillet over medium-low heat. Shake the pan to spread the sugar and let it melt, shaking again to keep the syrup browning evenly. Once it becomes the deep bronze color and begins to smoke, gradually add the hot water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the cake:

3 cups unbleached cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup of the burnt sugar syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, salt, soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream butter, adding sugar gradually until light and fluffy. Add one egg yolk at the time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla. Stir in cooled burnt sugar syrup.

Alternately mix the flour and the buttermilk into the batter, beating until smooth.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter.

Fill lined cupcake tins 1/2 way with batter.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool completely before frosting

For the caramel frosting:

3/4 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
Dash of salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Mix butter, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Let bubble for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in cream. Cook and stir for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Transfer to another bowl. Beating at high speed, gradually add confectioner's sugar until it comes to a spreading consistency. Add more cream if necessary.

Once cupcakes are frosted you can drizzle caramel over top if desired.

Frightening Friday-Haunted Hotel and Unsolved Deaths

Lobby Cecil Hotel

Cecil Hotel, East Los Angeles

On February 21, 2013, a maintenance worker discovered a decomposing body at the bottom of the hotel water tank. For 19 days hotel guests had bathed, brushed their teeth and drank the water despite its “funny, sweet, disgusting taste.” The body was identified as Elisa Lam, a 21 year old Canadian undergrad and tourist on her way to Santa Cruz.

After combing through hotel surveillance tapes, police uncovered an extremely disturbing video of Elisa taken from the night she died. At first, Elisa enters the elevator and presses all of its buttons. The elevator door doesn’t shut and she looks around, as if waiting or hiding from someone. She then appears to be talking to someone and moving in a strange manner. At 2:47 in the video, Lam leaves the elevator. From 2:47 to 3:59, the door to the elevator opens and closes several times for no apparent reason.

Right after the events of the video, Elisa apparently gained access to the rooftop of the hotel, climbed into its water tank and drowned. Hotel employees said doors to the roof were locked and had alarms. It is unclear how Lam gained access to the roof. High school classmates called Lam's death shocking. Elisa did not have a history of drug use and her autopsy concluded that no drugs were involved. The death has been ruled as an accidental drowning. Take a look at the video. 

The Cecil Hotel has had it's share of tragedies. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Cecil had a reputation as being a place where people would commit suicide. In 1954, Helen Gurnee leaped from a seventh floor window and landed on the Cecil Hotel marquee. In 1962, Julia Moore jumped from her eighth floor room window. Moore left behind a bus ticket from St Louis, 59 cents and an Illinois bank account book showing a balance of $1,800. In another 1962 suicide, 27 year-old Pauline Otten jumped from her window and landed on a pedestrian, killing both of them.

But not every death at the Cecil was by suicide. It's widely rumored that Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, was seen at the hotel shortly before her notorious disappearance in 1947. In 1964, Goldie Osgood, known by some as the Pershing Square Pigeon Lady, was found raped and strangled at the Cecil. The crime has never been solved. 

It Cecil Hotel has also served as temporary home for two serial killers. In 1985, Richard Ramirez, avowed Satanist and dubbed the "Night Stalker," lived at the Cecil unnoticed while he murdered 13 women. In 1974, an Austrian serial killer by the name of Jack Unterweger, murdered several prostitutes while staying at the Cecil. 

Bad luck? Negative energy? Or is the hotel haunted and waiting to possess it's unwitting victims? For about $73 a night, you can judge for yourself.

Thoughtful Thursday-5 Ways To Embrace a Writer's Block

They can last for weeks or months. They can totally muck up your writing schedule. They can knock down your self-confidence and make you question your career choice. Plain and simple: writer's blocks suck.

But every writer gets them--they are an unavoidable aspect of the creative process. Instead of putting up a fight I've learned to embrace mine. Here's what they force you to do (with good outcome).

1) Take a break. This is not a bad thing. Personally, I tend to hyper-focus and can write for twelve hours at a time. What comes from that? Good writing...sometimes. Often, I'll end up with a big fat headache due to lack of food and pages of nonsense "to be deciphered" when I'm coherent.

2) Edit. If you can't add to what you have--you can always make what you have better. Once your complete draft is done you'll be editing a gazillion times over. Why not start now?

3) Apply yourself to something else. This can be personal or professional. My last writer's block spurned me to clean house. I needed to clean house, trust me. I also needed to catch up with my friends, bathe the dogs, mow the lawn...you get it.

4) Start from the beginning. The best way to get back into the flow of your story is to read it! Start from page one and read what you have. Let it settle for a couple of days. It's too easy to get caught up in a particular scene.

5) Daydream. Stop obsessing over what you're working on and make up another story. You may end up with a kick-butt idea for your next book. If you're like me and can only work on one project at a time--make up back-story for the book you're working on. You don't even have to write it down. At the very least, daydreaming is a good way to get your creative juices flowing again.

So, go on....surrender yourself to the Dark Side and embrace that writer's block.
Good luck.