Frightening Friday - The Devil's Tramping Ground of #NorthCarolina #haunted

Photo by Jason Horne

The Devil's Tramping Ground is a camping spot located 10-miles from Siler City in western Chatham County, North Carolina. A circle 40-feet in diameter, the "tramping ground" has been the subject of legends and lore pre-dating the American Revolution. The lore alleges the Devil walks in circles on certain nights, thinking of ways to bring evil into the world. Despite being within a forest, only wiry grass grows inside this circle, and no plant life of any kind grow on the path leading to it. Locals have been unsuccessful in trying to transplant the wiry grass to other soil types. 

It is rumoured that objects left overnight within the ring disappear, animals won't go near the area and those who spend the night within the circle experience strange events. Numerous theories have arisen which try and explain the phenomena. One theory states the circle was originally a Native American meeting ground, another theory states the area is part of Croatan, named for a fallen tribal chief who may be buried there. In both stories, the tribal gods purportedly preserved the barren circle as a memorial to their followers' loyalty. 

Scientific explanations exist as well. Soil samples show the circle contains higher sodium, copper, zinc and pH levels than the soil from a few yards away. However, the difference isn't enough to make the circle soil toxic to plant life. Another interesting observation is that at certain points within the circle, a compass will move by about five degrees. Only soils with a high iron content would cause this to happen, which the soil does not have. 

The Devil's Tramping Ground remains a mystery...

Frightening Friday -- Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

Photo courtesy of Esparta via Flickr

Dolls. I've never been a big fan of dolls because I think they're creepy. Their blank stares, frozen expressions, predatory smiles...yeah, it's creepy.

Just south of Mexico City and between the canals of Xochimilco, there is a small island known as Isla de las Munecas (Island of the Dolls). As if one doll wasn't creepy enough, here you have a whole island of decapitated doll heads, arms and bodies; weathered by the elements and home to spiders and everything else. Oh, and did I mention? The dolls that populate the island have been put there to appease the spirit of a dead little girl and are reputedly haunted.

Don Julian Santana Barrera was a hermit who lived on the island. The story goes that he witnessed a little girl who drowned and was unable to save her. Seeing a doll floating in the canal, he hung it in a tree as a way of showing respect for her spirit. Shortly thereafter, Don Julian claimed he was haunted by the little girl and began hanging more dolls in an attempt to appease her. After 50 years of collecting dolls and hanging them around the island, Julian was found dead, drowned in the same spot where he found the little girl. 

After Don Julian’s death in 2001, the island became a tourist attraction run by members of his family. Local legend says that the dolls move their arms, heads and open their eyes. Some witnesses claim to hear the dolls whispering to one another. There are even those who claim the dolls have lured them to visit the island. 

Here's a short video to get an idea what the island looks like now. A trip to the Isla de las Muñecas is not on a regular tourist route. If you want to visit, you'll have to hire a private boat and the trip takes about two hours. Any takers?

Tangled Tuesday - #Haunted #Antiques #amwriting

I love antique shops. More often than not, I end up "just looking" but there have been several occasions in which something has captured my attention and I must have it. My husband jokes not to bring back anything haunted. Well....you know how that goes.

I do believe objects can hold onto energy. There have been antiques I've been immediately drawn to, but there are others that, upon picking them up, I wouldn't take home if the shop owner paid me. Are they haunted? Maybe. I do tend to touch things a lot when I'm perusing, something I wasn't aware of until my daughters pointed it out. Once, I picked up a large metal urn that immediately made me feel depressed and sad. When I asked the shop owner about it, she told me it was an old burial urn. I have no idea why it was for sale, nor do I know if it still contained ashes. Suffice to say, the urn would not be coming home with me that day.

Just for fun, I decided to do a search on eBay for "haunted antiques."  As of today, there are 521 listed items. Whether these items are truly haunted or sellers cashing in on the current fascination with "all things haunted" is unknown. Personally, I'd never purchase an antique I couldn't touch first but it makes for interesting window shopping.

Here's the link if you're interested: eBay: haunted antiques.

Let me know if anything captures your fancy.

#Haunted Okiku Doll - #FolkloreThursday

Photo courtesy of  Stewart Butterfield via Flickr

The Okiku doll has resided at the Mannenji temple in the town of Iwamizawa, Hokkaido prefecture since 1938. According to the temple, the traditional doll had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters long, down to the doll’s knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back.

The doll was originally purchased in 1918 by a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki. He bought the doll as a souvenir for his 2-year-old sister, Okiku. The young girl loved the doll and played with it every day. The following year, Okiku died from a cold. The family placed the doll in the household altar and prayed to it every day in memory of her.

Sometime later, the family noticed the hair had started to grow. This was seen as a sign that the girl’s restless spirit had taken refuge within the doll. In 1938, the Suzuki family moved and placed the doll in the care of Mannenji temple, where it has remained ever since.

Nobody has ever been able to fully explain why the doll’s hair continues to grow. One scientific examination of the doll concluded that the hair is indeed that of a young child.

I was unable to find a photo of the doll under the Creative Commons license (and I never post photos in my blog unless I have permission). You can view the actual doll via YouTube:

#Paranormal Wednesday-The Attic

Photo courtesy of billnwmsu via Flickr

We have an attic. To most, this would be unremarkable. But to me...it's a distraction. Sometimes, I hear thumping up there when I'm alone and writing. I used to make the climb to investigate and see what it was. After doing this countless numbers of times, I stopped. There's nobody up there. Not a bird, not an animal...nothing. That I can see.

The attic was empty when we moved in, save for one writer's reference book. Ironic. Out of the three people who owned the house before us, none of them were writers. Maybe that's why it got left behind. Or maybe it was a house gift...from the Attic. I'm tempted to take my computer up there and write in the hopes the space will inspire something spooky. Or at least to show the Attic how much I appreciate it's thoughtfulness at leaving me a writer's reference book.

Why do people find attics so creepy? It's a convenient place where forgotten things are stored away. True, the space is usually dusted with cobwebs. And true, sometimes shadows lurk in the corners. That must be it. Attics are similar to basements. When I was a kid, one of the houses we lived in had a basement filled with shadows. I wasn't a fan. The fact that the house was haunted (the previous owner had passed away) made it all the more challenging. But, back to my attic...

If I thought the thumping up there was an animal or bird, I would go out of my way to make sure they could find a way out. But it's not. It's Nothing. Not in the sense that it doesn't matter, but in that I can do nothing about it. Does that make sense? Regardless, Nothing needs to keep it down up there because I'm trying to write.

#Paranormal Wednesday-Lowther Castle

This past May, I was fortunate enough to take a vacation to England to do some hiking and castle hopping. One place that stuck with me was the Lowther Castle & Gardens in Cumbria, England.

A preservation society is working at restoration, so we were unable to go inside the castle itself. However, they allowed us to roam the grounds, and since it was off-season, we were the only ones there.

pic 1

In one section towards the back woods--I was hit with a very uncomfortable feeling (pic one). I felt like I was being scrutinized by someone who was very agitated by my presence. I don't usually get spooked by things like that, but I checked over my shoulder more than once, because it felt like they were seething with anger.

pic 2

The feeling persisted as I continued into the woods (pic 2), and became more disjointed (for lack of a better term) until it finally stopped. I looked back and saw a scowling dark-haired man with a narrow face, standing by the structure in pic 3. He  was wearing a black three-piece suit from the 18th century. Nobody else saw him and yes--I know that sounds weird, but it is what it is. 

pic 3

I came away from the experience feeling like I'd trespassed; not only onto somebody's land, but into somebody's past.

This was one of many experiences I had in England, which isn't surprising. The country is steeped in history and abundant with historical places.


On a lark, I decided to Google Lowther Castle to see if anyone else who visited had the same experience. I was surprised by what I found. (I don't know why stuff like this surprises me, but it always does.) To sum it up: visitors have reported feeling ‘a horrible sensation’ at the Iris Garden and old garden shed in the woodlands. I looked further into history and found the following:

The castle is said to be haunted by Sir James Lowther, an eccentric member of the Lowther family. 'Wicked Jimmy,' as he was better known, had a thing for speed and used to whip his horses into a frenzy. In 1784, Sir James inherited the estate and entered into an arranged marriage. Unhappy in his relationship, he fell in love with the daughter of one of his tenant farmers. Because of her social standing however, she was kept as his mistress. Tragically, the girl fell ill and died. James became mentally unhinged and unable to accept her death. He kept her body in his bed, and dressed her daily. He even went so far as to seat her at the dinner table. When the stench of decay became too much to bear, he had her body moved to a nearby local hall. There, he placed her in a glass-lidded coffin where he could see and visit her. She was finally buried at Paddington Cemetery in London. Sir James returned to Lowther castle where he fell into a deep depression; a totally broken man.

So, what does this all mean in relation to my experience? Did I encounter 'Wicked Jimmy,' or someone else? I found a picture of Sir James and, in all honesty, the person I saw looked more like his employee, John Wordsworth. John died being owed almost £5,000 in earnings. He would have every right to be agitated and angry, much like the person I saw.  Regardless of which man I saw haunting the woods at Lowther Castle, it was an interesting experience.

Frightening Friday-Haunted Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Photo courtesy of Nina^ via Flickr

Built between 70 and 72 AD, the Colosseum in Rome, Italy became synonymous with the Roman Empire and served as the location where gladiators, slaves and Christians fought for their lives in front of blood-thirsty fans. It is estimated that roughly 500,000 people and 1,000,000 animals died in the Colosseum over the course of its use. With that much bloodshed and intense emotion, it's no wonder that the Colosseum is considered one of the most haunted places in the world.

Visitors have heard whispering in the tunnels and some have seen lights floating around where many gladiators waited to die.
Others report that they've been touched and pushed. Some have heard the clash of swords, the roars of lions and sounds of weeping and moaning. On hot days, it has been reported that the Colosseum has unexplained cold spots. Tourists also report seeing ghostly figures walking up the stairs of the stadium and ghostly Roman soldiers standing at the exits.

Tickets to visit the Colosseum are priced at $25 pp and up.
If you're feeling brave, Dark Rome offers a Colosseum Night Tour for $100 pp.

#Paranormal Wednesday-Catacombes de Paris

Photo courtesy of Vlastula vis Flickr

The Catacombs of Paris (Catacombes de Paris) are underground ossuaries located in Paris, France. South of the former city gate, they house the remains of approximately 6 million people. The network of caverns and tunnels run more than 300 kilometers under the city. In the 12th century, offering burial in their cemeteries was a source of income for the churches. As a result, they often took in more bodies than they could house. To combat this, mass graves were dug. When the remains had decomposed, the bodies would be exhumed and relocated so new bodies could be buried. The bones were moved to underground limestone quarries and stacked neatly in rows where they remain to this day.

Photo courtesy of skidder via Flickr

Paranormal researchers have captured strange EVP recordings as well as photographs of strange, unexplained lights and misty figures. Visitors report feelings of sadness and some report hearing voices and of being touched. Ghostly figures have been seen roaming through the passageways and some tour groups report seeing large groups of figures walking behind them as they go on the tour. Some tours have even been cut short because of a growing sense of unease. Paranormal activity is routinely captured on film.

Photo courtesy of van Van Es via Flickr

When I was looking through photos of the catacombs it was overwhelming. Thousands upon thousands of human bones, some carefully arranged--heart-shaped outlines crafted from the arrangement of skeletons, pillars made from human leg bones, and fountains crafted from skulls. I can't imagine the energy housed in such a place.

Tour and historical information can be found on the Les Catacombes Histoire de Paris website