Title: Some personal experiences
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Blog Entry: The following are excerpts from my previous postings concerning the house owned by my late mother-in-law in Farrington grove’s historical district . I am reposting it as a prelude to an account that I’ll be adding soon of activity since my Mother-in-laws passing and some video and audio that I have only recently captured.
This is an accounting of all the activity that I can personally attest to as taking place at the home of my mother in law located in the Farrington grove historical district of Terre Haute.
The home is a very old house, originally heated by three large elaborate fire places and it still has the brass fixtures from the original gas lights on the walls.
This home was purchased by my in-laws some 25 years ago, Early in their ownership we would hear unexplained footsteps ascending the stairs that led into the attic and passed above the maid’s quarters in the very back of the house. Eventually these were accompanied by rapping’s apparently coming from inside the walls. Occasionally these tapings would seem to mimic our attempts to communicate by our tapping the walls a given number of times this being copied by the unexplained raps.
This activity over a period of years would seem to at times intensify and at others we would hear nothing unusual for extended periods. In addition to the rapping’s we would observe unusual reactions by the family’s dogs that would at times bark and stare into empty corners of the main living room while the hair on their backs stood on end, this activity was often accompanied by the sounds of foot steps and dragging sounds in the attic above this room.
At one point the activity had been quite intense for several weeks and one morning as my mother in law got up she found in the front living room a very old, frail wooden cane. None of us in the family had ever seen this item before nor could we offer any explanation as to how it could have ended up in the house. My mother in law feeling that it was somehow connected to the house hung the cane on a nail next to the front door. From that day for several years after there was no apparent activity in the home. When activity did occur next it seemed to be of a more benevolent nature. My Father in-law had passed away, this was some 15 years ago. Two items of great meaning to my mother in law seemed to appear in the house of their own accord, as my Father-in-law passed unexpectedly shortly before Christmas he was not able to give his wife the ring that he had gotten her for Christmas, None of us knew he had purchased it or where it was originally. Then about three months after his passing my mother in law setting in her normal chair in the living room spotted something on the end table, It was the ring that had been purchased for her, She knew it had been purchased by my father in law because they had looked at it and she had told him before they knew he was sick how much she would like to have it.
Another ring that had been also a gift from her husband had been missing for several years after his death, one day her grandson while walking up the front walk to the house noticed something sparkling on the sidewalk, as it turned out it was the ring that had been missing for three years!
My personal experience in the house included at times a feeling of great heaviness and on at least two occasions I though I caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye of a figure dark like a shadow seemingly wearing a tall top hat style hat and long flowing coat walk quickly past the arched doorway of the main living room as if it had entered through the front door and was walking toward the kitchen.
Probably the most dramatic activity to take place involved my daughter Jackie whose picture is included in my picture gallery. It was during the daylight and we were gathered together for a family dinner, Jackie at that time about 4 years old just talking pretty well had climbed the stairs that pass from the kitchen to the attic accompanied by the family dog, Several of us were setting at the kitchen table talking when the dog suddenly came tearing back down the stairway yelping and with his tail tucked between his legs.
We quickly started up the stairs worried that Jackie might be in some danger, however we met her coming down the stairs, and she was quite calm and not at all upset.
In her own words she said “Daddy the little girl wants me to play with her” Knowing there could be no one else in the attic I asked her “What little girl?” Jackie said “The little girl in the pretty dress that’s setting at the desk” Of course when I entered the attic it was as I had known it to be completely empty.
Just last week my Mother in law attempted to enter a room in the house only to find the door would not open, after recruiting my son to help her force the door, it was discovered that a chair had been positioned in front of the door which had blocked it from being opened. My mother in law first though that my son who currently stays in her home had for some reason moved the chair into that position, and failed to return it to its proper place. My son assured her he had not moved the chair and that in fact it would be impossible to place the chair in front of the door and then still be able to exit the room. An odd occurrence but by itself nothing earth shaking and so it was simply allowed to pass,
Several days later My wife Debra who has always had a natural sensitivity to the paranormal exhibited by her seeing the soldier in Gettysburg and the lady in the Farnsworth house as well as many other past encounters, Was in her Mother’s home when she caught a glimpse of her father Jack as he walked past a doorway, Though it was only a brief glimpse it was detailed enough that she noticed he was wearing a gold sweater and appeared to be brushing the front of the sweater off with his hand. A habit he had and his normal way of dressing before he passed over some 10 years ago. The appearance was solid appearing by Debra’s description and real enough to cause her to cry out, that quickly it was gone. As Debra told us of this happening I began to consider that perhaps these events were related to my mother in laws quickly failing health. A sort of “Past loved ones gathering to help guide one newly crossing over”
Today yet another event took place, this one providing actual Physical evidence! My son who is currently staying with his grandmother to help out called me this morning, the room he occupies used to be the maids quarters and as he left his room to take a shower before work He had heard a very audible click after he had pulled the door to his room closed. Returning from his shower he found himself to be locked out of his room, the locks on this door consist of the non locking door knob, a dead bolt that must be operated by a key, and a slide bolt mounted inside much higher then the knob or dead bolt.
Upon arriving to help him re-enter his room I found the only way I could get access to the room was by forcing a small outside window about 2’ x 2’ and crawling through it, no easy task for a 6’2’’ 260 lb guy, to complicate it even more, the only window that could be forced open had a Television and stand in front of it requiring me to do an alternating leg balancing act that would have made any circus contortionist proud! After finally gaining access to the room I found that the slide bolt was not only turned down into the “locked” notch but as I drew it out I paid particular attention as to how much of the shaft was inserted into the jam hole, the lock was ¾ of an inch into the hole on the door jam. Now there is no possible way that the door could have been shut if the slide bolt was extended ¾ of an inch, it would have struck the jam preventing the door from closing. There was also no way the slide could have accidentally slid itself over that distance and then rotated down to the locked position as the door was pulled shut.
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