Corpsewood Manor
~ A Pandora's Box Waiting to be Opened~
by Gregory Myers
Co-Administrator of Missouri Paranormal Research

Recently MPR was contacted by an individual in Missouri who was excited about their soon to arrive package. This was no normal package, but that of artifacts from the ruins of an estate called "Corpsewood Manor" near Trion, Georgia which is also called "Devil Worship Mountain" by some of the locals in the area. Only a higher power would know why a person would want such artifacts and furthermore why they would want a Paranormal Research and investigative Group to "investigate" or study them for potential "negative" residual energies.

This story begins long ago when Dr. Charles Scudder was an associate professor at a college in the Chicago area. Not only was he an associate professor, but it was believed that he was involved in LSD 25 experimentation and Satanic Worship as well. It is further rumored that Dr. Scudder was also in close contact with Anton LaVey, the icon of the Church of Satan in the United States, and other such icons as well in Europe. It is believed there still exist written correspondence which supports his relationships with such individuals.

The person contacting MPR actually met this Dr. Scudder many years ago while in the Chicago area through association with his Dr. Scudder's son. The mansion in which the Scudder's lived in at that time was clad with decor from a darker side of faith which included elegant stained glass windows with demonic representation, a library containing ancient books with some possibly bound with human skin, rooms with red velvet lined walls, a bed encrusted with carved satanic faces and emblems made during the renaissance era in Italy, a very valuable golden harp along with a variety of other ritualistic items representing a faith and belief into the darker realms.

Life went on after the few visits to the Scudder home for this individual, but for Dr. Scudder it was coming to a tragic end. During the 1970's Dr. Scudder and his devoted servant, friend and rumored lover decided to part from the interferences of society and civilization. They sold and gave away all material possessions which had no personal or symbolic value to them and moved to an isolated mountain where they purchased about 40 acres of property to start a self proclaimed kingdom on the outskirts of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia near a small fundamental bible belt town called Trion.

Arriving upon just a woodland covered area, Dr. Scudder and his long time companion Joseph Odom became one with nature and the old ways. They cleared and excavated the land by hand then brick by brick started building their dream "Castle" which they named Corpsewood Manor. After two years of hard labor they completed their dream home and lived a basic life of solitude. Without the corruption of modern day conveniences such as electricity, phones, and other utilities they harvested from their planted gardens and raised chickens.

It is further rumored that they did become involved in various small social circles of the community in which they shared their wine and sometimes unknown to their recipients some of their life time supply of LSD 25. Whether this was done to engage in strange sexual fetishes or as a means to physically and psychologically torture the bodies and
souls of their infrequent visitors for ritualistic purposes is still very unclear, but the potential can not be ruled out. It has been said that various torture and items of restraint were found on this estate in an area called the "pink room".

On Sunday, December 12, 1982, Dr. Scudder and Joseph Odom were unexpectedly visited by Kenneth Avery Brock, a friend of their small local circle, who brought a friend of his, Tony West, along with two other people. Weeks before, Kenneth told his friend Tony of Dr. Scudder and Odom further emphasizing how they lived like Kings at Corpsewood Manor. Tony, after hearing this, already premeditated a plan to rob Corpsewood Manor of its rumored riches prior to the date of his visit. After he arrived at the Manor some force flipped that switch inside his head which resulted in the cold blooded brutal slaying of Dr. Scudder, his companion Odom and even his two Mastiff canines. These murders were later known as the "Corpsewood Murders" in a book written about them.

After the murders, the estate was looted and stripped of many of the ritualistic and other items then burned to the ground. The whereabouts of many of these items are still unknown today. Both Dr. Scudder and Odom were cremated and Odom's ashes were spread at the Corpsewood Estate while Dr. Scudder's were taken far away from his companion and rumored lover. A large legal battle developed over the inheritance of the estate due to Dr. Scudder writing his ex-wife and two children out of his will and making Joseph Odom his sole heir. The legal battle was focused upon the time of deaths. If Joseph Odom died first then the Estate would go to Dr. Scudder's family . If Dr. Scudder passed away first then the estate would go to the family of Joseph Odom. After a long battle It was finally determined that Dr. Scudder passed away first and the Corpsewood Manor Estate went to the family of Joseph Odom.

Now coming back to the present, I have to wonder once again why someone would want artifacts from the ruins of this place? Just the potential of what dark satanic ceremonies and other dark ritualistic presence at this site could create would be enough for me to "advance straight to go and collect $200". Then adding the double cold blooded murders makes me loose any spark of curiosity for wanting any items from this location within 100 miles of my presence.

So now back to this individual who contacted us concerning these items. I will actually admit that at first I had a curiosity and paranormal interest in if these items would emit erratic EMF or temperature readings, produce anomalies under IR Photography and etc.. After rethinking the story of where these items came from along with the potential of being some key to connect ones soul to a darker element and while further talking to this individual about these objects there is the fact they still remained sealed in the box in which they were sent in and not brought into their home being left stored at another location made me realize that these were items that did not have a need to be studied or handled by anyone. Also being told that "power" could be felt radiating from the box they were sealed in made me remember that evil can arrive at your doorstep in many forms and many times it is that human curiosity which opens that Pandora's Box and allows it to escape and infest others.

The further potential that Dr. Scudder had ties to Anton LaVey, the head of the Church of Satan in the United States, and other such icons in the European realms allows this specific Pandora's Box to be filled with a negativity or evil beyond our imagination and control. After reading some of Dr. Scudder's articles and other writings that I could find, I came to feel that he was going beyond the powers which stem from such negativity or possibly Satan himself and to those that could create such negativity or a Satan-like entities. The only such ability or power which could accomplish such would be those of God or the creator and I truly believe that Dr. Scudder was on some ritualistic and darker path that in his mind could make him a dark sided equal in an infinite existence. The darker aspects involved in this situation makes me further realize that this may actually be one of the largest Pandora Boxes in existence today.

As such, in closing, I recommended to this person who contacted us that the items they have should be left in the box they came in and bound with a cross then dropped in the middle of a very deep river or body of flowing water. This was the same advise that a prominent demonoligist and paranormal researcher initially gave when I sought advice on this odd situation. Being the over sized Pandora's Box that I believe this situation consist of, I would further recommend that an actual rite of exorcism and/or other blessings and rituals of a positive or good nature be performed upon the entire property and ruins where Corpsewood Manor stood. Like this case, this box also needs to be locked and sealed forever in hopes that human curiosity does not unlock and open it in the future.

To those that have such objects and relics from this site or the people involved, I would highly suggest that they be disposed of in the same manner or at a minimum taken to a practitioner of a good or positive energy based faith and have them blessed or exorcised. To keep such items in your possession opens a big question concerning your purpose and intent. Curiosity is one thing, but to keep such a possible Pandora's Box in your possession may lead to a very negative impact upon yourself, your family, your friends and even possibly society as a whole.
For those with the curiosity to visit the Corpsewood Manor location, I highly advise that you do not step foot on that ground.

You may believe what you wish, but remember the Devil, Evil, or whatever you may consider the great negative entity or energy is actually more powerful when you do not believe in its existence.

The French poet Charles Baudelaire said, "The devil's deepest wile is to persuade us that he does not exist."

Mark Twain also said, ''Satan hasn't a single salaried helper; the Opposition employs millions.''

Greg Myers, Co-Administrator
Missouri Paranormal Research
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