Tag Archives: History

The Infamous and Macabre LaLaurie Mansion

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Yesterday was a gorgeous day! It started off rainy, but cleared up with a nice January coastal temperature reaching the mid seventies. My family and I decided to drive west three hours to have breakfast at one of our fave places…. Cafe du Monde.While in New Orleans, we walked around and checked out the LaLaurie Mansion. Unfortunately, we were unable to go inside, but still able to visit. It’s reported to be extremely haunted! The following tells of its macabre history….

“Tales of murder, mystery, and mayhem flow throughout the history of New Orleans, but none are more captivating than the LaLaurie Mansion. Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie was a notable Creole socialite before tales of unimaginable cruelty and killing swirled.

The gorgeous Royal Street mansion is located in the heart of the French Quarter. The family spared no expense decorating, shipping in ornate décor from Europe. The house was the talk of the town and home to many extravagant affairs until the dark truth was uncovered.

Slaves mysteriously disappeared, never to be heard from again, screams of ungodly torture could be heard coming from the upstairs, and the Madame’s personal slave jumped from the roof to her death allegedly to avoid being taken to the room of terror.

It was thought Madame LaLaurie’s husband knew of the sadistic happenings but turned a blind eye.

As rumors of grisly behavior echoed throughout the town, the once sought after socialite was avoided, parties unattended. Since it was illegal to mistreat slaves, the Madame was forced to relinquish hers. However, they were given to family members and she acquired back a few at a time.

Although whispers of slave mistreatment swarmed through the town, the reality of Madame LaLaurie’s insanity was unearthed in 1834 when a fiery blaze started in the kitchen uncovered dark secrets as it swept through the mansion. According to legend, the fire was set by a slave trying to commit suicide because she could no longer endure the torture of the lady of the house.

During the cleanup, more than a dozen slaves were found chained upstairs, maimed and tortured. Both men and women, some strapped to a makeshift operating table while others were confined in cages, human body parts were scattered around. Heads and human organs thrown in buckets, other body parts were placed on shelves next to whips and paddles.

After a mob showed up to ransack the mansion, the LaLaurie’s fled town never to be heard from again. Since then, blood curdling screams can be heard at all hours of the night, figures can be seen floating around.” ~ https://www.neworleansghostadventurestour.com/news/the-lalaurie-house-haunting/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5NSdBhDfARIsALzs2ECiujxF7D2ai47Bku5tG1h2H6jcBtJTetEH3sg3-vZd9X1sMeUmk_AaAvljEALw_wcB

The following is a photo of the LaLaurie Mansion. Even with it’s dreaded history, the location is still very beautiful. And just after the first photo, are additional ones we took while we were visiting New Orleans. Love that architecture!!!

Stay blessed, everyone and know that you are all loved!

~ Sheila 💋

The LaLaurie Mansion

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The Historical Saluda Hill Cemetery

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“Saluda Hill Cemetery is a private historical cemetery established in 1824. Among the graves here is that of Zachariah Godbold, the only known Revolutionary War veteran buried in Baldwin County. Many Blakeley residents and Confederate soldiers also are buried in the cemetery.
 
Erected 1997 by Alabama Historical Association.” ~ https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=81854

The location is a small one with headstones dating back a couple of centuries. As mentioned above, Revolutionary War veteran Zachariah Godbold is buried there as well.  ~ https://sites.rootsweb.com/~alzgcdar/photos.htm

It’s a fascinating cemetery, aged, yet it also includes a few burials from recent years. My husband and I saw it across from the entrance of the Historic Blakeley State Park. Before heading back home, we decided to check it out and pay our respects to the graves.

Inside the cemetery were a couple of sectioned off places that looked like family plots. These two separate areas had low brick walls and wrought iron fences with a gate. One of the squared off plots had several old headstones dating back to the 1800s. One was of a young mother and her two young children. The headstone beside theirs was so weathered and worn that it was pieced together like a puzzle. It was obvious that someone went to great lengths to keep it together because it was being held up by some sort of makeshift metal brace.

The second sectioned off place didn’t have any visible markers or headstones that my husband or I could see. Perhaps it was due to the overgrowth of grass, or maybe the graves were unknown, or maybe the surviving family members couldn’t afford headstones (which was often the case back in the day.)

And at the back of this old cemetery was another gate with a pathway that lead to the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery. This cemetery was beautifully kept as well.

The following are some photos that we took of the historical Saluda Hill Cemetery.

This photo is of The Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Imaginary Friends…. Make believe or something ghostly? 🤔

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Excellent topic for discussion….. Imaginary friends … So many children have them…. Mindless playing with tea parties, outdoor games or just pretending to sing in front of an audience. Children letting their imaginations run wild with their sweet innocence.

And then here’s another theory …. Perhaps one that can be the premise to something other worldly.

Often, the plot of a horror film…. the subject evolves around a lonely child who may seek the attention from a playmate. The parents discount it as something lighthearted until time passes and either the child’s behavior starts to turn dark, or something sinister literally happens, which leads to ungodly acts that are blamed on the misunderstood child. And as the young one proclaims innocence, he or she is wrongfully accused and then a whole world of problems arise… Yes, we’ve all seen films like these, read about stories online or in the papers… Heard about kids in school…. etc…. etc…. The list goes on and on….

So…. Do you believe that a child’s imaginary friend could actually be a ghost, or something evil with cruel intentions waiting to happen?

Hmmm….. Ponderism… 🤔

“Our Night at the Myrtles Plantation”

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Our night at the Myrtles Plantation

(***A true paranormal encounter experienced by paranormal investigators, Lori and Brian Davies of NWA Ghost Connection.***)

 

 

John Winters Room

3 p.m. check in, we arrived at 2 p.m. anxious to get there and excited about crossing off a bucket list item. Brian bought me a night at the Myrtles for my 50th birthday gift. He knew it was on a list of things I wanted to do since I was nineteen. We purchased some things in the gift shop and checked in. We were taken to the house to see our room and my gift kicks in as the door opens. At the top of the stairs I was greeted by a woman who appeared to be in mourning. She was in a black dress with a veil coming down over her face. I was taken a back by her but proceeded up the large staircase that led into the house to our room. The young lady who showed us to our room politely stated all the rules of the house and then opened our door and handed Brian the keys. Our night began.

We walked in and acquainted ourselves with the room, all the while this woman standing in our doorway. I asked Brian if he had seen or sensed anything. He said how weird it was, the water started dripping in the tub and he tried to turn the water off, but it was tightly off (weird). We had a quick, odd moment and he left to go get our luggage for the night. I sat in the chair in the corner watching her and when alone I asked her what her name was and she replied, “Sara M Bradford”, and then walked in a little girl who stood along side her in a pretty, little blue dress and blondish-brown hair. I assumed had some relation to her, but the child wouldn’t speak to me. 

I heard a commotion in the hall and stuck my head out when I encountered another employee of the Myrtles and I asked her if I could ask her a question, she replied sure and came into the room. I then asked her if she had heard of this Sara or knew of her or was my being a medium allowing everyone to come through. She took two steps back and asked me, Sara? I replied, yes, she is standing right there pointing towards the door, she said her name was Sara M Bradford. The lady looked at me and smiled and said you are the first one who has called her that. I responded, called her what, Sara? She said no, calling her by her maiden name, Bradford. The employee then said her name was Sara Matilda Bradford Woodruff and her father built the Myrtles. 

After some light conversation she invited me to do a private tour, with me being a physical medium she wanted me to walk the home and tell them what I could see and hear along with feel. I agreed because I was curious about her story and why she was so sad. As the night went on I ended up hurting my knee and had a difficult time walking, so of course I couldn’t walk the house and I wonder to this very day if that was the plan the whole time. During the night in our room the curtain continuously moved on just one side, the chandelier rotated back and forth and then my fan got knocked over against the wall which created a level of uneasiness. At this time I pulled out our infrared camera and began to take pictures and, what do you know, there she was in all her glory. My husband ran downstairs to talk to the tour guide and showed her the photo and, what do you know, she identified her as Sara. 

They were so excited to see this photo and sad I could not do my private walk and as they were all looking at this photo I took I was settling in to sleep because I was in pain from my knee. Brian came back up and we took several videos of the excitement in our room and then decided to sleep so I could rest before the long drive home. Well, the night was crazy as around 2 a.m. I saw a man at the foot of our bed dressed in confederate attire and just starring at me. I was unnerved and asked him what he wanted, which was when I began to taste blood and have stomach issues and he pointed at the wall and disappeared, well…..that was interesting, and the footsteps and humming I heard all night made it difficult to sleep. 

As day break rose, I was seriously done at this point and Brian woke up and I needed to leave, with all the energies in that home, lack of sleep, hurt knee, I think I had seen enough of the house for this trip. I have since promised to go back to walk the house for the woman and send them a copy of my photo so they can share my night with Sara. All I could gather from her was how sad she was for all her loss of children, father, and husband. She just did not get to live how she wanted. The humming was from the room we stayed in which was the old nursery, go figure… all in all, it was a sleepless night, but I do recommend the stay just for the interaction with the spirit world. The John Winters room was definitely a hit on my night. 

Lori Davies – Founder                                                                                                        NWA Ghost Connection

 

 

 

 

(Photograph courtesy of Lori Davies, Founder of NWA Ghost Connection.)

“The Reincarnated Soul”

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This next topic is often bit of a controversial one due to different beliefs. It is never my intent to offend anyone with what I write, but I do believe that having an opened mind is key to understanding the unknown.

Now, the subject of reincarnation is one that I find to be extremely interesting. Do I believe in it? Absolutely, 100%! What exactly is reincarnation? It’s when a spirit/ soul is born again. After an individual dies, their spirit/ soul is reincarnated into another living body. A “rebirth”. Many believe that the reason for this is to learn from one lifetime to another, taking with us knowledge that will help us to achieve higher wisdom.

As crazy as it may sound, I actually have memories of some of the past lives that I’ve lived. These memories (as few as they are) are as clear as the ones that I have from this life. I know this sounds absurd, but I have strong connections with the eras from which my recollections come.

For instance, a few years ago I was at a book signing for my novel, The Spirit Within when I was approached by a lovely elderly woman (for which I wrote the article “A Curious Encounter”) who told me that she could “see” things that others couldn’t. Then, she proceeded to tell me that I used to be a white witch. I gently smiled at the beautiful face and replied, “I know” right before she walked away. And I honestly did know what she was talking about, even though to carry on such an intense conversation with her wouldn’t have been prudent at the time. However, I would have loved to have done so because she seemed truly inspiring.

But in regards to which she was referring to, I knew very well. It was late 1600’s, time of the witch trials. I was a single female in my mid- twenties and considered a healer among the community. I don’t remember exactly how it all transpired, but I was eventually wrongfully accused of working with dark magic. My last memory? Hanging in the tree just before I died and looking down at all the ones who sought out my help before the panic of ignorance changed their minds. I also remember my clothing, down to the very minute detail, from my brown dress to my shoes and even my long hair.

Then, there was the life when I was a male soldier in the U.S. Army during World War II. I have such a strong attachment to that time, including the music for which I absolutely love! I died after being shot out in the field. It was pouring down rain, my Army fatigues were soaked and muddied, and I fell face first into a fox hole where I drowned in a deep puddle.

There are a few more memories I have, including when I was a very caring nurse in a hospital at the turn of the 1900’s. These are all pretty intense memories, but they’re definitely mine. If you have any recollections of reincarnation, I’d love to hear about them. Let’s open up and share!

 

 

Here are a few great articles that I found to be rather interesting…. had to share! 😉

Past Lives: 11 Signs Your Soul Has Reincarnated Many Times

Have You Walked This Earth Before? 6 Signs of Reincarnation

10 Signs Your Soul Has Reincarnated – Power of Positivity

 

 

 

 

 

CSParkerJewelry on Etsy! https://www.etsy.com/shop/CSParkerJewelry  (Handmade Jewelry. Natural Stones. Glass Beads.)

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter: @sheilarparker.

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Facebook: Sheila Renee Parker – Author

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Instagram: @sheilareneeparker

~ Art by Sheila Renee Parker available at: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sheilarenee-parker.html

~ Sheila Renee Parker on YouTube: Sheila Renee Parker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Village Point in Daphne, Alabama

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A tree to see with amazing history along with an old burial site known as D’Olive Cemetery….

 

Yesterday, Clay and I went to a really cool place located not far from where we live. It’s a historical site called Village Point in Daphne, Alabama. Here we got to see one of Alabama’s largest and oldest oak trees known as Jackson’s Oak. It is called the Jackson Oak after Andrew Jackson. He made a speech from one of its branches to his men before they marched onto Pensacola during the War of 1812. Also, troops were landed near here by Admiral Farragut during the Civil War to capture Blakely and Spanish Fort. This tree was also included as a map reference for the original Spanish land grant in 1792.

Another interesting fact about Village Point is that there is an old cemetery dating back to the early 1800s, the D’Olive Cemetery. Some of the headstones have French writing on them.

Village Point isn’t only a location that’s rich in history, it’s also full of beautiful nature trails and wildlife. Such an awesome place to check out!!

 

 

Jackson’s Oak is a beautiful and magnificent tree. Standing in front of it just demonstrates its magnitude.

 

 

 

 

 

 

D’Olive Cemetery Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mobile Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Haunted Swamp”

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Ahhhh…. The Haunted Swamp. Nefarious place or a peaceful location? I guess that’s up to the individual and their experience.

Recently, my husband and I checked out a place called Bear Creek Swamp located in Prattville, Alabama. It was nearly a three hour drive that we took early in the morning to attend our son’s football game that was scheduled to occur later that night. The reason why we left so early was because my husband and I had already researched the city of Prattville, which was founded by industrialist and architect, Daniel Pratt in 1839. We love historical places so we took the opportunity to look around!

Upon our research, we looked for areas known for paranormal activity. That’s when my husband stumbled across some online articles about Bear Creek Swamp, also referred to as “The Haunted Swamp”. What he shared with me were some pretty interesting things. We read about ghostly sightings of Confederate soldiers, Creek Indians, early settlers, and even an apparition of a woman desperately in search of her lost child that will lash out at anyone who repeats three times, “We have your baby!”

People have even made reports of seeing floating orbs and phantom car lights that chased them down the road, that’s if their vehicles didn’t stall without plausible explanation. Yep, some say that their cars have actually “died” and wouldn’t start back up while encountering the freakishly paranormal activity of The Haunted Swamp.

Also, sightings of none other…. the big, hairy beast himself, Bigfoot! His echoing howls have been heard by various people claiming the validity of this creature. Oh, and we dare not leave out the elusive, legendary Chupacabra whose sightings have been reported as well.

And as if all that wasn’t enough to make one want to become a nail biter, there’s the Creepy Doll Graveyard where 21 porcelain dolls were found on top of bamboo stakes back in November, 2014. Who or what was behind this macabre creation? Who knows? The origin of such a morbid finding has never been discovered, or revealed.

Now, in finding Bear Creek Swamp, it seemed like it took my husband and me forever before we finally found it. Of course, we used our GPS and it sent us to a bridge that crossed over Bear Creek on Alabama State Route 14. We knew that wasn’t the exact location mentioned in the articles. Keep in mind, we weren’t able to find any road signs about Bear Creek Swamp, but did that stop us from our search? No way! We were determined to see what all the hype was about with The Haunted Swamp!

We traveled down a couple of paved roads that were near the bridge, but quickly knew that we were still in the wrong spots. My husband and I were just about to give up when we passed a dirt, gravelly looking road. He said,  “Hmmm…. wonder if that was the road?” Getting tired of driving around I asked him, “Wanna go back to see?” He was like, “No, uh huh… let’s just keep going.” But when he said that, I could tell that he really did want to go back to see if that old road was the correct one. “What would you do if you were me?” I asked him. “Go back.” He said without any hesitation.

That’s when I found the nearest place to turn our car around. I’m glad we did because once we turned down the old road, we were in awe of our surroundings! We weren’t even a mile away from Alabama State Route 14 when we noticed the swamp that was on both sides of the road. It was lush and green with a beautiful serenity about it! It was a road that appeared not traveled much and had very few residences on it. The entire time we were on the road, not once did we encounter another vehicle. It was absolutely quiet there. The only sound we heard was from a small, man-made drainage culvert. Trees were all over the place, moss was abound and I couldn’t resist taking some of the beautiful moss home. (The next day I put the moss into a crystal bowl and added some tiny, white wire lights to create a stunning coffee table centerpiece. One word…. “Gorgeous!”).

While going down the road we did stop and get out of our car a couple of times. Did we experience anything ghostly or otherworldly? Did we see our beloved Bigfoot and/or  Chupacabra? Nope! Didn’t see anything, hear anything, nor smell anything of the sort. (Smell? Why would I say that?? Because Bigfoot has always been known to have a foul odor about him. Poor guy…. you’d think that with all the water around there that he would take a bath every once in a while. 😉 )

Everything that we researched basically had supernatural activity at night. We didn’t stay there until nightfall because the main reason why we were in Prattville was to attend our son’s football game, which was far more important to us. So, that’s why we visited Bear Creek Swamp during the day.

What we did experience at The Haunted Swamp was tranquility and beauty. It was like stepping back into another time as we made our way down the unpaved road. No sounds of the hustle and bustle of a nearby city, no streetlights and buildings. Only vibrant green scenery and tall trees surrounded us. The occasional breeze that blew off the water was cool to our skin, taking away the humid, August day’s heat.

I was raised as a country girl, so I found myself extremely comfortable there. It made me reminisce the times when I was growing up on the old road that I did with my best friend. Together, she and I were always finding our way down hidden trails that passersby often forgot about.

My husband found himself reminiscing as well. He loved the place, too. We will happily go back at the next given chance!

 

 

 

 

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter: @sheilarparker.

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Facebook: Sheila Renee Parker – Author

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Instagram: @sheilareneeparker

~ Art by Sheila Renee Parker available at: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sheilarenee-parker.html

~ Sheila Renee Parker on YouTube: Sheila Renee Parker

 

 

 

My artwork titled, “The Haunted Swamp”.

The Haunted Forest 3

(“The Haunted Swamp” ~ Digital artwork by Sheila Renee Parker. Prints available at Fine Art America!)

 

 

(The coffee table centerpiece that I created using the moss from “The Haunted Swamp”.)

 

 

“Spooky Random Fact: #6”

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“Spooky Random Fact: #6”

Our subconscious reveals our deepest fears…. or does it?

When you sleep, do you have dreams of grandeur, or perhaps maybe even something of a darker origin? Has your deepest fear ever been revealed in a horrific nightmare?

Here’s something that might set your nerves on end. The word “nightmare” dates back from Old English times when the word “mare” referred to folkloric demons that terrorized people by sitting on their chests while the individuals slept, causing them to have haunting dreams. These so-called demons were often thought to be incubi and/or succubi. The prefix “night” was later added to articulate the dream condition.

So, just when your eyes are falling heavy and you’re about to drift off to sleep tonight, remember it’s only a dream…. or is it?

 

Sweet dreams, everyone…… ❤

 

Read more at  “A Nightmarish Origin”.

 

 

 

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter: @sheilarparker.

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Facebook: Sheila Renee Parker – Author

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Instagram: @sheilareneeparker

~ Art by Sheila Renee Parker available at: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sheilarenee-parker.html

 

 

 

 

Interview with Dave Spinks & Kristin Lee

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Today I’m welcoming Dave Spinks and Kristin Lee who are here to tell us about their exciting upcoming convention, Society of Supernatural! Thank you, Dave and Kristin for stopping by!

 

 

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Dave:  I’m a military veteran of 9 years and retired federal law enforcement officer. I’ve been investigating and researching all aspects of the paranormal for over 30 years. I have recently delved into writing. I have a lot of experiences and knowledge over these many years of investigating strange phenomena and I feel it’s time to put it to paper.

Kristin:  My name is Kristin Lee. I’m the founder and owner of the Bellaire House Paranormal Research Center, coined Bellaire House Tours, LLC. I work in the metaphysical field and also work with a large supernatural community whom collect paranormal data at the Bellaire House.

 

 

Why the paranormal?

Dave:  Well the paranormal really changed my life due to several experiences I had as a young man, starting with a Bigfoot sighting I had in 1983 with my grandfather.

Kristin:  I fell on hard times when my home was destroyed by two flash floods, leaving me homeless with two kids. I found the Bellaire House on a foreclosed list, I put in a bid to purchase the home, the bank accepted it and we moved in shortly after. It wasn’t long before I started noticing paranormal activity; but I blamed psychology from the flood, being over worked and the stress of rebuilding a life for my family until there was no more psychological explanations. I’m interested in afterlife communication, and collecting paranormal data to prove or disprove there is something more than what a conservative middle class society taught me. There are things that I’m unable to explain, unexplainable things not only I, but many who gather with me, can’t explain either. There are so many profound things that add up if you pay attention – it’s like I’m being spiritually led. I think the most important thing I’ve learned from this metaphysical/paranormal research is that there are no coincidences.

 

 

You’re a paranormal investigator. What kind of locations do you investigate and what’s been the scariest one so far?

Dave:  Yes, well I investigate residential locations as well as commercial locations. However, I investigate hauntings, cryptids and ufo sightings anything in the supernatural realm is game for me because I feel a lot of it, maybe interconnected. I really don’t have a scariest location, each one is different and many have been unnerving in their own way.

 

 

 

You’re an author, metaphysician and owner of the Bellaire House, a location known for its paranormal activity. Tell us a little about its haunted history. 

Kristin: The land is part of the French and Indian war, there are Shawnee caves on the property for the mid 1700’s; we have heard others locals say their elders told them that the Shawnee held ceremonies behind the Bellaire House. Bellaire is known for “the house that jack built.” Which was built and owned by a hard working coal mine tycoon named Jacob Heatheringon, we have proven the Bellaire House to part of Jacob Heatheringtons land, as well as the Bellaire House was part of Jacobs family – his son Alex and granddaughter Lyde took over the coal company when Jacob died. We have recently learned Alex was committed to a lunatic asylum when the business failed, leaving Lyde,  who died in the house from heart problems owner of the land. Her brother Edwin lived inside the Bellaire House with Lyde, but when Lyde died, Edwin became struck with grief and called upon spiritualist’s to come to the Bellaire House so he could communicate with Lyde. We also learned that Edwin lost a twin sister at a tender young age of his human development, which may have triggered him to  question the afterlife when he was a child. We have heard rumors that the water was poisoned by a local man because his wife wanted to live in the Bellaire House but the family would not sell it. Jim Chase who is a former code enforcer, found maps that show catacombs, leaving a passage for freedom for the Underground Railroad to the Ohio River. There is documentation of a coal mine fire in portal 1, which Jacob Heatherington spent $8k to extinguish in the 1800’s. We have identified Jacob as being a leader of the Good Fellows, and holding private meeting in the lower chamber of his home. In front of the House is the Ohio River which coincides with leyline that create portals or doorways to the paranormal. We have recently discovered very strong correlations to the Heatheringtons physical & psychological well being. Historically the house has had many owners as well as those who lived there as renters. The Bellaire House houses positive energy aside from some of the TV rating dramatic’s, but then the other side of the Bellaire House is not positive & it can be dangerous, some people call this demonic- so the Bellaire House crew works hard to keep the energy neutralized to try to be proactive against negative energy. We have had many teams come to investigate the Bellaire House for definitive paranormal activity, and most have gathered some very profound & unexplainable video data, concluding paranormal activity does exist. It has taken us thirteen years to gather data to be able to say that paranormal activity exists. Our next research is trying to learn how the activity manifests.

 

 

 

Together you both are working on an exciting upcoming event, Society of Supernatural.

Dave, can you tell everyone when the event will take place and how people can get tickets? And also, what’s the itinerary for the day of the event?

Dave:  Yes, the first Society of the Supernatural Convention will be taking place on June 16th from 11 am to 6pm, at the wheeling island casino and resort in wheeling WV. There will be guest speakers , To include John Zaffis , Rosemary Ellen Guiley , our own David Weatherly, Myself , Kristin Lee, Ross Allison, Sean Austin. Also appearing Stan Gordon, Eric Altman. There will be many meta physical people, psychics doing readings haunted location owners and people who run the locations to include Willows Weep, Bellaire House Octagon Hall, Kusciosko County Jail, Guyer Opera house and more. Several paranormal radio shows, paranormal groups of all kinds. Also, after the event is over Sean Austin Will be performing live music at the venue . You can get tickets to the event by going to the Bellaire house facebook page , go into the events page and find the conference page. You can also buy tickets at the door.

Kristin, the day before the event there will be a “Meet & Greet”. Can you tell everyone about that? And where will the “Meet & Greet” take place?

Kristin:  Dave called me one afternoon and asked me to help him coordinate a supernatural gathering in Wheeling, WV. We say supernatural because we wanted to not limit ourselves just to paranormal. We believe that all unexplained should be considered “supernatural” because we work with so many people in the field who are not just paranormal investigators. We also wanted to open the conference up various people who work as metaphysicians, psychic’s, cryptozoology, ufology, hauntings, paranormal, demonology, authors, location owners, teams of researchers, and healers. We also wanted to gather together with like minded people to share our work & start building a strong network of rapport with our peers. In the past I coordinated psychic fairs at the Wheeling Island Casino, Wheeling, WV, so I suggested to Dave we start the conference there. David Weatherly & Spinks asked me to join the Society of the Supernatural, (SOS) because of my work and experiences from the Bellaire House & we have other members of the SOS spread across the world.
Friday night is a private meet & greet at the Bellaire House with the speakers of the convention, plus we will also be holding a small & intimate Investigation at the Bellaire House with the speakers of the conventions. We opened up a six VIP tickets for guests to join us. Info for VIP tickets is in the website. thebellairehouse.webs.com. Meet & greet is 6pm-8pm and then the Investigation is 8pm-12am – we have an early morning and a very long day on Saturday.

 

 

 

This is the first one of many to come. What’s the inspiration behind creating the event, Society of Supernatural?

Dave:  The inspiration for the event is to bring together like minded people in the field to network with one another, share stories and experiences swap information . It is also focusing on people who live this life for real, people who have a genuine passion for the research and in the search for answers to some of man’s greatest questions.
David Weatherly and myself created Society of the Supernatural 4 years ago with some of these ideals in mind and its starting to take shape and grow on its own.

 

 

 

Where can paranormal enthusiasts find all the exciting updates for Society of Supernatural?

Kristin:  https://www.facebook.com/events/151392812209947??ti=ia

Or thebellairehouse.webs.com

 

 

 

Anything else you’d like to include about the fun-filled event?

Dave:  If you love the Supernatural realm you won’t want to miss this one! We’d love to meet each and every one of you and hear your stories and experiences. See you there!

Kristin:  We have 15 vending tables available at $50 per table. We provide an 8 foot table and chairs. There is an application that needs to be submitted for vendors simply to keep the type of vendors even- we want to keep things fair as possible & not have a overflow of specific vendors. We have capes 2-3 vendors per category to keep the event balanced. VIP meet & Greet tickets are going fast. Lodging for the event is at the Wheeling Island Casino Hotel. Saturday after the convention we will remain in the show room for a public after hours party where Sean Austin will be playing music.

Vendors application link:
Society of Supernatural

 

 

Kristin: It is said by many locals of Bellaire that Jacob had this monument of Eliza placed at Greenwood cemetery with her back turned against Bellaire because of how the locals disrespected her. Jacob built the mansion for Eliza so she would feel acceptance by the village of Bellaire, but when he held parties the locals still shunned her. Eliza was a faithful Christian Women who taught Jacob to read by using the Bible. However, she followed in her mother’s footsteps and worked as a bar maid and cook. Back then, people frowned on women working in a pub. Non true rumors state Eliza is holding a spell book, but she is holding the Bible as she stood firm of the gospel of Christ.

Kristin: In March of 2017 after we aired on TV, we received so much attention someone decided to buy the bankruptcy note to the Bellaire House and hung $50k over our heads to keep it. After months of fighting with the persons who bought the bankruptcy note, we were able to get them to lower the debt to $35k and that was when we brought in Jon Campbell as our business partner. We raised money for the cause of saving the Bellaire House, and the debt pushed back the restoration of the Bellaire House, but we saved it thanks to Jon Campbell.

As far as we knew I had filed the bankruptcy, walked away to start a new life. Jim Chase, the code enforcer at the time called me and told me I was responsible for the property, the upkeep and I owned it and my name was on the deed still. Once we aired, a mortgage company contacted me demanding payment for the bank note and when they called that was when we found out the bank never foreclosed the properly. Years had gone by and I had been keeping up on the property, taxes and everything that goes along with it until I received the call demanding payment- that’s where John Campbell asked to become a partner to help save the house.

Kristin: Many local people have called Kristin a fraud and liar about the Bellaire House, some locals don’t believe in the paranormal and have gone beyond disrespecting Kristin Lee as they once did to Eliza Heatherington. It’s a shame that if anyone dares to be different in Bellaire the uneducated pitchforks point to the sky by the hands of some very cruel people. This is proof that the Bellaire House is a historical location, and Jacob A Heatherington was a resident. The family is large so historical data is a on going process by Rebecca Star Garden.

Kristin: The fire 1893. Coal mine portal #1 is currently visible, which proves the fire under the Bellaire House, and the coal mine portal runs from Pinch Run to St.Johns Catholic school.

Kristin: Alex Heatheringtons commitment records found by Rebecca Star Gardner.

Kristin:  We have extended the convention hours due to the great amount of interest & para community support. The convention will be 11am-9:30pm. Vendors need to be present to set up at 8am and be ready for the doors to open at 11am. The scheduled speakers will be present at the Bellaire House Friday, June 15 for the VIP private meet & greet/Investigation and are scheduled to speak at the convention during the following times:

11:00-11:30—Steve Hummel

 

11:30-12:00—Dave Spinks

 

12:15-12:45—Eric Altman

 

12:45-1:30—Lunch Break

 

1:30-2:30—Rosemary Ellen Guiley

 

2:45-3:45—David Weatherly

 

4:00-5:00—Ross Allison

 

5:15-6:15—John Zaffis

 

6:30-7:00—Kristin Lee

 

7:00-8:00—Stan Gordon

 

8:00-9:00—Dinner Break

 

9:00-9:30—Sean Austin

 

 

 

 

 

L’Inconnue de la Seine

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Hmmm… such an enchanting string of words don’t you think? L’Inconnue de la Seine to me looks like the beautiful title of a play, but in reality the English translation is “The Unknown Woman of the Seine”. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it?

“Who was she?”, you may ask. Well, back in the late 1880s a young woman’s body was pulled out of the Seine River located at the Quai du Louvre in Paris. The local officials theorized that the cause of death was suicide since there was no evidence of foul play. Now here’s where the story gets a little strange. It was alleged that the Paris morgue’s pathologist at the time was so completely awestruck by the young woman’s beauty that he created a death mask of her face. Kinda creepy, right?!

And as if that wasn’t disturbing enough…. Apparently the pathologist wasn’t the only one who was charmed by the vision because a large amount of copies were made of the unknown beauty’s death mask throughout the years. As macabre as it may sound, the copies rapidly made their way in the fashion of Parisian Bohemian society. This mysterious belle has even been the inspiration that has led to the creation of countless literary works.

In his book titled, The Savage God, critic Al Alvarez wrote, “I am told that a whole generation of German girls modeled their looks on her.” (All I can say here is, “WOW!” A whole generation, huh? Interesting to know that someone’s beauty was that alluring! She must have been quite the stunner!)

Her beauty was actually considered so captivating that she had become the model of sensuality. She’s also been referred to as L’Inconnue: The Mona Lisa of the Seine, but in current times to millions of people now days, her face is recognized as someone entirely different. To all the amazing people who have learned CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), her face is known as Resusci Anne. That’s right, the calming face on the CPR mannequin is that of L’Inconue de la Seine. Wait, what?! Seriously?? I know, I thought it was really fascinating, too!!

After more than a century’s passed, this magnificent young woman’s appeal continues to remain with us. A poetic sense of immortality for an unknown beauty who still mystifies us even to this day.

 

 

 

 

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~ Art by Sheila Renee Parker available at: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sheilarenee-parker.html